Cathy T Burns

Counselor, Teacher, Writer, Spiritual Director

Eclipse Highlights the Presence of God

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picture taken by Tabor Academy High School science and Astronomy teacher Michael Bentz

This is what the Lord, your protector, says,
the one who formed you in the womb:
“I am the Lord, who made everything,
who alone stretched out the sky,
who fashioned the earth all by myself  Isaiah 44:24 NET

My help comes from the Lord,
the Creator of heaven and earth!  Psalms 121:2 NET

The World Gazes at God

A common focus, the community of onlookers, human creatures of the earth, gazing at THE sun of the universe. Exclamations of emotions, expressions of amazement at the celestial experience. Viewing eyes covered and protected, mouths gaping wide with joy mingled with tears, describes the typical image of gazers. The experienced scientists, the newscasters, world travelers, the old, and the young were all impressed with the event that equalized humanity. An apparent reality emerged, as a human creature, we all live under the same sun. The intense darkness that seemed to consume the sun stirred a wonder as the world watched. The action of creation is evidence of the presence God.  Opening our senses to the presence of creation will open our awareness of God.

The action of creation is evidence of the presence of God

Sitting alone, in my empty grassy backyard, I observed a 95% blockage of the sun. I felt an exhilaration and awe as I experience the response of nature around me. The insects and birds were still, the temperature dropped as the light faded, I felt a connection with the moment. A connection with THE creator of the sun.  Wearing “glasses” with an intense filter allowed me to look directly at the powerful light, an amazing perfectly shaped sphere; placed with a purpose in the ordered universe.

God Creates with a Purpose

The moon is 400 times closer to earth than the sun and the sun is 400 times larger than the moon, a reality that makes a total eclipse possible. A probability steeped with purpose. The gazers, who made intentional plans to view the eclipse, were not disappointed. They were amazed and moved with a positive emotion.  The amazement crossed all gender and cultural boundaries. What stirred in their hearts? The wonder of creation? A realization of a divine presence? Why would God arrange an eclipse? I would like to think because he was us to feel this wonderment and joy.

I felt thankful, amazed, cared for, and elated to be known by the creator of this universe. How could anyone gaze upon this celestial event and not feel the wonder, see the light and seek the life that has been given to us by our Father in heaven, the creator? His intricate creation given as a display of His love. His son given as an anchor of His grace for us. My help, my protection, my provision comes from the creator of the universe!

Open, Lord my eyes that I may see.  Open, Lord, my ears that I may hear.  Open, Lord, my heart and my mind that I may understand the vastness of your presence, provision, protection, and peace authored by your eternal love for your created.

Wonder, by Hillsong, expresses the wonder of life seen in the light of the God’s way of the vivid color of grace and forgiveness.

 

 

 

Move to Wait, Wait to Move, the Journey of a Resurrected Life

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My memories of Easter as a child were of bright new dresses, fresh budding flowers, songs of joy, ham and Easter eggs. In my child’s mind, it was a time of new beginnings. A new season full of blooming nature, new spring clothes, the beginning of outdoor play, all pointing to the countdown to summer!

As an adult Easter is still a time of new beginnings.  Now it is a time of igniting a brighter hope and fresh focus. It is a time to authentically examine my heart extend the depth of my understanding of God’s love through the reality of Easter. A reality that points to the eternal perspective of a life connected to our loving God, through Christ, embodied by Holy Spirit. The resurrection of Christ gives the promise of a new beginning; a resurrected life, empowered by the divine creator!

To prepare my heart and mind to embrace the reality of our resurrected Christ, I engage in a two-prong process;

First, I reflect on my weaknesses, deficiencies, and defaults. Reflecting with a vulnerable honesty, seeking to purge the vain prideful mask that hides my fleshly fears. It is hard to die to yourself if you do not know yourself.

Secondly, I heighten a fresh focus on my Savior’s powerful sufficiency and strength. As I gain clarity on my need for His presences, I gratefully drop the mask to MOVE.  Moving to deny my misguided agendas, releasing my wall of fear and placing myself behind His will. To lift Him high as “my kingdoms fall”, the words of Once And For All describe the first step in living life through His love.

 

After the MOVE to lift Him and lower my faulty desires, I must WAIT. WAIT, to still my fears, still my control, to still my anxiety, as I trust in His power, praising His presence. Waiting on His direction.

