Friday 29 May 2015

A Message of Deepest Blue

Five Minute Friday, Time to Start, Rev, get amped and GOOOO!


I stopped, felt Your Love enfold me as I stared out at the blue horizon suddenly being swallowed by the dark grey clouds of Winters chill. I felt Your spirit deeply and ever so deeply, I love the way You share with me, and in my deepest prayers I pray - God Your presence is the life boat of my life, it is always near but hey please share something with me in words, the thing that is on Your heart today. So as I stared up at the blue horizon, You loved Your child with a message. A message for the woman who will read this - I have a message for you sister, a truth note from God...
So many women, so many times, staring up at the blue sky and praying, God make me a woman of God, let me be her. Yet your eyes are missing the deeper blue because your focusing on the surface roots. You dont have to travel miles to be her, you dont have to be like your cell group leader, or women's ministry pastor, the woman of God is already inside of you. Within you is the potential to be who God created you to be, you just have to stop running, stop sighing, stop doubting. Dont sink in to the blue waves like Peter did when he walked out on the water to Yeshua. Peter doubted himself, when instead he should have held on to who Messiah already said He was. You are uniquely you, that's the resounding truth, you dont have to wait years to be who you were created to be, inside of you is the potential and woman, dear women - God knows you, you just need to journey into the woman of God within you....

Linking up with Kate

Wednesday 27 May 2015

The Lions Roar!

                           God is Good all the time! And all the time God is Good!
 
Wow, I have shed some necessary weight, burdens I have been unable to see and I am learning deeper still the training ring gets narrower, the opponents more fierce but I feel the Lions Roar within and I am invigorated in the ring. I am not the Source, no, it comes from Heaven Thrones. I am a lioness, one with the Lion, I wont be tamed I wont be leashed, I am fierce, hear the thunderous roar from within! I can see where I am stationed, I know now greater then I did before where I am positioned and I will stand here and roar! Roar with the Lion's Voice coming from within, I am a Lioness one with the Lion King, here my thunderous roar!


I am walking a journey with my King, discovering deeper the deep things in the folds and recesses of His heart and my own. The things He has for me, it is time to believe and so I believe... at the moment God is using the Lionness to speak to me deeply and I want to share with you a poem I wrote from my Poetry Book in 2014. May you hear the Lion's Roar!





(c) Jungle Queen


Her paw prints hit the earth as she walks caressing the desert sand with her soft, padded feet.
She walks beside the male lion in all her battle array, she walks beside him in stillness, she is unafraid.
She rises in splendour, the crowned queen of the jungle, mighty warrior and fiercely loyal companion, she is effortlessly queen.
She rises in strength to greet those of equal valour and strength; they will lie down together and bask beneath the sun.
Though she lies down she is never asleep for her eyes scan the horizon that burns with summer’s heat, she never sleeps.

The Lion consort approaches clothed in majesty and outdone in battle array.
His Mane of God glistens beneath the setting sun.

She will rise to meet Him, queen of the jungle and yet servant to her King.
She is boldly unafraid to walk beside Him and bruise the earth as they walk on ancient desert pathways.
She will rise in strength, pure in heart and unafraid.
I am waiting to see her in my day – courageous beside her Beloved and Friend, fiercely queen she is unafraid, she is standing up and arising clothed in silver battle array.

Friday 22 May 2015

FMF - Rise and Shine, Don't be Afraid!

FMF - Five Minute Friday!

So many teachers, so many preachers, so many writers, so many believers - all saying the same thing, where is one to go to escape from it all? Run they scream, run from these things, run from pride and dangerous soul-ish things and yet we run and run and run, until we crash, tired of running still.

Collapse on to the shore, where the cool water crawls and then we admit, "God, I am tired of it all!"
He cradles us in His arms, lovingly watches the sun rising in the distance. "Child," he whispers ever quietly still, "why are the ingrains of mans opinion still haunting you still... Rise and Shine Beloved child of my Right Hand, don't be afriad to rise and shine. A city on a hill cannot be hidden, light is never placed beneath something else! But it's put on to the window sill, to rise and shine! 

