This place, a distance from the last place

Today and now a series of days have been incredibly hopeful where before, "hope" seemed hard to own...

Vitality...

Things like awesome weather and deep-gut laughter breathe vitality and reveal hope surrounding me.  Blessings of wealth in many small voices and large opinions--many by which I am humbled, impressed, and inspired.

Prayers have been so abundantly answered above my meager requests. 

God's movement is strong and making an impression deeper than my heart has ever known.

I can't stop to look back so much but relish in the here and now and receive strength in patience to stay out of God's way while He transforms me and my husband and my family....I really need to quit getting in His way.

Letting God move is harder than I thought.  He moves me to tears--to be made new but this healing process only works when it hurts.  I hurt so much I want to flee.  I hurt when I pretend not to hurt.  I hurt when I see myself apart from God begging for His nearness and I realize I hurt myself doubting His steadfast love and faithfulness.

Hosea 6:1-3

6 “Come, let us return to the Lord;
    for he has torn us, that he may heal us;
    he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.
2 After two days he will revive us;
    on the third day he will raise us up,
    that we may live before him.
3 Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord;
    his going out is sure as the dawn;
he will come to us as the showers,
    as the spring rains that water the earth.”

Praise be to God.

truth bearing

Just got transfixed on this piece of glorious text from a Desiring God blog written by Dan DeWitt:

"In this way, all of reality is the believer’s ally in sharing the gospel. Our universal longing for transcendent meaning actually points to a transcendent source. And only Jesus can satisfy this persistent craving. To paraphrase Pascal, this is a God-sized problem that only God can fix. Only the gospel provides an exclusive foundation for human flourishing. All other ground is sinking sand."

...this challenges the heart and mind to absorb to relate, sympathize, and inspire a spirit of Christ.  Amen to soul searching answers through Christ Jesus! 

Read the greater context of DeWitt's message here: http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=94431c7fc1ffa54485d1c84fe&id=001748013d&e=cfe6e84962

More on the canary

I still would like to see/have a real one...  

Proverbs 31:26

Declaring

Where I remain is not in the flesh nor in the surroundings of this life but in Christ.  There is no other place I care to exist or can manage to survive without the promise of what's to come because of the ransom paid on my behalf.  I am not swayed by man and pray each of my kids will be won over by God's steadfast love.  Promised to Him, sustained in Christ, looking always at the greater purpose of this life.  Nothing will ever compare to the security and eternal treasure of Gods love.  Adonai! Lord reign! 

Psalm 107:2

2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble

Not all sadness

Just a bunch of fun and precious moments that cheered me up...

Yellow canary

I got this image in my head that verifies my pain in sort of an angry rehash of betrayal.  I've been struggling more with my previous perception of this reality versus my current--the deceived and undeceived.  I wanted to pick a bright bird as the victim so I started looking up the symbolism if birds.  I couldn't get the canary out if my head so when I looked it up and read this I knew it was fitting...

Why "Yellow Canary"?

Sensitive to noxious gases such as carbon monoxide, the yellow canaries were used as organic "early-warning" devices to detect gases that are colorless, odorless and tasteless.

Gases were easily formed underground during a mine fire or after an explosion. It was important that those going back into the mines had a way to detect any noxious gases. Although mice were also used, yellow canaries were more sensitive and the canaries' distress was more readily observable to the miners.

A canary would waver on its perch at the first sign of danger - and - lose consciousness and drop to the bottom of their cages before the levels of toxins in the air affected the miners. If the canary hit the deck, the miners hit the exits.

Once electronic gauges were developed to measure levels of these gases, the use of the canaries stopped. (Mostly because, over time, the electronic devices proved to be cheaper.

Over time, to call someone or something a "yellow canary" took on a wider meaning. To be a "yellow canary" a "canary in a cage" or a "canary in the mine" meant being an "early-warner". Certainly, the use of the concept is apt when used in conjunction with the field of environmental pollution of any kind. In a wider interpertation, being a "yellow canary" is to be sensitive to changes in the environment, to be aware of and affected by dangerous elements wherever and however they exist.

...in my controlling state if mind I wish I could've been more true to my gut with my sense of something "off" in my marriage.  But that doesn't invite my faith in God's sovereignty which is more comforting in this storm--He is at work in this transformation.

Philippians 1:6

 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.