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 NLT

God’s direction, His present Spirit within us moves us from… death to life, dark to light, fear to faith, sorrow to joy. We are united with Him through Christ, empowered to MOVE by a divine connection, a God-ability implanted in us.

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Ephesians 1:3 NLT

MOVE, WAIT, MOVE a journey from personal vulnerability to a God-ability, beginning a new life reality, resurrected from fear, revived by the power of His love.

God’s Love Secures the Heart

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My flesh and my heart may grow weak,
but God always protects my heart and gives me stability.  Psalms 73:26 NET

When my skin sags and my bones get brittle,
    God is rock-firm and faithful.  (MSG)

My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,
    but God remains the strength of my heart;
    he is mine forever. (NLT)

 

Valentine’s Day!  These words evoke extreme emotions. Contrasting feelings of joy to feelings of grief. Hearts are everywhere – candy hearts of every color, hearts on cards and paper, priceless hearts of gemstones and broken hearts of loneliness.

As a counselor I have asked people, involved in a relationship, to give a metaphorical description of their heart as it relates to the relationship. I have heard descriptions of hearts “beating fast, bright red on the inside with a brick wall on the outside” OR  “my heart is in a million pieces, dark and cold.” The descriptions are endless, often describing hurting, limp, damaged, unstable, weak hearts bearing scars of unmet expectations and broken trust.

LOVE YOU, BE MINE, REAL LOVE, SURE LOVE, HUG ME….are some of the words written on those candy hearts. They can be sweet reminders of sincere love or hollow echoes of a lost love. Our needy hearts are vulnerable to the actions of others if it not stabilized by an infusion of  trustworthy love from our Holy Father.

God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.  1 John 4:17-18 (MSG)

God’s love is not hollow or wavering, it is solid and permanent. His love is the only reliable source that can heal our needy hearts.  “Heart” is mentioned in the Bible over 500 times, depending on the version. Our heart condition is a primary focus of God’s message to us.  “Heart” in the Hebrew language, the language of the Old Testament, includes in its meaning “the emotions, the reason and the will”*. It is the center of one’s being, the source of courage, an anchor of thoughts. It is the crucial component of our identity.     (*Vine’s Expository Dictionary)

Self-identity, dependent on the imperfect love of the world, will be heartbreaking! However, self-identity focused on the true love of our Father it will be securely anchored, allowing growth and development into its full potential.

Let God’s love be the banner over your heart. “The Lord is my Banner” is the translation of the Hebrew Yahweh-Nissi. Yahweh-Nissi is a name of God in the Old Testament. Acknowledging that His love is the banner over your heart indicates that you are identifying with God as your conqueror and savior. Life’s journeys will be more secure if they are traveled under the secure banner of his love.

The hearts of Valentine’s Day can be a reminder of the source of secure love, the steadfast presence of God in our lives.

Truth - Debbie Hannah Skinner

Truth – Original Watercolor painting by Debbie Hannah Skinner.

My flesh is fading.
His love is eternal.

My flesh is flawed.
His love is flawless.

My flesh is foolish.
His love is wise.

My flesh is fickle.
His love is loyal.

An eternal, flawless, wise and loyal love is my covering, completing me, as I trust,  always seeking His truth to light my path to life. His love is mighty! His love is expansive…

O Love, How Deep

O love, how deep, how broad, how high,
It fills the heart with ecstasy,
That God, the Son of God, should take
Our mortal form for mortals’ sake!

For us baptized, for us he bore
His holy fast and hungered sore,
For us temptation sharp he knew;
For us the tempter overthrew.

For us he prayed; for us he taught;
For us his daily works he wrought;
By words an signs and actions thus
Still seeking not himself, but us.

For us to evil power betrayed;
Scourged, mocked, in purple robe arrayed,
He bore the shameful cross and death,
For us gave up his dying breath.

For us he rose from death again,
For us he went in high to reign;
For us he sent his Spirit here,
To guide, to strengthen, and to cheer.

All glory to our Lord and God
For love so deep, so high, so broad;
The Trinity whom we adore,
For ever and for evermore.           Latin, 15th C.

Here’s my heart Lord!

