Finding Time to Drink ... and write about it

Life brims to edges of my capacity, then overflows, spilling over the top; I yearn to capture every drop.  Daughter one will fly to her future soon, taking off to Bangkok, Thailand.  Daughter two just received her acceptance letter to Lee University this weekend, and she will likely be headed off to Tennessee in the Fall.  So I'm grasping at every opportunity to connect, at the heart level.  I'm grabbing at every hug, hanging on every word.

Simultaneously my three younger a daughters are budding, oh so early, into breathtaking beauty.  And yet (from my previous experience with age 13-14) I know that they hover on the brink of the abyss of hormones and snarkiness.  So, I pull them into my arms and hold them close.  Trying to maintain undivided interest, I listen to their tales of which friend said what and did what and how funny it was when so and so fell out of his chair.

I am blessed with a husband who loves me and all my girls, and yet he needs much attention, too.

My heart cry is for more time to drink ... not of the fruit of the vines of this world, but of the River of Delights of deep times with Jesus.  His Word, beautiful worship, prayer ... there is never quite enough time to linger there and enjoy.  One hundred prayer requests seem to knock insistently, and yet when I show up to pray, I simply want to rest in Him.

Where do I find this place of rest?

Mornings - Before the day carries me away like a stallion, I sit here in the relative quiet (applying headphones when necessary) or I brave the cold long enough to drive to the track and walk (with headphones), listening to worship music (Misty Edwards, Cory Asbury, Deb Wells) and enter into the glorious presence of my Savior.  I pray, "Lord, bind my mind to your mind; bind my heart to your heart.  May I walk in your ways, talk with your words.  May my path always be the path you have destined for me."

And I know from experience that if I will just do this each (and every) morning, then the challenges of the day - the challenges of raising five girls and working part-time and homeschooling and more - will not shake me to the point of breaking.  Instead, I will know the steadiness of heart, the focus of love, that comes from this time in His presence, binding myself to him in the very center of my being.

It is not my personal secret.  Generations have known this ... all the way back to Old Testament scriptures. "They that wait upon the Lord will ... rise up on wings like eagles."  And "The Lord will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are stayed (fixed) on Him."

So, today I will feast on the abundance of God's provision and drink from his river of delights.  Psalm 36:8.   I will "taste and see that the Lord is good!"  Ps. 119:103.

And at least today I am finding time to write about it!  I hope that I will be able to do this more!

Encountering Jesus

I have journaled some of our encounter times -- times that we spend in focused worship asking Holy Spirit to open our spiritual ears and eyes to hear and see what he wants to reveal to us, and allow us to spend time with Jesus, experiencing his love in whatever way he wants to share with us -- but I haven't blogged much, because I typically write things down in shorthand, not in ways that others would understand.  But I have been challenged lately to write more, so here's one from a week and half ago .....  I hope they inspire someone who reads them.

Yesterday’s encounter time:  I stood in a giant circle of people with Jesus at the center.  Most people held small instruments, but some had large ones (eg, there was a cello).   Others were simply vocalists, their voice their only instrument.  As Jesus pointed to each one, he or she would begin to play a simple rhythm or simple melody, sometimes just a single note, too.  The vocalists would sing a single beautiful note.   But as each individual joined their song, one after the other around the circle, the music blended into an amazing symphony.  At times Jesus would direct a person to rest in silence, before picking up another note or rhythm.   Some were worried that their notes were insignificant, but there was no denying that as we each were faithful to simply obey the director’s instruction, the symphony was extraordinary!

Mayana has been having significant encounter times in which she is going with Jesus to serve the poor, giving them food and clothes, and sharing God’s love and truth with them.  Today she saw an area where there were few houses but lots of people, and she and Jesus were ministering to the people, giving them food, clothes, and love.  Sometimes in her pictures sees us there as a family, too.  Often the pictures involve going from here to another place that is far away.  Her experiences are filled with joy!

If you are inspired to encounter the Lord with your children, I encourage you to go back to the beginning of this blog and read the early posts.  I also encourage you to purchase some prophetic worship music - preferably instrumental - for your soaking time.  We like John Belt's CDs, among others.

Be blessed today in Jesus' sweet loving presence through the Holy Spirit!

“Lord, I want to be… planted by your waters,

Lord, I want to be .. drinking from your stream,

Give me joy as I drink, from the river of your delights.

Let me abide so deep, as I set my eyes on you.

All my fountains are in You,

 I am only satisfied in You.”