The trunk and me

 Cleaning. Then gonna read, write and relax. Part of me is wishing I had a family to clean for. And not a bachlorette type apartment. Wanting to make dinner, wash dishes, paint with the kids while listening to worship music, give baths and tell bedtime stories! Then the other part of me is loving her solace. Alone time with The Prince of Peace. Hoping one day I can manifest the alone time spent with Him to my family. Him Loving all of them through me...  

(Being a little transparent.)

 If I'll ever be thee, Let me be like the trunk of a tree...

Lord, make me like the trunk of a tree!
Deep and secure, my roots gripping You tightly!
Lord make me strong like the trunk of a tree.
So my family can cling to me.
Let my roots drink from Your water to quench me.
I know if I am your cup, I can love them unconditionally.
When the storms come, they can hold onto me.
Because I am like the trunk of a tree.
And we won't be shaken, because I am in You and You are in me.
My roots are what help me to see.
Let me have Your eyes, and a strong woman to them I will be.
A mother, a wife. Truly.
Please Lord, I must be like the trunk of a tree.
For all the times, they will need me.
If Your heart beats in my chest, You can be what they will need You to be....through me.

Thinkin about breath...

Just thinkin about how God's character is in His breath. And how He wants to breathe into mankind and revive them. Giving them a spiritual Life while they are naturally alive. To be free from oppressions and bondages and lies that weigh on us. So we can Love Him and one another. In a more selfless way. So we can be meek and forgive. So we can be patient. So we can have wisdom and knowledge and understanding. So we can yoke to each other humbly. Pulling each other. Because He is in us. Elohiym. Pulling one when they are weak. And grabbing on and being pulled when you are weak. So we can all have a piece. Pulling where He has strengthened us. So we can be one with Him and one with each other. A radiant, colorful, magnificent beauty. Flowing together. On one accord. I'm thinking about how He sent Jesus to do His will. How Jesus manifested salvation. He manifested Love and righteous judgment. Because He was truth. How He healed sinners. And before He died when He was hanging on that piece of wood...He didn't say "send them all to hell Father!" He said "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." Yeah, He rebuked men. But I believe it was because they were 'acting' in a position that wasn't truly breathing Life into others. But instead leading them away. If someone doesn't have God living in them, but acts as if they do and personifies that to people...really they are keeping them in a place of death. So of course He would call that out. Jesus Loves us! Just as the Father does. He wants to protect us and wants us led where we can inherit eternal Life. He doesn't want people with any kind of authority leading us away from that and painting a picture that isn't true and isn't Him. What parents would want their children under the influence of something deceptive. Just like the Holy Spirit is in people and behind who they are and what they do, so are spirits not of God. And it's those spirits that are His enemy. We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Whatever inhabits us...whatever fills us...is what we create. Whatever we believe is our perspective...our reality. Whatever we give to others is our breath. Whatever seeds we plant in them. Whatever influence we have on them. Let's inspire His breath so we can expire it into others.

Be Praised by Brian Whalen at The Call Nashville

Bobby the Snake....

When I tell the kids stories at school, I always use "Bobby the Snake" to represent Satan. I never say "Satan", but they know the characteristics of "Bobby the Snake" by the way I use him in the stories. He is a bad guy. The one that wants you to lie to your parents or disobey them or leave you in the dark forest after he tells you he's your friend and he wants you to stay out there with him. He is manipulating, cunning and of course, he's good at it. He makes bad look good.

Picture this:
The other day, I covered one of the tables with a very large piece of paper. It is a center the kids can go to create whatever they want with crayons and markers. As I got all the kids settled in their centers, I went and sat across from one of my little boys at creation table. I was going to just doodle with him. When I glanced over at what he was drawing, I noticed it looked a lot like a forest (one of the scenes in one of the stories I tell them). So I started asking him questions about his picture. It turns out he was drawing the story. The forest...Adam...the good animals...the good fruit...the bad animals....the bad fruit. Whatever he retained from the story, he was putting it on the paper. It was amazing, seriously. The morals and all.

The best part:
So we start talking about Bobby the Snake. And he goes on to tell me that he likes Bobby the snake.

Pay close attention here:
At first, I was like : WHAT?!! (in my mind, lol)
So I started to tell him that Bobby the Snake was bad and why he was bad.
Then when he explained himself in his little three year old way, I realized that he didn't like Bobby the Snake because he was bad. He just felt bad not liking him. Like, no one, not even Bobby the Snake should be not liked. He was genuine and sincere. And it seemed as if he wanted to be Bobby the Snakes buddy...be his friend cause no one else liked him. It seemed as if he wanted to love his enemy. It came out of such a sweetness in him. Not even out of ignorance. Not out of a love for evil. But out of innocence. Out of wanting to love on, even him, even though he was "bad".

I could of melted right there in the chair.

Maybe they learn from me. Maybe God loves them through me. Maybe He manifests Himself to them as much as I'm willing.

And maybe...just maybe...God loves me too. Maybe He teaches me through them. And loves me through them. And manifests Himself to me through them. Maybe He wants to pour His Love on me as much as He wants to pour His Love on them. Maybe He's there. Stirring in our class. Just waiting for the perfect moments to show up. And have an encounter with us. I feel like I need to be more aware. Not just of when He wants to move through me...but also when He wants to move for me. Maybe I need to recieve the fact that He would do that.

And maybe sometimes when we look into each others eyes at school, we're actually looking at Him.

Lord, please grant us with eyes to see and ears and to hear! Please pierce through our flesh! Help us to see and hear you throughout our busy lives. Help us slow down and be more still, to inhale you and receive encounters with You!

I love and adore You, Father! And I thank You for the availability! For Your Love!
Amen.

Afterthought:
There's so much in here....
Matthew 5:40-48
And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.