Closer: Stop DOING and start BEING.

Closer.  As per the thesaurus, which outlines the word closer as immediate, proximate, with in reach, or near. 

Closer to what? 

Closer to whom?

Closer to ________.

Isn't that your desire?

It's my deepest desire that you, whoever you are, become closer to your Heavenly Father.  A familiar saying my mother would often say, "stop doing and start being." So today, I challenge you to STOP and simply BE in the presence of God. For he knows your heart, those deep desires, and he is simply asking that you be close to him. 

Can you simply take time to be closer to him?

P.S. And may you take five minutes to STOP and simply listen to "Closer" by Bethel. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jas8siNG3Bo

Airports and Healing and Waiting.

Here I sit.

Waiting...

Waiting...

Waiting...

My flight has been rerouted multiple times and so I sit here waiting.

I'll confess I've always loved airports. From the tacky travel pillows to the traveling snacks consumed to the rainbow variety of coloured outfits and bags to the assortment of fellow travellers that I am honoured to watch for free entertainment!

I sit here with everyone else, as we wait.

Ironically, I've done a lot of waiting in my life. Maybe you have too? The old saying states, "the best is yet to come for those who wait."

So, what are you waiting for?

Maybe your waiting for...

• ·      Restoration in a relationship.
• ·      Financial security or simply freedom from debt.
• ·      Physical healing or even a hopeful diagnosis.
• ·      Dreams that only appear to be dreams.

I've been waiting for nine years.

It was one innocent blow to the sternum that changed everything. I recall my competitive nature exploded, as I sprinted back to prevent her from completing a lay up. Her forceful elbow came as a sheer surprise to my delicate teenage sternum. I was gasping for air and than that sudden and unforgettable shearing pain.

One blow. One accident. One moment.

Waiting...

The ER doctor ran his cold fingers upon my spine and eventually said, "You’re active and will heal with time. But, your back will always be out of alignment due to the nature of the accident, which is evident in the x-rays."

Waiting for healing...

He never mentioned the headaches that would follow over the years. Furthermore, he didn't outline the years of searching for that empty promise of healing.

Waiting made me doubt.

Waiting made me frustrated.

Waiting made me question if this would define my life.

Ironically, it was easier to speak into the doubt and frustration before ever simply believing in God's healing. I couldn’t fathom how to simply “be still and know [believe] that I am God [the healer]” (Psalm 46:10).

Smack, spike, set!

I was rigidly trying to hold back the tears with each movement towards the volleyball. The gym resounded with such active energy, yet my body fought the pain.

Enough!

The tears released like a ragging flood, as I drove home. I didn't want to wait any longer for what was once promised. Truthfully, I wanted HEALING! Could I demand it from God? And I aggressively yelled, "HEALING." I forgot that I had a passenger and than she softly responded, "you can....it's possible."

I doubted. Possible, after nine years of waiting?

She instructed me, "lay down and I will pray." Her warm hands ran along my spine, as she declared healing upon my body.

One bold prayer. One deep desire. One prolonged period of waiting.

I awoke the next morning and felt something for the very first time in nine years.  To my surprise, I ran my fingers upon a perfectly aliened spine!

Waiting is a period of time that I might not fully understand the length or the duration or the situation or even the interruptions. But like everything in life, waiting is a gift. It's one gift that I choose to celebrate.

You may be waiting...

Don't be discouraged or doubtful, rather I challenge you to celebrate this specific time of waiting.

Celebrate...

           Celebrate...

                     Celebrate...

For myself, it's time to celebrate healing, the waiting is done....

And the overhead announcement declares, "This is the final boarding call for Westjet flight #119."

It's time to fly, the waiting is done for today....

Charlene

P.S. And as you wait may you listen to "Be Still" by Bethel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAPpunj-dMM

Shout It

    

"Shout it, go on and scream it from the mountains. Go on and tell it to the masses, that He is God."

Wither it be through your art, your blog, your song, the way you live......you have a voice, you have gifts and talents given to you by a loving and holy God. Ministry and outreach can be done in amazing and different ways. Just let God speak and move through you :)

Xo, TinaMarie

I am Savage

I am Savage

I am wild.

I am fierce.

