Because He Is Good

Isaiah 53: 3-5 "He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows, and aquainted with grief; 
and like one whom men hide their face, 
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 
Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; 
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, 
Smitten of God and afflicted. 
But He was pierced through for our transgressions, 
He was crushed for our iniquities..."

Today is Good Friday. Why is it good, you ask?  Christendom takes the bread and breaks it, drinks of the cup and ponders on the good, THE GOOD of what transforms us, pushes us through into the Holy of Holies, passed the torn veil and into a New Covenant, a new promise of Hope, the everlasting riches of His divine glory.

Think back on a day you totally felt ashamed, worthless, sick to your stomach for a horrible decision, unforgiven, guilty, angry, desperate...

Now imagine every human being that ever lived taking those same thoughts and feelings, putting them in a backpack and placing them on the shoulders of Christ. Still, this was only one day, one set of emotions multiplied by all of humanity, the ones we admit, the ones we'd really like to see forgiven. What about all the others, the ones we still covet, hold on to, wrestle with, keep secret, deny...?

Jesus Christ on that Cross took on all of humanity's sin, the obvious and the hidden, the defined and the undefined, the tragic disregard and the intentional and blatant self-serving hedonism of mankind, all of it, and then He died...Because He is Good and we are not!

That sin, that affliction we carry, that sickness deep in our lungs, that infection in our gut, those nervous anxieties and restless nights, that heavy burden that drowns us and keeps us from true joy...He absorbed into his God-man skin, into the very Holy cells of His righteous Being, circulating through His heart, each beat calling out our name to the Father, "Forgive them..."

And this is the Gospel Truth (Mark 15).

Good Friday is Good because it is so personal. It is you He sees from the Cross, you whose sin He gathers and burns.

Break the bread and partake of His goodness, remember His body bruised and crushed. Savor the Bread of Life and His sustaining grace that fills us with awe and wonder. Sip from the cup of His Salvation, the River of Life that floods the deluge of sin to revive and transform us for His glory.

Victory awaits us. A triumphant celebration prepares. Faith is forged and Hope is renewed. For this is not the end of the Good. Good continues eternal.

All that He requires is your humble heart.

"Blessed are those who are poor in spirit ( to know their need for God), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:4

Father, it is incomprehensible the depth of Your Good Love for us, for me. Yet You show me everyday how to do this life, how to live in joy, how to conquer sin and be a light. You do that in such personal ways that encourage me to want to know You even more intimately and share Your plan, worship You with abandon and fellowship with others--THE plan of Love that moves us into the everlasting eternity spent with You. Thank you Father God for sending Your Son to die for me on that Cross, for Your plan to have communion again with us sinners. May we remain always humble and willing to be obedient to Your calling, sharing the Good that is You, Amen.

A Step in the Right Direction

Proverbs 16:9 "The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his step."


An important ministry for women I and many others devote ourselves all year to is temporarily suspended due to unforeseen changes in administration. A search for new leadership and God's timely directive in it all awaits us. The last two events continued as scheduled and our ministry teams  stepped up to provide the support for each other to allow this amazing night to proceed. 

In the six years "Coffee Break" has taken place, this last Monday night astounded us in every aspect, with an affirmation that this particular event will continue, grow and inspire us to be authentic and obedient in telling our story for His glory. 

When man plans to honor the Lord, He will surely direct the steps towards success! It takes communication, trust, a passion and a lot of prayer when a challenge comes, but how would we ever grow or see the beauty of the path if we didn't stop and take it in, re-evaluate and rally for what we know is a beautiful road of hope. We encouraged each other to persevere. It was said, "Coffee Break is writing its own story," and I found that to be true. Through this challenge, I got to know a few other woman better, encourage one another all the more and see God's direction illuminated in our leadership; our purpose, to share the hope of the Gospel through testimony. 

We played a game that night. We had to place a paper plate on our head and with a pen, blindly draw a picture, one step given at a time. 

