Category: Uncategorized

Do You Live With A Locked Door?

by Journeys of My Heart, posted in Uncategorized

I was posting some of the photos from a recent beach trip with my grandson and ran across this picture that I had taken. Often I will take pictures and it seems God tells me I want you to write about that later. I was drawn to take this picture as soon as I saw the lock. It is one of my favorites.

It makes me think of our bodies being the temple of the Lord. He says He lives inside of us. Wow! What does my temple look like? Do I let His Word keep my temple clean? How does my temple/body behave? What might others learn or think of the way my temple appears? And most importantly, do I allow God into ALL parts of my temple or do I have some locked doors where I don’t go, let alone, let God enter into.

He wants to shed light into our dark places. He wants you to trust Him with all of your rooms; even the dark places. I want to throw the doors wide open to His forgiveness, His faithfulness, and His sacrifice for me that I might have the Light that will so shine among men/women, that they will see His glory.

Do you have a place where you keep your secrets, hurts or feelings hidden and no one gets in? God wants to open that locked door and enter in. I pray you will trust Him and allow it. It’s up to you. He knocks. You have to unlock the door. Part of a hymn just came to mind that I used to sing as a solo and it fits here: “You must open the door, You must open the door. When Jesus comes in, He will save you from sin, but you must open the door.”

Does Your Life Need Balance?

by Journeys of My Heart, posted in Uncategorized

The other day, I was out by the water here in Whatcom County and witnessed an interesting situation. Out on the channel there was a log with three seagulls perched on it. They were in perfect balance and enjoying the ride as they floated down the channel. I raised my camera to get a picture when all of a sudden, one decided to take off. What happened next was pretty funny but also an interesting life lesson. One of the seagulls decided to lift off and it left the other two struggling to maintain balance as the log shifted and moved. So I got the picture of the two seagulls who were left trying to work together to save themselves from having to leave the log. They raised their wings to maintain balance as they slowly moved up on the log. However, as they moved to correct themselves, the log also rotated, and so they were doing some pretty fancy foot work as they worked to stay on. Eventually, after each trying to right their position, it failed and they flew off. This whole scenario seemed like a great lesson in a balanced life for me.

We hear so much about the importance of keeping balance in our lives. We have a lot going on, and if we don’t maintain balance, one area of our life can get out of control and take over. We all know the story, right? Let’s think about the seagulls for a minute. Before the “situation” happened, they were just floating along enjoying the free ride down the channel. Then, the one decides to take off. No warning, no discussing it, just doing what that seagull wanted to do. But what was left in the wake of the one seagull leaving were the other two picking up the pieces of that one seagull’s decision. The other two of them scrambled trying to stay on for the ride. It was so easy when they were all together and no one else is messing around. Our life gets like that. One person does something, or a situation comes up, that sends us spinning out of control. Our life balance is totally off and we are dangerously close to upending our log and hitting the water in a belly flop. Oh, we try to adjust our lives at times with things such as time management, charts, clean and organizing our house, quit one thing to free the schedule, but then start something else. We try for a while to have more family time or time for the Lord in an effort to right our log, but it doesn’t last much longer then the float down the channel did for the seagulls. We flap and flutter, trying to do it by ourselves. We do the dance to stay on, flap our arms trying to keep from losing it, and end up leaving the log or, in other words, running away from the truth of what is really going on or how we feel.

So what is the answer? We need to have God on the log of life with us! I mean really. We trust Him with everything that is in us. Are we going to believe IN God or are you going to BELIEVE GOD? Just like He calmed the storm on water, He can calm the storms in our lives. If we partnered with Him to give us balance, we would have a different reaction when one decides to go off on some tangent of their own or life hits us full face. We still have God on our log to help us maintain balance. So we don’t have to do the happy feet to stay on, we can do the happy feet because God is there. He is reaching out to us to say, “keep your feet firm and stretch out those wings, catch the air and slowly move forward with me. I’m here.” You know what will happen?

He will give you a picture like He gave me that day! If our hearts are open to Him, He will speak to us through the simple things in our lives. He wants to remind us of His presence and to help measure our steps and stay on the log of life with Him. Lift your wings and let God be the wind beneath them, trusting that with His help, you can float down the channel of life and enjoy the scenery of life as you go! He may even ask you to dive in with Him! OR maybe you are the one leaving the log of the status quo to be lifted higher with Him!

God bless you as you invite Him onto your log to dangle your feet in the water together!

