Jubilee

A half-filled, colorful balloon lurks about the room on the air currents.. Yellow, blue, green, and orange stars dance around a number repeated in vibrant shades.  50, 50, 50.  Occasionally, it startles me as I catch a glimpse of it moving into my periphery.  I quickly glance to see who is there, and then I remember, “Oh, it’s just you again.”

When my husband brought it home a couple weeks ago, he wasn't smiling.  Fifty had snuck up on him.  He has to experience the jump first, and I get 10 months to get used to the idea before it’s my turn.  For him it seems impossible to reconcile the number with the way he feels inside – still a kid at heart in so many ways, wrestling with his daughters, playing silly practical jokes.

I, though, have been looking forward to 50 for a long time. Fifty to me means freedom that I haven’t really known before.  The kids are growing into these amazing people whom I love being around and my duties as mommy have shifted from cleaning up messes, to being a confidant and sounding board.  

I walk in confidence in my relationships and my work. I'm way past worrying about being "cool" or "popular."  Perhaps the best part of this stage is enjoying extended times each morning soaking in God’s presence, rather than running around making sure everyone’s needs are met.

In the Bible, the 50^th year is the year of jubilee.  The Israelites would celebrate freedom from debt and servitude every 50 years.  And as I ponder this, a song by Paul Wilbur plays in the background of my mind, “It is the Year of Jubilee!”  So when the balloon that floats by is my balloon next year, 

I am ready to celebrate.  

HOWEVER, there is another thought that hovers over me at times:  Fifty means more than 50% of my life lies behind me now. Have I even started to live the life I was born for?  While my 18- and 20- year-olds grapple with the questions of career pathways, there is still a part of me that is asking the same questions they are pondering.  Who was I created to be?  How can I get enough perspective on my unique identity so that I can walk in my calling, my destiny?

Today I felt a tinge of regret as I pondered those questions.  Why have I not taken more initiative in pursuing my own dreams?  Have I wasted too much time?  Missed out on something along the way, something irretrievable?  But I quickly slammed the door on regret.  Although it is true that I have much to learn, true that I haven’t begun to walk in many things that are part of my destiny, and true that in a sense I have yet to begin, it is also true that regret is the least productive thought possible.  Plus, it is ridiculous to look at all that God has produced through these seasons of parenting and have any attitude except deep gratitude and awe!

Instead, ignoring all thought of lost opportunities, I press on to the future goals.  I embrace the half-filled 50 balloon and rejoice in this coming year of jubilee.  I grab hold of all that God has for me in this coming season with great expectation, that He who has begun this good work in me will be faithful to complete it.  

I rejoice, knowing that He intends to fill these coming years with more than I could ask or imagine, as I continue to give my all to Him without reservation.  For nothing can compare to the all-surpassing great riches of knowing Him and being His.

Philippians 3: 7-14.   But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in^a Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Insanity?

You have probably heard of the fitness craze called Insanity.  Pop in a DVD every day and work out like a maniac for 30 minutes, pushing yourself harder and farther than you ever thought possible.  Give it your all for 60 days and, bazaam, you’ll have this amazing, athletic body.  Insane?  Maybe.  But if those results are really important to you, maybe it’s worth the craziness, right?

The other day I was talking with my daughter who is at college and was struggling with course selection and, ultimately, whether to stick with a science major.  Chemistry II loomed ahead like a monstrous fire-breathing dragon, threatening to devour her GPA … and her social life.  As we talked about the pros and cons of various majors and careers, she asked me, “Mom, did you enjoy law school?” 

I don’t think I’d ever used the words “enjoy” and “law school” in the same sentence, so the question threw me a bit.  But after a brief pause I answered, “I did enjoy the people I met and much of what I learned was interesting, but I can’t say I enjoyed it.   However, I really do enjoy the results - having a career where I meet wonderful people and help them meet their goals, and at the same time I can still spend a lot of time pursuing other things – like creative writing, and creative parenting.”   (I took a second to pat myself on the back for coining a new term without even thinking about it, since “creative parenting” captures much of the reality of my last 20 years, but she wasn’t that interested in my word art.  She just needed an answer.)

“Do you think I can really do it?” she asked – referring to all that it takes to get from here to being a physician’s assistant.