Draw the ground. Now draw a house. Draw a door on your house, add windows. Place a tree in your picture. Add a sun. Some clouds, etc. After we were finished, we all looked at our drawing, our scribbles, and determined if we placed our pens and drew the picture to look as if these icons appeared relatable. 

Sometimes, life seems like that. We are blindly trying to create a "picture" of what we think we want and we just can't imagine the finished result because it just seems like a finger-painting, not the Renoir we pictured. It can be frustrating. But God sees what we cannot. If we trust Him with our hand--our lives to continue to guide us and follow His directive, we can be assured that what He is creating in us is a masterpiece and reflective of His glory. Your sun might even have a smiling face and a butterfly grace your view of heaven. 

Last night my son left his friend's house a little too late, about an hours drive home. While getting on the two lane highway not known for its safety, a bad accident happened just ahead of him. Two cars collided head-on when one car made an obvious unsafe attempt to pass a big rig on a hill. There were fatalities and a closure of the highway. My son and several other drivers were stuck behind the  scene, unable to move, turn around or proceed anywhere. He sat in his car for the next 5 hours in the middle of the night in the cold desert. 

How do I know all this? He called me, I called him, he called me. All night long, I lay awake as he did, resting, but calling every hour or so to check on the progress, make sure he was safe and staying awake, and encouraged. Someone at home was waiting for him, he wasn't alone and though tragedy and wreckage surrounded him, love still lit up his phone. Concern and hope still encouraged him in this lonely frustrating time in which he had no control over. The Lord directed his steps to be behind the caution tape and not inside it. Thank you Lord!  

Father God, we thank you for teaching us to trust you when things just go another way, not as we planned. Help us Lord to keep that trust and grow that trust, encouraging one another in love and hope. Help us Lord to slow down and look for obstacles and not have head-on collisions with doubt and fear. When things get out of our own control, surround us with the right people to inspire us and lift us up to see where our eyes should keep focused. Even when we feel we can't see beyond our own limitations, help us Lord to keep at Your directives, Your loving words because with each faithful step, You Lord are creating in us something glorious, something the world can see a bit of You in, a pathway to Your door of everlasting and abundant life. Amen. 

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!  

Strength Will Rise

Galatians 6:9 "And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary."

We all know the verse from Solomon in Ecclesiastes, "there is a time and place for everything under the sun." Sometimes though, time is cut short and a place is temporarily shut down, moved or disrupted. Is it a challenge in life where a choice is made: to give up, call it a day, or see it as an opportunity to grow and persevere, wait and watch what God has next, what He makes new, what we reap ourselves from the situation. 

We can just give up, get bitter, graft in resentfulness, groan, quit or we can continue to communicate, encourage, reinvigorate, strengthen and pray more!  

I am reminded of a beautiful blond young girl who loves to surf, Bethany Hamilton. Taking her sport to the next level in competitions, she excelled.  At the young age of 13, she encountered a shark in the waters of her home in Hawaii. It took her arm. She would fight to live and then regain her strength. She never for a moment thought to give up her love of her sport or think that she couldn't continue, much less compete again. Amazingly she was back on a surfboard within a month of the accident!  She would continue to heal, face her challenges and went on to win a national championship!  

To be a great surfer requires significant balance, a skill Bethany found to be her new challenge with only one arm. She'd have to carry her board into the surf, swim, haul herself up, use the rest of her body in additional ways to compensate, hold herself upright on her board while catching the swell of the wave and staying under the curl for the long ride. 

Do you think she looked out for sharks while she was doing all this?  

I think that was just it. She wouldn't let this challenge stop her from continuing on with the gift God gave her. Eventually, her story of faith and perseverance would inspire many. 

In the face of a challenge to continue to do the work of the Lord, to do good, Paul instructs us to not give up, don't get discouraged, don't lose heart. Even if it seems we are missing parts. In regrouping and considering, knowing all the resources and commitments willing to coach us back on the board, we will find  our balance again because God promises us a reaping in our faithfulness.

