That was a little Roald-Dahl-inspired poetry for you above!

And yes, it is a bit silly but it so so so fits what I'm studying these days.

Giants!

The above study is what I'm working with part of the time. I've had it for a while but never really got into it until yesterday.

"These four (giants) were born to the giant in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants."
                                                                                                                                                2 Samuel 21:22
The giants in our lives will multiply if we don't take defeat them.

Giants in your life may not appear as giants, but they are giants if you are focusing on them rather than God.

Some of the giants in our lives might have been present in our lives since before we were born. If this is the case we might not even notice them.

They are "how things are."

They are "just the way life is."

If you think this way about anything in your life, it might be a giant in disguise. I've got a few I just noticed. One of them is all the repairs and tasks that need doing on our place and on our house. It is overwhelming. And I look at it all and think it can't be done or I stress about it or I want to nag my husband to get some of it done....on and on and on I went. It was a giant dragging me by the nose. It drug me through the mud. It drug me through the muck. It covered me in filth and peace was nowhere to be found.

And then I saw it yesterday, saw it for what it was -- a nasty man-eating giant that came to destroy my days.

There might be a giant in your life that has been part of your family's history for generations. Just because no one has taken him on for centuries doesn't mean you can't.

Max Lucado writes, "David did what no one before him had even attempted."

In many families there is an atmosphere of lack. The families have always struggled with having enough. They've allowed this and its damaging mentality to dictate what they do and how they live in life. Children have grown up around this mentality so much that that is how life is supposed to be in their minds.

This is a giant, a giant of lack.

Now, I'm not saying God is going to make us all millionaires. He isn't. He needs people in every area of life.

But no matter how much or how little we have in way of material possessions and finances, it shouldn't define us. It shouldn't stop us from doing what we know we need to do for the Lord. When we let our circumstances limit God in our lives, then those circumstances have become more powerful than God for us.

Think about it. Ask God to show you the giants in your life that have been so good at being invisible.

And once you know what they are, start swinging that spiritual sword. It will slice right through them, absolutely destroy them forever.

What are they?

The desires of your heart?

We are told what to desire from all sorts of sources: television, movies, books, magazines, people (family, friends), our own flesh, pictures.

And if we get bogged down with all these sources and what they say we will forget who we are really are and what we really desire.

God knows us better than we will ever know ourselves and He is not going go to give us those fleeting desires that aren't rooted in who we are.  He isn't going to give us anything that pulls us away from who He created us to be.

I've got a favorite comic strip these days called Coffee with Jesus. One recent strip the creator put out really fits with this line of thought I'm following. Here it is:

We ask for so many things but those things aren't rooted in our hearts, in the people we were created to be.

I'm on this line of thought because I'm in a muddle when it comes to what I create -- I draw, paint and write. But I don't have a real focus right now. I want to but I'm just a bit scattered mentally. It is like I'm wandering around in my brain not sure which way to go. I need to get into that writer's zone, the artist's zone. That is where creativity happens.

(I continue to try but I think my cells and such are reordering themselves and my world since the loss of my Maggie in March. So, maybe I shouldn't rush anything.....)

As I think about what my desires are -- one that pops up often is me becoming financially successful enough for my husband to be a full-time rancher/farmer and preacher. I want to buy the land that originally went with our place (not that it is for sale -- that could be a sticky point even if I had the money), and see my husband raise Highland cows, work with the horses and preach. I'd love that to happen.

But you know -- when I am thinking about my true heart's desire -- do you know what comes to mind?

I would be content to see my husband and all of my children loving and serving God with their whole hearts. What joy that brings when it happens. And it does happen but it is a process. People are God's ongoing projects!

What are your true desires?

Not the ones you are told to have.

Not the ones your flesh tells you to want to make life easy and such.

What are the desires of your heart way down deep? The desires that would make you more you, the desires that would free you and get you closer to your Creator and His Will and would benefit your relationships?

I drew this random sketch last night of really nothing. But as I posted it on my other blog

I've loved fairy tales since I could think.

I love them more now than I did when I was a child.

There's great value in them.

They are necessary to life.

Physicist Albert Einstein said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge."

Writer Jane Yolen writes in the book Touch Magic: Fantasy, Faerie & Folklore in the Literature of Childhood, "the talking beasts, the ballet of birch and oak, the riders of the wind are another way of presenting the real world. And the reader . . . who learns to use eyes and ears and mind and heart in this manner can never again look at the world in a one-dimensional way.

"Life Actual (the one we see with our eyes) tells us that the world is not perfectly ordered . . . Endings are as often unhappy as happy. Issues are seldom clear-cut. Judgment is as capricious as justice. Babies starve . . . Mothers die . . . Families are torn asunder . . . That is Life Actual.

"But Life in Truth (what we get in fairy tales) tells us something else. It tells us of the world as it should be. It holds certain values to be important. It makes issues clear. It is, if you will, a fiction based on great opposites, the clashing of opposing forces, question and answer, speech and echo . . . And so the fantasy tale, the 'I that is not I,' becomes a rehearsal for the reader for life as it should be lived."

