Category: Blog Article

“He who gives to the poor will not lack” I read it but I want to understand it well. What is lack? I live in one of the richest countries in the world and have more than probably 80% of the poorest populations. My eyes look around me however and the comparison is what blinds my sight. If I can only see myself as I stand next to my neighbors than my vision is skewed.

I must look to my heavenly Father. He alone will clear my vision to see the truth. I lack nothing I need. I have a husband, I have friends and family who love me, I have a home, I have food, I have health, I have clothing and these are all good for what I need in the natural. It’s not the natural that matters much though.

When I look at Abba Father, I realize I have the greater things. I have love, I have hope, I have peace, I have joy and I have a desire for more of these supernatural treasures. I can help feed and clothe the poor to the best of my ability but that will only take them into another day of survival.

The best gifts to offer those who are truly poor would be love, hope, peace, joy and a hunger for more of the same. Food and clothing are but a doorway into the house of my Father. Offering them what I have to share in these supernatural treasures will point them towards eternity.

I went into the office to close down my computer. Raised voices bled in through my open window. I ignored them for a bit, but a tug of heart wouldn’t let me be. Putting on an old shirt, I went to poke my sleeping husband. It seemed reasonable to have him know where I’d be if I didn’t come to bed in a couple hours.

I met them at the curb. Five kids of random ages. Each of them seemed to come from various disappointments of life. When I entered their circle they looked at me for what I was to them, out of place. Within a few minutes, I had a download for a language I had never spoke before, but my heart did. It was their street lingo.

I learned they had rage for a girl who was dating a guy none of them liked. It was some twisted matter of honor. As I stood in their circle, they seemed to tolerate me being there, even humoring me to explain their code of honor. I listened as best I could about some intolerance for this girl who shouldn’t get to sit in the guy’s car. None of them seemed to know why beyond the reason of it being a dishonor in their own mind.

I could not have been more out of my element but still, I was standing on this curb with these “cool” ones. I stopped thinking about who I was, and concentrated on who I heard them to be. I asked them over and again about their own names. I didn’t fully understand why this was important but I obeyed my heart to keep talking to them about their names.

Within a matter of minutes something changed in them. The rage seemed to fall away and laughter came. One of the girls said, “I get what you’re saying, we are important so why should we let her bother us so much!”

From that point on the kids thanked me for coming to just hang with them and being cool about it. The hour was close to midnight and I wondered about their parents even knowing they were playing in the streets this late, but I kept the question to myself. Leaving them I went back into my home. They were precious to my heavenly Father. I thanked Him for the privilege to again pull me out of my comfort zone. I prayed for them and for their futures and thought again about their number….five….grace.

The oak was tall, offering shade and privacy. I knew this tree but didn’t come this way often. Feeling drawn toward it, I began quieting myself to listen. The beauty of nature itself took my breath away once more. How could we be so blind as not to see the obvious?

Standing still I began to hear music in my spirit. Without thinking for rhyme or reason I did my best to release a song of heart. Such songs came so spontaneously I didn’t try to stifle them with my logic. When my song waned, I felt as though my chest had been punched and I choked momentarily with tears. It passed quickly and I stood once more in silence.

There was something I had to do. Moving down from the trail I put my hands on this oak. Its size gave declaration of age and hardiness to have withstood all manner of trials. A love for this witness warmed me and I felt inner peace.

I took off my backpack and made a comfortable place to lean upon my friend. His sturdiness for my back lent me strength and his location gave me solace without feeling pangs of loneliness. Looking out from beneath his huge branches of coolness and protection I could think of no place else I wanted to be. The grass around me was tall and dry from summer heat; it looked like gold to my eyes.

I took out my journal but after a few sentences I put it away again. I couldn’t capture the words anymore than I could capture the breeze that blew about me. Putting my arm down upon a root growing from the oak beside me; I took a lesson from its stature and just sat still. In my waiting, I lived in the moment, enjoying it for what it was.