So let's ride the wave of challenges in our life with the hope and strength of the Lord. He'll provide for us the magnificent paddle out through perseverance, the strength through the Body of Christ to stand upright, the balance of relying on God to keep us steady despite our weakness, our feet firmly planted on the board we are familiar with, and the ride of a lifetime that breaks on the shores of Eternity, all for His Glory. 

Warning for Sharks: Our God is Bigger!  

Thank you Lord for Your promises of hope when we persevere through temporary, challenging moments. Thank you Lord, that we are not alone in this, but that we can come together and find solutions, pray together, encourage one another and even take on more responsibility for a certain time until Your will and resolutions grace us into a new season of doing Your good work. Help us Lord through our weary days, that we can be refreshed by Your Word, your supernatural appointments with us, and by others within our divine circle of like-minded "surfers." Thank you for helping us along the way to gain our balance and see the shore through Your eyes which see to an eternal perspective. Help us Lord to keep the JOY while persevering, laying it out like diamonds on the sands under our feet, for Your hope that sustains.  Amen. 

A Shepherd and the Sheep

Psalm 78:72 "So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them with his skillful hands." 


I wouldn't be where I am in my journey with the Lord without people in my life who have shepherded me. I am truly humbled and in awe of the many strong mentors whose transparency and giftedness are used of the Lord to strengthen others. Their faithfulness and leadership move obstacles of uncertainty out of the way so others can get a vision of their own potential the Lord has destined. In their pursuit of the lost, the weak and wandering caught in traps, those in the wrong pastures, hungry but not feeding properly, scared...love surfaces and draws the sheep together. I for one, have been drawn back to the fold after stumbles and wanderings by the direction of the Holy Spirit through these earthly shepherds. When we know our gift and use it for His glory, many are nurtured into a greater faith. This becomes a domino-like effect. God smiles on his shepherds. 

Shepherds search and find, strengthen, guide, rescue, speak wisdom and redirect, nourish, and encourage. Little wayward sheep begin to grow, begin to trust and believe in the good of being a part of something bigger. 

As a child of God, The Good Shepherd is our example. He offered up His very life, conquered death and gave us that same power, to overcome! 

Over the last, almost 10 years, I've seen my own role gradually change to one constantly in need of shepherding by the saints, to one who shepherds, taking on a few leaderships roles amongst my own flock of fellow sheep. God is good and what I continue to learn about myself, what God is capable of changing in someone and building up in someone is truly an amazing transformation. The tangible application of serving in leadership roles guided by skilled shepherds within the Body of Christ has blessed my soul and filled me with purpose. 

I can trust in Him, that He sees the bigger picture even when we can't see to tomorrow, next week, next month or next season. 

As a "sheep," I've hung on that cliff of doubt and fear, trampled through the tumbleweeds of disappointment, "bleated"out to a point where God's voice disappeared because of my own agenda and needs. Shepherded by many skilled hands and tender hearts, given a chance by a shepherd to lead, God has shone Himself in many amazing grace moments and built-up a confidence in me, not of myself, but all that God can and has done through me. 

We come to rely on these shepherds in our life; their wisdom and strength, passion and stability, skillful hands and hearts beating to the same beat. 

Sometimes things happen. Life is fluid, moving and rushing ahead. Change is inevitable and when it is hard for both the shepherd and the sheep, we are reminded that our strength and hope is found in the Lord, our Eternal Shepherd. 

Sometimes the adjusting and change may take an earthly shepherd to a different pasture.  We have to remember always, THE SHEPHERD and that His plans are not ours. His plans are always, always good. This is a time when the enemy, like wolves on a bluff, can sneak in and ravage the flock. Our job as His sheep, is to continue to lead the lost towards His Light, to love and support each other and PRAY, for the integrity of our hearts and the use of our own skillful hands God has so richly blessed us with. Let us pray for those who so generously and faithfully have shepherded us and continue to do that in and through the things God has set before us. We are His Church, His hands and feet and I believe we are more than conquerors. 

