A Passionate Life

Proverbs 4:23 "Watch over your heart with do diligence, (guard) for from it flow the springs of life."

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡   Did you know it is Heart Health month?  ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡  *

The brain is really the organ in charge of our thoughts and actions. Our heart, our life pumping, blood delivering hub, gets the romantic attachments, the icon shape, and sometimes the blame for when things happen--either for the good or not so good emotion- based actions. 

But really, that is, again, our thought processes, our decision making brain and all our input into it. 

I think the author of Proverbs is referring here to our passions--where our input comes from. 

Watch what you become passionate about. Be careful how much time is devoted to other things and not spent with God. (balance). What messages from the world are you listening to more intently than the Word of God? 

What are your priorities concerning your spiritual growth? 

To watch over something, to guard, indicates that there is an expectation that something may be lurking, may be ready to attack, may be wanting to steal away, slowly yet with intent, filter into our thinking and our passions. And so begins the dilution, the compromise, the passionless, unmarked, dimmed Christian life. The world bombards us with many ideologies, temptations, smart phone apps, social media, Super Bowl commercials...you know. But God gives us all we need to guard against it. 

Sometimes, it is subtle-- all the busyness of everyone these days, yours truly included. 

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A challenging end to January going into February, my writing and ministry partner has been hospitalized for almost 3 weeks now.  I've had to do some things without her. My heart and my brain hurt for my friend; and it is only human that feelings and thoughts build. It is in community, in strong friendships and in prayer where the Holy Spirit Commanding Guard stands ready to help us keep the beat going. Her faith and love for me--  heart medicine for encouragement and my strength. We soldier on to continue in our mission, a passion for story-telling and sharing within our community to discover and connect similar passions,  and just maybe, in our obedience, spark an eternal passion. God is so good. 

When we are overwhelmed with everything that is not of God, our life-giving, God reflecting spring just may begin to dry up, become bitter-tasting, and/or reflect a lot of other things, not the face of Christ. 

Christ is what gives our hearts life. His heart, his blood, his grace IS our life spring. 

So why wouldn't we want to guard that, cover it in prayer, protect it with accountability partners, bathe it in His Word and His truth? 

I know what I am passionate about. My family. I love them and I am loved and through our trials and our victories, our passion increases, our faith endures. I am passionate about keeping my son's memory alive in me and in others, for the hope of Heaven. The Word of God. It sustains me, oxygenates my blood and gives me life. Writing. I write for His glory. My friends. Like-minded, authentic, praying friends who want more of God and want to grow together, share His insights together. Creating in nature and art. To use the gifts He's given me and keep active, to see the beauty of His promises and know His grace when I seek Him and spend time being still, listening to His passionate, love-filled, guiding whispers, His wise leading. 

Oh, and then there are those butterflies. My heart's passion is for God and from it flows the life-giving passions that I pray reflect Him in all He gives me to do, to be in this world for His eternal Kingdom. That is worth guarding and protecting until the day He takes me Home.  ♡

                                                                          

Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us both a brain to think, to choose, to know, to reason with. Thank You for giving us a heart, our emotions, to feel love, pain, forgiveness and grace. With both of those, sin entered the world and my own life. But because of Your own plan, and Your own love, You--The Creator, the two are connected. Love and Wisdom from You are life-sustaining and eternity-giving. Without Your sacrifice,Your grace, worldly passions disappoint, end, change and/or keep us spinning on a hamster wheel with no hope, no eternal purpose. Thank You Lord, that You are a passionate God for us, so passionate, You gave Your only Son so that I can be full of purposeful passion for more of Your own heart and have a passion for others. Help me Lord to be the best reflection of that passion, even and especially when my own emotions are challenged and my mind is drifting. May You guard against my heart and my brain from receiving messages of doubt and fear, for they are not from You. How thankful I am to be a child of God because You chose to be passionate for me. Amen. 



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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.

K.I.S.S.

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

Love seems complicated for some.  The words don't come easy, or they come way too easy and the proverbial "cart before the horse" moves down a rocky, unpaved path. God gifted us with a passionate soul, one in which longs for love to fuel it as well as a companion to share the journey with, hopefuly "'till death do us part." It may seem like a puzzle,  pieces seem to be missing or just not fitting, or like a word-search that is backwards, forwards, side-ways...or in texting!

There is an acronym I like for Valentine's Day!

K. I. S. S.   

Keep It Simple Stupid, Silly!  (Let's be Nice, it is Valentine's Day)

A year after our son died, before blogging and Facebook, I wrote "newsletters." Maybe you received a few of them.

I shared a story in the Feb. 2008 issue and I'm sharing it again today. I received a Valentine from God,  through a gift of a hand written note from my son Tim to his brother, Corey. Written at a younger time in his short life; I found it while looking for those old school-made Valentines. Searching through a bin of "saved" works of school writing and art projects, passing up all the construction paper and packets, I located a thick notebook paper folded about 6 times with light blue felt pen writing on the inside. I set aside everything else. Opening it, the words, all written neatly in capital letters spoke of a love between my son Tim and his brother, my son Corey.

(Unedited)...Corey You Are Fun To Play With Because You Are
My Only Brother. You Will Always Be A Good Brother
To Me Even When We Fight, Like You Care Alot
About Me Like When You Did'nt Want Me To Go In The
Sewers You Were Praying. That Shows That You Have Fellings
For Me. Love Your Faviorte (Only Brothr) Tim

(Just in case you are questioning my parenting..."the sewers?" --the catch basin for rain runoff a few blocks over where the kids liked to "explore." Boys will be boys)...


A Revelation

A Light Given.

A Tangible Gift, Expressed.

Received.

Simple,

Cherished.

                                                                                                 ~~~

"Ms. C"
The dashes around the picture?
He told me he wanted it to look
"sewn" on. 

My student busied himself today with a Valentine drawing he then presented to me;  from a simple mind but a heart that beats just like mine, capable of giving and receiving love, just like mine.

                                         ~~~

We long for relationship, passion, purpose. Love.  God made it simple. We are the ones who complicate things. His desire for us is, yes, to have faith, to receive hope. But even in those days when faith seems impossible and hope crumbles like so many candy hearts with empty words, His love never fails. God wrote in blood His feelings for us on the palms of His hands, set inside a tomb only to be opened, unfolded and treasured in our hearts when Love conquered death!  Receive His Love note, His Valentine. Cherish it. Serve Him, Serve one another. In that obedience, the hope and faith grows within us.  Let Love Abound. This world needs it.

Lord, You are the Standard, the Template, the Example of true and pure--Perfect Love. Man taints it, discards it, abuses it, kills over it. Your love REDEEMS all of that. Love is the most powerful of emotions. Teach us Lord to love uncondtionally, to love selflessly, to love as You so loved. May we glorify You in our love. We thank you for all the relationships of love You have given us. Thank you for our husbands, our wives, our children, friends and even our pets. Fill us with compassion for others and enlarge our hearts to receive more of Your Unfailing Love. Amen.