Hm.

It seems impossible that it has been three weeks since I last wrote. To put into words everything that God has been doing would take the rest of the day and probably most of tomorrow. I love that God actually is moving in such a powerful way. There is a new freedom, a new mindset, and honestly.. everything feels different. Not different in a bad way... just different. A good different. A different where I KNOW that things are different. I cannot express how, but they are.. they are different. I know that they are. A newness is inside of me- a sweetness.

I know that one of the main things that have changed is that I now know who I am.. but more importantly WHOSE I am. Papa has shown me and begun to seal the destinies he has inside of me. It is so cool for me to sit and just allow God to speak his plans into my life. His plans are so much greater then mine and actually some what intimidating also,but I know that when God promises something his answer is Yes and Amen because he loves me. I have been able now to stop being tired at warring with the enemy. He does not have victory over me. It took me awhile, but Jesus has really shown me that he has won all the battles- and BECAUSE HE HAS WON THEM I DO NOT HAVE TO. I am taking a huge opportunity this weekend, one that I will tell you all about soon, but honestly I am excited. Pray that God speaks in a mighty way because I am following him this weekend to do something out of my comfort zone.

A couple of days can make a BIG difference!

It intrigues me that things can change in only a couple of days. I left on Thursday night to lilacs that had barely bloomed yet. Today (Monday) when I opened my apartment door, I was surprised to see that leaves had come on the branches.

and the whisper happened.. "this is the way things happen in your life".

There were days in the fall when I felt as though nothing was changing in my life.. and even a couple weeks ago I felt this way too. I felt as though nothing was moving forward and that I was caught in the normal. However, lately God has really been pouring out a Spirit of quickening in my life that he shows me something new about him, something he wants to heal, and something he wants to bloom inside of me. I love the gentle whispers of each day, the deep revelations, the way my head pounds until I can sit here in my papasan chair and just wait to bang it out on a keyboard.

Thanks Jesus for the changes that you have made in my life.. in a couple of days that we go from seeing no budding to seeing the leaves and the flowers beginning to show. I thank you that you work this way.. that you are making all things beautiful in your time.. I thank you that you love me enough to move me forward in the Spirit.. and that you are always gently whispering to me.

Some of you may feel as though you see no buds- but to you I say.. The leaves are coming! The buds are coming! The spring is coming! God is perfecting things.. He truly is.. and sometimes you do not see the process until the flower has bloomed.

You are so loved! Papa planned every little detail of you and he forgot nothing. Just look for the little steps because when its all finished it is wonderfully beautiful.

<3

Masterpieces.

I have been home for almost 24 hours and all I have wanted to do for days is just sit here at my computer and tell you all everything that Jesus has been speaking to me. The little things that I would see everyday I would pass by, but now there is such a beautiful adventure to look at things and not analyze them, but to ponder them and consider God's heart on such things.

My mom had surgery yesterday and it shook me. I have no idea where all the fear came from but I realized that I have never lost anyone close to me and for the fact that that person could be my mother shook me to my core. Being here has shown me how much I do not think about how blessed I am to have her and for the things that she does for me. have you ever pondered this for your husband, or your wife, mother, father, friends.. imagine a day without them. this weekend to this point has been so weird and so much different than the normal- but why do I let life become normal. Why not just get out of normal and be abnormal every moment? Does God talk to us more in structure or out of structure? I know one thing that he has spoken to me today specifically is to leave it in his arms, but also that as much as I have been annoyed with some of the things that are going on today that I need I need I must be joyful and happy and have a positive attitude in all I do.. whether that is doing dishes or doing something I love to do..

But back to what God showed me this morning.. forgive me as I just hash this out on a blog. I feel as though all of my posts are where God allows me to just process through these things. Please please comment and give me feedback on these thoughts. I love to hear yours two.

So today I was looking at the Pennsylvania Game News magazine.. I was not really reading it, it was more I wanted something in my hands.. lol. Anyway there was an article about a pheasant.. and there was a picture, but also a hand painted picture of the pheasant.. and as I sat and looked at this God was like look at the way this artist handcrafted this picture. Then as he pointed out the way the dots were perfect, the colors were perfectly put together, and the image looked real.. As I pondered this further, God applied it to my life. This artist saw the picture, he imagined it, he or she created it. God was like-See this is what I did with you.

Think about it! God created us... He imagined us, he picked the colors, he picked the curves, the way he wanted everything to fit together. He created us. He placed the dots on our neck to be perfect-all to reflect his love and beauty in himself. He did not just take random colors or use a random brush and apply it to us, he actually took the time to chose every little bit of us. To perfectly, uniquely, carefully put everything together. He chose the perfect hair color, eye color, skin color... He took time.. It took sweat, blood, and tears to create each of us. The painting took forever. This was all just before we came out of the womb... but he continues to create us.

He is making so much beauty throughout my life. He continues to take the paintbrush and paint the perfect picture. He picked the perfect clay.. the perfect paint.. the perfect everything. Part of me remains speechless, but God did not chose me to be a speechless individual.

We are all masterpieces. Look at this truth, read it, get it into your mind and heart.. into every part of it. You are PAPA'S PERFECT MASTERPIECE!! I wish I could sit there with you and read this to you and just scream it in your face how perfect you are.. how you are not a random set of genes, but you were imagined! Created! Everything was uniquely picked..


ah!!! I am so overwhelmed by this thought! I wish I had better words to describe it.

Psalm 139... Fearfully and WONDERFULLY made.
or to soak in this more.. listen to the song Paint your Picture by Julie Meyer.

Just as an artist saw the picture, our God, the artist saw us.. and sees us. He sees beyond everything that is going on in our lives- he sees how his gentle spirit is changing us. Thank you Jesus. You leave me speechless.