God is our God through all of it and He remains the same. 

Lord, I write this for a burden on my heart, one You know Lord. Please guide me in Your ways, praying ever more diligently for those in leadership-shepherding places, to be encouraging and  accountable and filled with integrity. Keep the wolves at bay and the sheep from harm. May our skillful and willing hands be more than able and adaptable. We pray for all the shepherds in our lives who have guided and believed in us, sometimes when we didn't believe ourselves. Give them Your peace Lord that surpasses all understanding. We give You praise for allowing us to grow through change and serve You because of strong leadership in our lives. I pray for Your sovereign will through our efforts of leading and shepherding to make You known. We are not limited, but limitless through You Lord! Be near us Lord Jesus, our Lord and our Shepherd, Amen. 

Carry On and Shine On

II Corinthians 4: 6 For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 


The last few days, terror assaulted the innocent, leaving 14 dead and 21 wounded in a gathering just a few freeway miles from where I live. The tragedy as we know, happened in a center that services the developmentally disabled, it happened to a group of County Public Health employees, it happened to San Bernardino, it happened to First Responders, doctors and nurses, it happened to families, it happened to Americans, it happened to you and me and the world.

It will happen again.

Darkness seeks its way into the hearts and minds; an absence of light so incomprehensible, so immoral, ungodly and evil, that our own brains can barely understand how someone comes to these conclusions and then acts on them.  My heart breaks as the first funeral of the youngest took place Thursday not to far from here.

She should be shopping and celebrating, baking cookies with her sisters, and wrapping gifts. To be a wife and mother--she will never know.  "Lord, comfort those who loved her,"  I pray. 

Yet God said...Light shall shine!

Do we cower, hide, cancel our plans, stock up and arm up?

I simply need to keep my heart-light burning, telling and proclaiming, living and testifying, sharing and inviting, being and doing His will to the best of my abilities, and praying for the strength and courage to stay bright and shining despite the looming darkness.

~~~

A friend brought me a "visual gift" this week. She likes to do that, does it often. I love her for that and many other things.

Sometimes--well, all the time, despite the harshness around us, we just have to "pick ourselves up and carry on!"

Pick up and carry on! 

I believe when we do that, the Light of God only gets brighter and more intense. We persevere and build character. God uses our story to warm the cold hearts of others and in turn, it keeps our hearts warmed as well.

Do I get discouraged at times, sad, afraid, concerned? Yes. All the time really. Yet I know where my hope lies, where the Glory is...in the face of Christ! Later in the same chapter the Apostle Paul tells us in verse 8, "we are afflicted in every way, BUT NOT CRUSHED; perplexed, BUT NOT DESPAIRING, persecuted, BUT NOT FORSAKEN; struck down BUT NOT DESTROYED. The Lord remains our steadfast Light, never flickering or shorting, never blowing a fuse or unplugging, but shining in our hearts for Eternity.

The star and heavenly realm of angels led the way and proclaimed His arrival in a lowly stable; the shepherds, were the first to see His glorious face...the Face of God. Today, we can experience that same revelation, that same amazing transformation and Light of knowing Him and allowing Him to insert that same Light within our mind-hearts.

Heavenly Father, You gave Your beautiful, perfect Son to us, to overcome our darkness so that we could fellowship with You in Your Light. On the Cross, Jesus died to conquer the darkness. He replaces our broken connection and we receive the Light Switch of Salvation Thank you for the grace and love that allows me to have knowledge of the Glory of God in Jesus Christ. When this world is dark, ugly, sad and teaming with demons of evil, Lord Your Light reminds us of Your sovereign plan and Your strength for each day. May Your Light be multiplied out through this Season of Love and May Your grace be shown, even in the hardest of circumstances and point to the One who came to save us from ourselves. Amen.

Please click on the link.
https://www.facebook.com/coleene.vantilburg/videos/10206515142731937/?theater