Splendor At The Door Of My Own Heart

Mark 13:29 "Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door."

With Valentine's Day behind me, I now sit and reflect on things marvelous, wonderful, miraculous, incredible, beautiful, and very personal;  things laid in my path on that particular day of love.

I am in humble awe.

As if God and I had divine appointments all day long, He showered me with gifts from Heaven. Hearts appeared and Heavens sang His praises and possibly more. Seeing all these signs, I captured them in photos. The last "heart" of the day is such a wonderment, that I have chosen to share it only in real time, one on one.

Recognizing that God is near for a very long time now, He continues to give me new revelations, adding to my stories of His grace upon amazing grace. I missed my son that day as always, sending Him a Valentine love wish that morning in a post, now almost 9 years since his passing and returning Home. God heard my prayer and lavished on me, allowing me to see what others may not see, what some take for granted, or do not recognize, what some just want to ignore.

But God tells us many times in scripture to be on the alert, to be on guard.

It's not only for discernment and demon-watching, but I also believe and know it is to see His mercy, His forgiveness, His grace, His hope and His beautiful love for us, reaching down, across, up, through-- in such personal ways.

One unique BELIEVER'S heart, underfoot on a pathway where I worship, fellowship and connect to others, saves me, for I gave my heart in belief to Him long ago and I choose to obey Him by serving and worshipping Him within the Body of Christ.

A second SANCTIFYING heart, pools around the thorny rose, pruned back numerous times, but continuing to explode each spring in a bounty of beautiful buds and spectacular blooms. It's the word picture, the many parables of Jesus, sewing and reaping, planting in good soil and on a firm foundation, expecting a harvest and planning for more.

The third, an ETERNAL MESSENGER heart, empowers me to continue on by doing what I am doing, seeking more, surrendering and trusting in the known and the unknown, praising Him and giving Him the Glory for every beat and pulse that moves me forward, giving me opportunity and providing my every need.

Psalm 8:1 O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Thy Name in all the Earth, who Has displayed Thy splendor above the heavens!"

All of it is an affirmation, right at the door of my own heart. God is Good, He is on the Throne. He empowers us to share our lives in belief, to live our testimony and grow in sanctification, and to be His messengers of love to others whose hearts are crumbled and broken, whose lives are dry and root-rotted, for those who need to see to believe and/or exist as if hope is lost.

Father God, in Your sovereign plan, You already gave each one of us our own miracle. Your Resurrection redeems us so that we can partake in communion again with You and have a relationship in Your grace. These insights and gifts Lord, are Holy; where what can be seen and felt, moves me to pure worship and humbles me to unspeakable joy. Thank you for these gifts this week and may I be prepared and ready, on guard looking continually and intently along my path, walking it with intention. Help me see those in need of life-giving water, and those just needing to reconnect to the Heavens and find Your powerful face of forgiveness and love. Amen.


Please listen to this song and its story. "Tell Your Heart To Beat Again," Danny Gokey.

Love is Bigger!

I Corinthians 13:13 But now abide faith, hope love, these three, but the greatest of these is love.  


Valentine's Day and love is in the air. Sweethearts shop for diamonds, marriages are officiated, boys steal a kiss, girls blush, moms buy the coolest Valentine's for the classroom and kids learn to draw hearts and eat candy with silly words stamped on them. Husbands spend their whole paycheck on a dozen red roses and a box of Sees...well, maybe not. (A nice card and your good cooking is sufficient). 

What is your action, your visible sign, your gift of love to show those special in your heart your affection?  

The leadership students at my high school where I work spent several days writing each classmate's name on a sticky note, color-coded to their grade, and placing it on a several signs that spelled out LOVE. Labor-intensive and creative, each were placed around significant viewing areas  of campus, encompassing the student body in a message of hope. You Matter! You are Loved! Love is bigger than a bully, bigger than failure. Love creates community. 

Mrs. Weiss and her students 

A personal sign of love gave me a hug today. My teacher shared with me a moment she had with one of our special students while returning from an off campus outing yesterday.  I walked ahead of her with another group while student "K" walked beside her. He noticed a butterfly decal on a car. He said to her, "That is for Miss Coleene... that car and the butterfly is for Coleene!" 

When she told me that today, adding "that some think our kids don't get stuff, but, Oh, how they do," I had to sigh and feel the emotion, that a butterfly-love moment reaches beyond boundaries and limitations one might consider, but  transcends and touches every human mind. He knew and felt my heart when I told him a tiny version of a butterfly story, how they come to remind me of a special one in heaven. He remembered the love. Love is bigger than obstacles we can't control or disabilities that challenge us. 

Love is powerful, more powerful than any negative emotion, especially if we feed it and live it and seek to make it grander. 

This morning, I viewed a wonderful story of love and courage combined. Please click on the video below and watch the story of an example of love for mankind exhibited by Mr. Andre Mary. This story should touch your heart with hope. 

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/79-Year-Old-Man-Rescues-Girl-Freeway-Overpass-368582691.html

The Lord is Love, for God so Loved, He gave his only Son. Think about the Cross and imagine, every human that ever lived having a sticky-note with their name on it, stuck to its rugged exterior, Christ's blood trickling down, runnng through every name.  It creates a big  picture viewed from eternity, one that spells love and grace. Find your name, see it and believe He knows you and redeems you. Allow that love to fill you with worth. Love can silence the "bullies" in your life and can transform them as well. Love is patient and kind, and God's Love is perfect and good. 

Love remembers and has hope that inspires others. Love is a story we can all tell in our own way. Love never fails. 

Love bears all things. Even at 79, love climbs on a freeway overpass and believes, triumphs and saves. Love is enduring and selfless. 

Earlier this week,  the10th of February marked the one-year anniversary of my father-in-law's passing. It rained in the afternoon after his memorial service and God gave us a double rainbow on the drive home. Wednesday afternoon, I glanced to the sky and a  "rainbow" of colors reflected in a scattering of light clouds on a rainless day. Later that evening, I ran an errand to the grocery store. In the sky, a group of birds flew in formation, dipping and bending in a circular motion, maybe even a heart. Lord, you are a good God and I thank you for the reminder that Your Love is powerful and transcending, personal and bigger than all our sorrow, our lacking, our confusion, our mistakes, our negativity, our doubt. Your Love is powerful and recharges perserverance, insightful and amazing. Thank you Lord. 

Father, I am grateful and blessed  for Your Love that gives life-saving hope. Help us Lord to love like You do in all circumstances, in our speech, in our actions, in our posts and tweets. Thank you that my name is on a sticky-note on the Cross of Your salvation and that I am remembered. Thank you Lord for showing us Love in rainbows and butterflies, in Your marvelous creation and in Your people. I know I am loved by Greatest Love and that I can forever trust in that same Love for my today and all my tomorrows. Amen

Happy Valentine's Day!