My Refuge

How strong is your refuge?
Can your refuge withstand against all odds, against any arrow,
Any blow, storm, circumstance, any collapse of systems?

Is your refuge constant?
Constant in the hard times and good times?
Constant in the danger and the peace?
Constant when you fail and when you succeed?
Constant no matter what?

Is your refuge big enough, strong enough, wise enough?

The Lord is my refuge
He is strong, He is good.
He is constantly by my side.
My refuge fights my enemies and delivers me...
My refuge offers me peace,
He offers me safety,
He offers me protection, grace, and wisdom.

My refuge loves me... knows me...
My refuge is like none other!!!

Always Willing

Always willing to bend down
Always willing to listen to my cry
Always willing to bring me out of the muddy pit
Always willing to set my feet on the Rock
And give me the firm foundation of Your love, Your peace.

You never withhold Your tender care from me
You insist on embracing me with Your unfailing love
Your truth shines brightly to lead the way and protect me.

Even when trouble presses in from all sides
And my iniquities weigh me down again
When courage forsakes me
And my eyesight becomes cloudy
You are there.

And You do it again...willingly, cheerfully, and extravagantly
You pull me up
Set me firm
Embrace me with Your love
Putting a song once again on my lips.. and gladness in my heart...

So patient You are God
As I learn this process of trusting...

How patient You are
As I learn that only You,
And only trusting You
Can lead me to true happiness and contentment.

I am Crowned

I have a crown on  my head today
It's a crown of the Lords love and tenderness...
He places it on me because I belong to Him...
He delights in me
He has good plans for me...a good future...
Today..tomorrow...and the next day and the next...

You have one too
For the same reason
He delights in you, my friend.
Today is a good day!!

Psalms 103:4 "He crowns me with His love and tenderness!"

But I Will Woo Her

Thank you Father for the desire, the wooing of Your heart as You pursue me.
Thank you for following me
In my wandering, my barrenness, my dryness...
Thank you for Your tender thoughts, Your watchful eye, Your constant care
Even in my filth...
How could You want me in this condition?

But even in this mess
You continue to pursue
Offering to me a gateway of Hope!

As I nudge this gate open
Your cascading fountain of light falls upon me as You reveal Your love to me.

The moment of the miracle
When the old is gone and the new comes...
Despair turns to hope, and then awe, and then adoration.
The old way of thinking
The old burden of shame, guilt...lifted,
A new way of thinking...
Transforming me into pure, washed, clean.

 New hopes, new desires
A new relationship...with You, my Maker!

How silly of me to think You were a cruel master
When the desire of Your heart was always turned toward me to bless and prosper me.
Your desire has always been for me to discover Your love
Your desire for me to be Yours, entwined with You
So I could participate in the goodness that You planned and had stored up for me.

Thank you for wooing this heart that was turned away from You
Thank you for the constant unending pursuit.
Thank you for the new label of loved, accepted, righteous one that You have given me.
Forever Yours...

Hosea 2

The Delight of Your Smile

Thank you Lord for this new beginning
Of knowing...that Your smile is upon me...

The day of the lie is past...
The lie of
You are mad,
You don't care,
Your critical eye is upon me,
You are far away,
I have to work hard to obtain your approval...

Thank you for the beginning of this new revelation
This new revelation of Your smile
Your smile of delight upon me...

Your delight in seeing me...
The one You created...with the uniqueness
gifts and talents You created for me.

Your delight in seeing me...
Discover the good things, the good plans, purposes, and destiny
that You planned for me.

Your delight in seeing me...
Discover Your goodness, Your grace, Your love

Your delight in me... becoming Yours
Receiving the abundant life that You gave Your life for me to obtain.

Your delight in me... becoming more...
More and more of all You desire
As You transform me.

Your delight in me...
Your beloved one,
Your daughter...
As You have freely given me all things.

Yes, this is the beginning of looking at life differently
Of waking up in the morning
Filled with thoughts of love, of hope, of possibility
Instead of dread, worry, and fear...
Of seeing today as better, and tomorrow as better yet,
Of looking ahead with the anticipation of Your goodness
Instead of seeing the "what if's" and feeling the fear.

Yes, when I can see Your smile, Your giggle, Your joy
That You have for me...
The sweetness of the Lord fills me with new thoughts, new vision, new hope, new perspective.

Your smile turns the light on...
And all I can do is delight and rejoice in You, Jesus!

Thick Love

As the thick fog surrounds me this morning
I think of my Daddy's thick love...

His thick love that pursues...
That invades my soul and turns my heart toward Him.

His thick love that covers my shame, guilt, and sin
Forgives and remembers my sin no more.

His thick love that not only forgives
But restores, remakes, transforms
And turns those ashes to beauty.

His thick love
That stays with me
Lives inside of me
Guides and instructs me along the way.

His thick love that blesses me
With all the blessings of heaven.
Thickly, providing for me
Thickly, encouraging and comforting me
Thickly, feeding me with His promises and truth
Thickly, protecting and keeping me.

His thick love...
The glory that surrounds me.

His thick love...
The green pastures I feed on and rest in.

His thick love...
The anchor I am secured to.

His thick love
Holding me, protecting me, providing for me, delighting me...

Thick Love!

Extravagant Worship

A woman came in
To adore the One who showed her love
To worship the One who rescued her, set her free, gave her worth...
To bless the One who caused her heart to sing
The One who took the burden of pain, worry, and heaviness from her...

Her joy, her freedom, her gratitude
Brought her to adoration and generosity...

She came to Him with the only valuable item she had...
Desiring to give Him everything,
Desiring to bless the One who had touched her
The One who had put meaning and purpose into her life...

She poured it out...this valuable, fragrant oil...
Over His head, dripping it down over His body
Desiring only to give, to bless, to adore, to worship Him.

The extravagant gesture blessed the Lord...
He saw her heart
And warmly accepted this gift of love.

Those around him saw this picture differently.
"Crazy woman, wasted money," they growled.

Father
I desire eyes to see as You do
And a heart that extravagantly adores You!

Mark 26