I am undomesticated.

I am reckless.

I am abandoned.

I am untamed.

I am passionate.

I am released.

I am pursuant.

I am unbroken.

I am free.

I am savage.

By Christy Creative Dream Dawn (aka, the savage)

We are not indigenous to this planet.  We are foreigners...aliens if you will.  We have been called to live passionately.  God has released us to live wildly, fiercely and pursuant of Him.  Where the spirit of The Lord is...there IS freedom.  Freedom from mans constraints.  Freedom to hunger and desire for more.  More love, more joy, more peace, more patience, more kindness, more goodness, more faithfulness, more gentleness and more self control.  Against such things, there is no law(mans law/mans constraints).

Isn't God's love savage for us?  It is untamed, it is reckless, it is totally abandoned, it is a blazing fire un-containable.  God wants your heart to be savage for Him.  Savage for His people.  He wants your life to reflect the savage you truly are.  That you are living for a kingdom that is not of this world.  That your life reflects the MORE and portrays the freedom God has called you to walk in.  That you are fighting for the freedom of those that need to be released to live as savagely as you.  To live with such ferociousness that cannot be stopped.  Will not be stopped.  People will begin to question the complacent condition of their lives when the savages come around.  The savage on fire will spark the lives of the lost, the broken and the unseen.  Are you savage in your walk with God.  I know I long to know the heart of my father.  I believe that means abandoning self for divine providence.  Living with the anticipation of the home I am truly meant for.  Walking, running in the freedom He alone can give.  Letting go of the comfort and catapulting into arms wide open.  Loving others the way our father loves us, with no restraint.  A rugged, pristine, rampant love.

Love like a savage.

Live like a savage.

Ego Saevi

[I am Savage]


Mark 12:30

If I Was Six.

If I was six again I'd tell myself, "Charlene, be quick to forgive, learn to let go, never start drinking coffee, grasp the power of words, dance freely and frequently, ask why, and always keep child like faith."

Six year olds have voiced some of the most profound concepts to me. Such as, there is power in Jesus' name. I kneeled at her bed and she instructed that we needed to pray in Jesus’ name. Ari went on to boldly pray for an assortment of items and each time stating with such power, "in Jesus' name we pray!" To my surprise, she ended the prayer with, "in Jesus' name we pray that Charlene is completely healed! Amen."

I left her room and cried. How did a six year old know one of the deepest desires of my heart?

Another six year old, brought in a hand crafted poster with glitter and in bright neon markers were the written words, "Daddy I love you, Daddy I miss you, Daddy I just want you home." A simple plea and she gently rested the poster at her daddy's unresponsive body.

As her father's nurse, I wept. How did a six year old know one of the deepest desires of my heart?

And then there was an eager six year old, which ran and wrapped her arms tightly around my neck. As she whispered in my ear, "love is all you need, Charlene. I love you! Do you know that?"

I got up and spun her around in the air, as I cried once again. How did a six year old know one of the deepest desires of my heart?

I once was six.  A rather joyous and creative six year old who loved asking the question why?

Etched in my memory is my grandfather mumbling in between tears, "something has happened to your daddy." I responded, "what happened?" Nothing could prepare any six year old for such words, "we don't know if you'll see your dad again."

I ran into the house and crawled into my bed, as I pleaded with God. I yelled with such might, "HEAL my daddy!" Again and again, I yelled and than screamed my final childhood why question, "why my daddy God?"

My dad sustained a life alternating head injury and the years past, as a result my why question was always left unanswered. I became bitter towards the concept of healing. Furthermore, the classic reassuring Christian lines would generate such anger and resentment. Ironically, I was often told that it was God's will that my dad wasn't completely healed. Hence, I'd like to know where in the Bible it says that? As a result, I'd bluntly ask, isn't it God's very nature to heal? The response was always sheer silence.

Matthew 9:22 states, "take heart, daughter, your faith has healed you."  Healing requires faith.  Mark 9:23 clearly outlines, " everything is possible for him who believes." Did I loose my child like faith? Furthermore, did I actually believe in the possibility of healing?

The years unraveled and ironically in my mid-twenties I impatiently awaited the results. The specialist entered and sternly stated, "Charlene, you are officially on seizure precautions. As a result, you are unsafe to drive and your driver's license is no longer valid."