Morning reflections- Self Confidence is rooted in God Confidence

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     Patiently wait for God alone, my soul! For he is the one who gives me confidence. Ps 62: 5 (NET)  …two principles I have heard: God is strong, and you, O Lord, demonstrate loyal love. Ps 62:11b-12a (NET)

Sitting by the fire this morning, warm coffee in hand, two furry dogs at my feet, I noticed how just being in my presence, my anxious adopted dogs, become calm. They know my smell, my habits and trust my provision. Their calm confidence highlighted a truth about our relationship with God for me.

My mind shifted from dogs to open-hearted reading of God’s word. Psalm 62: 5  drew my attention first;

My soul, wait only upon God and silently submit to Him; for my hope and expectation are from Him. (AMP)

IF my confident hope and expectation come only from Him, I CAN submit and wait calmly for Him. Reading another version expanded the meaning of the verse:

Patiently wait for God alone, my soul!
For he is the one who gives me confidence. (NET)

When I have confidence that God is trustworthy and will lead me strongly, it gives me confidence in myself. In other words:

Confidence in God determines confidence in self.

My confidence IS from God and nothing else. I do not have to take great effort to boost my own confidence. Instead, I wait,  submitting my focus and engage my body, mind, and soul in the presence of God.

I have an ADD brain, waiting is hard! So, how do I tame the distracting thoughts and wait?

Thoughts of self-doubt, constantly repeat old perceptions of “I am not good enough, I am alone, I am powerless”.  Plaguing perceptions that pound my confidence into a reality of uncertainty.

Reading through the chapter, I found the answer contained in the last two verses:

…two principles I have heard: God is strong, and you, O Lord, demonstrate loyal love. Ps 62:11b-12a (NET)

God is STRONG and has LOYAL LOVE for us. A no brainer…one would think. The truth is the spirit of my God, my divine Father who is strong with loyal love, lives in me. The obstacle to self-confidence is the lack of confidence of that truth. God’s reality is in me.

Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and take up residence with him.
John 14:23 (NET)

A Divine power giving Divine confidence. My wandering thoughts can be captivated by the wonder of this truth, God in me. His children are defined by the divine presence of His spirit in them. Silently submit to Him!

O Love of God, how strong and true,
Eternal and yet ever new;
Uncomprehended and unbought,
Beyond all knowledge and all thought.

O wide embracing, wondrous Love,
We read you in the sky above:
We read you in the earth below,
In seas that swell and streams that flow.

We read you best in him who came
to bear for us the cross of shame,
Sent by the Father from on high,
Our life to live our death to die.

We read your power to bless and save
Even in the darkness of the grave;
Still more in resurrection light
We read the fullness of your might.
                                Horatius Bonar

His mighty power resides in us! The furry creatures at my feet have a simple confidence in me, a created being, sustaining them in a calm dog sort of confidence. How much more profound, powerful, and sustaining is a submitting confidence in the creator.  Oh the greatness of our God.

Father, flood me with your grace to fortify my confidence in your love, so that I may live boldly with confidence empowering my life to be a reflection of  Your love to the world. Amen

The Arms of Loyal Friends Unite Souls with the Loyal Love of God

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“I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father.  John 15:11-15 MSG

A picture of friends, captured at a funeral. The lovely young woman in the middle, with the infant child, had just lost her mother. The three childhood friends, surrounding her with hugs, have traveled miles to show her love. The love of loyal friends who had a yearning to give tender touches, eye contact, words, silence, compassion, encouragement and most of all, presence. The moment captured by a cell phone proclaims a statement of an enduring sincere love that will reach through eternity.

Their friendship began as children who learned about Jesus together. Their love is social; physical, touchable, and personal. Their love is spiritual; unspoken, soul connecting, bonding them as sisters united by the love of Christ.

This kind of loyal friendship, rooted in the love of God, allows us to experience the presence of God’s anchoring care. A loss so profound,  a loving mother now physically absent, can leave a daughter with a lonely ache in her heart. Friends cannot replace the love of another’s precious mother, but their fellowship can restore life in her heart. Her heart pain can feel known, and the sense of loyal connection demonstrates she is never alone.

As friends of Jesus as the passage in John emphasizes we are in turn to show this loving friendship to others. The word friend in this passage is from the Greek phílos meaning;

a friend; someone dearly loved (prized) in a personal, intimate way; a trusted confidant, held dear in a close bond of personal affection. Note: The root (phil-) conveys experiential, personal affection – indicating 5384 (phílos) expresses experience-based love.

Experiential is something that is personally known, observed and encountered. As followers, of Christ, we are friends of Christ who put his life on the line for us. He has commanded that we love each other in the same way. It is the mark of Christian love.

