oxygen

"Peace is the oxygen of Heaven."
My life... deeply impacted by those words.

Funny...
Contrary to worldly opinion...
I've learned more about breathing peace...
From walking the coals...
Than sailing the smooth seas.

This princess...

A teaching tool.

Spending her first half year of life...

Dependent...

Relying on artificial mechanisms.

Tubes in her nose...

Filling her lungs with air she was unable to inhale on her own.

So thankful for life support...

Very aware that it is not Papa's plan A.

Many days I wondered if she would ever open up...

Believe that she could breathe deep for herself.

It was a painful process...

To watch...

To wait...

To live.

For the first four months of her life...

Just being alive almost killed her.

It's surreal watching your child almost die on a daily basis...

Holding them in your arms as life escapes.

It can terrify in ways... that if allowed...

Would suffocate peace... steal life.

I am thankful for the many miracles in my life...

Believing in more yet to be seen.

Today...

I am reminded...

Her life...

Her story...

It has been a loaded gun...

Killing off harmful fumes...

In me...

In our family.

Lately...

Pastor and I have noticed her new found passion for examining...

Alive with curiosity.

Unlike her preemie days...

It's independence she craves...

Do not let her small package and innocent face fool you...

She is a warrior...

She fights with the best of them...

She comes in power...

This chapter's weapons....

Peace...

Joy...

And laughter.

No doubt the enemy wants to keep her valuable story out of the Gem City.

She is a diamond in the rough.

And... she is ready now.

Breathing on her own...

Stronger everyday...

The nurses at the NICU named her Charli Pepper...

She is quite a fighter...

Her story will forever wage war against the toxic air breathed out by enemy.

Desiring more of Heaven's oxygen... right here on earth.

Choosing to celebrate the hard that brings the best.

Thankful that He would count us worthy of stewarding such gifts.

In the midst of creating atmospheres of peace...

I laugh...

Seems our smalls have an affection for weapons these days...

Guessing there is more to that than meets the eye.

Just like our little Charli Pepper.

gems

This princess...

Her heart is always in process.
Her mind can't possibly keep up with all that is stirring within.

Her earthly daddy...
Packed up a couple of days ago...
Returning to our future homeland.
It leaves a gap.

This week...
Her mama saw a quiet change in the weeping one.
Instead of tears...  she issued an unexplained invitation...
She asked me to feast with her...

Born with her mama's appetite...

She invited me to banquet in the Spiritual realm.

A meal issued out of empty hunger.

We are both hungry girls.

Her garden...

In need of harvesting.

She requested my company...

My help.

Being harvest hands with my smalls...

One of the highest privileges.

It was important that we walk this one out together.

Sometimes in the ache...

We are tempted to make tents of hiding...

Often pretending... 

That we can imagine away our reality.

Thankful for the growing beauties on Ridgegate...

Ones that playfully come out of hiding...

Choosing to be fully present in the story that our Papa is writing.

Instead...

She asks...

"Mama, can we do this together?"

I watched her choose...

Putting on truth...

Like a crown of remembering.

Fastening tight...

Her Papa-given abilities...

Keep it close to our hearts.

To choose JOY...

To obey the Spirit within...

Tasting and SEEING.

Sometimes the best gems aren't hidden at all.

They are right there...

Set before us...

Ready to adorn...

All we have to do is choose.

And in the choosing...

Others are blessed and enticed to feast on the same...

Thankful for juicy fruits...

Ripened with tears... so that joy may be chosen and shared. 

For He who puts it on...

"Has a continual FEAST."

Proverbs 15:15

Sabbath...

May your REST be sweet...

As you receive gifts from The Father's hands.

Enjoy...

Every...

Taste...

With messy abandonment...

For He is so very, very good.

Not letting a drip go to waste...

We celebrate truth...

 Gifts of delight are made sweeter when enjoyed in the garden of togetherness...

Sabbath blessings,

The Hopefuls

love prince

As the Hopefuls made their way...

Back to Ridgegate...

Prince Bud commented on the beauty of the late night sky.

He is a seer.

God has given Him special gifts and abilities...

He is a weapon for the Kingdom...

A warrior...

Just the the thought of battle...

Gets him all ramped up.

He doesn't go searching for wars...

He is a child of abundant rest...

He stays busy growing...

Playing...

Learning...

Feasting...

Worshipping...

And enjoying...

Until the battle cry is called and tools are placed in his hands...

Then in the midst of the rainstorm...

He waves his sword.

Giving off HIS LIGHT to the darkness around.

Most often...

His sword...

It's a sword of love...

Battling in warfare...

With the cry of HIS HEART...

That in the midst of struggle...

We are not alone...

We are seen...

Deeply loved...

Set apart for divine purposes..

Like trails leading to the source...

That's our prince.

When the enemy speaks lies...

His response...

 In a wild tone...

"Ha... Ha... Ha."

Greater is He that is in me...

To work and to will...

That which brings HIS love and HIS good pleasure...

He is our love prince...

A carrier of His heart...

Swinging swords...

Arms of love...

Around the bodies he adores...

And when love like that is issued...

It gives great courage...

In the chaotic blurs of journeying...

To walk ahead in victory...

In royal love...

playful Papa

Our Good Papa loves play...

In my lifetime I have had lots of pictures of what God looks like...
All fall short of how GREAT HE IS.
Thankful my picture is expanding...
He is getting bigger.
Better.

Learning more and more how to enjoy Him...
And to enjoy HIM enjoying me.

The Creator loves to Create...
He designed play...
I think it's one of His favorites.

This morning I was talking to Papa about finding a treasure...
I LOVE finding...
I am a treasure seeker of sorts.

Most often I find the best treasures when I stumble upon them.
Not out of a striving spirit... but out of a playful rest.

As I was leisurely walking this morning...
I found...

A real live message in a bottle.

How fun!

I felt a little nervous opening it...

Like I was doing something wrong or illegal.

It was a rush.

Anticipation arose in me like a kid at Christmas.

I rescued the buried treasure out of seaweed entanglement.

I unscrewed the lid...

I carefully removed the message...

I enjoyed.

Its contents...

Writings from another hopeful...

Releasing joy into the atmosphere...

Desiring contact if found...

I knew right away...

This was an opportunity I couldn't refuse...

Play... 

Right up my alley...

Hoping to bring encouragement and Papa's love to a stranger...

Sharing that the released had been found...

Perhaps the play will boomerang...

Our Papa loves blessing games.

Storing up play treasures in my heart today...

Remembering that with all the trinkets on the shore...

Some were put there just for me.

Playing with a thankful heart.