So afraid of pride, we run from the very place we should be shining. So intent  on taking other peoples opinions on to ourselves that we lock the gate behind us and make ourselves prisoners deeper still. One thing remains, not to pick up fears along the way - pride has no place here, pride is a choice that begins within the heart, so stop fearing and keep humble... If you remain afraid, you will never rise to full height and shine the Glory you were called to shine. 
"NO child you were called to Shine!"

Linking up with Kate M


Thursday 21 May 2015

What God is sharing with my Heart this week


This week has been a deep one... Last week was chaotic, troublesome, filled with tears and buckets of anxiety wrapped up within. When finally I could hear Gods voice speaking through the noise, I realised that it was time to let a few things go and once my husband and I jointly made those decisions (because each project we were jointly involved in), the peace and Love of God flowed back in to our spirits again.

This week has been beyond description, with so many amazing realities of God. God has been speaking so much to my heart and yet I know in some ways I am indecisive. Indecisive and scared. Scared of being laughed at for something I need to create, something I feel I need to do. Scared to begin and to keep on going. It's never the beginning that scares me, its the middle. The middle is the place of perseverance and patience, I know these indecisive feelings stem from the way it used to be when I was growing up. I used to struggle to finish amazing projects somewhere three-quarters of the way, because I was scared of it not being good enough. Truth is that, I am not afraid anymore, I am not afraid of things I need to do because I know they are already accepted. I accept them and my Beloved Father does yet, it is true that we need to retrain our brains and the ingrained pattern within them.

 Romans 12:2
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Our thought patterns need a make - over, a new road to travel on, a new in way and exit. I know that because of past experiences it can be easy to be over - cautious and super careful because I don't want to over commit or to make a mistake (which does happen because I'm only human!) Yet, over the passed week I know what my Abba Father has been saying, don't  be afraid to shine, a city on a hill cannot be hidden! So, deep breath, not afraid to shine, not afraid to glisten in the radiant dress called God's Love and Mercy. Not afraid to use my voice as the Levites did to sing the Glorious song of Heaven in the temple service. Not afraid to glisten where it's dark, not afraid to use every muscle of talent for the Love of the King, not afraid because I will finish, I will begin, I will make it through with joy and hope and live to flourish in the beauty that His purpose brings!

Isaiah 60:1
Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.

Matthew 5: 14 - 16
 You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Beloved Brews Linkup

A Letter of Encouragement

On the 14th of April last year, tragedy struck the village of Nigeria. Boko Haram invaded and massacred thousands, and kidnapped over 270 young girls. Most of those girls are still being held hostage and everyday their mothers and father weep and travail for the lives of their missing girls. I can only imagine the horror of that kind of pain.

In May last year as I watched the rain fall on my window pane, my heart broke for this precious sisters that are enduring horrific torture, this is what I wrote for them...

Raindrops fall on to the window pane, in complex mosaics and grand designs.
Their lives touch my window pane, their forms are all unique and one of a kind.
The light catches their form and suddenly they become stars - Orion's belt and our Milky Way glean inside the frame and fill the night hours with light.
The painting of light becomes alive and suddenly portrait pictures dance upon my pane, what beautiful wonder fills the glass. She dances on and on she dances.
I reach out and touch the glistening surface with my shadowed fingertips but draw back quickly, the glass is cold enough to harbour snow. The light seems to slow down and tears take their place, weeping the drops begin to fall. Their arms are not strong enough to hold on to a slippery surface that is so cold. My arms are not long enough as I watch them fall and then disappear as they reach the ground. Puddles of raindrops fill the clay beyond the pane and I hope beyond hope that they will again appear as stars to once again light the way.I hope against all hope and wish upon a star, mouthing silent prayers to the God who made it all. I am a raindrop and I need the rest of my family, for without the heaviness of our presence within society's clouds - drought will smother the ground.....