What we have seen and [ourselves] heard, we are also telling you, so that you too may realize and enjoy fellowship as partners and partakers with us. And [this] fellowship that we have [which is a distinguishing mark of Christians] is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah). 1 John 1:3 (amp)

Our relationship with God, through His Son, is made strong as we trust His friendship and profound love. This connection impacts our soul, which creates neurological changes in our brains. We can then, “do love” in friendship as His love flows through us. We become friends who can:

Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]. 1 Corinthians 13:7 (AMP)

 God, the creator of the universe, has created our physical brains to be joyfully responsive to this relational connection. The book Anatomy of the Soul by Curt Thompson, M.D. brings to light information how aspects of neuroscience point to God and affirm what believers have been living out as a community of faith for thousands of years.

“I believe our lives will be abundant, joyful, and peaceful only to the degree that we are engaged, known, and understood by one another. I also believe we cannot separate what we do with our brains and our relationships from what we do with God. God has designed our minds, part of his good creation to invite us into a deeper, more secure, more courageous relationship with him and with one another.”

Facing the adversities of life alone and disconnected can become a burden we were not meant to endure. As humans, God’s creation, we desire to be known and fear to be alone. Positive changes in the brain occur as we feel known by another. We are wired to be relational!

The huddled hugging group of friends in the picture is a demonstration of being known by each other and making the friend connection a priority. To be known by friends is a treasure of life that gives life to our being.  “And friends are friends forever If the Lord’s the Lord of them” are words from an old song by Michael W. Smith that celebrates this treasure that is a gift from God.

4 Steps to Put Love Into Action

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loves-reality-in-your-life-1
The sign said EXPRESS CHECKOUT  15 ITEMS OR LESS. The person in front of me had 20, I counted. I was obeying the rules, I only had 6. It wasn’t fair, who did she think she was? I had things to get done!  I felt minimized and unimportant as she took the extra time to unload her cart. I did not say a word as I stuffed my irritation and continued to hold a wavering smile. I was aware my thoughts were becoming progressively negative, the more my heart increased and my body tensed.

I realized that all my stewing and stuffing was not going to change my situation. My choice to respond with tense inward irritation was not productive, it was life draining. I was allowing my life light to be dimmed by my thoughts and choices. I needed to change my focus. I was loosing sight of the light of God’s love in me.

A truth began slowly filtering into my awareness, the description of love:

 Love is patient and kind.      Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.   It does not demand its own way.    It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.    Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.  1 Corinthians 13:4-7

I could have shame myself for messing up AGAIN. Which only would have create struggle and shame. What I needed to do was SHIFT instead of SHAME. To shift my focus from my automatic, habitual was of responding, to the presence of God’s Spirit within me. Shifting from painful shame  to the peaceful truth of God’s love.

Shifting our focus is required in order to understand and experience love. Choosing love is a process. In 1 Peter, he writes, to persecuted Christians, words of empowerment and encouragement. In chapter one he emphasizes the importance of choosing love. The words seem to reveal a process:

Through Him you believe in (adhere to, rely on) God, Who raised Him up from the dead and gave Him honor and glory, so that your faith and hope are [centered and rest] in God.  22 Since by your obedience to the Truth through the [Holy] Spirit you have purified your hearts for the sincere affection of the brethren, [see that you] love one another fervently from a pure heart.  23 You have been regenerated (born again), not from a mortal [a]origin ([b]seed, sperm), but from one that is immortal by the ever living and lasting Word of God.  I Peter 1:21-23  AMPC 

Peter is encouraging these suffering, persecuted children of God, to be loving. He empowered them by explaining how they can love in such difficult times. He reminding them of their connection to God, their reality based on the truth of God’s word.

Eugene Peterson says in THE MESSAGE in verse 23:

Your old birth came from mortal sperm; your new birth comes from God’s living Word. Just think: a life conceived by God himself!

