Lady in waiting.

the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom

but do not overlook this fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. [[the Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise]] as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
but the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved and the earth and the works that are done with it will be exposed.
since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness,
[waiting and hastening the coming of the day of God]
>>therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by Him without spot or blemish, and at peace. <<

therefore encourage one another and build one another up.
be at peace among yourselves.
admonish the idle.
encourage the fainthearted.
help the weak.
be patient with them all.
rejoice always.
pray without ceasing.
give thanks in all circumstances.
do not quench the Spirit.

[He who calls you is faithful].

[[do not grow weary in your waiting]].
there is purpose in it.
our hopes are patiently, expectantly waited for, because our faith creates the proof and ability to spiritually see that which hasn't come to fruition yet.

because of faith, my hope is expectation.
of promises yet fulfilled.

the Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!'

advent//the heart of it all [[the stump, the Branch and the fruit]].

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
    and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
    the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
    the Spirit of counsel and might,
    the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
    or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
    and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
    and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
    and faithfulness the belt of his loins…

In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious…

You will say in that day:
“I will give thanks to you, O Lord,
    for though you were angry with me,
your anger turned away,
    that you might comfort me.   “Behold, God is my salvation;
    I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the Lord God is my strength and my song,
    and he has become my salvation.”

          

[[With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation]].

 And you will say in that day:

“Give thanks to the Lord,
    call upon his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples,
    proclaim that his name is exalted.

 “Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;
    let this be made known in all the earth.
Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
    for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”     (Isaiah 11:1-5;10 & 12:1-6)

Advent// [in the waiting].

the stillness.
if we still ourselves long enough to find ourselves in it,,
the truth is exposed.
there's a longing.
there's a need.

in a world of chaos,
who even knows how to be still?

"be still my heart".

how?

in a world of noise.
who even knows how to hear?

that "still, small voice".

in the stillness.
we all know.
we're desperate.
and in need.

but we busy ourselves, and surround ourselves, and bombard ourselves.
so the eroding and screaming of our souls is buried and masked.
and our hearts become numb.
dull.
because who wants to feel that anyways?
the brokenness.
the hunger.


and so a time designated to pause.
to reflect.
to recognize.
our waiting.

advent [ˈædvɛnt -vənt]n an arrival or coming, especially of something extremely important and of one which is awaited.

but how can we wait,
for One we don't even realize our need for?
how can we wait,
for One we're too busy to even recognize?
how can we wait,
for One we're too numb to even feel?


so this season.
[[let us position ourselves purposefully.
intentionally.
diligently.]]

that in our stillness.
we would watch.
we would wait.

lest it become all about presents instead of His presence.
lest it become all about our getting instead of His giving.
lest it become all about us and not at all about Him.

lest we miss it all entirely.

and be like those who were too blind, and busy, and numb to recognize
the very One they were waiting for.

the promised One,
the needed One,, the God-man.
fleshed out; living and breathing among them.
being as nothing,
the form of a servant,
born in the likeness of men.
humbled and obedient.
to the point of death.
even death on a cross.


all so His scandalous love would be known.

and the prophecy fulfilled,

"He sent redemption to His people"... (Psalm 111:9).



because the Awaited One is here.
and we're called to wait for His return.
and in our advent,
let's not miss Him.

enter in.

i am a lover of His presence.
and my heart resonates so deeply with the Psalmist,, that one day in His courts truly is better than a thousand days elsewhere.
and those moments of His manifest presence refresh the soul.
and i see His face so clearly.
and i hear His voice so loudly.
and i'm unshaken in my identity. unwavering in my calling.
and so complete and satisfied in His unfailing love.

and then there are the moments,,
when --i just cant seem to enter in--. 
and i hate it.
and i fight it.
and i cry out for more.

and i know that He uses these moments
to stir up my [[hunger]].

but i also know that i house the very Shekinah glory of God.
i am the place in which He abides.
i am now the Tabernacle where the Holy of Holies used to physically reside.
i am the temple.
and God's Spirit lives in me.

so i never have to experience a day outside of the courts of my God.
i never have to go a moment without His presence.

and in those moments when i cannot seem to enter in,,
this is what He's shown

[[Enter His gates with thanksgiving;
go into His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him and praise His name]].   (Psalm 100:4)


Because it's not about feeling Him.
its about believing Him.
and its not about experiencing Him.
its about following Him.
and when our heart is undefiled and our motives pure,, He loves to manifest His glory and His Kingdom and the feelings and experiences do come.

but He Himself shows us how to enter in.
not with an experience or fleshly excitement that burns for a while and then dies,,
but
with [[thanksgiving and praise]].
even when you don't "feel" anything.


so i encourage you,
[to enter in].
give thanks.
praise His name.
and abide.
through continual thanksgiving on your heart and lips.

and you'll be amazed at how constant and thick His presence is.
and how sensitively aware of Him you are.
because we have 24/7 access.
and He's shown us how to come.

tuesday mornings.