An Ocean Moment

by Journeys of My Heart, posted in Uncategorized

A few weeks ago, I had the joy of making a road trip with a girlfriend to the ocean. Oh my goodness, were we excited! A get-away to our favorite place! Rolling, splashing waves, sunshine, sand dollars galore and the door to the ocean open all night to hear the waves! We brought food with us that we could snack on but didn’t cook much at all! Homemade BLTs were our biggest effort and we promised ourselves one dinner out. Of course, the stay included chocolate of all kinds! Yep…I’m talking heaven, in the earthly sense!

On our first day there, it was so beautiful that I spent some time taking photos as we walked the beach. What joy it brings to me to photograph the beauty that we have around us and the people in it! The water was like glittering diamonds! We had beautiful, clear blue sky, and the sand was warm and squishy beneath our feet.

It was on the second day as we were walking the beach that my “key moment” came to me. As I was walking along, a small wave hits my legs and gets the cuff of my jeans all wet. Pretty soon another one. I am now walking the beach with very wet and heavy jeans. But as I am walking along, a thought came to mind, “I don’t want you to get a little wet in your relationship with Me, I want you to dive right in! Be bold. Be joyful and let it over take you. Trust Me.”

As I continue to walk, I am pondering this thought when another BIG wave hit me. It made my pants wet all the way to my thighs. I’m thinking, “Yep, what difference does it make now?” So I just walked out into deeper waves and leisurely walked all the way back and singing. What an amazing freedom it gives you when you don’t care if you get wet! I think God specifically sent those bigger waves right at me because He wanted to share this with me. I had been going through a real rough time. How did I receive it? I think He told me, “Don’t just dip your toes in the water of relationship with me. Walk out into the deep! Don’t settle for a few sprinkles, let it pour all over you! Just like you felt the joy, freedom and total abandonment once you were all wet, you would have that same freedom and joy with Me. Come on, JoAnn…walk out into the deep with me! Let me take care of all these burdens you have been carrying. Let them be washed away in the ocean waves so that you can be free of them for good!” I have to tell you a burden was lifted that day!

I walked all the way back walking freely in the waves without care of anything but enjoying the sensation. I challenge you to seek Him the same way. Jump right in with Him! Let the waters of His Spirit roll over you so you will never be the same. I will never forget that special moment.

The next beach you go to, the next sprinkle you see, or the next hose that shows up, just step with freedom right into the middle of it and abandon yourself to its freedom, letting your cares roll off, right back to Him. And remember, don’t miss the whisper of an ocean moment!

What Crows Are Heckling You?

by Journeys of My Heart, posted in Uncategorized

Do you ever feel like circumstances of life or other people are keeping you from living the life you would like to live? I know I have. A couple of weeks ago, I heard this awful, loud, noise coming from somewhere close to my house. I went in search of what it could be and as I got closer to the back of our house, it got louder. I opened the back door and walked out to see one tree in particular completely covered and surrounded by crows! I couldn’t imagine where they all came from. There was at least 40-50 of them! I knew from reading about eagles, the crows must have an eagle surrounded. As I got closer, I saw a young eagle sitting down in the branches. The crows were acting crazy and the eagle just sat there.

I felt this sudden urge to come to the rescue and help that eagle out! I went over by the tree and made some loud, most likely, unfeminine, type noises and waved my arms in the air. As I did that, the crows attention was diverted from the eagle to this crazy lady running around making noises. At that precise moment, the eagle took flight. Before he could get very far, he was surrounded by several crows trying to get at his wings and keep him from flying. But the eagle just spread those beautiful wings and flew off with the crows still trying their best to keep him distracted and heckle him. I saw this very same thing again just this last weekend while enjoying the day at the Lake. I think it has such a perfect message to all of us! (The picture came from this last weekend.)

Just like the eagle, there may be something in our lives that God wants to change:

  • A new direction He is giving us with our family
  • A specific area we need to improve.
  • Draw closer to Him.
  • Changes in our finances
  • A ministry with our church
  • Reading the Bible on a more regular basis

Whatever it is, He wants a more intimate relationship with you, SO THAT, you can affect the lives of those around you and show God’s love in a way others can see. But just like that eagle, we have those “crows” in our lives that want us to feel less effectual. Bring us down. Shoot down our ideas or endeavors. Keep us distracted. Those circumstances or people want to keep you grounded from ever taking flight!  You may hear such things as:

  • “That would never work.”
  • ” You are way too fanatical for me since you became a Christian.”
  • “Where’s God in THAT?!”
  • “You could never minister to someone with the problems YOU have.”
  • “You are such a dreamer!”
  • “Your life is such a mess!”

