The Apple Thief and The Shopkeeper

There was once a powerful king who ruled his kingdom with an
...iron fist. And with good reason. The vast majority of his subjects were a rowdy
bunch. It was a dog-eat-dog existence, with each man out for himself. One day,
a man by the name of Nathanael was caught stealing an apple from an apple-cart vendor. Now, you should know that Nathanael was not really a bad person. It
wasn’t really in his nature to steal anything from anyone. But after living
among so many scoundrels for so many years, he simply gave in to his
selfishness on this one occasion. He picked a bad time to make his first
mistake.

The King was in a particularly foul mood because the crime
rate had risen for seven straight days. The King knew he had to make an example of someone in order to send a message to the rest of the people-and so it was that Nathanael was sentenced to die for his crime. The first-time bandit
accepted his fate without any fuss. After all, he had no one to blame but
himself.

The King asked Nathanael if he had any last request. He did.
Nathanael asked if he could have three days to settle his affairs. Nathanael
had to pay off some business debts, he owed a few personal favors, and he
wanted to say good-bye to all of his loved ones. He figured that in three days,
he could tidy it all up. The King was impressed by Nathanael’s acceptance of
his fate and his sense of responsibility, so he agreed to accommodate this last
request. But there was an obvious problem. “If I grant you this temporary
reprieve.” The King said, “I have no assurances that you will ever return to
fulfill your sentence.” Nathanael understood the Kind’s dilemma. “I have an
idea,” Nathanael responded. “Suppose I have a good friend stand in for me until
I return. If I am late, you can execute my friend in my place.” The King
laughed. “If you can find someone who will take your place, I will grant you
your three days. But if you are even one minute late, you can be sure your
friend will be hanged on the gallows.”

 

Nathanael asked his best friend, a shopkeeper by the name of Simon, to stand in his place. Simon and Nathanael had known one another since childhood. And Simon loved Nathanael like a brother, so he told his best friend that he would be honored to go into temporary custody on his behalf. Simon was handcuffed and detained while Nathanael hurried off to wind up his affairs. “Remember,” the King yelled out, “one minute late and I will hang your best friend.”

One day passed; then two more. Nathanael never showed up. He
was one hour late when the King ordered Simon to the gallows, where he was
confronted with the hangman’s rope. A noose was slipped around Simon’s neck.
The hangman tightened it. A hood was put over Simon’s head. And then, suddenly, a voice was heard screaming from far off in the distance. “Stop! Stop! I have returned!” It was Nathanael. “Please, I beg you,” Nathanael cried to the King. “Remove noose from my best friend. This is my fate, not his.” But the King replied, “You are an hour late.”

Nathanael was so out of breath he could hardly talk. “You
don’t understand, Your Majesty. My horse became lame. I was forced to run all
the way back. That is why I am late. It is I who should die, not my dear
friend.”

Suddenly Simon began to cry out. The hangman removed the hood from his head. “That is not true. I am the one who should die today. We had an agreement. Besides, I could not stand to sit here and watch my best friend die before my eyes. Nor could I bear living without you. So it will be I who will die today.”

Nathanael’s eyes welled up with tears. “I beg you, Your Majesty. Do not listen to him. Do not let my best friend die. It is I who was originally sentenced to death, not Simon. If you kill him, I will not be able to live with the pain of seeing my dear friend depart from this earth. I beg you to take me. “Simon and Nathanael continued arguing, and not surprisingly, the King was taken aback. In a land rampant with hooligans, the King was not accustomed to seeing acts of unconditional love. Nevertheless, a decision had to be made, and justice had to be meted out according to the law of the land.

“I have reached a final verdict,” the King said. “Today, neither one of you shall die. For I realize that if one of you dies today, I will be killing two men. The original sentence called for only one man to die. Thus, I am forced to set you both free.”

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.

Meet us in the middle!

I've seen restoration! Beautiful restoration. I'm thankful for the way God takes people and exhales into them. Waking up their dry bones. Stripping away blankets of heaviness. Lifting dark garments accumulated from lies the enemy planted over the years. I'm thankful for the freedom that I've seen. The best part about it is, He just got started! I'm looking forward to the next level of restoration to come. Genuine, powerful restoration. Believe.Let's turn toward Him and inhale His breath! Let's receive all He has for us! Please help us receive all that You have for us! RAINBOWS!!!

We have a promise. Let's go!! Meet us in the middle Lord!!!!!!!!

New Music. Building on Faith.

I got a new journal today! This was my first entry.