I wept like a child, as if someone had just stolen my peanut butter and banana sandwich. Suddenly, I was robbed of my health.

Why God?

Months passed and woven in those months were appointments, tests, assessments, and endless hours of waiting and praying. My prayer was rather repetitive and simple, "please heal my body, Oh God."

I recognized the power of child like faith.

Almost eight months later, the specialist said, "you are the one and nine that cannot be officially diagnosed. You've frequently said the word, humbling. But today, you are seizure free!"

Do I believe in healing?

Yes.

Do I know why my dad and countless others were not healed?

No.

But, I know without doubt that it's God's very nature to heal. I believe in the power of Jesus' name. For all things are possible when we ask God (Ephesians 3:20), even healing. Because on that bright spring morning, I wept ugly six year old crocodile tears!  I was healed, completely healed!

Charlene

P.S. Take time to listen to the words of this song, "Healer" by Kari Jobe.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vIH67lYRGo

Our YouTube Intro,

Beautiful For Me

 Are you good enough? Do you measure up? Above is just a portion of a song that almost always brings tears to my eyes. You see, I have two beautiful little girls that are eventually going to be told lies about their beauty, their worth, their intelligence, etc and I would do anything to keep them safe, keep them from hearing those lies. I know I won't be able to. Somehow, someway, we are all reached by those lies and sometimes led to believe them. All I can do, as a parent, is speak truth over those lies and fight for my little girls to know their importance, their beauty, their worth, etc. I have the same heart for you as I do for my little girls. The same desire for you to know how beautiful you are and how much you are worth. The worlds view on beauty and Gods view on beauty are so very different....."Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."(1 Samuel 16:7 b) There is nothing wrong with being beautiful and being told you are beautiful....in fact, I think it is very important to have the people who love you tell you that but do not be consumed with your outward beauty. Instead, work on your inner beauty. Let that shine through. There is nothing more beautiful then seeing love or joy or peace on someone's face. It shines from their eyes, glistens on their smile....pretty much radiates out from them and draws you in. That's true beauty in my opinion. "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."(Colossians 3:12) I want to encourage you to see the true and real beauty in yourself and to speak it over other. Your words are powerful and they have the ability to speak life into others!

One last thing I want to leave with you.... 

You are a beautiful creation, unique and important. There is no one else in the world like you and you are needed. Your talents and gifts that God has given to you were given to you for a reason and a purpose. No one else can do what God created you to do. Do not believe the lies of the world but believe the truths of God found in the Bible.

Xo, TinaMarie

Now, check out the song that inspired this post ;)

Gratitude & The Kitchen Floor.

Healing cannot be done without gratitude.

I sit here cross legged on the kitchen floor in my pink polka dot pajama’s.

It’s a comfortable spot, as I lean again the stove. It’s a familiar spot, as I reflect on all the conversations had in this exact place. Furthermore, it’s a safe spot, as I write the thoughts that have been circulating in my mind.

I recall my mother bluntly stating to me as a young child, “Charlene, you can’t always have what you want.” It seemed so harsh. As a result, I blurted a whinny plea of why not? And to my surprise, she said something I have never forgotten, “Pumpkin, you must always focus on what you do have.”

Ironically, why do we quickly focus on what we don’t have before even considering what we do have?

Pumpkin. It was one of my many childhood nicknames. The other common one was, “D.” Because my middle name is Desiree, which means desired one. These two names were significant to my parents, since they hadn’t been able to have children for eight years. I was their long awaited and deeply desired thanksgiving gift and the name, Pumpkin, seemed suitable.

The leaves have already changed to vibrant colors of oranges, yellows, and reds, as the wind twirls them upon the crisp ground. Costco already had its turkeys on sale in September. My neighbor had her fall wreath up since mid July, which makes me wish eager Martha Stewart “wanna-be’s” didn’t exist. It isn’t even Thanksgiving and we have seemed to rushed by it with such anticipation for Christmas!

Stop!

Wait...

Rest.

Be grateful. Isn’t that what it’s all about?