While these precious girls are still missing, we cannot be silent! We can pray and petition!
And we can also write a letter. That's write Open Doors has just opened the call to write an E - Letter to the parents of the missing Chibok girls in Nigeria. I cannot think of a better way to encourage a suffering parent, then by letting them know that we are standing with them across the oceans. Let us take a few minutes and write a letter of encouragement to our fellow brothers and sisters across the sea, click the following link to write.... Write to the Chibok Parents




Sunday 17 May 2015

Windows across Oceans - May Update and Exciting News!

Yey!! Confetti and party Poppers! It's Update time and if its your first time reading about our Windows Across Oceans Book Project, click over here...
Our Book


And now for all the news.... this month we have donated R673 (South African money!:)) or $57 to All Girls Allowed!
All Girls Allowed is an organisation fighting Gendercide in China and they have been so excited about this book that they have shared a Gendercide story within the beautiful pages of this book! I was so excited and giving Yeshua all the praise as I shared our donation over with them. Last month we were able to donate to Open Doors and their women's programs and now we are back to square one. Which brings me to our next big news...

Many people have complimented the beautiful painting that graces the cover of Windows across Oceans. The painting is called The Giver and the artist is JoDee Luna! JoDee and I share a similar heartbeat for women's literacy, especially in India. So JoDee has decided to make her painting The Giver available for you purchase over at Fine Art America. All of the Proceeds of the sales will go towards the Windows across Oceans Book Project, to fund women's literacy in India! There are different size canvases available for diferent prices, go and check it out - The Giver by JoDee luna
How amazing is God in how He connects us together around the world and allows us to be a special part in His HUGE plan! This is amazing! Which brings us over to our next piece of news....


Congratulations to Sarah from Seeds of Exchange! Everyone who purchased a copy of our book, automatically went in to the draw to win an art piece done by Ilse Kleyn. The winner was drawn at random (blind - folded too!) this morning and Sarah's prize is on the way, congrats and we are so happy to share this beautiful piece with you Sarah, may it bless you!

On a personal note, I am always in awe of God's amazing Love. My life has connected with so many beautiful women out there and I just want to send you all hugs. The women who contributed their hearts to this project, through your stories, through your words of encouragement to me, through things that may seem simple but have meant a lot, thank you. I honour all of you and I see how God is using our lives to make a big difference and I have also seen how God uses our openness to further us in our calling. The songstress Idalette who recorded the piano piece for the Windows across Oceans trailer, has a testimony from this as well! While she was trying to record the song for this project she was having such difficulty that she almost pulled her hair out. Finally, she remembered someone she knew from long ago that she thought could help her get it right. She took a chance the brave girl and called this guy up. He came on over to help and took a listen to what she was doing. With a bolt of excitement he told her how he has his own recording studio and wants to offer her the chance to record a full cd professionally free of charge! How awesome is that! Praise Yeshua, so even from her obedience to offering up this beautiful song to this project, God was weaving it all together.

Have a wonderful week everyone and may God keep on using our lives for His Glory! 

Saturday 16 May 2015

Follow Hard After You

Five Minute Friday Post - Let's Go!

 The LORD's promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over.


I'm poised at the starting line, sensing the adrenalin in my opponents. I soar ready for take off. Through the open fields where the road bends and curves, watch out for that cross wind, I switch sides with my tag team. I watch the pace, keep time and rhythm, I glide steady down the mountainside until I'm sitting hard on Your wheel. Follow me, you call, I wont follow anyone else! I make it all the way down the mountainside, following hard after You. 
The following day I start again but this time its cloudy and the mist is thick, I know you're guiding me yet the mist blocks the way. I close my eyes and trust my spirit ears, I follow hard after your promises, for these words are true. Everyone that You gave me when the road was clear and the sky was blue. I follow hard after You and when I am gliding relying on You in the misty roads of dangerous curves, I trust in You deeper still. Trusting in Your words that are true, promises that will come to pass each one in its time, each one given by You!

STOP! Linking with Kate M

Thursday 14 May 2015

Sharing On - What Holds you back from spending time with God?