“You can do it," I assured her.  Later I added, "The real question is whether you’re willing to work that hard.”  Our conversation ended well, and she did end up registering for the Chem II beast.  Time will tell how much she will have to push herself to succeed in that class and beyond.  Yet, as I look back, I realize that many people choose NOT to go to med school or law school simply because it looks like … well, insanity.   They ask, "Why sacrifice years of your life working like a maniac in school?  Why push yourself harder and further than you ever thought you could go?"  And only the ones who figure out the "why" will proceed.

In my case, though,  I had no idea how hard law school would be, so it was more naivete than insanity at first.  Insanity was joining law review and pushing for As.  But the insanity didn't stop with law school.  We decided to have kids.  And when the first two were still in diapers I realized that parenthood is tantamount to law school in difficulty and sleep deprivation … except you can’t quit, and you don’t get Christmas and summer breaks!

Fortunately, however, kids that age are incredibly cute, and before we knew it we were talking about number three.  We were a little more insane at the time than most would be, though, for we decided to travel to the other side of the world, where we didn’t know the language, and adopt a toddler whom we had never met.  For domestic adoptions the prospective parents get plenty of information.  But our new daughter had been abandoned as a newborn with not a shred of i.d..  Everything was unknown and her photo looked a little … well… different.  Our international adoption doctor assured us, “That’s a normal look for 1 year old Asians.”  And we said, “Okay, then.  Let’s go get her!”

Parenting three children was a whole new ballgame.  My husband described it as going from “man-on-man” to “zone” defense.  I simply immersed myself in the insanity deeper and deeper, until one day when I heard the Lord say, “Bring them home and homeschool them,” I replied, “What!?!”  It took Him awhile to convince me, and longer to convince my husband, but by the coming school year there we were, learning together, through thick and through thin … thin referring to degree of patience I had by the end of each day.  However as months turned to years, rather than just surviving, we found we were actually thriving as a family, growing stronger and deeper together, pushing ourselves harder and farther than we had ever thought possible, and yet simultaneously learning to rest in the Lord and rely on Him.

To my amazement I look back and realize that during this time I was working, homeschooling three children, and watching as the Lord used us as a part of growing a vibrant worship and prayer ministry in our city.  And yet we still decided to step it up and add a little more craziness to our lives by deciding to adopt again.  Insanity?   Maybe.  Or at least it had to look that way from outside.  But from the inside it was simply the natural response, as we kept pushing into this thing we called YES.  “Yes, Lord.  Take us where you want us.  Do in us what you will.  We are yours.”   And soon we were again juggling the huge paperwork load of adoption.  Yet as soon as the paperwork was done, I was so eager to get to China and hold my new three-year-old daughter that I nearly threw a tantrum whenever there was the slightest delay in getting her.

November 1, 2005, we adopted Lia.  April 2006 we moved.  We continued to homeschool as we began the tumult of early adolescence for our first two while teaching the younger ones to read.   By necessity we grew more creative in parenting and homeschooling each year.  When I wasn’t working, I wrote stories, even books, but never had time (or energy) to perfect them for publication.  At that time I also became a sole practitioner (after 10 years at a law firm) so I would have more flexibility for the writing, and the craziness.   Perhaps one would expect that my prayers would have been begging for sanity.  But instead we couldn’t help but press in for more.  I still remember sitting on the living floor as I and my children prayed, “Lord, please let Daddy say ‘yes’ so we can adopt again.”  

Months later, my husband came home from a concert and announced, “Guess what God told me tonight.  Looks like we’re going to be spending another 20 grand!”   Later I phoned a friend, and I still remember the stunned silence when I said, “Guess what! We’re adopting again, and she might be eight years old by the time we travel to get her.”   When she finally replied, I believe it was along the lines of, “I knew you were crazy, but ….”

More years have passed with their share of us embracing other insane adventures.  Rock climbing with children of all ages; rappelling off half moon rock (before they closed it); rappelling down a waterfall.  Sending our daughter on mission trips overseas.  Fostering a child.  Building a house in Jamaica in 100 degree heat.  Pressing into “yes.”  Pushing ourselves harder and further than we ever thought we could go.  Sometimes I look back in amazement.  “How did we ever …?”

And yet the answer is clear – “Not by might, and not by power, but by the Spirit of God!”  In Him, and through Him, only, we were moved to what seemed insanely crazy -- “pressing on to grab hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of us.” 