Will you join me as we simply take a moment on the kitchen floor and consider what you are grateful for? Would  you stop focusing on what you don’t have and start focusing on what you do have?

I sit here and ponder the Thanksgiving season of 2012. Ironically, I found myself on the kitchen floor. It was that exact spot, where I began convulsing with such rigid and constricting movements of my upper and lower extremities. It wasn’t my first episode. I recall flying home and being 32,000 feet in the air with my fingers crossed, as I pleaded with God to heal my body. And days later, I had another episode. It was humbling to sit at the Thanksgiving table and be asked, "what are you grateful for Charlene?" I pushed my brussels sprouts to the side and softly wept while stammering,"I don’t know why I am sick. But, I do know I am blessed to be alive.”

Months followed with countless specialist appointments and further tests and bloodwork. It taught me the art of discipline.  Each day, I'd generate a simple list of gratitude and shift my perspective to focus on what I did have. Such as, the ability to run, the gift of laughter, the acceptance of tears, and the power of prayer. Gratitude through discipline brought me into a place of rest, which granted physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual healing. It clearly states in Exodus 14:14, the "Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Because "I am the Lord, who heals you" (Exodus 15:26).

I challenge you this Thanksgiving season of 2013 to simply stop; just wait for a moment; and take time to rest. Furthermore, as you gather your family around the table may you each declare what you do have. There is profound significance in focusing on what you do have and discovering a heart of healing through gratitude.

Happy Thanksgiving and be blessed by this song, "10,000 Reasons." 

Charlene

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtwIT8JjddM

An Impossible Situation

                                                                  An Impossible Situation

           Have you ever felt like you were in an impossible situation? A situation that causes you to feel trapped and totally surrounded by negative circumstances. I have, more than once. Reality is that the majority of us at one time or another, whether we want to admit it or not, have faced seemingly impossible situations. And maybe some of us have even given up hope that we can be victorious in our circumstances.

           I want to tell you a story about two kings and their armies, from two different kingdoms. This story is one that the Bible tells in 2^nd Chronicles 13. It takes place in a time after King David, when the great nation of Israel was separated into two kingdoms. The North Kingdom was still known as Israel and was ruled by King Jeroboam. This kingdom did not follow the ways of God. The second Kingdom was the South Kingdom, which was known as Judah. This kingdom was ruled by King Abijah, and while King Abijah was an imperfect man, this kingdom followed the ways of God and had not forsaken Him (v. 10).

These two nations were at war. King Abijah had drawn his forces together which totaled 400,000 fighting men, and King Jeroboam had drawn his forces together which totaled 800,000 fighting troops. I have absolutely no idea how many men make a troop, but it doesn’t matter, King Abijah and the kingdom of Judah were vastly outnumbered. The Bible says that King Abijah stood up on a mountain and was overlooking King Jeroboam and his men below. But, what King Abijah did not know was that King Jeroboam had also routed his army behind the army of Judah. King Abijah had thought that King Jeroboam and the enemy forces lay before him when in all reality King Abijah and his warrior men were surrounded both in front and behind by the enemy (v.13).

            At some point Abijah and the army of Judah realized that they were trapped (v.14). I wonder what Abijah and his men must have felt at that precise moment knowing that not only were they outnumbered but also trapped by their enemy. I wonder if these warrior men felt scared, and totally defeated before the battle had even began. Looking over their circumstance, Abijah and his men realized that their only hope for victory, was through placing their faith in the Lord their God. And so Abijah and his warriors “cried out to the Lord” (v.14). The priests blew their trumpets, and in unison the warrior men of Judah lifted up a battle cry. At the sound of their battle cry, God heard them, and God interceded their hopeless circumstance and rerouted the Israelite army before King Abijah and his warriors. The Israelites fled before Judah, but God delivered the troops of Israel into the hands of King Abijah and the warriors of Judah, and the men of Israel were subdued (v-14-18).

            So you are probably wondering what the point of this story is, and why I would share it with you.  Well here it is…We all have situations at some point in our lives that seem totally impossible. These situations can encompass so much. They could be relationships, our health or the health of someone we care about, decisions facing us, finances…it could be anything.

