27 February 2015 Life Rings

Life Rings

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She firmly held a flaming torch. I could not see her face. Her head was hidden in a low cloud cover. But she had lowered her arm so the light would still shine.

Statue of LibertyI saw this image of the Statue of Liberty during a prayer time. A small group of my friends had gathered to ask God for encouragement, instruction or discernment. We spent time listening for single words, phrases, a symbolic picture, an impression, a Scripture brought to remembrance…there are many ways that God speaks.

Seeing the iconic effigy of freedom that way was curious. I pondered it for a while. Her head could symbolize our human minds—even our best thinking can get clouded. But her torch, the divine spark of freedom and equality, had not gone out though our country is experiencing difficult times.

BonoBono of U2 admonished students at Georgetown University to keep faith with the idea of America…“One of the greatest ideas of human history, right up there with the Renaissance. Right up there with crop rotation or the Beatles’ White Album.” He wasn’t really joking. He spoke reverently about the idea of equality, justice, the pursuit of happiness, and dignity. USA Constitution Parchment“This country,” he said, “was the first to claw its way out of darkness and put that on paper.” And I believe it was a God-given idea.

There is no other explanation.

So why would God show me an altered image of the Statue of Liberty compared to its present victorious stance on Ellis Island? Continue reading

Filed Under: 2015, Experiencing God, Prophetic Words Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
13 November 2014 The Type E Person

The Type E Person

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cheese puff backgroundI have a weakness for Cheetos. I admit it. I think about them in the grocery aisle. Sometimes I hide them in my pantry when others come snacking. I notice if anyone’s eaten more than his or her fair share. I’m a Cheetos aficionado, but it’s not a dangerous obsession. Yet.

Far more perilous are the mindsets that remain hidden and “run” my life. What’s insidious about these deeply held ideas is that they’re good things—things woven into the fabric of what it means to follow Jesus. It sounds like this…

“Do all the good you can…by all the means you can…in all the ways you can…in all the places you can…to all the people you can…as long as ever you can.”   —John Wesley

I embraced that sort of mantra down to the core of my being—even as a young girl— because it seemed good and right and true. But application is everything.

photo-4Just a few days ago, I realized that the only Beatles song I ever purchased was Eleanor Rigby. It struck me. What a sad song, about sad people, living sad lives.

“All the lonely people, where do they all come from?

All the lonely people, where do they all belong?”

I cared. I worried. I tried to help and serve the marginalized, the rejected, the lonely, the troubled ones, the brokenhearted, the welfare mom, the elderly, the homeless, the kid in my high school who was persecuted for being a narc.

Drunk woman with glassI can remember weeping at frat parties in college because so many kids were destroying themselves with alcohol, drugs and promiscuity. Crazy I know. Who does that? This acute awareness of others felt like wearing high-definition glasses. I saw too much.

Go the extra mile.Over the years, my “do-all-you-can” thinking was reinforced through Scripture, preaching, books, and even trusted people I admired. The title of Oswald Chambers’ devotional, My Utmost For His Highest, just about summed it up.

The enemy is treacherous, because he will take good things and make them more important than God, while convincing you that it’s all for God.

So The One who loves me had to paint a dramatic picture of what was happening to me. Continue reading

Filed Under: 2014, God's design, Hearing God's Voice Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
9 October 2014 Why God Uses Children

Why God Uses Children

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Akiane's angel, drawn when Akiane was four years old

Akiane’s angel, drawn when Akiane was four years old

“Today I met God,” (A four-year-old girl whispered to her mother one morning).

“What is God?” (The atheist mother was stunned.)

“God is light—warm and good. It knows everything and talks with me. It is my parent.”

“Tell me more about your dream.” (The mother felt concerned. To her the word, “God,” sounded absurd and primitive.)

“It was not a dream. It was real!”

“Why did you think it was God?”

“Just like I know you are my mommy, and you know I am Akiane.”[1]

Oprah's favorite Akiane painting, "The Planted Eyes." Painted when Akiane was eight years old.

Oprah’s favorite, “The Planted Eyes,” was painted when Akiane was eight years old.

* * * * *

Akiane was born in a shack in Illinois, into an impoverished Lithuanian family. Her name means “Ocean” in Russian. In her childhood, she became a world-renown artist with paintings that sold for $100,000. Also honored as a celebrated poet, she appeared on Oprah’s show. All this by age ten.

Akiane with her brother

Akiane with her brother

She had no formal art training and was homeschooled. Growing up, her brothers were her only friends. The family didn’t own a TV. Her parents were atheists and never talked about religion. How did she find out?

From God, Himself!

When Akiane was ten, The Museum of Religious Art in Iowa invited her to have an exhibition that her mother later said, “proved to be an unforgettable event.”

Questions from viewers came at her from all directions:

“‘What church do you belong to? What denomination?’ someone from the crowd asked loudly.

‘I belong to God,” Akiane responded.Continue reading

Filed Under: 2014, Experiencing God, Signs of the Times Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,
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