From this truth we can make choices. This passage lays out a 4 step process. You can choose to______of God:

  1. Believe in the redemptive love of God v21. (Colossians 1:13-14)  Believing, trusting and relying on the constant reality of God’s saving love will change everything! If He has delivered us from the “domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son” (ESV) we no longer have to be stuck in our unloving, judgmental, attitudes. These attitudes increase stress and create limitations. We are connected to His Spirit which means we are empowered and enlarged to look at life through the lens of loved child of the creator.
  2. Focus on the true hope found in the love of God v21 . (IJohn 3:2-3)  What we believe turns the direction of our heart focus. The heart if often described as the center of our being. If our belief turns our heart to be “centered and rest” on a confident hope in God, we are accepting a truth that has a healing impact on our soul. A soul focused on God will find peace and serenity in this broken world.
  3. Change into a pure hearted child of God v22. (Colossians 3: 10-12)  As we embrace our transfer to the kingdom of Christ we see ourselves as a loved child. This transfer renews our hearts! As our identity changes we no longer base our value and acceptance on the response of others. We have a new identity, a new heart that is resting in God. When we believe, focus and change through the truth of renewed heart our brains are being reprogramed.
  4. Love from the grace connection of God v23. (John 16:13)  Our renewed heart is powered by the Spirit of God. When the truth of God’s love for us is realized and our actions flow from that truth. Then God’s love is being expressed in His creation. Our decision to love can draw others to His love.

Every step leads us deeper into a relationship with God. We can choose to believe in, focus on, change into and love from the presence of God’s spirit in us. He gives us that choice, he never leaves, but we can choose another direction.  His Truth is a reality that is life giving to our souls. I am not minimized or unimportant as His child. His Truth must be realized to change my heart. Truth, in the embodiment of Jesus Christ, is God’s nature expressed to us. His nature is expressed through his creation as we change and love.

Realizing God’s truth as a reality for your soul reveals love’s reality for your life.

Each time we choose to act, we should ask ourselves, “what is the most loving thing I can do?” A loving action will benefit others, it benefits us as well.

Practicing love is a process of progress. In the check out line I might have counted her items and then chosen to let it go, accept that I cannot change her actions but I can control my choices. I can refocus my brain to the new reality of my heart, I am loved and seen by God.  Acceptance is progress in living with a heart of love. The next step, as I mature in the process, would be to realize that what others choose to do is more about them. Then I would not even find it necessary to count any items. I will have a serene, peaceful heart that habitually focuses on my reality with God and with a grateful heart I will be open and engaging.

SO…the next time I am in a check out line, I will choose not to even count the items. I will kindly engage with the person or I will keep my heart open to God’s leading. I will stay engaged with the moment choosing a more positive mindset. I will feel less stressed freeing my heart to be open in the moment rather than to stuff.

A heart open to God’s light, reveal’s His love to the world. Listen to Brandon Heath’s song, The Light in Me, and be inspired to shine His light in love.

Morning Reflections: Trust the Truth of God’s Love

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Milky Way behind the Natural Bridge in Yellowstone by NPS/Jacob W. Frank

Milky Way behind the Natural Bridge in Yellowstone by NPS/Jacob W. Frank

He counts the stars
    and calls them all by name.                    Psalms 147:4

He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession   James 1:18

 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.  Ephesians 1:4

WE ARE HIS PRIZED POSSESSION! Those words penetrated my soul. It startled me how those words of truth,  seem to rise from the page, imprinting fresh on my heart. I have studied the book of James many times and I seem to be discovering this verse for the first time!

Our creation is vast, from the countless stars to the immense oceans of the earth. Elaborately created for our pleasure. We are at the top, the supreme, the first fruit, the treasured prize. To embrace and embody that truth should strengthen our souls, giving us a solid foundation on which to build our life.

Building our lives on this truth empowers our trust and sustains our hope in our God. When we become discouraged in the difficulties of this world, we can choose to be reminded of our God status.

Why am I discouraged?
    Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
    I will praise him again—
    my Savior and my God!  Psalm 43:5  (this verse is mentioned 3 times in Psalm 42 and 43. David expressed a common struggle of all mankind, pointing to the remedy of hope.)

Let my soul be at rest again,
    for the Lord has been good to me. Psalm 116:7

God gives us grace to even help us trust him! The following prayer brings to light the truth of God’s mercy and power:

Grant me, O Lord, to trust in you with all my heart; for, as you always resist the proud

Truth - Debbie Hannah Skinner

Truth – Original Watercolor painting by Debbie Hannah Skinner.

who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. AMEN (pg 515 Prayers for Summertime, Phyllis Tickle)

Praise be to our Holy God who treasures us enough to give us the grace to live in His light, to live free from fear and strong in faith!