What do I know? I know that God has a plan for each of us. He wants to speak to us and keep our dreams alive! He is the author of dreams! He wants to use us. The eagle isn’t afraid of the crows! They are just an annoyance. So the eagle will wait until they get tired of annoying him, or are distracted, and then he will take flight!

That’s a good lesson for us. Those annoyances around us are just that; satan and/or our own thinking trying to keep us from our best. Surrender it all to Him. Let God give wind to your wings so that you can be strong like the eagle and fly to places God wants to take you. Eagles have focused vision and can see clearly for a VERY long distance. The eagle didn’t keep looking back to see how close the crows were. He kept his focus forward on his destination; away from the crows.

God wants to do that for you today! He will give you focus on the next stream of refreshing! What or who are the crows in your life that keep you from being who God wants you to become? Do you have some radical person that will come to your rescue and chase away the crows to help you focus on where you need to be going? Just like the eagle did, wait on Him snuggled down in His branches, until He gives you the all clear, and then fly like you have never flown before! He will take you to places you never dreamed of! That is a promise!

Will You Sell Out?

by Journeys of My Heart, posted in Uncategorized

I have found it rather difficult lately to watch various people who will ditch their loyalty for the sake of recognition or money. Do those who do this think they will gain any kind of loyalty for themselves?  Oh, they might gain ATTENTION from those who just want to get the story, but nobody really likes a tattle tail. I have always felt that if you worked alongside someone, you were to respect and keep confidentiality a priority with them unless it brought immediate danger to them. They deserve the same when you leave or part ways also. But so many will do anything to gain notoriety or make some money off of someone’s life or circumstance. Do you think the question is ever asked, “Will I enhance or degrade this person’s reputation if I break their confidence?” It saddens me that many never seem to ask themselves that question.

I would venture to say that we all have things we do or say that we would rather not have others know about us. That reminds me of a speaker I heard that asked a great question. He said, what would we feel like if God showed our life on a big screen where everything we ever did, said, or acted like were played there for everyone to see. I don’t know about you, but there would be things I would not be proud to have shared with everyone. It is something that is between God and myself, and with the work of the Holy Spirit, I want to improve. Thankfully, God gives me His mercy for “do-overs and u-turns”.  It is my desire to journey further with the Lord and to edit my life movie so that I am more of what God would see as fitting for the big screen. I want Him to be honored in what I do, say and act like. No regrets. I want to give him the keys to my house and allow Him to clean my darkened rooms.

Now you may be thinking, “I would never say the things these television people and a few others I know, are saying about their friends or boss.” Oh yes, we do! This is key: How many of you have walked out of church, having had a great worship and fellowship experience with fellow believers, and then closed your car door and let fly about something you didn’t like about the sermon, the worship, a person, or something someone said to you? Yes…we DO sell out. I have sold out at times. We just aren’t making money or credit off of the story.

Will you sell out to satan’s plan? Will you justify your words or actions based on some reasoning that you have? Or, will you use your mouth to edify and build up and carry another’s burden by keep their confidences to yourself no matter what? I desire to bring glory to God through my mouth. I turn my keys over to Him. Have I arrived? Nope. Not yet. But am I aware that I need to? You bet! There… is my plumb line.

We Never Really Know, Do We?

by Journeys of My Heart, posted in Uncategorized

How well do we really know someone? You think you do. You spend time with them,  sometimes you might even be very close friends with them, may live next door to them, or work with them. But what really goes on in the mind of someone who in this case, takes the life of his wife and two little boys? Yesterday, May 5, 2011 marks two years since a husband and dad took the lives of his family, and he was found guilty on all three counts. What goes through the mind of someone who could do that kind of thing? What happens to the God he knows is there, the love he once had for his family, and the sense of right and wrong? The rest of us are left to wonder…how could this happen? For myself, I knew him from working at the same place. Try as we might, it’s hard to get our minds and hearts around it.

Satan is such a deceiver. He can make us think what is wrong is right, what is black is white, and what was once evil is alright. Just one time, no one will know. Then, there is another and another. We might feel a bit of guilt, but satan blinds us so we are more focused on what WE want. We begin to ignore the presence of God in our lives or the voice of the Holy Spirit Who tells us it is wrong. We start thinking, we deserve to be happy, right? This marriage isn’t working out and it certainly isn’t what I thought it would be. I was talking with a friend today about sin and she shared what she learned from a study: “Sin will take us further then we ever dreamed possible.” When we reach that point,  we become a puppet in satan’s plan, and jump to his promptings. Suddenly, the eyes of the heart do not see God in the equation anymore, and we are going down that slippery slope faster and faster, justifying ourselves as we go.

