A White Canvas

I saw a vision. A vision of many people going about their lives. Some were working, some washing their cars, some mowing lawns, some reading, some playing. Just life happening all around. The Lord came to me and said, "Now let me show you what is real." And he took away everything but the people. All the people were standing as if on a white canvas. There were no houses, no cars, no jobs, no lawns, no sky or clouds, no food, just people. My heart went out to them as I realized the lies of the enemy. We are so distracted from what really matters. I'm angry that I have allowed the enemy to keep me from my brothers and sisters; that I have not loved them. I wanted to stretch out my arms and pull them all into me and just love on them in whatever way possible. 

Friends, the ONLY thing that matters is relationships. Relationship with God and relationships with people. All else will decay and waste away. All else is a lie from the enemy to keep us distracted from truth. I think this is why God takes us away from our homes many times to minister to people. It takes us away from our distractions, like keeping our house clean, or our lawn mowed, or our business in order, and it takes us into a place where people are what matters. Where all you have left are the people. If only we could grasp that in our home. If only we could all see it and embrace each other in that way, prioritizing each other, opening our hearts to each other, sharing the Lord with each other, then we would be so much stronger, so much more in the truth. 

What can we do to remedy this? Is there an answer? Do you notice when you are away from home that you are more likely to focus on relationships? Do you think it's possible to let go of all else and live for relationships alone? Do we dare?

Tara

The other 20 things....

6. I love to write. It's probably the best way I express myself.

7. I rub my nose when I am in deep thought. I didn't even notice this until about two years ago when a friend pointed it out. I think it stems from when I had a blankie as a child and sucked my thumb. 

8. When I am having good conversations, I play with my hair, sometimes putting it up and taking it out again multiple times. 

9. I am allergic to nuts. This is fairly recent, and very depressing. 

10. I want to have great friends all over the world, and I believe I will. I intend to live all over the world. 

11. I started dating my husband when I was 14, been together since. 

12. I would love to live in a "Kingdom Culture" commune.

13. I love people. I get energized by being around them.

14. I sell or donate everything! It has become a joke in my family. I really believe my family and I will live a "backpack" life, and it's my way of preparing.

15. I have come to really enjoy the way the Lord's plan is always a surprise. I used to try to figure it out, but now I just love being surprised. It helps me to enjoy the day more.

16. Every night, my mom, my husband, and I stay up late playing games, watching movies, or talking. It has made us really close.

17. I love to study. It is a talent of mine.

18. I eat and make healthy food. I'm a really good cook. I try to make everything from scratch, but have been known to just get take out when too tired.

19. I used to play the flute, and now I am going to take guitar lessons with my husband. I come from a very musical family.

20. I wear jewelry every day. I love jewelry.

21. I recently discovered a root pump mousse that works really well.

22. I have lived in 10 houses in the nine years we have been married. I lived in one house from first grade until I got married.

23. I love the beach. Everything about it. Even the sand all over everything.

24. I am dramatic. And I love that about myself.

25. I am an ice breaker for the Kingdom. Something I have come to really love about how the Lord made me. Knowing this has allowed me to let go of trying to be a peace maker.

There we go. 25 things. That was a lot harder than I thought it would be. What are yours?

-Tara        

5 Things About Me

Coffegirl Confessions posted on her blog about sharing 25 things about yourself. I was reading people's comments and thought it would be fun for us to share. If you are receiving this by e-mail, you will have to log onto my blog to leave a comment. Okay, here are the first five things about me. 

1. I commonly "shh" people when they are loud or annoying. It is a huge fault of mine, and a great annoyance to my loud husband. 

2. I am a gasper. If anything surprises me, I gasp loudly. 

3. I am an all or nothing person. I'm either all for it, or could care less.

4. I love food variety. I can't eat the same thing within at least three weeks of having eaten it before. Well, except pizza. I love pizza.

5. I have a secret desire to be a singer in a band. Still wondering what that's all about.

Your turn. Show me what you're made of!