Morning Reflections: Hope in the Hurt of Bad News

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bad newsSurely the righteous will never be shaken;
    they will be remembered forever.
 They will have no fear of bad news;
    their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord. (NIV) Psalm 112:6-7

Our family has a new member, a 10 day old boy named Samuel. Samuel’s presence opens a flood gate of love, flowing from each member of the family. He will receive constant protection, provision and love, not because he has done anything to deserve it but because he was born into this family. He will be receiving constant love, nurturing and strengthening through any situation.

We choose to join God’s divine family when we profess Him to be the Lord of our life. As His  beloved children, we are made righteous, not by anything we have done, but through, his son, our brother Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:20-21) We have His divine favor, receiving constant love, nurturing and strengthening through any situation. If a human family can provide constant love, the divine creator provides more than we can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:19-20)! In this world, unfair, violent and terrible things happen to good people.  As His children we will be loved, nurtured and strengthen through any bad news this world can create for us. Trusting His love, when bad news is a reality, is the only source of hope in this hurting world. God’s love and hope will shine bright through the darkness of this world. His family is for eternity(Ephesians 2:6), His love wins!

Loyal

I could never earn Your heart
I could never reach that far
But You have pulled me close
You’ve never let me go
I’m safe forever in Your arms
Your promises I can not break
And I know You will never change

Your love is, Your love is
Your love is loyal
Your love is, Your love is
Your love is loyal
More faithful than the rising sun
This grace for me I can’t outrun
Your love is, Your love is
Your love is loyal

You are always there for me
You listen every time I speak
You look into my eyes
You see the things I hide
And say that You will never leave
Your promises I can not break
And I know You will never change

Your love is, Your love is
Your love is loyal
Your love is, Your love is
Your love is loyal
More faithful than the rising sun
This grace for me I can’t outrun
Your love is, Your love is
Your love is loyal

When my world shakes
Your love remains unshaken
So constant, so perfect, unwavering
When my world falls
Your love remains unfailing
So constant, so perfect, unwavering
So constant, so perfect, unwavering

Your love is, Your love is
Your love is loyal
Your love is, Your love is
Your love is loyal
Your love is, Your love is
Your love is loyal
More faithful than the rising sun
This grace for me I can’t outrun
Your love is, Your love is
Your love is loyal

Written by Jason Ingram, Jonas Myrin, Paul Mabury • Copyright © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC     SUNG by Lauren Daigle

Truth - Debbie Hannah Skinner

Truth – Original Watercolor painting by Debbie Hannah Skinner.

My heart is full, as I embrace, the presence of your love for me. With this love I am confident in any situation. By Your Spirit, give me the grace to release the anxiety, anger and fear I may have as I live in this broken confusing time. May the light of your love, living in me, touch lives, drawing them to the Truth of Your love.   in Your Son’s name, Jesus, AMEN

Morning reflections – The friendship of God

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Friend of GodGod Loves Me ALL the Time,

Forgives EVERY Time and

Listens ANY 

Time!

It is hard to conceive that the creator of the universe, holy, sovereign, omniscient and omnipresent God  considers me a friend. He is the perfect friend with the perfect love. His gift of friendship is an eternal reality. I ask myself, “Am I a friend to Him?” What can I do each day to be a loyal, faithful, friend to show him love and give Him joy?  His divine friendship with me is expanded to others as I extend myself to be the friend He is to me.

Good morning, Father thank you for the blessings of your protection and love. Thank

Truth - Debbie Hannah Skinner

Truth – Original Watercolor painting by Debbie Hannah Skinner.

you for the bond of Your Spirit in me. Give me guidance on how I may extend Your love today.  in Jesus name AMEN

4 Obstacles to Living Focused on the Spirit in You

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eye pexels-photo-30763 (2)But I do more than thank. I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength! Ephesians 1:18 (The Message)

My vision had become gradually hazy with less and less clarity. Cataracts invaded my lens, an unwelcome aliment that caught me by surprise.To have these cataracts removed required an amazingly quick procedure lasting 5 to 6 minutes. The old lens was removed, under local anesthesia, and replaced with a uniquely measured lens, suited to my vision needs.

The results were startling. The clarity of vision was better than I had ever experienced in my life! The new clarity seemed to give me energy as my visual world became more easily assessable.

This visual transformation from a lens replacement is like the heart replacement gained when we take off our old self and replace it with our renewed spiritual self as a child of God. This presence of God within my soul gives me an intensity of energy that is like “nothing and no one else” can give me.

