GRL Series – Twitterpated

GOD IN REAL LIFE SERIES

Twitterpated

I was watching a pair of doves walking across my patio the other day. The one dove kept following the other dove everywhere cooing, “hey there you with the beautiful feathers, hey, where are you going? Come over here, I just want to be near you.”

Have you ever seen Sandhill Cranes dancing? It’s quite a sight – they leap up and down in front of each other, flapping their wings and bobbing their heads.  They look completely goofy to anyone else but to them it’s pure LOVE.

I guess it’s officially springtime.

Remember the scene from Bambi when Friend Owl is explaining to young Bambi, Thumper, and Flower what happens in the springtime? They can’t understand why the other animals are acting strangely and Friend Owl tells them that nearly all the animals act that way in the springtime because they’re “TWITTERPATED”!

He describes the state of “twitterpatedness” as feeling weak in the knees, your head’s in a whirl, you feel light as a feather, and then you’re walking on air.

Have you ever been “twitterpated”?

“One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.” Psalm 27:4

David, the psalmist who wrote that verse was head over heels in his relationship with the Lord. He was called, “a man after God’s own heart.” How’s that for a legacy?

Throughout Scripture we see many portraits of God’s character and His role in our lives. We read how the Lord reveals himself as “Father”, “Provider”, “Friend”, “Brother”, “Protector”, etc., but if you read through the Bible with the eyes of your heart instead of your intellect you know what you’ll see is the desire of God’s heart?

GRL Series – Go Big or Go Home

GOD IN REAL LIFE SERIES

Go Big or Go Home

I saw a bumper sticker the other day on the back of one of those monster trucks – the kind that’s jacked up so high you need a ladder to reach the door handle.  The bumper sticker read “Go Big or Go Home”.

The instant I read it the Lord spoke to me, “That’s how I feel about it”.

I suppose that’s not the first time He’s made that point.

GRL Series – Do You Expect Murphy?

GOD IN REAL LIFE

Do You Expect Murphy?

Murphy’s Law states, “If anything can go wrong it will”.

True statement?  Perhaps…

Two factors are always at work in this:

1. We usually get what we expect

2.  Satan will do whatever it takes to make you believe Murphy’s Law is true

Is this about getting what we want, or having life flow smoothly, go our way, operate according to plan?  Not really.

GRL Series – Exfoliation

GOD IN REAL LIFE

Exfoliation

So there I was in the bath house, coating myself head to toe with sunscreen in anticipation of a beautiful afternoon on the beach, when in walked a mom and her young daughter.  They had already spent the morning enjoying the beach, as evidenced by their wet hair and generally sandy condition, and were in the bath house to change back into regular clothing.  The daughter grimaced and braced herself, protesting mildly at the sandpaper feel, as mom peeled down the damp swimsuit and tried wiping off some of the sand.

Now, if you’ve ever spent time at the beach, you understand how sand seems to leap onto you and work its way over the surface of every exposed area (even unexposed ones), whether you actually get wet or not!  Knowing this, I hit the bath house to apply sunscreen BEFORE stepping onto the beach.  I love the sand underfoot, but can’t stand the feel of rubbing lotion into my skin over a fine layer of pulverized quartz and coral.

Upon hearing the exchange between mom and daughter standing next to me, I jokingly stated, “Sand – its nature’s gift of exfoliation to us.”  She laughed in understanding.

As any woman knows, the term “exfoliation” is slapped on the label of most any beauty product for the skin.  Whether it’s through ground up walnut shells, fruit acids, or some fancy thing such as, “mineral particles for microdermabrasion”, the process of exfoliation is touted to slough off the outer layer of dead, crusty, dull, wrinkly skin cells, thereby revealing fresh, new, healthy, plump, vibrant, glowing, younger-looking skin cells underneath… at least that’s what the label promises us.

I’ve noticed that God seems to have a special exfoliation process of his own when it comes to performing a makeover on our heart and mind.

GRL Series – Fruitilicious

GOD IN REAL LIFE

Fruitilicious!

I’ve really been working hard to grow in so many areas of my life and I’m proud of my efforts.  I’ve come a long way baby!

I’m thinking, praying, and walking in authentic faith and as a result, I’ve stepped out in several areas of life where I’ve think I’m supposed to head.  AND I’m continuing on that path even though I’ve encountered:

• Resistance – interference from the enemy in an attempt to dishearten and dissuade me

• Discomfort – anxiousness of the flesh because it’s out of my comfort zone

• Uncertainty – because I would prefer to have the finger of God write on my wall some clear, precise instructions thereby providing me a guaranty of happiness and success in advance

I’ve been walking it out in spite of these things – so go me!  One problem though…

I keep catching myself verbally lamenting certain aspects of situations, amount of effort, mountains I’m faced with, uncertainties, inconveniences, etc.

I’ll be straight with you -  I used the term “lamenting” because it sounds rather spiritual and eloquent, but all it really means is that I’ve been WHINING and COMPLAINING!

Does this matter?

GRL Series – Beauty for the Soul

GOD IN REAL LIFE SERIES

Beauty for the Soul

Somehow it always happens doesn’t it? It creeps up on us bit by bit, lulling us into weariness – the daily grind. Before we know it, we’ve lost sight of the colors of life and we’ve lost perspective. If it goes on too long we lose ourselves too.

When was the last time something really beautiful stirred your soul?

This past weekend I woke up on Sunday morning intending to get ready for church, but instead heard the quiet call beckoning me to the beach. Mind you – I’ve run to the beach before purely for escapism, but this morning wasn’t about escaping from anything. I was called “to” something.

GRL Series – Birds Don’t Build Barns & Lilies Don’t Worry

GOD IN REAL LIFE SERIES

Birds Don’t Build Barns & Lilies Don’t Worry

The ducks are swimming around on my pond as usual, occasionally flipping head down into the water to pick at something, with their duck-butt tuft of feathers perpendicular to the surface, oblivious to the fact that the pond is only half as full as it should be because of the drought conditions we’re experiencing.

Yesterday I saw two different kinds of woodpeckers in my yard. One was poking holes in the trunk of each pine tree looking for a tasty morsel. Another, much smaller one of a different variety, actually flew onto my patio and was pecking at the trunk of my potted ficus tree. Was he brainstorming about where his dinner would come from tomorrow and how he was going to feed the babies in his nest next week?