Insanity?  No, quite the opposite, for the results are worth far more than we could ever ask or imagine!

P.S.  Yesterday at the conclusion of my RevAbs workout, I actually listened to the end rather than popping out the DVD.  There I was reminded of the flip side of pushing harder and further than you think you can go: "Don’t forget the importance of Rest and Recovery!  Get plenty of sleep, a healthy diet, restful downtime, and a day of rest between strenuous workouts."  

Thank you, Lord, for this season of relative rest, and may I press into this REST wholeheartedly, too!

Search My Heart, O God.

Ps 139.  Search me, O God....

After adopting our beautiful daughter at age 8, we noticed a one-inch long, raised scar above her knee.  Months later she explained it to us like this:  “When I was in the orphanage in China, I dropped a heavy vase and it cut me.  It bled a lot, but I didn’t tell anyone.  I didn’t want anyone to find out about it, because I thought that if they knew about it, then nobody would want me."

Have you ever had a wound like that?  Maybe not on the outside, but on the inside?  

Life can cut deep, and even friends can bring unexpected wounds.  But sometimes we hide the pain, for fear of rejection.   Perhaps the injury is a result of our own mistakes, and we fear exposing the results of our own stupidity or weakness.  There are many reasons why we hide our hurts, and probably the most common one is listening to the devil's lie that "nobody will care anyway."  But there is One who always cares.   We must remember that opening our hearts to Him is essential for healing and growth.  Just like hiding a physical wounds, hidden heart wounds become worse, causing infections of bitterness and unnecessary scarring, hardening of the heart, leading persistent problems in our lives.  Only when they are uncovered can they be completely healed.

The Lord recently prompted me to think again about Psalm 139:23-24.  “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts; And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (KJV).  David knew from his own experience with the Lord that the path to healing and righteousness would come by asking God to shine His searchlight into David’s heart to reveal areas that needed cleansing and healing.  Hiding sin had proved disastrous for David in the past.  And now he pleads with God to search his heart so that he can be as close to God as possible.  (To see a vibrant picture of David’s longing to be near to God, read Ps 27:4.)

The New Living Translation provides a helpful adjective in verse 23.  “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.”  Typically when I have anxiety, worry, or fear in my heart, the temptation is to pull back and stay away from vulnerability.  Like a child who is afraid to show Mom the splinter in her foot, we hide the limp caused by the unwelcome invader.  The thought of Mom with flashlight and needle in hand, opening up the wound to bring healing, is too frightening.  Until the pain becomes too much to ignore.

However, like Mom, our Heavenly Father longs for us to be healed and whole.  Therefore, He calls us to open our hearts wide to Him and even ask for Him to shine His light upon us, searching out the problem areas.  What is causing our fear, our anxiety?  What old wound needs to be treated and healed so that we can have peace?

Is there anything causing an infection, like unforgiveness or bitterness?  Will we allow Him to search our hearts, flush out the offense, and apply His mercy and healing like a soothing balm with antiseptic? 

A friend of mine recently had surgery to repair a torn tendon, and now that healing is well under way, the doctor advises massaging the scar tissue below the skin, to soften and heal the area.  I have places that may seem mostly healed, but they still need to be softened.  As the Lord searches my heart, He may find a callous or scar, a hardened place that is still keeping me from feeling His gracious love and mercy.  The question is whether I will pull away in shame, or will I allow His loving hand to probe my heart for hard places and begin to massage it.  Only then can He apply healing oils to restore a soft heart in me. 

As the Lord shines his light more deeply, I may find that disappointment from past hurts is preventing me from trusting.  There may be nearly forgotten wounding from an unanswered prayer that is keeping me from praying.  How will I respond when the Lord reveals these areas to me?  May I respond with gratitude and prayer for more of his healing hand upon my heart.  

Look at the New English Translation of Ps 139, and consider the words that I have italicized.

23 Examine me, and probe my thoughts!

Test me, and know my concerns!

24 See if there is any idolatrous tendency in me,

and lead me in the reliable ancient path!

To what degree will I honestly ask for examination and probing?  Am I comfortable with the Lord knowing my deep concerns, even when those concerns are doubts and fears that reveal my distrust of Him?  Do we want to open our hearts and show our Lord the thoughts we have of our idols, knowing that such idolatry is unfaithfulness to Him?

