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Archives for March 2017

Romantic Rooftop Gardens

March 5, 2017 · Beauty, Lifestyle · 0

@glimpses.of.the.sanctuary
When God gifts you with something so extravagant y When God gifts you with something so extravagant you never even dared ask for, you just sit in speechless gratitude. That is this trip for us. God is wilder than the wildest dream. And if you're deep in the trenches of the grit and grief of a really tough season, I'm here to tell you from the other side: the season WILL change. I know what it is to be doing good to just keep holding God's hand and putting one foot in front of the other. But maybe this trip that was the icing on the cake of a season of restoration for us can be the whisper of hope you need...the flicker of light at the end of a pitch black tunnel where the enemy keeps whispering, "This is your life now, things will never change." Hear this from the Father's heart instead right now:

"See! The winter is past;
    the rains are over and gone.
 Flowers appear on the earth;
    the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
    is heard in our land.
The fig tree forms its early fruit;
    the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
    my beautiful one, come with me.” Song of Songs 2:11-13

I pray that your heart is filled with hope that your Father refuses to leave you stuck in despair. Ask him to show you his way-making Love to you today.
I spent the day reading and writing at the botanic I spent the day reading and writing at the botanical gardens. As I read from their library about grafting, I got a little bit emotional.

When you graft a plant in, there must be a fresh cut on both the plant being added and the plant receiving the graft. The places that have been freshly cut on each plant must touch so that the dripping resin can allow them to heal together as one. 

When we find ourselves with a fresh wound, it matters where we go with it because there will likely be a binding effect. We have an open invitation in Jesus for a safe place to heal. He is ready to receive us, not with unfeeling consolation but with very real wounds of his own that speak of suffering love. Bring your open wound to him to be met with deep compassion of the One who knows what it feels like to be cut in all the ways we have. Allow your wound to be mingled in the raw, timeless wounds of the cross. Lord, may we never waste a moment to be bound and unified and healed in you.
Last week my daughter and her friend made a huge m Last week my daughter and her friend made a huge mess on our deck doing a dig-out-the dino-bones kit. When they were done, it looked like there were chunks of red chalk and paint all over. And while they "cleaned up" by picking up and sweeping, it still loomed large in front of me as I didn't know what this stuff actually was made of and what it would take to get it off the deck. I gave up on fixing it that day and just kind of forgot about it.

Then the other day, to my surprise, I looked outside and it was so clean! The rain and snow had taken care of what I could have spent hours scrubbing and sweeping and would have gotten all over me and made a bigger mess. I felt God whisper in that moment, "Not all messes are yours to fix. Sometimes, the best and most responsible thing you can do is just wait for the rain."

Hear that over your life today. Not everything that screams for your attention in bright red paint is an emergency to give yourself to. Ask God, "Is this mine to fix right now?" And don't be surprised if you feel a "no." God's ways are not ours, and sometimes our panicked work can get in the way of a battle that's really His to peacefully win.
“Reconciliation says, ‘Forget what you owe Me; “Reconciliation says, ‘Forget what you owe Me; I want you. I want what we had before the crisis, I want your presence in its fullness being fully enjoyed by Me as I’m fully enjoyed by you.  I’ve sorted what’s owed; forget that.  Now you can truly know, feel, and experience how much I love and celebrate you, and you can know me as that Father again.’” –Strahan Coleman @commoners_communion in “Beholding”

God longs to be close to you.  Together is what matters to him.  If you could use some tools and compassionate women to come alongside you as you work through what’s broken with God, The Come Away Retreat is for you.  We have a handful of spots left for spring, so message me or check out the link in my bio for details!
As we head into Valentine's day, I'm here to tell As we head into Valentine's day, I'm here to tell you that you already have a Lover in Jesus. There is One whose jealousy for your heart is as unyielding as the grave. He can't be talked out of it and won't ever give up on you. You have a permanent draw on His heart and affection. 

You are the dream. You're not second choice today, not the backup plan. He didn"t settle when he chose you, and He's not with you out of obligation. No one else is even worth comparing to you in his eyes. His gaze is ever on you and he likes what he sees. Give him the gift he longs for: look back into his eyes and see what you've been searching for all the days of your life.
There are times in our lives where we can feel utt There are times in our lives where we can feel utterly alone...alone in a crowd, alone in a season, alone in a calling.  I remember when I had my first baby, feeling so alone in the weight of this calling. Sitting alone in my bedroom, nursing the baby again, while I heard the faint and familiar sound of chatter and laughter of friends nearby, but yet they felt so far. And try as we might to keep life going the same as it was, it was impossible. Everything had changed. 

The treasure of these times is the fire-forged bond that can come as we lean hard into the only One who never leaves. The God who Sees becomes the real friend as all the other relationships seem to fade into the background. There is One who sticks closer than a brother, if we just open up and give Him the chance.

To all my friends who may feel the ache of loneliness today, I pray that in the pain of hear and now you would invite the God who feels and weeps with you. Whether the emptiness be from an empty chair around a table or a struggle that no one else knows, I pray you tangibly sense the warm embrace of a kind Father who never leaves. God, help us become so convinced of our belonging that we, like Jesus, can securely say, "I am not alone for my Father is with me." (John 16:32)
That place in your life, the one so destroyed you That place in your life, the one so destroyed you can't even believe it's yours, God sees it all. On those days where it's more than you can take, He sits in a crumpled ball on the floor with you, adding more tears to the puddle than you could ever believe. 

And while he mourns, he doesn't mourn without hope. While you can only see the destruction, He can see the future, and let me tell you, it's bright. Blindingly so. His creative power is flowing right now, breathing life right into your rubble. And He's not just going to rebuild it as it was. He's Creator and Redeemer. What's coming will be more brilliant, more resilient, more alive than it ever was before because it's been built and grown by Grace Himself, weaved right into its fabric like a tapestry of gold. 

If you need a hope and faith-filled space and community to hand God your ruins, this spring The Come Away Retreat is for you. Half the spots are already filled, so check out the link in my bio or story today!

"They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations."
Isaiah 61:4
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