Bonnie Gray is someone special. Although I dont know her in everyday life, she is what she calls herself, a kindred. I love the journey she had walked through in her own life and the brave steps she took in sharing her very raw story with the world.
So today, I want to share Bonnie's latest post called Five Whitespace Killers, it's all about looking at what your soul is needing today to be refreshed. And asking yourself, what is keeping you from enjoying rest with God.

I know that in my own life and through conversations with others about their relationship with Yeshua, many times we pray because we feel we are bad people if we dont. Or we pray so that we wont feel guilty, or we pray because we are fearful that God will disown us if we don't. Yet, this walk with God is a love affair, it's like the song Dance with Me. Our Lover has come over the Hills so that we can rest in His embrace and dance with Him. Religion and the religious how to's have really placed burdens on our hearts and the expressions there-of. I do believe in making time each day to spend with God but I know that we are all different, so the ways in which we connect and communicate with Father, will be different. Bonnie's post really ministered to me today and I am hearing the call of my heart, to enjoy poetic expression and creativity, that's what I am cracing in God's Love and presence. What are you craving today? 

Here's her post! What's Holding you back?


 

The sound of Laughter

I was taking my trash out this week when suddenly the sound of laughter drifted across the wall. The sound of spontaneous African laughter. It took me back. I closed my eyes and drifted off to where I heard the same sound almost a year ago.

The sound of spontaneous African laughter caught up and drifting over to where I sat. On the expansive veranda of the Bishop's home in Ghana. Where the heady air licked my face and clung tightly like a warm hug, to my skin. I would peer round and think of them downstairs, yearning to join the warm conversation taking place between the three women who worked the kitchen. And little Emmanuela who lay warm in her crib, tossling about while they talked loudly. Little Emmanuela who stared up at me so lovingly, not expecting to see a white face at only 9 months old. Little Emmanuela who loved to cling to me, and when I asked to hold her - they loved to watch me fumble and seem so insecure about holding a baby and finally tieing her on my back, just like an African mama. So I held her on my aching back but not wanting to let her go - and suddenly everyone was taking photo's even the passers-by in the road below, all pointing at this "ebroni" holding a black baby on her back. How I wished I could walk through the crowds on to the street and let them see, how much we all the same, all of us, no matter the colour difference.

Then when Emmanuela lay down to sleep, their laughter settled until noon the next day. When it drifted through the air, calling to me. Until finally, I pulled the netted gate open and walked in. They asked if there was something I needed. No I replied and then just stood there. How could I tell them I just wanted to be among them, even though I could not understand their mother tongue, I just wanted to be among the mothers of Africa, where I am one of them. I just longed to look at them and hear their stories, see the lines on their faces and watch them bare footed in the kitchen, making that "FuFu."

Oh Ghana, how I miss you. I found more of me within you then I had elsewhere, only God knew. Ghana, it seemed strange as fear rose up within me when I heard you call my name across the African plains. But when I reached your wounded arms, the scars held me and let me heal my own.
Ghana, how I long for you, still today you smell like home. Ghana, how I pray for you and say "God bless you, beloved people of God - God bless you!" May the sound of your laughter never cease as it drifts across my wall and caresses me with Mother's arms, tightly and eternally...



Sharing with Three Word Wednesday


Tuesday 12 May 2015

Spring Time Hope

It's Autumn here in S.A. and while I wrote this poem some seasons ago, it's the hope for a season of Spring after a period of desolation. It's as applicable as it was then, the hope for Spring..


                                
                          Spring Time Hope

A little boy in a red cape rides fiercely through the green wood park, while his father watches from the hilltop above. A familiar, grey haired man in a Stetson dawdles his daily walk, while somewhere on the grassy patch young men laugh and play while a man lost in time walks his dog on the green, unleashed. From the terrace above I watch this scene. 

To my left the ocean smiles quietly while a gentle breeze moves the dotted clouds on the horizon, this is the promise of spring time. The flowers bloom and with it the oceans ebb and flow with hope, dusting itself off after a wintery sleep, a hope that I have barely seen or felt for a season’s length, where has it been? The caped boy and his father leave the green; the young men are quiet and tired, the park is still. I watch the scene from the terrace above and nurture this spring time hope, dusting itself from a wintery sleep.