Remember that in opening our hearts to God’s searchlight and his probing (and loving) hands, we take important steps to wholeness, healing, freedom, and transformation within!

Pray with me:  “Lord, search my heart for anything that keeps me from loving and trusting you.  Reveal to me the lingering effects of sin, lies, pain, and disappointment.  Uncover the root causes of my anxious thoughts and fears.  Where I have sinned or been hurt, forgive, restore, and heal me!  I want to trust again and love you unreservedly.  I don’t want anything to stand in the way of a wholehearted relationship with you!”

The Battle is Raging

Ebola.  ISIS.  Moral decay.  The battle around us is raging!  (See link to this song at the end,)  How are we supposed to respond?  In prayer, yes.  But when the battle grows closer, more personal, what then?  

At a recent prayer gathering I watched as alternating light and shadows flickered across the faces of those gathered.  Flames of hope in Christ's redemptive power alternated with shadows of overwhelming fear and confusion as to how to respond to all that seems to press against us, personally and corporately.

As I pondered all this, the Lord reminded me that even though the battle lines are growing closer in the natural, the real battle is still taking place primarily where it always does: in our minds. The mind has always been the enemy’s favorite battleground, because there he can paralyze us with fear and distract us from the true work of the kingdom.   90% of the battle is won or lost right here.  And the primary weapons the enemy will be using are the same as usual:  temptations (targeted to our individual weaknesses) and fear (which leads us to anger, worry, doubt, and much more).  In this battle, our tactics must remain the biblical tactics we have learned and practiced all along.

We have many questions about how we fight the other 10% of the battle (the part not in the battlefield of the mind), and the answers are not as clear.  How should we respond when we are actually faced with the threat of harm?  Should we respond with Sermon on the Mount turning the other cheek?  In what situations are we to "kill them with kindness," and when is it more wise to draw a gun to protect those we love?  There obviously aren’t easy answers here, and Christians are going to disagree with each other, sometimes very strongly.

The truth, however, is that until we get the 90% settled, the 10% will remain unclear.  If we aren't fighting and winning the spiritual battle taking place in our own minds, then we will remain in fear – which is right where our enemy wants us to be.  In fear we cannot make the right decisions.  Our "fight or flight" instinct will take over, causing us to either fight from the wrong position, or run away when we need to stand.   Therefore, it is imperative in this hour that we return to the Word and walk out the wisdom that we have already learned from scripture.

When we experience fear, anger, or confusion, our first line of defense in the battle is to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5. (NIV):  "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."  

What are my thoughts when I feel intimidated and threatened?  My immediate response is anger, which springs quickly from fear.  In a millisecond my mind can shift from contentment to extreme anger, wishing fire and brimstone to pour out on the person who has just rammed his car into mine, for instance.   In those moments the fear and anger bring a feeling of being totally out of control.  I cannot allow those thoughts to take root and poison my mind.  I must capture and examine these thoughts in light of God’s Word and God’s love.  The Word says that “nothing else matters except faith expressing itself in love.”  Gal 2:6.   And that without love, the other things don't even count.  1 Cor 13.   So, do my thoughts line up with faith and love?  If not, I must wrangle these thoughts, wrestle them to the ground, and make them obey God’s truth as revealed in scripture.

The weapons for these battles are found in Ephesians 6.   As you pray the following, imagine yourself putting on each piece of spiritual armor.  I challenge you to pray it out-loud!

"Lord, we thank you again for our helmet of salvation to protect us from the onslaught of intimidation.  As the enemy continually whispers that we are not safe, we put our trust in You, our hope and our salvation, and we proclaim that we are eternally yours!  We rejoice that in your wisdom, You have given us the breastplate of righteousness that will guard our hearts from hatred and violent thoughts, so that we can walk in your Love.  And we praise you for the shield of faith with which we will deflect arrows of fear and the onslaught of temptations to not trust in your goodness.  With the belt of truth You give us the desire and wisdom to know what is really true and eternal and to not walk in any deceit or accept any tempting lies (remembering that in the last days many will be deceived).  We thank you that with Your provision, we will walk in shoes that are called by the name “peace” allowing us to walk into places everywhere with the good news of God’s redeeming love.  Finally, we thank you for giving us the true sword – the powerful Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God on our lips and in our pens."

