Keep On

Yes, we need to keep on celebrating,
Celebrating the hope,
The expectation of good, the promise of blessing,
The experience of God's grace in our lives, and in the lives of others.
Yes, this is possible
Even in the times of trouble,
When all seems hopeless...

How, you say, can I hope when all appears hopeless?

Does hope belong to the land of make believe?

No. our Hope has an anchor, a foundation.
Our Hope has the promise of the One who raises the dead.
Our Hope has the promise of the One who calls into being things that don't exist.
Our Hope has the promise of the goodness of God,
Restoring all things for His glory.
Our Hope has grace and love in the picture,
With an unlimited supply of the riches of heaven...

Is there anything I cannot hope for when I look into the face of my Beloved,
And see the magnitude of His heart to bless, prosper, and bring me to wholeness?

No, dear one...
This Hope in our God does not disappoint!!!

This Hope in our God is not a disappointing fantasy.
Because this Hope comes from an experience,
An experience of the endless cascading love of the Father
To me...His beloved.

Yes, let's keep celebrating the Hope
The anticipation of His goodness, His blessings, His promises!!!

A Letter to Daddy

 Daddy,
Could you have ever imagined
This site I saw on the farm you bought and poured out your life to make a living
For your wife and children for so many years?

I saw a celebration, Daddy,
On your farm today...
A wedding celebration of your granddaughter.
Your son walked her down the aisle of your yard that over-looked the creek
And gave her away to her beloved.

There were 200 some people on your farm celebrating this glorious event
And they all left rejoicing, blessed, and refreshed
With the beauty, the serenity of the farm, and the joy of the celebration.

Yes, Daddy,
I remember when I would lay on the grass with you at twilight and you would look up at the sky
Predict the weather and plan when you would do your mowing, raking, and baling...
I know you laid there and dreamed...
You so wanted your farm to stay in the family...and it has.
But today I witnessed something that I believe was beyond your wildest dreams...

I witnessed a celebration that was a touch of heaven,
And many were there to experience and be touched
With the goodness and extravagance of your God!

Yes Daddy,
You did not know in the mundane chores, moments of extreme fatigue,
And the routine of your faithfulness as you provided for us...
That you were building blocks of a foundation that would lead to this day that I witnessed today...
You endured in the tiredness, the crunch, the storms of trouble...
Faithfully, you continued on...
Believing in your good God,
Believing He was able to Help,
Believing you were called to be where you were,
Believing that you served a big God!

 As I walked around your property and observed the joy that was resounding from so many...
I was thinking about you, Daddy.
I was pondering the fact that you were also viewing this event through the portals of heaven,
Observing and rejoicing in your God,
Who exceeded your wildest imaginations with His goodness and faithfulness!

Precious friend, if you happen to come upon this letter to my Dad,
Be encouraged
That in the simpleness, the mundane of every day life...
When you endure with joy, knowing that all things have purpose...
You are building a foundation.
A foundation of a dream that will exceed your wildest imagination some day...
Because we have a good, good Father, who loves to give His children good, good gifts!

That is what He is doing for me!
When I saw this picture taken by my daughter,
I saw the little girl standing there
Observing the same familiar childhood horizon,
And I realized that God's goodness was so much better than I had dreamed as a child,
That God's love and His blessings, gifts and rewards
Have already exceeded my wildest dreams...

Yes, it is our God who does it...
He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all we may ask or think!

He Marches Forward

Who is this who is marching forward?
 Marching forward in royal robes, stained red?
Who is this who is marching forward?
Marching forward in greatness of strength?

"It is I," says the Lord.
"It is I, the Lord, who is mighty to save...
 It is I, dear one...it is I."

"I have trodden the winepress alone,
 I have trampled all your enemies, all your foes are under My feet.
 My robe reveals the victory."

"Your enemies, dear one, have been destroyed.
 Observe My scars, My wounds,
 My blood that was shed for your victory..."

"You are safe now...
 Safe from the proud oppressor,
Safe from the one who attempts to steal, kill and destroy."

"You have called...
 And I have marched forward.
 I stand before you now with victory!
 Victory that is yours because you are Mine,
 Victory that has been won with suffering love!"

"Precious one, I love to come...
 I love to fight for you,
 I love when you ask,
 I love to give you all you need..."

"Because I am in love with you,
 Because when you suffer, I suffer..."

"Be assured that My love will always rescue you...always save you,
 For My love for you will never end!"

Isaiah 63

Is There an End?

Is there an end to the discovery of the greatness of our God?
Is there an end to the outpouring of His blessings?
Is there an end to the stories of His faithfulness, His provision, His goodness?