This applies wholly to the spiritual realm. Story helps us see the truth of what we are experiencing.

Truth is found in the unseen realm.

Jesus knows this. He often taught using story. We call His stories parables.

In the Old Testament story was also used, often by the prophets. God used word pictures, physical illustrations of spiritual truths. The story sucks us in so we are ready to hear truth. Think of great movies -- the ones that bring you to tears or laughter -- your heart feels because you can relate. That is the level we find ourselves at when we get immersed in a good story. That level is where spiritual change can occur in us. God has to get past the surface like a storyteller. For a story to be successful, to ring true, to affect us, it has to hit the heart.

"What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and our hands handled, concerning the Word of Life -- and the life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness and proclaim to you also, that you also may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ." 1 John 1:1-3

"And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said, 'Let there be light' and there was light." Genesis 1:2-3

"In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being." John 1:1-3

"By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible." Hebrews 11:3

Your life is a story to those watching.

What is it teaching them?

Casting Crowns' song Jesus, Friend of Sinners has been going through my mind this morning. It speaks of something we all need to think about and put into practice. I'll share the words and then I'll share the video. If you've never heard this song, I hope you can find time to listen to it. It is really good.


Jesus, friend of sinners, we have strayed so far away
We cut down people in your name but the sword was never ours to swing
Jesus, friend of sinners, the truth's become so hard to see
The world is on their way to You but they're tripping over me
Always looking around but never looking up I'm so double minded
A plank eyed saint with dirty hands and a heart divided

Oh Jesus, friend of sinners
Open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing fingers
Let our hearts be led by mercy
Help us reach with open hearts and open doors
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks yours

Yeah...

Jesus, friend of sinners, the one who's writing in the sand
Made the righteous turn away and the stones fall from their hands
Help us to remember we are all the least of these
Let the memory of Your mercy bring Your people to their knees
Nobody knows what we're for only what we're against when we judge the wounded
What if we put down our signs crossed over the lines and loved like You did

Oh Jesus, friend of sinners
Open our eyes to world at the end of our pointing fingers
Let our hearts be led by mercy
Help us reach with open hearts and open doors
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks yours

You love every lost cause; you reach for the outcast
For the leper and the lame; they're the reason that You came
Lord I was that lost cause and I was the outcast
But you died for sinners just like me, a grateful leper at Your feet

'Cause You are good, You are good and Your love endures forever
You are good, You are good and Your love endures forever
You are good, You are good and Your love endures forever
You are good, You are good and Your love endures forever

Oh Jesus, friend of sinners
Open our eyes to world at the end of our pointing fingers
Let our hearts be led by mercy
Help us reach with open hearts and open doors
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks Yours

And I was the lost cause and I was the outcast
Yeah...
You died for sinners just like me, a grateful leper at Your feet

A big reason why God hates sin (and we should to) is what it does to us.

It hurts us.

It wounds us.

It lessens us, diminishes us.

If God and His word forbids something, it isn't because God is mean trying to withhold good things from us. It is because He wants us to be wholly free and living incredible lives.

I opened up to Jeremiah 3 and 4 this morning and just read a few verses I had underlined in years past. Here they are:

"I will heal your faithlessness" Jeremiah 3:22b

"Break up your fallow ground
And do not sow among thorns." Jeremiah 4:3

"Wash your heart from evil . . . That you may be saved. How long will your wicked thoughts Lodge within you?"
Jeremiah 4:14

"Your ways and your deeds
Have brought these things to you.
This is your evil. How bitter!
How it has touched you
heart!" Jeremiah 4:18

There is fleeting pleasure in some sin for many.

But ask yourself -- will I regret this years down the road?

Ask yourself -- how will this affect the ones I love?

Ask yourself -- why am I drawn to this? What am I in need of?

Choose Jesus.

He is the Great Liberator, the Great Healer, the Great I Am.

I don't know if there is a more beautiful sight than a loving mother holding her child who feels protected and loved, safe from all harm.

We talk a lot about God being our Father. People accept this so readily. Rarely (actually I've never heard a sermon on this) do we talk about God being our Mother.

This isn't some crazy feminist idea.

God says He is like a mother.

"For thus says the LORD, 'Behold, I extend peace to her like a river, And the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; And you shall be nursed, you shall be carried on the hip and fondled on the knees. As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; And you shall be comforted in Jerusalem." Isaiah 66:12-13

Think about this, about parents in a child's life -- who is the child exposed to first?

The mother.

In a biological birth situation the mother's own body gives strength and nutrition to her growing baby. It is the mother who protects that growing baby with her own life.

How much more does God do this for us?

He, like a mother, gave His own life for us -- His blood, His body -- willingly so we could be in relationship with Him.

If you're a single parent, help your child see God as her parent. God is both Mother and Father. And He can fill in the gaps beautifully if your child doesn't have two parents.

We love because He first loved us.