We may ask ourselves, “Should we be happy that he got his due?” There are some who say, “Yes, he got what he deserved!”  And yet, those of us who know our God, know that he is lost in a world of deception. My sensibility says, he should receive the discipline of the verdict that came down and rightfully so. But I can’t help also feeling so sad that he let satan talk him into the lie, and he actually participated in satan’s plan. He took the life of those who loved him and had so much potential for the Lord’s work. Thankfully, we know that God graciously received them into His arms. No more tears, anger, sadness and rejection; just a joyous reunion with their Heavenly Father.

Let us remember that we, too, can so easily allow satan a foot hold in our lives through many different circumstances. We don’t have to take someone’s life to be in a pit of sin where we are accelerating toward disaster. Be wise as serpents and ask God to give you wisdom daily to discern His voice from the evil one. His schemes can come in slowly and sneak in the door of  your life. Don’t get lazy in your thoughts and actions. Be intentional in keeping your life in line with God’s will everyday. God is a just God. The husband and father will stand before God, his Ultimate Judge someday, and I wouldn’t want to be him standing before God in this matter. But I will also face Him one day for my sins also. I have the power to change the outcome with God’s help.

Rest in the loving arms of your Heavenly Father, Sheri, Gavin and Garett. God, give us strength to face each day in thankfulness for the promise that YOU never let go. If we have lost our way, it is because WE have let go of Your hand. As for me, hold my hand tight Lord, hold my hand tight!

Crisis or Celebration

by Journeys of My Heart, posted in Uncategorized

It is amazing to me to see all the things going on in the world within a short period of time. There was the tsunami in Japan on one side of the world, tornadoes ripping through the southeast and a wedding in London. But at the same time, we know people who are sick, and while a child has just been born, others are dying.  Someone has just lost a spouse, father, grandpa and still others are in the best time of their lives celebrating that little bundle that has been born. One day these events are foremost in our minds and the next day, life takes over, moves on and it seems almost forgotten.

I know that is the reason we are called to love one another. During these times, we need someone to rejoice with us when it’s going well, and even more, someone to sit with us and encourage us through the times that are so hard and difficult. But here is the challenge: You might do that when you first hear the news but will you continue to do that for them? Will you check in on a new mom who might totally overwhelmed and tired? Will you go and have tea or coffee with someone who has a big hole in their life at the loss of a loved one? Can you make that phone to give them a distraction and an ear to listen? Great circumstances can also bring on various feelings such as wondering what will be next? Can I maintain this level of success? How does this change my life?

There will always be the ebb and flow of life for each of us where we experience the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. But we can be thankful to God that He is there in the midst of all of it. He is stable when we feel lost. He wants to help from us. So if you are in the middle of your mountain top experience, then way to go! If you are struggling through a valley, my heart reaches out to you to say that He will be there with you no matter what the loss. He tells us He will NEVER leave us or forsake us! I’m so thankful for His faithfulness!

Here’s the question: What will you do to support those who need a moment of your time for encouragement or in celebration? Leave your thoughts and comments here on the blog. I enjoy hearing from you. I hope you find the encouragement you need to keep pressing on. I pray you find joy in the journey, where ever that might lead you.

What Does Authentic Mean Anyway?

by Journeys of My Heart, posted in Uncategorized

We hear a lot of about living authentically but what does that really mean anyway? I looked it up. Authentic means:

  • to be genuine;
  • to be made or done in a way that faithfully resembles the original
  • relating to, or denoting an emotionally appropriate, significant, purposive, and responsible mode of human life.   New Oxford American Dictionary

If we are believers, that original would mean God the Father and Jesus Christ His Son. But I sometimes feel like the psalmist in Psalm 123 where he basically is saying enough is enough! I have had it! I am looking to You God to give me favor, grace and kindness and I will keep looking to You until it comes. In my circumstances it would be, hey fellow believers, let us say what we mean and mean what we say! We want to show how God’s truth CAN change our life and circumstances.

