power...

A child clothed in rest...
Willing to stand bare...

Draped in NOTHING but The Father's presence and love...

Clinging ONLY...
To his position as son...
It is he that possesses...
The most power for the kingdom.

Life for him is filled with daily exercises...

Helping him grow and prepare...

So power may increase...

Joy is present in the process in the growing pains because...

The Teaching Papa...

Is always near...

Guiding us...

Making a way...

Teaching...

And inviting...

"You try!"

At first...

We strain...

Awkwardness takes a front seat...

He re-teaches in patience...

Trust... not try harder.

Coming behind...

He stands strong in our weak frames...

Offering all we need and more.

From...

Arms that have been...

Stripped...

Abandoned...

Bloodied...

Burdened...

Nailed...

Buried...

And...

Emptied.

So our hands... might be wild carriers of HIS fullness...

2 Chronicles 25:15

"His fame spread far, for he was marvelously helped, till he was STRONG."

MORE help....

More...

Of you...

Your presence...

Your power!

Set as apart...

freedom

"Freedom reigns in this place...

Showers of mercy and grace...

Falling on every face...

There is FREEDOM..."

"Who rules the nations with truth and justice...

Shines like the sun in all of its brilliance...
The King of Glory...
The King above all kings.

This is amazing grace...

This is unfailing love...

That you would take my place...
That you would bear my cross...
You would lay down your life...

That I might be set free...

Jesus, I sing for all that you've done for me..."

Singing and celebraging in joyful awe...

And thankfulness.

fatigue

When fatigue sets in hard...
As it so often does...
It's important to go back...
To the drawing board...

It gives us something for our hands and hearts to extend towards...

Returning in faith to The One that has it all perfectly worked out...

Maintaining beauty in the chaos...

In the palm of His hand.

If we don't arrive back at The Artist's palette, we too easily forget...

Who we are...

Where He is calling us to go.

Living in remembrance...

The finished product is not up to us...

So we are not undone by the little surprises of life...

Always popping up in abundance on our canvases.

Instead...

We write out the truths to live by...

Letter by letter.

Surrounding ourselves with faith...

Sing out in Praise...

Living in Hope...

We incorporate much play in the process...

Pausing to ponder the preciousness entrusted.

Adding rainbows...

To the framework of our lives...

Standing and declaring in the fatigue... 

Thankful...

The only real thing He asks me to do is walk.

Today looks much like this...

Proclaiming... forgetting... proclaiming again... forgetting... Crying... Singing...

Declaring...Trying to remember... trusting... Learning...

Over and over...

Wheels of learning in constant motion.

Not wanting fatigue to get the best of us...

We seek partnership in the neediness...

Focusing on the fact... 

We are His masterpiece...

Artwork ALWAYS in motion...

Fatigue's cycle...

It's a tiring process.

Also a vehicle of opportunity.

wild truth...

Since being pregnant with this one and her two brothers...

Our Papa has been inviting me...

To trade in my old beautiful and sparkly.

All the former fancy things I once got my strokes from...

For...

His covering of power and change...

It's felt pretty backwards from time to time...

Slowly...

I've fallen in love with my Covering.

Seeing... that it's when I take it off...

That things get messy...

REALLY MESSY...

Thankful for the body...

Kind hands ministering to my heart...

Helping truth recover it rightful place. 

So many times we believe the lie that if we are fully covered in Him...

We will get lost...

Though thoroughly hidden...

We do not lose our beauty.

NO!

Believe it or not...

This is when our wildest...

Most authentic...

Beauty is revealed...

Our playful childlike beauty.

It's a wild truth...

When we are most submissive to His transformation in us...

We are most free to reach His biggest... and loveliest potential.

Our best us.

Still enjoying the sparkly from time to time...

Just making sure...

It's the real... messy... wild ole' me in those heels.

Sabbath

The cartwheel's of life...

Can leave one spinning in craziness...

Thankful for The Sabbath...

A day to break from reaching deadlines...

Letting worship be the primary task of our hearts and hands...

Shifting our focus...

From striving towards forms of perfection...

Away from all the...

Spinning...

Turning...

And upside downs from our labor.

Choosing to obey and steward...

That which He has entrusted...

Breaking from the weekly norm.

We rest.

We soak in the rays of His love...

All sprawled out in the green of His goodness.

Ahhh.... 

A child of deep rest...

A longing He has for all His royals...

EVERYDAY of the week...

Especially on the Sabbath.

Blessings on your rest,

The Hopefuls