There are certain cycles of behavior in my life that I am continually repeating. The biggest one is trying to control my time. The world is screaming about efficiency and productivity. My human need to control everything in my world grabs onto it.

It starts with one little thing. First, it’s a simple plan for the day. That plan then begins to grow, and I turn it into a to-do list. That to-do list turns into a schedule so I can make sure I get everything done on time. I look around, and I see more things I am not getting around to that I wish I could, and so I add to my plate until it’s overflowing. Before I know it, I’m staring at a day without enough time in it, a pile of things I can’t get to, and I’m living in a stressed and frazzled state of hurry and rush and pressure. My failed plan tells me that I am not enough. I don’t do enough. I’m a failure. I’m a mess. I’m a bad wife, mother, grandmother, friend…

This is an image that God gave me about 10 years ago. It is a picture of what we would find in America, spiritually and relationally. A dry desertscape. 

Yet God has sent us, all of us, equipped with His Spirit, flowing from us like water on a thirsty ground. To bring life, hope and healing.

September 8th Dr Michael Heiser was with us and shared two sessions with us.

1. Cosmic Geography and 2. The Two Powers in Heaven

I have been speaking recently about the Kingdom of Heaven, and the Throne that Jesus sits on. 

Alyssa Wyatt drew a great picture of the Throne Room in Heaven, I just had to share it with everyone:

Ephesians 2:4-6 (ESV) "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,"

Thanks Alyssa!

Have you ever run out of prayer words? Have you ever been so desperate, been in such pain for so long, that you just have no more words? Have you ever just gotten past the point of being able to pray the same desperate prayer again, sick of hearing your own words? …I have! 

It almost seems like a necessary place to get to.

I’d like to explain why.

Rom 8:19-23

“19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.”

All of creation is waiting for “God’s Sons” to be revealed. That means all the galaxies, all animals, the demons, the angels, every spiritual principality, and power; they are all waiting.
So then who are these “Sons of God” that everything, and everyone, is waiting for?

The spiritual principality and powers are also called “The Sons of God” right throughout scripture. We see them popping up in God’s counsel in Job 1. They are sometimes called the Hosts of Heaven or God’s Holy Ones, Jude 1:14.

REM's classic Losing My Religion is a pretty fascinating song:
"That's me in the corner, that's me in the spotlight, losing my religion."

Ben Gibbard wrote the song Follow You Into The Dark with his band Death Cab For Cutie. In the song he speaks of an experience under the discipline of a Catholic nun:
"In Catholic school as vicious as Roman rule
I got my knuckles bruised by a lady in black
And I held my tongue as she told me,
Son, fear is the heart of love, so I never went back"

That's Ben in the corner, that's Ben in the spotlight, losing his religion. 

Onward Now

By Barry G. White

In the throes of another day

What is it that you cannot say

Have you really considered the trees?

They dance so gently through the breeze

Winds may blow with ferocious sound

Yet there they are planted in the ground

Into Me

By Barry G. White

I am but an empty cup

 Poured out in the hope of filling up

Fragrant aroma begins to steep

The fullness I simply long to keep

Hello Dear Friends!

Here we are in Launceston, Tasmania! What a whirlwind! We left the USA on 

Dec. 30^th, and arrived in Melbourne on Jan. 1^st.  We flew over the international dateline, missing New Year’s Eve (I have been insisting that we are just staying the same age for another year, but Russ isn’t buying into it).

Tomorrow is Feb. 1^st (my birthday…which we are skipping due to aforementioned miracle) and in one month we have:

• Purchased a car

• Had time with (and said good-bye to) our Melbourne kids & grandkids

• Opened bank accounts
• Got insurance
• Moved to Launceston
• Met lots of new people (like Roger the postman & Wayne the violinist)
• Found a house, after looking at many
• Got approval from the bank to loan us some $$$ to buy the house!!!
• Began meeting with the core team for Redemption Hills Church

• Have begun purchasing the “stuff” we need to meet on Sundays

•  

  Got our initial website up and running (www.redemptionhills.church)

• Cried a few tears

• Laughed a lot with Tim and Kate Oliver
• Done a few community activities here in Launceston

• Gone on a couple of scenic drives   etc… etc… etc

Is your heart tender? Or do you guard it well with lots of barriers to keep it from being hurt? Jesus had a tender heart. He was full of compassion and love for the crowds that gathered around Him. When He was grieving for His cousin John’s death, He did go to a desolate place alone to grieve, but when the crowds came, He did not send them away. He knew they were like sheep without a shepherd, hurting, broken, and yes, even hungry.  His tender heart, sore from grieving John’s death, was still willing to care for others who needed His compassionate and healing hand. There was no guarding of His heart. He let it be tender and vulnerable, even to the point of allowing His own people to reject Him, spit on Him, hand Him over to be crucified.  He felt it all and it must have been so very painful.

 All of us, at one time or another, will face grief and sorrow in our lives.  We will mourn and be sad, but we must not stay there.  So often we want to make it so we never have to feel that kind of pain again, and we build walls in our heart to guard us from more hurt.  But sadly we only end up isolating ourselves, as our hearts become hard and impenetrable. People around us who need our true, caring love don’t receive it because we don’t want to let them in all the way. We are guarding our hearts, not letting them be tender toward those who need our compassion.  Fear controls us rather than letting Jesus love people through our tender, vulnerable hearts.