            The point is, we serve the God of the impossible. And when we cry out to God, just like King Abijah and his warrior men did, God hears us and He acts on our behalf. We have to remember that even though God heard the cries of King Abijah and his army, and even though God acted on their behalf, there was still a battle. King Abijah and his men had to move forward in their faith believing that God would fight for them. I have a feeling it was probably hard and really scary for these warriors to put their faith in God. I mean not only were they severely outnumbered but they had been ambushed and trapped. In the physical, odds did not look good for King Abijah and his men. But King Abijah and his men looked beyond the physical, into the supernatural, and put their trust in God, that He would win the battle for them. The Bible doesn’t say how long the battle lasted. It could have been minutes, hours or even days. The Bible only says that the Israelites fled BUT God delivered them into the hands of Abijah and his army. And the story ends saying “the men of Judah were victorious because they relied on the Lord, the God of their fathers (v.18).

            This is also true in our own personal situations and circumstances. God hears every cry and prayer uttered from our hearts and voiced by our lips.  Our cries stir God to act. Circumstances may not seem like they change right away and the battle within our lives may seem fierce, but God is always acting on the behalf of those who put their trust in Him. We don’t know how long our circumstances and personal battles will last, but when we choose to put our faith in God and follow His leading, with God’s help we will ultimately be victorious! So I want to encourage you. That in the midst of the circumstance that you are facing, look beyond the natural into the supernatural and place your trust in God. Cry out to God and ask Him to intercede on your behalf. I know it is hard, but God loves you, and He will fight for you.

              Your sister in Christ,
                      Ashley

Let Your Faith Be Bigger Than Your Fear

What do you fear?

Some of the greatest fears include spiders, clowns, public speaking, intimacy, rejection, small spaces.

Growing up as a little girl, I had an unusual fear of bears! Maybe it was because I grew up near the Rocky Mountains or because my mom would read to me bear attack stories from National Geographic magazine on our camping trips.

When I got older, my fears began to shift to more common fears. Such as: fear of public speaking in front of my grade 7 class, fear of my first kiss, fear that I would be a failure at sports or academics in high school, and fear that I wouldn’t be accepted in my first year of college. The fact is I will encounter fear periodically in my lifetime.

Fear is a normal physical reaction, since your body was created with a "fight or flight" response when encountering potentially threatening situations. Fear was never created to be a consistent response for your body.   Your body cannot physically survive in a continuous state of "fight or fight".  Yet, if you take a look around, you see that people every day are living in a constant state of fear.

Humanity was not created to live our lives on a foundation of FEAR but FAITH.

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1).

Faith requires you to believe beyond your current circumstances. To have HOPE even when you are faced with what seems impossible.

Take a moment, reflect and ask yourself: what is my foundation?

Do you base your decisions in life out of fear?

 - fear of failure

- fear of rejection

- fear of intimacy

-fear of sickness

-fear is death

-fear of never measuring up

- fear of what others may think or say

Or,

Are you living a life that is built on a foundation of faith?

The bible says, "there is no fear in love. For perfect love drives out fear" (1 John 4:18).

God is love. God loved the world so much that He sent his son Jesus to pay the ultimate sacrifice and to die on a cross for the "sins" (wrongs) that you and I have done. You may not be perfect due to sin, yet Jesus made a way that you may have an intimate relationship with a loving, holy God through his death and resurrection on the cross.

Did you understand that?

God is love. When you encounter the love of God, you no longer have to live in fear. The truth is that you are loved. You are called a son/daughter. You are not rejected, rather fully accepted.  You are worthy. You are protected. You are not ever alone, since God is with you.

Faith in Jesus grants freedom from fear and enables a relationship with a Loving Heavenly Father. Jesus is the only one who can set you free of the bondages of fear, which is holding you back from living the life that you are created to live!!!

My challenge to you today:

Take 5, 10, 15mins and just sit. Surrender your fear to The Lord. Name whatever it is that you maybe fearing and give it to God.

    Wait in stillness and quietness.......

          Silence your thoughts and open up your heart. .....

                    Allow God to fill your heart with his love, peace, truth and freedom.

Scripture to mediate on: "God is our refuge and strength an ever present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear.  Be still and know that I am God" (Psalms 46:1,2,10).

Blessings Chantelle