7/31/10

Sometimes I pick certain journals for a reason. The last journal, Wonder Woman. Hoping that in that season my mentality would change and I would be more courageous and fearless. It seemed like the opposite happened. It is full of feeling and probably being defeated. A LOT of fear. I think it might have increased in the past few months. Paralyzing. Restraining me. Oppression at its finest. But, it's all about to turn into a great testimony of God's Love and how Faith WILL defeat fear. And Truth will chase out the lies. It says that perfect love casteth out fear. If part of God's Love is to save us by grace through FAITH, then His Love for us is His Grace and FAITH. The gift of FAITH being 1.) Yeshua, because He is FAITH (evidence and substance) 2.) Another vessel pouring into us (evidence and substance) and 3.) The FAITH in us. We cannot survive on anothers FAITH. It is their FAITH that revives us by God's grace. It is their FAITH that nurses us back to health. But that is the jump start to our very own FAITH. Our FAITH is the very thing that we need to STAY alive. It is what will keep our heart beating. It is gained through our very own relationship with our Maker and Savior. It is filling our consciousness with Him and being still enough to let HIM change us through the relationship. I say "relationship" because that's what it is. Isn't a relationship getting to know each other? Going through things TOGETHER. Going deeper. Climbing levels of intimacy. It is the unveiling of Him that changes our mind. Seeing who He really is. As a whole and also personally. Who He is to us. Not just something we see, but something we begin to experience. And as we begin to experience Him as a verb and not just a noun, it becomes our turn to be the giver. To share Him. To share Our experience. And the power in that will change another's life. Because it's not just saying: this is God is because this is what I read and this is what it says. Merely knowledge. Which is good. But that can't be all there is. EVIDENCE AND SUBSTANCE. It's saying, this is who God is because I KNOW HIM! Intimately. And I KNOW HIM because I experienced Him. Because He showed up. Because He backs up His Love for us. It's not just words. It's alive. When we can stop guessing who He is and stop trying to figure Him out-He can move. And when we can stop being afraid. Out of that fear we try to do things on our own, with our own hands. We "try" to be righteous and holy, and then we fail. And then when we fail, we condemn ourselves. Thinking He must really hate us now for failing and not being perfect (what we think perfect is and what we think He wants). And it becomes a vicious cycle. But who is God? Certainly not us. Who has the power to save and create and transform? HIM. Not us, off our own strength, that just leaves us heavy laden from the labor. It leaves us exhausted and frustrated with our continuous failure to be what we think He wants NOW. So, we first must allow Him in. And open up to His Love for us. Letting Him reveal Himself to us the way He wants to and the way He intends. We have to let go of our mindsets. And fill our consciousness with what He shows us. As we do that, it is His Love that transforms us. It makes us who we were always meant to be in Him. THEN we will begin to bare HIS fruit. Because there was real transformation. Not trying to do and be something we can't without the necessary process HE made specifically for us. A special, individual relationship with each one of us. A special, individual process for each one of us. Not trying to do and be something out of fear and worry and anxiety. Fear that we can't. Fear that we won't be able to do it. Fear that if we don't reach somewhere fast (off our own strength and with our own hands), He'll leave or we won't make it. Fear that if we don't hurry and be this or that (off our own strength and with our own hands), it's all over. That fear and worry and anxiety is the very thing that will make us miss Him. And destroy the relationship He wants to have with us which leads where He wants us to go and what He wants us to be. How He wants to do it. He wants our heart and our mind. He wants surrender. Sweet surrender to His Love. He wants to give Himself to us. He wants to Love us and breathe in us. But we have to be willing and available. He wants to spend time with us. Not out of fear, worry and anxiety and obligation. But because we want to. Because we are hungry for Him. Because we know we need Him and He makes us complete. Because we know He can change us and give us His heart for others. Because we are desperate for something more. He wants to get to know us even though He knows us better than we know ourselves. But He still loves when we talk to Him and express ourselves to Him. When we unveil ourselves before Him out of trust even though He already sees beyond the veil. Yeshua, husband of the bride, wants her to stay. He wants her to stay and get to know Him. He wants her to see His beauty and fall passionately in love with Him. He wants her to feel Loved and safe. What husband wants his wife to feel forced to Love him? He wants us to just stay and let Him in. He knows He can Love her better than any other Lover. That He is the only One will be true to her. Real intimacy. It's hard to let go of ourselves. But He is truth. And He will NEVER harm us. The pain is in letting go. But if we hold onto our Faith, it will pull us through. Faith being what He has already poured in us and done in our lives. What we have experienced so far. The truth in us. And as we are able to remember and hold onto that and NOT concentrate of every area we lack...He can continue to build on what He started. And our lack will perish more and more.
End.

Note: My new journal is a lined book for writing music (for instruments, not lyrics). And I got it because my writings are the music of my heart. I want Him to be the music of my heart. In other journals I wrote a lot out of fear, worry and anxiety. Panicking. Suffocating. But I want this journal to be full of His beauty. Meditations on who He is. On what He has shown me about Himself. On beauty. Not constant negativity that pulls and pushes me down. But Faith and Hope that will pull and push me up. I want to remember what He has given me and let Him build through the pages.

Amen.
MLB