There is no end...
There is no stopping...
There is no measurement that can contain or word that can describe
The magnitude, the continual outpouring,
The untold, even forgotten answers to prayer,
And the outpouring of His love upon us...

Generation after generation
He continues to reveal more of His goodness, more of His glory.

Sometimes it is brilliantly displayed for many to observe,
Sometimes it is in the every day,
The protection, the favor, the grace, the divine appointment at the appointed time...

Other times it is all around
But only available to be seen when the scales fall off and the Light invades...
Occasionally it is hidden,
And needs to be dug up and rediscovered...

But the truth remains,
Day in and day out,
There is no end of the greatness of our God, no end to His faithfulness, His goodness!!

May my heart bubble over with observation,
Stirring me to proclaim His goodness...

Yes, this is the marvelous goodness and beauty that You desire to pour out upon us
With specific intent to reveal that abundant life You desire for us!!!

That Beautiful Broad Place

That beautiful broad place
That You bring us to Jesus,
After You rescue us and draw us into Your embrace,
Is green pastures
 And still waters of peace, hope, and freedom...
It is the place where burdens are lifted,
The place of a child-like trust,
A place where we skip upon the mountains, and laughter resounds...
Yes, that beautiful broad place
Is the place where I know all my sins are forgive, present, past and future...
It is the place where the Light is bright and my vision is clear,
It is the place of sparkling refreshment...
This beautiful broad place is a place of cherished unity,
It is the place of smiles and hugs, and where love abounds...
It is the place of new ideas, creativity, and favor,
It is when the harp within me is bursting with a happy song...
Yes, when I am here,
I know that this is the place I was created to be,
It is the place of good plans that You planned to delight me with as You thought me into being
And breathed life into me...

Thank you Lord for coming to my rescue...breaking through...
Transporting me into that beautiful broad place with You!

The Righteousness of Christ

There is something about believing His Word,
Believing His Word,
About how He loves me, sees me,
Who He is and who I am
That is life-changing...

So often I read it
And think...That's nice...but He can't mean that about me...

When He calls me lovely,
His loyal dove, His royal daughter, His perfect partner...

Surely He knows that I don't measure up,
I don't come into that category of being loyal, royal, lovely...

But then He reminds me of the difference...
My eyes see only the natural,
With the limitation of a physical body, limited space, and so limited knowledge.
His eyes see from all of eternity,
From all wisdom and revelation.
His eyes see what happened when I believed in His Son Jesus...
His eyes see the robe of righteousness of His Son that covers me,
His eyes see the plans and purposes He has for me,
His eyes see from heaven's perspective,
From a good Father's heart,
From the riches and abundance of heaven...

So I have to believe His Word,
Even when it doesn't seem fair, just, or valid to my thinking.

I am the righteousness of Christ
I can't step in or out of who I am.
This is the gift that was transferred to me
When He took all my sin, guilt, shame, condemnation, and curse upon Himself...

Yes, it is grace unexplainable,
Grace way beyond my understanding,
Grace yesterday, today and forever,,,

It is a truth I can cling to,
A truth that lifts my head as I get out of bed in the morning,
 And encourages me as I retire at night,
No, there is no condemnation or accusation from His glance,
Rather, His loving favor, protection, and abundant provision surround me,
Because I am His, His beloved, His daughter...

Even when I fail,
He picks me up...
And reminds me who I am...the righteousness of Christ"
And the waves of His grace...flow upon me afresh,
Erasing the old and transforming my thinking,
Until I too bear fruit of joy, peace and love...

"The happiest one on the earth is the one who keeps Your Word and clings to righteousness
   every moment!" Ps. 106:3

The Courtroom

You do not bring me into Your courtroom for judgment...
No, I have already been judged.
All my sins, all my failures have been judged,
Yes, I was found guilty...
But the precious blood of your dear Son, Jesus,
Washed the guilt away,
He took the guilt, curse and accusation of my sin upon Himself,
 Paid my debt with His life...and transferred to me His righteousness!

Yes, Father,
When I enter Your courtroom,
You see Jesus,
You see the blood of Your Son,
You see Christ within me,
You see the righteousness of Your Son covering me...

My heart sings,
Because now when I enter Your courtroom,
We are family...
You are my Daddy...and I am Your daughter.

And You welcome me and ask,"And what would you like Daddy to do for you?"

And I tell you my longings...my desires...my hopes...my dreams...
And willingly You listen , bless, and gift me with Your goodness,

"Because You are a good good Father that's who You are, and I am loved by You, that's who I am."