A normal Tuesday morning.
became suddenly not so
"normal",, because of a little "just because"
and man who pursues my heart endlessly.

and i'm reminded of the One who ceaselessly pursues and woos to win my heart. who always sees and always remembers.
the One who is my constant Pursuer.
the One whose love never fades or grows dull.

and i'm thankful for my husband.
because he shows me my True Husband.

"I found him whom my soul loves.
I held him, and would not let him go..." Song of Solomon 3:4

may your eyes be opened to how He's pursuing you today.
may you hear His voice singing over you.
may you know how you ravish His heart.

may today not be so "normal"..
because there's nothing normal about this kind of Love.

Light up the world//WorshipMob

here's some Holy Spirit goodness/worship inspiration for your rainy Saturday afternoon. :)

photo-synthesis. [[sparkly mornings]].

This week’s  Swallowed up in Light  photo.

The moments when we awaken early to find the world silently decorated,,
crystal encrusted.
and we're awakened to the reality that
He is moving,
things are shifting,
seasons are changing,
even when we aren't looking.
and we all need to stop. and we all need to gaze.
because soon it will melt as the sun outstretches its rays.

the core. [[identity]].

 “the spirit of religiosity is being more concerned with what we look like than who we are.”
                                                        [quote from Father of Lights]


[[You desire truth in the inward parts]]   
                                                     (psalm 51:6)
 

be encouraged today that its not about externals.
it’s not about behavior modification.
it’s not about the way we portray ourselves or try to make ourselves out to be.
it’s not about anything we can do.
 
it’s all about the heart.
the motives. the thoughts. the secret, inward parts.
where He sees. And where He desires His truth to reside.
 
it’s not at all about us,
and it’s all about the God-man.
and the identity He’s restored.
and the sins He’s not merely covered, but taken away.


because He changes and cleanses and purifies the core and the roots.
filling them with righteousness.
newness.
so the fruit born naturally follows.

“the believer is not called to live a life but to receive a life that, when yielded to, will live itself”
                                        [Such a Great Salvation—Mike Petzer]]

 

“thank God, we are not called to live what we are not. God does not desire our best attempt at an imitation or impersonation of Jesus. we are not called to live a pretense of greatness. We are called to become outwardly what we are already, inwardly, by Christ’s free gift. Christian growth is becoming in our experience what we are already by gift in our inner nature. We are called to yield to the life of the only One who knows how to truly live like Himself. He is in you. Just as Paul makes it clear when he says, ‘but we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves;’ (2 Cor. 4:7)
‘For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.’
Jesus is the fullness of God’s grace given to men. There is not another grace available outside of the person of Jesus and all the grace that has been given in Jesus is more than enough to cover every need of man multiple times over and over again. [[This grace is God’s ability to reproduce Himself in us who believe.]]”
                                                                                         -mike petzer

So be free and be yielded  to the Giver of new life and of new hearts. the Initiator and Perfecter of our faith.

and be changed.
in the deepest, most hidden places of our hearts.

let’s drop the pretenses, appearances, and outward shows.

and be absolutely wrapped up in actually allowing Him to live His life in us.

because our righteousness is in Him alone.
and His blood and resurrection accomplished enough.
there’s no need to pretend or strive, or “look good”.

we can actually be made new.
and just like Adam before the fall, the only man without a past or record of achievements,
now in Christ we are fully pleasing to the Father.
because of WHO we are.
and not what we have or haven’t done.

it’s all about identity.

let’s become consumed with that.

Autumn life.

[He is the initiator of change].

from the colors of the leaves,.

to the seasons of our lives,.

 And through it all,,
One thing remains.


[He is always the same].







 

my little photography,,morning walk buddy.

And a little pumpkin spice to celebrate:)

photo-synthesis// family

We would do well to slow down a little,, focus on the significant and truly see the things that matter most.
                                                                          -Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Every generation must stand on the shoulders of the previous generation and reach higher.
                      -Augustine







So thankful for our lovely friend,, Alyssa Trainor and ATP Studio LLC for taking our family photos!