"if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us." 1 John 4:12

Being a mother is often the most challenging role I have on this earth.

Being a mother is the most rewarding role I have on this earth.

As my children get closer to being adults the fruit I see from seeds planted throughout their lives a lifetime of harvest of love and joy and such blessings I couldn't imagine when I was exhausted from staying up all night with a hurting baby.

Oh, thank you Lord for letting me be a mom.

Tell your mother thanks today. Whether she was a great mom or not-so-good, all moms give. All moms I believe try their best. All moms have been chosen by God to parent.

A couple days ago I was at our local super center. I was having a Maggie morning. Grief was nibbling on my soul. I spotted the cut flowers and thought, I'm going to buy myself flowers.

After picking out some pink and purple flowers, I pushed Hawken into the store's garden center. There were so many blooms, so much color.

Just being around the beauty lifted my soul.

Beauty was and is God's idea.

"Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shone forth." Psalm 50:2

Beauty has been here since before time began. God is Perfect Beauty. And when Beauty creates, more beauty is created.

Thank God for beauty today -- beauty in people, in creation, in animals, in relationships.

Notice the beauty around you.

Notice your beauty.

Notice other people's beauty.

(It isn't wrong to notice other people's beauty. They are God's creations. It is only when lust and the flesh get involved and bastardize it that it falls into the pit of hell. Lust and sin turn beauty into ugliness.)

Beauty -- what a great idea!

Whenever we think we have something figured out with God we end up trying to put Him in a box.

He won't stay in the box (actually He won't even go into the box).

Whenever we exchange a real give and take relationship with God with a formula of how to get what we want, we are going to be disappointed. We are going to be fooled by ourselves and become disillusioned.

I don't ever consciously try to put God in a box. You probably don't either.

Last Saturday evening we had a Block Party for the community at our church. We had an inflatable bouncy castle, horse-drawn wagon rides, hot dogs, cake, popcorn, snow cones, a puppet show and some fun music.

For the week preceding the event I prayed and prayed and asked God for a warm evening. It's been cold in our area this spring -- huge snowstorms in April. But we have had some nice days and so I held onto that fact and asked and asked and asked.

Jesus says in Matthew 21:22, "And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive."

I believe that. I believe in God. I believe He can do anything and I've seen prayers answered miraculously.

But we didn't get the nice weather.

Saturday evening was cold and windy and gray. The kids still had fun but I was lost in my brain again.

Why didn't we get nice weather?

I thought it was a simple request.

But it wasn't God's plan.

God isn't a genie.

God isn't Santa Claus.

He's Almighty God, Maker of The Universe and all we see and don't see. He's the Great I Am. He parted the Red Sea. He raises people from the dead. He mends hearts and lives. He tears down. He builds up. He is God.

Jesus says in Matthew 7:7, "Ask and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened."

So we are to keep asking, keep seeking, keep finding.

But it isn't about this life. It is about having a vital relationship with God, a give and take, a responsive heart to His love; a listening mind to His silence words.

I don't know how to works. I know those two verses I quoted are true though.

I also know I didn't get what I asked for so it seems like a contradiction.

When there is an apparent contradiction between life and God's Word, there's a deeper truth that we need to find.

The Hebrews writer writes in Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever."

That's true too.

We can rely on the truth that God's character doesn't change. He is Love. He is Grace. He is Merciful. He is Truth. He is the Prince of Peace and the Great Restorer of Relationships.

He is also the God of mysteries.

Hebrews 12:15 says, "See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;"

Don't ever choose bitterness.

Never ever.

Sometimes the best thing to do is look around you and see what you have.

Then, when you see what is part of your life, say Thanks for it. I took a few pictures this morning quickly with my son's iPad to show you what I said Thank you for this morning.

#1 My coffee cup filled with my favorite kind of coffee. The coffee cup was given to me by a dear friend.

#2. My Gray turtleneck sweater. I love wearing charcoal gray and I like this turtleneck. The colors I love to wear are: charcoal gray, brown, black and navy blue. Yeah, pretty boring, but I'm not into fashion much. And that is okay -- everyone  has their own likes and dislikes.

#3 This ratty old chair that is waiting for a new purpose. It is quite comfortable and nice to sit in outside when the sun is shining.

#4 The bright day, our stud Smarty and the hay a friend gave us.

#5 My two Magic Chickens.

#6 Killer, my little cat. She's a great mouser and she loves me. I think of Maggie often when Killer crawls onto my lap. Maggie would say, "Ah. She loves you so much.

#7 My youngest child Megan and my dog Zeko (I didn't take pictures of all my kids or all our pets but I'm thankful for them all).

#8 My sleeping 13 year old. He still snuggles with me on my lap. He is the one who stays home with me and uses a wheelchair.

#9 This crystal by Hawk's window. When the sun hits it it shoots rainbows all over the room.

#10 My husband and oldest daughter and my husband's cowboy hat -- oh and his mustache!

#11. This little girl with my daughter. She is a friend's daughter who has shown me so much love since we lost Maggie Moo. She is such a doll!