If we are to be like the Original, that means we are living out our lives as closely as we can to that of our Heavenly Father. We don’t:

  • Nod our heads and say amen on Sunday morning to the pastor’s message and then go out and live and move where our circumstances and feelings takes us
  • Live one way on Sunday and post and give an entirely different view of ourselves on Facebook Monday
  • Act in a manner that makes others stumble or question what it is to be a Christ-follower
  • Let everything else come before seeking God daily in quiet time
  • Be led by what’s going on and our feelings rather than seeking His face to guide and direct us in our EVERY move and thought.
  • Don’t listen when that feeling comes over us and we know the Holy Spirit is correcting us.
  • We don’t take immediate action on what He tells us we must do or change in our lives

God wants us not to just believe He exists, but to really BELIEVE Him. He is the faithful One and will help us make our authentic living more than just a buzz word. It is making a conscious choice to live and think differently. So let’s allow our authentic living to take us to places in our walk with Jesus where others will see more of the Original. I’m not perfect by any sense of the imagination, but the eyes of my heart are open to see where I can make authenticity a reality with Jesus help. How do you live out your life with authenticity?

Photo courtesy of Suat Eman – http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=151

Who Me? An Example?

by Journeys of My Heart, posted in Uncategorized

Did you ever have your parents tell you any of the following?

  • You needed to be an example to your brother or sister.
  • They are watching you.
  • If you don’t do that, neither will he/she.
  • Show them how they are supposed to act by how you act.
  • They are younger than you so you have to show them how to act.
I don’t know about you, but I can remember wanting to ask my parents to look for someone else to show them how to act. It kind of makes me giggle a bit now, but I didn’t think it was funny then!

So what is it about us being an example that our parents hoped would carry over into our adult lives? Do you think they really thought WE were the only ones that would set an example to our siblings? I think it was an early lesson in taking the high road in situations where you wanted to react quite differently. I looked the word “example” up in the Vines Dictionary and it said, “a thing shown, tracing, writing copy, to make a show or expose, to teach, to show by example. Acts 20:35 , Jesus talks about giving us an example to follow and that He showed us what that example looked like. Let’s explore that idea a bit.

We have countless areas where we can be an example. We are always watched by someone. The saying that we might be the only Jesus someone sees? That is so true and so we want to be authentic in how we live. It’s not about the “appearance” of how we live, or what we show people through a Facebook status, or putting on our best face for Sunday mornings. It is about living as Jesus would live everyday. Jesus sees all. That means that when we are trying to put forth something we are not, He knows! We aren’t fooling Him! We can’t be an example without His help and we daily need to ask Him to show us how He wants us to be the example of Him in our daily walk.

So back to our parents…I think they already knew this when they asked us to be an example our brothers and sisters. They knew that one day, that we would have to on purpose live for Jesus with all its hits along the way. And when I share some of those thoughts with my grandson, Ethan, I kind of smile and say to myself, “Thanks Mom and Dad for your Godly guidance of how I should live.” 

You have power and influence and you may never really know how much. But people ARE watching. Bosses are watching, people you live with are watching, and so are you kids or grandkids. They are forming life opinions based on yours. Will you join me in this challenge of being authentic and honest in how we live out our days, whether at home, with friends, church, on the job, or in social media settings?

I hope that as I run this race called life, that I can look over and find you in the next lane running with me toward that ultimate prize!

Who Likes Detours? I Do!

by Journeys of My Heart, posted in Uncategorized

What is it about changes or detours that can immediately get to us? We can have everything under control and then along comes some twist or turn, and we get all frustrated or stressed. I wish I could say that has never happened to me, but unfortunately, that is so not true. I have had more curves in my life journey then you can possibly imagine! But some of those curves and detours have taken me places I would have never gone otherwise. Those roads would not have been the choices I would have consciously made on my own. But along my life journey, I have come to realize the value in those twists and turns, and that ultimately, they have moved me up into a deeper walk with the Lord, to better understanding of the Word, and taught me better ways to come along side others in their twists and turns.

Here are a few things that I have come to know:

  • If I am surrounding my journey in prayer, then I can relax along the way; even enjoy it, because I will be looking for God’s meaning rather than how I might feel about where I am at.
  • God desires to walk every step with me, surround me in his love, and come along side me to guide my steps.
  • I see scenery that I would not have seen when I take the detours of life.
  • I’m never alone. He has His network set up for my support. I just have to look for it and be open to who He might bring into my life and situation.

I’m a very visual person and so this picture here is exactly what I’m talking about. Along time ago, I found what I call my “journey ring” that tells the story of the ups, downs and curves that life can bring. It ultimately journeys up and so can we. The second ring was one I designed for my husband and I for our 10th wedding anniversary that reminds me to always pray. I wear the rings every day. I think together they tell a wonderful story of how we can live in peace and joy by reminding ourselves that He is in control of our journey. If we are willing to surround our life in prayer, He is faithful to bring us up! Let’s go to the next level together! The climbing view is awesome!