When I trust the divine reality of God’s presence within me, my heart gains a clarity and strength and I am then able to extend the same love and grace to others. Unfortunately, my fear based heart often keeps me out of focus with the reality of God’s love and  Spirit that is implanted in my soul.  This becomes an obstacle, hampering my new heart from controlling my perceptions and responses.

Last week, I spent almost 2 hours, online, attempting to complete airline reservations.   A “glitch” in the system, created much stress for me and was wasting my time. I felt powerless and disrespected by the endless technical dead ends and human errors. Ever felt that way?

I began to push back with irritable words. The person helping me with the reservation had to ask me to “be patient”. Those words penetrated my heart.She was patient with me as she tried to help my reservations become a reality. I had slipped back on my old heart of hazy distorted perceptions. The presence of my patience would have indicated that I was “seeing” clearly, through the eyes of my new heart. I would have realized the technical glitches  were not her fault and they were not about me.

There were 4 evidences that my heart vision was out of focus. All exist as reactions from my old heart wounds. They became obstacles to living with the clarity of God’s love.

1. Overloaded schedule – I have a habit of regularly cramming too many activities into my daily schedule, giving no margin to tolerate any delay. The busier I am the better I am, has been my belief. I believed that my value was defined by what I do. That was the old identity, my old habits. Habits are hard to break!

If I consistently embrace and live out my new identity in Christ I will have more margin in my day. I will be confident in my value as a daughter of an unconditionally loving God. Nothing I can do would make Him love me more!

This heart change removes the haze of fearful doing, giving clarity on how to respond to my circumstances, rather than letting circumstances define me.

2. Unrealistic expectations – I had an expectation that it should take only 30 minutes, tops, to make these reservation. I expected that the technology would be perfect and there would be a perfect backup if things did not go well. Truth is, technical difficulties are a normal reality and humans are imperfect. These glitches had nothing to do with me. I believed that if things go wrong, I am powerless. Correct beliefs are; I am only in control of myself. God will never leave me and He strengthens me. AND What people say or do is more about them and not me.

I can choose how I will respond to life. I want choose the fruit of the Spirit because God choose me as His daughter.  Sometimes I can not do what I want to do and I do the very thing I do not want to do…Paul had a similar problem, read Romans 7.

3. Pride – I selfishly thought I deserved better treatment. Impatience is the “fruit” of pride. Pride is the flip side of the coin of fear.  When I begin to fear I am not valued or in control,  I respond with a critical, irritable attitude because the circumstances are “making” me feel the fear. Correct beliefs are: I can not be made to feel a certain way, I can choose how to feel and how to act. God’s love will drive out my fear as I trust in Him.

“As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on thing and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down you cannot see something that is above you.”  C. S. Lewis

Pride is self focused, promoted by fear. Humility is God focused, promoted by love.

4. Negativity – Our brains have a negative bias. That means if we mindlessly allow our brains to react without a filter, the thinking will be negative. My reaction to the 2 hour experience took a very negative tone. Negative thoughts were dominating my brain, causing stress and unkind reactions.

A brain controlled with the filtered mindset of joy is less stressed, creating a forgiving, patient interaction.

“To live life you need a center of joy. ”    Tim Keller

To have a “center of joy” is to have a joy frame of reference. To delight in the Lord and trust his love and know you are His delight will produce a centering of joy. This fuels my ability to recognize the negative thinking, releasing its power and allowing my focus to be on the joy of living in His love. Seeing the world through the eyes of joy can produce the joy of humor. Humor in this situation would have defused the stress…Laughter is wonderful for the heart, body and soul!

God, the lover of our souls, has chosen to give us His Spirit. We must choose to trust His love and lay down our fear driven agendas and humbly receive His gift. His love is glorified in us when we choose to receive His grace filled light. We are then free from the bondage of our shortsighted (hazy) fears and we receive a clarification of His love that is startling to our flesh. This clarification removes all obstacles to living a life growing in the fruit of the Spirit.

The Lord is God, Who has shown and given us light [He has illuminated us with grace, freedom, and joy].  Psalms 118:27a  (AMPC)

So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free…     Galatians 5:1 (NLT)

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.  Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Galatians 5:22-25 (NLT)

Please listen: The song Simple Pursuit brings to light the reality that “nothing and no one else” comes close to the perfect love of God!