“You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension. A dimension of sound. A dimension of sight. A dimension of mind. You’re moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You’ve just crossed over into the Twilight Zone”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzlG28B-R8Y

The liar came again, unannounced, unexpected. I don’t even know where he came in. He made himself at home in my head while I had slumbered in distraction. When I awoke to his presence, I noticed he had already unpacked the familiar things he carried in his bags. He had pulled out accusations, failures, rejection and went to work to make the most irritation of past wounds. These unwanted furnishings left my emotional home of peace in tatters. He wanted to squat until he could take ownership of my heart.

I called my heavenly Father in distress and shared with Him everything that was happening. He assured me my heart belonged only to Him and He was sending help to vacate the unwanted guest immediately. A moving van arrived with one word to advertise its use. TRUTH.

Joh 8:32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free

To explore new territory is to make tracks alone. New trails are rugged maps made inland to places not seen before. The loneliness is crushing, but the beauty of unexplored land keeps the heart moving forward. The cold and heat can break down all resolve. The hunger rages for those things we’ve always known, yet it’s time to forget them and seek the new thing.

There was enough time so I sat still while water and soap encapsulated my car, cleaning away dirt and grime. Turning up the stereo, I tried to concentrate, lessening the mechanized sounds happening all around me. Strange as it seemed, I felt a peace in this place.

I had wanted to hide in my house, in myself, but I had made a commitment to be someplace. Momentarily I lingered in this hidden location, driving forward as slow as I could get away with. Closing my eyes I leaned my head back and just listened to the words.

I hear you reaching out in me

I can hear you calling

Take the pain away

I feel you calling out with me

Comfort me I’m falling

Take the pain away

Can you hear me?

Come and heal me

Can you take the pain away?  *

As I absorbed these words, I could hear the continual cleansing of my vehicle. My hands rested on my steering wheel and I thought I felt drops of water. Opening my eyes I could see water was dripping slowly upon my fingers.

I felt tears I’d been holding within slide down my cheeks. I knew I’d have to call for a replacement of my windshield, but at this moment it just didn’t matter. All I really understood was how life giving water cleansed dirt and grime from my very soul.

* Al Berry – Take The Pain Away

He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul.

The words I had written were few. Looking at them on the paper wasn’t enough. I tore away the excess. Putting a flame to the heart of my thoughts, I watched it burn. Smoke filled my nostrils and I opened the door to prevent alarms from going off. The breeze caused it to burn hot and fast. When the ashes cooled I put them into a glass vial, setting them on my desk to remind me always of a love too great.

Deu 4:24  For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

Parking my car I noticed the woman sitting in her own car next to me. She was smoking a cigarette and her fingernails were dark red. I put up my shade screen in the windshield but kept wondering about the woman next to me. Who was she and what did her life look like?

My head was pounding. I felt empty and drained of any desire to want to even be here. Inwardly I spoke to my heavenly Father…”Abba, I have nothing to give but if You will show up, I will offer my hands to serve”

I found my husband and asked him to walk with me. I shared with him my lack and my pain. He too spoke a prayer over me while we walked. I was fighting a desire to just quit and go home. We kept walking. I wanted to find the plaque which spoke of peace over our city.

Near the creek we met our brother. He and another man were sharing 40s of beer and commented how they thought us to be “Johnny Law” at first. We laughed but asked if they were hungry? We invited them to come share a meal with our friends if they’d like and waved goodbye.

Later we met them again. They did come to join us for a meal and I was touched as my brother shared his heart with my friend. I couldn’t hear all he spoke but I heard his heart loud and clear. He was looking for love and acceptance. He found more than food to fill his belly; he found food to fill his spiritual hunger.

He wanted prayer and shared how he desired to be completely covered in what we had. It was an easy request to honor. When we asked his name, I learned it to be the same as my own brother whom I love dearly. Never dismissing a coincidence I was blessed to receive a hug from this brother who stood in front of me.

I listened carefully to all I heard, and when my friend prayed, I knew she was listening too. This man’s heart was precious. He carried deep wounds but this day I heard my Father share how He would heal and care for his heart. He loved this heart. He loved our brother very much and will use him to heal other hearts. Quietly I faded into the background to let him chat with others. Mentally I stored his picture and smiled. I was blessed to meet another brother in my growing family.