In thinking of the Sword of the Spirit, I am reminded of a true story told by Beth Guckenberger.  She was in a battle over the custody of two of her foster daughters, and if the girls’ extended family members took them, they would be used in the family “business” of criminal activity.  She desperately spent hours and days gathering evidence in boxes to present to these family members and their advocates.  When the day finally came, her much older friend arrived to help her.  Their enemies were numerous, rowdy, and demanding.  Beth’s older friend stood up with a large Bible in her hand, right in the midst of this angry crowd, and began reading Psalm 1.  Then Psalm 2, and then she kept right on reading.  The enemies didn’t know what to think, so they just waited for her to finish.  Finally, when she got to Psalm 9 or 10, and read how the Lord protects the orphans, the crowd started to huff and puff and gather themselves up to leave.  Without a further protest about the custody of the girls, the whole lot of them got into their cars and drove off.  Beth’s friend told Beth, “When you go into battle, don’t ever forget that this,” and here she held up her Bible, “is the only weapon you really need.”

Lord, help me to have this kind of faith!  Help me to understand the power of the Word of God on my lips and to know how to use this weapon effectively in various situations.  Help me, Holy Spirit, to walk in this kind of faith, knowing the Lord as my shield and salvation.  I want to be convinced that this battle belongs to the Lord, and I want to say, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God!”

Scripture overflows with accounts of God providing a way of escape, each one unique to the circumstances.  In every story the keys are listening to the Lord, trusting his words, and obeying his instructions.  God didn’t give his people a formula to follow.  Only once did he have them march around a city seven times.  Only once did he use an earthquake to set prisoners free from jail.  But from all the accounts of faith and rescue, there are abiding principles that apply in every battle -- 

Look to the Lord, and put your trust in Him! 

Obey and repent of all disobedience.  

Praise and worship Him regardless of the circumstances.  

Stand firm in faith, and remember that even if we perish, our eternal destiny in Him is a much higher reward than any we could ask for or imagine here on earth.

To live is Christ, and to die is gain.

But let us be wise as serpents and gentle as doves.

There is no fear in love, for perfect love casts out all fear.

He will keep us in perfect peace when our mind is stayed on him.

And to Him who overcomes, I will give … the right to eat from the tree of life, hidden manna, a white stone, the morning star, the right to rule nations, and more … Rev 2 and 3.

Yes, Lord; we seek wisdom and understanding to fight the good fight of faith, to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Your will, and to effectively STAND in the midst of the battle, using every weapon You have so graciously provided.  You are training our hearts, minds, spirits, and tongues for battle, even as we face the day to day skirmishes with worry, anxiety, and distraction.  In You alone is our strength.  You are our victory.  We may walk through the valley of the shadow of death, but we will fear NO evil. 

Click here to play Laura Hackett's song Battle is Raging

What is God’s Will for Your Life? (and what does the Bible mean by "good, pleasing, and perfect will"?)

It’s the biggest of the BIG questions:  “What is God’s Will for My Life?”  It's 2014 so, let’s Google it.  Results:  “About 29,600,000 results (0.41 seconds)  First up:  “Shop for god's will for your life on Google”  Shopping results?  - 10 pages of 15 items per page. 

I’m like the rest of you.  This seeking God’s will for my life has been huge.  In fact, I am tempted to peruse that list again, buy a few more books.  Yes, sorry to break it to you younger folks, but I've been at this pursuit for a long time myself.  It certainly isn't a one-time thing.  Nope, it isn't even a 5 or 10 year thing.  It’s ongoing.  God hasn't laid it all out, hasn't given me the luxury of writing down the five and ten year plans.  Heck, I’m doing good if I get a one year version every now and then.  We rarely get to walk out a Plan A for long before He interrupts again with “Guess what?  Change of plans!”    Adopt from China?  cool.  Homeschool?  well, okay.  China again?  And again?  Sure, Lord.  Foster parenting.  Umm, why not?  But, what's next?

Perhaps the greatest piece of wisdom the Lord ever dropped in my lap was this.  One day in my early twenties I asked Him, “I want to please you, Lord, so tell me: What do you want me to DO with my life?” 

He very clearly replied, “Don’t worry about what you are going to DO.  Instead, focus on your relationship with Me.  Who you will become and what you will DO will GROW OUT OF relationship with ME.” 

