*** Yoyo-ing between frustration about herself and others and feeling good about her self-impression and how others viewed her, had swung her one too many times in the wrong direction. She was worn out and had finally tired. It was about time. The Shulamite was ready to listen… “Tell me, You whom my soul loves, […]
Vineyard Days – The Shepherd’s Hut
Truths are first clouds, then rain, then harvest and food. ~ Henry Ward Beecher ~ How perfectly matched was the Shulamite to her Shepherd Lover. Just as there was nothing in His appearance that would warrant a second look, neither was there in hers. She was swarthy – a colorful word for dark, black, brunette, […]
Vineyard Days – The Way of the Beloved
Who is there that does not love a good story? The most intriguing, I have found, is the one that draws us into the fabric of the narrative being woven. As if we have stepped into the very pages… Such is the Song of Solomon. It is the beautiful and challenging account of the Lord’s […]
Perfectly Suited
“You didn’t ask for this, yet you are perfectly suited for it.” Such was the response given by the one who heard my lament while listening to my heart. We had been journeying together long enough for this one to have received a fairly clear picture of my life story. Their observation landed deep in […]
Show Me My Heart
There are some prayers the Lord delights to answer. Sometimes we may not be delighted to pray them. But if we do, we almost assuredly will be audience to the zealous presence of the Holy Spirit. “Show me my heart” is one of those prayers. Recently I found myself praying this very prayer. It was […]
Royalty Realm – The Real
Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Genesis 2:7 A holy hush brushed warm against his face. His footsteps fell softly as he approached the door. It stood high and imposing but with […]
Royalty Realm – Ruined by Grace
Sometimes, “speechless” is the only word in my vocabulary. Recently my husband and I had occasion to be in public settings where what was displayed grieved the Spirit of Christ within us. While in for a car repair one Friday afternoon we were exposed to something on cable TV in the dealer’s waiting room we […]
Royalty Realm – “I Want To See”
It is a different place we find ourselves in these days, my husband and I. We have not been here before. Our consolation is that Jesus has. And so our dependence on Him deepens with every step. We are midway through our transition year after my leaving a long career of employment with others covering […]
Royalty Realm – When God Hits the Wall
I believe in the longsuffering love and mercy of God. I also believe the time is soon upon us when God will announce, “Enough.” One of the mysteries of the Bible that has intrigued me most develops right out of the gate in Genesis. By chapter 6, this cataclysmic event in God’s own story is […]
Royalty Realm – Unconcealed
There is a state in the Royalty Realm where your heart as a believer can no longer remain concealed. It pulses with desire to know and be known by the Lord. It longs to know the plans He has been thinking of regarding you; plans he has designed for your welfare and safety, with a […]