-Tara 

Call to Arms Update

On March 13th I posted a Call to Arms about blessing others by hiring them in this time of recession. The Lord personally challenged me to employ as many people as I could. He did this in almost a teasing manner, as if to say, "Bet you can't hire faster than I can bless!" He showed me how I can be on the offensive in this time instead of the defensive. When all I do is focus on the negative, then I become defensive, trying to save up my money in an attempt at feeling secure. When I focus on the Lord's attack on the enemy (the offense), then I just want to use whatever resources I have to fight, by hiring those that the enemy is trying to discourage and destroy. Well, I have been hiring and the Lord has been blessing!!! Just a month ago when I wrote the Call to Arms I supported SOW, had a hair dresser, and was about to hire a mow and blow gardener. Now, I have employed:

1. A Landscaper, who had been laid off, that is ripping out wild bushes everywhere and planting flowers in addition to weekly maintenance. 
   
2. A housekeeper that comes every other week, even though she's pregnant.
3. A Hairdresser, who's clients are coming much less often than they used to.
4. My husband now goes to his hair dresser twice a month instead of once.
5. A Manicurist, who's house is in default.
6. A violin teacher, for both my daughters, that desperately needed to hear that she was worth the money she was asking.
7. SOW Women in Africa

Coming Soon: Guitar teacher for my husband and I, and a piano or voice teacher for my mom!

How are we affording this? I'm not quite sure!!! We sold one of our cars, because we felt the Lord wanted us to. We paid off a credit card, that happened to go out of business and therefore credited a third of what we owed them in order to settle their debts (the balance was the exact amount we got back from taxes! If that's not God, what is?) And every time we turn around things are either costing us less or we are receiving more money. 

Why am I telling you this? It is not to brag or boast! It is to say that God is real, He does work, and he doesn't lie. So when He says, "Give and it shall be given to you. Pressed down, shaken together, and running over," He means it! So go out there and bless someone! Every time you do, you defeat the enemies plan of destroying them in that moment!

Tara

Friends

I had a great day today! I met up with two different friends from my past. One that I hadn't seen in 4 years and one I hadn't seen in 13 years! They were both great visits and I am so glad to be connected with them again as I believe we will be good friends once more. I met with them each separately, but they happen to live about two blocks from each other, which made the double visit possible. It was a total God thing!

Recession or time of opportunity?

I thought I'd pass this podcast link along from Graham Cooke. The Lord has been doing much of this in our lives; getting us to see things through his eyes instead of the world's. It is so important to recognize the enemy, otherwise he just sneaks in and we don't even know we've been defeated.

Tara

More Desert Truth

 "I am not what I think I am. I am not what you think I am. I am what I think you think I am." 

All our lives, people and culture tell us who we are, and we believe them. We accept it and define ourselves by their labels... yet they are wrong. The Lord has a different definition of who we are, and it is the truth. 

The truth is, Jesus died for all our ugliness. He died for all our impurities, our pride, our shame, our malice, and our mistakes. It's done, settled, paid for, forgotten. They no longer exist. Therefore, all accounts of recollection are merely shadows, as all else in this world is that is outside of relationship. It is just another piece of unreality. It is a piece that lives on the wrong side of the cross, outside of the Kingdom. The Kingdom is on the right side of the cross. And there is no shame in the Kingdom. 

The Lord's opinion and His word are the truth, no matter how anyone else sees it. If the opinion is in contradiction to the Lord, then it is the one that is wrong, not God. So when we feel like we are something other than what the Lord says we are, we are the ones that are wrong. The Lord is truthful; he cannot lie. It is not in His nature.

The Lord's grace fills in all the holes to make us truly all these things He says we are. It takes all our lives and makes them a beautiful story of love and perfection, so that when we are weak, he is strong. Therefore, it glorifies Him all the more! We cannot go wrong!

We must choose to believe the truth, even when we don't feel it. The Lord has proven himself trustworthy.  

The Lord loves me intimately and personally. I am a beautiful person because of the Lord. No longer will I let the fall determine who I am. Now, I will let the cross determine it, and I will live in his grace.   

 

Presence

I have come to realize, that without the presence of the Lord, all is void and meaningless; with the presence of the Lord, just existing drips with meaning.