Nearly 30 years later, I can say that indeed, it has!  In so many ways!  But ironically the more I learn this, the desire for finding and doing His will becomes even more urgent and frequent.  (Which is exactly what God had planned for us all along!   ...   A blog post for another day.)

Recently, the Lord directed my attention to this verse again; Romans 12:2, the verse most closely matching the question, “What is God’s will, anyway?”    It states, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.”  (NIV.)

First is step one:  Stop conforming to the world’s ways.  

Step two:  Be transformed by renewing your mind.   Fixing our eyes on Him through worship, scripture meditation, prayer, and thereby leading to a transformation into His image.

Then, with those two, we will be able to test and approve – i.e., discern – God’s will.  Pretty awesome!  But wait.  What is this last part?  “His good, pleasing, and perfect will?”  

You mean there are three?

So I asked about this, and He very graciously helped me to understand it, as follows:  

“Discern my will … there are three, because there is a progression in this: from good, to pleasing, and finally to perfect.   That which is my “good will” is fundamental.  This should be relatively easy for you to discern when you hold something up to (1) my Word and (2) Who you know Me to be.  Embrace good; flee from evil.  Never ever forsake the fundamentals of what is my good will.  The other two build on top of this one."

“Next is my pleasing will.  It is discovered through discovering what pleases Me – what brings Me delight.  When you delight yourself in Me, you will find that you will desire to do my pleasing will.  Draw near and enjoy me.  Let love be your guide.”

“Finally, there is my perfect will.  It is in addition to the other two, and it is like hidden treasure.  To find my perfect will you must seek it like you would seek pure gold.  Think Indiana Jones here.  The pursuit of my perfect will requires tenacity and persistence.  Many will claim to want to know my perfect will, but few will continue long enough to actually grab hold of it and walk in it.”

He left me with a lot to ponder.   As always.  I know that there are many more treasures to mine in His Word, and in the biographies/autobiographies of those who walked in all three – His good, His pleasing, AND His perfect will.  

And, clearly, the answer will be one that each of us will need to uncover (throughout our individual lives), since we are all unique.

So, how will I respond?  How will YOU respond?  I think that a great place to start is here:  “Keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking.”   And in simply doing that we will have already begun to walk in his good and pleasing will.  For He is a Rewarder of those who diligently seek him.  Heb 11:6.

Matthew 7:7.  New Living Translation
"Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.”

The Treasure!

Growing up, my brother and I hunted treasure wherever our little legs took us.  Our favorite place to treasure hunt?  The beach!  When we'd find an area with a vast array of shells, we'd exclaim, "A gold mine!"  But living in Indiana, we rarely had a chance to sink our toes into sand, and so we found treasure in empty lots, stream beds, tree tops, and back alleys.  Fools gold and mica filled our pockets, along with acorns and maple tree helicopters. Fancy wine bottles, driftwood, geodes, and collectible beer cans lined our basement shelves, while upstairs I proudly displayed my shells and shiny stones.

Today, all of that "treasure" is long gone.  But I am still a treasure hunter.  My favorite place to hunt?  God's Word!  Yes, it is true!  After 40+ years of reading scripture, I am completely amazed at how often I find "a gold mine" of wisdom.  From these gold mines I extract gleaming nuggets that I carry with me, in my spirit rather than my pocket.  And these treasures - like the road less traveled - have really made all the difference!  Peace beyond my comprehension.  Joy unspeakable and full of glory.  Love that fills and overflows.  And so much more!

My shelves are now filled with journals of nuggets from gold mines from over the years, back to back with others' published works filled with the nuggets from gold mines they have discovered.

Realizing that it is never a good idea to horde treasure, and realizing more and more the infinite value of this treasure, I am starting this blog in hopes that at least a few others may partake of these nuggets, which are just a small part of the "glorious riches" which are our rightful inheritance.  Eph. 3:18.   Come with me as we keep on seeking, asking, and knocking.  For those who seek will find!  Matthew 7:7-8

"How precious to me are your thoughts, O Lord!  How vast is the sum of them!"  Ps. 139:17.

Proverbs 2

My son, if you accept my words

and store up my commands within you,

2turning your ear to wisdom

and applying your heart to understanding—

3indeed, if you call out for insight

and cry aloud for understanding,

4and if you look for it as for silver

and search for it as for hidden treasure,

5then you will understand the fear of the Lord

and find the knowledge of God.

6For the Lord gives wisdom;

from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.