Westwoods

  Even if your praise is coming out in sobs, getting stuck in your throat...I'm  telling you, PRAISE TO ALMIGHTY GOD, is the way through a bad time. Before you get all pious and fake and try to deny that there are hard times and seasons full of suffering, let me just help you face this reality. Jesus said it would be so..."In this world, you will have sorrow"... and also, don't  discount the many many Bible verses that tells us how to face the storms of living.  OK. Just needed to settle that for you, my reader. For too many years I bought into the lies of the shame and blame that goes along with those 'seasoned believers of The Way',  that if your life, on a daily basis has difficulty and hard things to navigate, then there must be something wrong with you. Oh no, my friend, something is very right with you and your walk with Jesus, if you, on a daily basis, are having to make choices and learn how to say no to ungodly ways. This is exactly right. The grace o

  Morning breaks harshly into my bedroom. I'm exhausted from sleep having been awoken by great heat waves off and on all night long. And it isn't heat waves from the tropics. My body is aging and performing as aging bodies do, and its causing all kinds of havoc on the brain, body, and spirit. I realize with dread it wasn't the daylight that awakened me, but my husband. Expectancy and Hyperactivity is buzzing next to me. Too late for me, he sees I am awake. "What are your plans for the day?"  I yawn luxuriously and snuggle into the white sheets, "I don't know, I think I will write something." my mind drifts off to the fact that I need to write something on this dear blog. A lot has happened and I am ready to put it all together in a -stand back and let me look at this- way. However, good feelings and luxury flies out the window as he proceeds to tell me what we are going to do. Starting now. I wonder nastily why he bothered to ask me what my plans wer

There seems to be a lot to disagree on and be passionate about these days, even in the same household. You can no longer be neutral or quiet about what you believe about politics, God, or medicine. I’m sure there are more platforms in which we can find a debate or argument, but I pick these three because they are the ones that I face in my world. A thing that hasn’t changed, is that the one with the loudest voice and the most words wins. Or at least on the surface, this person feels he won because he was heard. The rest of us who are thinking and trying to form a thought, heard more noise than reason though, and how we felt was that we were bullied into listening to a debate we did not support or hold as truth. And that we never got a word in edgewise. So here is my word edgewise. I believe, we as believers of our Lord Jesus, need to hold above all medical reports, news debates, conspiracy theories and truths about God, to the Word of God. If what we think we are agreeing with does not

I feel rusty. With writing publicly. I have not been on a vacation. It has rather been the opposite of a vacation. Is there a word for that? While I was doing my opposite of vacation, I kept after a daily account in my journal. I filled a small notebook in two months time with my daily thoughts and quandaries.   The entries are full of praise, thanksgiving, and adoration for life. Not true. The entries are full of reality and the goodness of God at work. A lot of the goodnesses are only recognized later. Not on the date given.  I wish I could tell you that as I packed boxes for storage, and moved into our rental, I stayed fixed and focused on the greatness of our God, that the commotion and chaos did not disrupt me in any way. I made attempts. I did fly to that place of quiet rest. Pretty often. And I might not have pulled off calm and serene, but I did find a lot of peace in making the decision to dwell on the Most High God. After a couple months of exercising our trust in God for the

  Good Morning, I haven't been here in a while but I have been writing almost everyday. I wish I could tell you I've unlocked a secret to living a life of praise and joy, but I think this challenge might become a lifelong journey. And that's ok. Because what a wonderful pursuit!   I did write a little thing one morning as I was in the middle of a muddle. Did you ever get stuck in your own mire of worry or fear? Have everyday trials of trying to communicate love to others and falling far short of your mark bewildered you... and you wonder why bother? I think this is why we should bother...                                 To Look Beyond To look beyond... The problem and  difficulty The lack of The mistakes and  flaws The chaos and disorder To see more than... The apparent and obvious The painful  The glaringly pointless The jack in the box thing that won't stop surprising you Beyond is where I see... Jesus Almighty God His power to do  What He already is doing Invisible t

  How can I tell you more about joy and rejoicing without sounding preachy and like I know anything? Because I do know more about joy every day. And it is worth preaching about. But you have to be there to understand it. IYKYK...But please! Can't it be put into words? After my last blog post, I went home and had to practice rejoicing in an extremely difficult situation. My suffering and pain was, as usual, of the emotional kind. Some of us are given this gift of getting to experience the highs and lows without very much level ground. I'm calling it a gift because this is the way through to rejoicing. How I think about the trial in my story changes completely if I can recognize that God is with me in it. Not denying that there is a trial. But lifting the trial to Jesus to carry and rejoicing in what He is doing that I cannot see. Trusting and resting in Mighty God for His care of me in what feels like rejection and sorrow. And smiling through the tears. Because I joy in Him. I f

  Sometimes you have to dig deep to know it tho...  Whether or not you see it or feel it, it is true. God truly does load us with benefits and goodness. I sat on a beautiful beach chair recently at an idyllic setting of sand and waves. The sky was blue, the sounds of happy people playing all around me. But I carried a broken heart. I was lonely and beaten. It felt heavy. So I sat pleading for God to show me joy and hope. There is often a reason for loneliness, being beaten and heavy, sometimes it is even legit. But it's not a place we want to stay. Also, in the moment, I tend to be very careful to whom I admit these things. Because God. He is doing a work in our hearts that is often messy and not so pretty.  There are days of all out kicking and screaming on the floor of my spirit that I have found can only be heard by Jesus. There is construction tape around the scene or maybe yellow tape indicating a crime.  The point is, we have to move on and find answers, healing, and please y