Catching Up

Wow! It has been so long since I have blogged. My husband told me recently that I don't just blog, I design  - that may be part of the problem. I was being so detail oriented and wanting things just so that it was taking me a long time to post one entry.  I grew weary. It seemed like work. The other contributing factor is that I have been doing other things. I shared about this creative juice (for lack of a better term) that started flowing out of me, but, to my surprise, it began to flow in multiple directions at the same time! So, here is what I have been up to instead of blogging my contemplations and memoirs:

Photography:

Gardening:

Worm Composting:

Raising Chickens:

Plus the multitude of other family, friend, and church stuff I love to do!

These activities have provided me with great blog material and I regret (mildly) not writing some of it. I hope to do better in the coming days - even if it comes out messy and imperfect. Plus, does anyone really care about perfection other than me? If they do, it will give them a chance to practice grace.

Blessings to you all and remember, if you don't hear from me on a consistent basis, it is most likely because I am busy living life instead of writing about it!!! 

The Great Awakening

I want to share about a "great awakening" that I am experiencing. 

It all started (at least in my conscious mind) when I casually picked up a book I saw on a shelf at church. The title, The Creative Call - An Artist's Response to the Way of the Spirit (by Janice Elsheimer), caught my attention. I teach a middle school Sunday school class and many of the kids are very creative. I thought it wouldn't hurt to look the book over to see if it would be something suitable for them. After reading the introductory chapter, I was hooked! I forgot about the kids and jumped in with  both feet myself! That God orchestrated the "accidental" finding of the book, I have no doubt. That I would be so changed by it, "inconceivable!" (That one is for all you "Princess Bride" fans). The book has exercises to complete - questions to answer, reflections, things to ponder (right up my alley!). The first exercise seemed fairly simple to do. It was, but the outcome was powerful. My discovery.... 

I have ALWAYS longed to be a part of something bigger than myself. 

Wait! There is a second tier.  Not just any old part, but a leader. Not just something ordinary, but something adventurous and full of risk, requiring great levels of courage and trust. You might say "don't we all." I don't know. Maybe. Probably. But, do we all embrace and own the truth of this statement. When I dug down deep, excavating through years of refuse and debris, and found this truth lying dormant in my soul, my heart leapt for joy. It came alive for me. The resurrection breath of the Holy Spirit was present at that moment. He brought it alive for me and it has been resonating in me ever since. "The great awakening."

When I think of all the opportunities I passed up because I was "afraid," I am astonished. Fear ruled my life for a very, very long time. I didn't try out for the track team, I didn't run for class president, I didn't. I didn't. I didn't. I spent most of my life playing it safe and running from challenges, staying under the radar and not rocking the boat. All the while, my heart yearned for adventure. Mind you, there were reasons for my fear. Fear is an effective tool of the enemy to knock courage out of a person - especially if that person is already at a disadvantage - especially if that person was created to be courageous. 

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." 

Deut. 31:6 (NIV)

I have a feeling the enemy knew more about my destiny back then than I did and he sure didn't want me to ever figure it out. He almost won. He almost destroyed me. But, God...

"In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame;

deliver me in your righteousness."

 Psalm 31:1 (NIV)

Once I asked God what he liked most about me and this is what he said: "You are intriguing." I almost fell over. I said back to Him, "God, how can you the Creator find me the created intriguing? You made me! There are no surprises!" He answered, "I am intriguing and I like intrigue. When I created you, I made you intriguing so that I could enjoy that part of who I am."  Wow! God created me for intrigue because he likes intrigue. God created me with a desire to be a part of something big because He had something big for me to be a part of.  

My hope to be a leader in something greater than myself, involving risk and trust, adventure and intrigue, was answered in  the form of a call.  

To be a part of the greatest

reconciliation

of all time

God

with his

People

How do I know this? God revealed it to me. I have been tested and found worthy and ready for the call.  Now that I understand the origin of my desires and the source of my strength, I plan to be remembered as the one that "did!"

I end this blog with the chorus of a song that is playing in my head - an invitation to you to join me....

Saddle up your horses we've got a trail to blaze

Through the wild blue yonder of God's amazing grace

Let's follow our leader into the glorious unknown

This is life like no other - this is the Great Adventure

Come on get ready for the ride of your life

Gonna leave long faced religion in a cloud of dust behind

And discover all the new horizons just waiting to be explored

This is what we were created for

("The Great Adventure" by Steven Curtis Chapman)