Prophetic voices

As the Father takes me through the fire, I often focus on the pain, on how hot the flame is, on how much it hurts to have things burned away, removed, changed, and how uncomfortable life is in the middle of it.

At times, the process is slow, like with these candles above; the steady flame of the Spirit glows brightly in us, not only providing light to dispel the darkness, but also beauty, in the early stages of our journey with the Lord.

Then the flame delves deeper into the heart of who we really are. The colors grow richer and deeper, but the burning begins to change our being, our very nature. His flame, like the flame of this candle, finally breaks through the hardness and we begin to melt, and the natural reaction is to try to contain the "mess", to keep the candle "together" somehow and not let it lose its shape.

We finally give up and let the melting unfold, declaring we'll clean it up once the flame has completed its work. It no longer looks beautiful and "together"; in fact, it's all over the place and we know will never be of "proper use" again as the candle it once was.

Suddenly, in the midst of the burning, melting, misshapen, gooey mess, a trickle of wax breaks free and begins to pour forth in a new place, a new shape, and form an entirely new thing.

I could not have planned, orchestrated, formed or forced the wax from this candle into the heart-shape you see in the above picture. In fact, when I finally noticed it pouring onto the black table, I got up to blow out the candle and was stopped in my tracks as the trickle of wax flowed perfectly into its new form, without my help. Isn't that the stunning picture of God's perfect work in our lives? His love burns away to the innmost parts and brings forth His flaming heart of love to go forth into a dark world that desperately needs to know and experience His transforming love!

Some winter tree shots from KC

I couldn't quite capture the sparkling trees...but here are some pretty ones!

"Taken" by toddlers!

The Lord has blessed me in the past couple of days with distant "encounters" with toddlers. I captured a couple in pictures...enjoying being in the presence of the Lord at services! :-)

Party time at IHOP

Fun times with my precious friend, Michelle!

It's so much fun to see the Lord continue to pour out His love, grace and mercy here in Kansas City!

So, the cat is out of the bag....

Well, I couldn't just show you the picture of the roses without letting you see the giver. This wonderful man's name is Paul Czaszewicz...yes, that's 3 'Zs" in that last name...and we are having a blast building our friendship.

The short story is that he found me on facebook in December...we knew each other at university 24 years ago, and have both landed in Kansas City! We both love Jesus and are putting Him first in everything!

you know it's been a long winter when....

....you are excited about the sunshine and you go outside in shorts and a t-shirt in 37 degrees F. weather and say, "Thank you Lord for spring!"

Yesterday afternoon, I came home and the sun was STREAMING in my sliding glass door window and so I made myself a sandwich and turned my chair toward the sun and pretended to be a cat! :-) I actually fell asleep in that chair in the sunshine. The warmth flowed through me and every muscle relaxed in the gentle grip of the sun's rays.

Ah, that this would be a constant reality in our relationships with the Son!

Roses....my first ever for Valentines Day!

Aren't these gorgeous! :))))

Friends are the greatest!

I'm beginning to understand more and more each day what God means about friendships. He's a good, patient, loving God who desires to see us walk in His freedom and in good, healthy relationships with each other. I love freedom in friendships...freedom to BE who God has created each of us to be and to love one another as God gives opportunity!

The more healing God does in me, the freer my friendships and relationships become because the junk inside has been taken to the cross and left there, replaced by the sweet healing blood of Jesus and the fullness of the Holy Spirit! His perfect love truly does cast out all fear!

Winter images

My neighbor's tree.

In my front yard.

On the deck out back.


My reading chair on the front deck.


Toby, venturing out onto the front deck.

Biting winds greeted me this morning as I stepped out of my car to go workout at the YMCA. So, I decided it was high time to share a couple of winter pictures.

Yet another blessing!

Two weeks ago, I arrived at New Hope Church where I am serving on Tuesday nights as an assistant leader for Pure Heart, a Christian inner healing ministry. I myself went through the eight-week course in the Fall as part of Intro to IHOP.

Much to my surprise, a young lady there who is also serving as a leader, said she lived in Hungary for 6 years!!! So of course I broke into speaking Hungarian, and with delight, she could understand, but since her latter years before returning to the U.S. have been spent speaking Russian while living in Ukraine, she could not respond in Hungarian!

"That's ok!" I declared, I'll just talk to you and you can answer me in English!

So as we are all saying goodbye to each other in the parking lot that evening, I yell out to this young lady, "Jo eszakat, edesem!" I hear an audible, "AWWWW!"

How much fun to see my worlds colliding once again in such a precious way!

No DUH!

I read with interest this article below. My first response was, "No Duh!" God's been teaching abstinence since the beginning of time; we've just chosen to ignore it. How true there really is nothing new under the sun!

Groundbreaking Study Proves Abstinence Education Works

News Release (February 3, 2010)

"Abstinence programs show kids there are too many great things riding on their future to risk it to STDs, pregnancy and broken hearts. Abstinence is a message our kids want to hear…"

(Sioux Falls, SD)—A new study released today shows that abstinence education is highly effective in reducing sexual activity among youth. It also showed contraceptive sex ed programs to be ineffective.

The decrease is noteworthy; the study followed students a full two years after completion of the abstinence class. One third of students showed a decrease in sexual activity, compared with those who didn't participate in the class. Whereas, condom-promoting programs didn't affect youth behavior at all. Students in these programs showed no reduction in sexual activity and no increase in contraceptive use. (Photo by: Israel Papillon)

"Finally, a study that proves what those of us who have been teaching abstinence have known for years. These programs help develop self control and self esteem, teaching kids they do not need to fall prey to the game of Russian Roulette with condoms," said Leslee Unruh, President and Founder of the National Abstinence Clearinghouse. "Abstinence programs show kids there are too many great things riding on their future to risk it to STDs, pregnancy and broken hearts. Abstinence is a message our kids want to hear—this study shows youth are making healthier choices and changing their behavior in response to this refreshing message," Unruh said.

The study, involving black middle-school students, appears in the February 2010 Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, published by the American Medical Association. It was compiled and released by Drs. John and Loretta Jemmott from the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Geoffrey Fong from the University of Waterloo and the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research in Waterloo, Ontario.

This study utilized state-of-the-art evaluation techniques, using random assignment. For more information about this study and its design, click here.

Source: Abstinence Clearinghouse

Party with fiery women of God!

I am so incredibly blessed with new people in my life that the Lord continues to bring! In the third picture (just above) on the far right side, is my dear friend, Linda Valen. Linda served as Jill Austin's personal assistant for 15 years, and just happens to live about 3 minutes from me here in Kansas City!

Linda hosted a party of firey women of God, all of whom love Jesus passionately and want to grow closer to Him and see people set free in their walks with the Lord! We shared lots of laughter, great food, wonderful fellowship, powerful worship and prayer time and touches from the Holy Spirit! I continue to stand amazed by the Lord's goodness in folding me into various people's lives and blessing me beyond my wildest imagination!

Quote from "With God in Solitary Confinement"

I just ordered this book from which this quotation comes. Can't wait to delve in!

"Have those who thought out these theological systems and wrote them down in such perfect order ever carried a cross?" He went on. "A man cannot think systematically even when he has a bad toothache. How can a man who is carrying a cross think systematically? But a Christian has to be more than the bearer of a heavy cross; he shares Christ's crucifixion. The pains of Christ are his, and the pains of all creation. There is no grief and no suffering in the whole world which should not grieve him also. If a man is crucified with Christ, how can he think systematically? Can there be that kind of thought on a cross?
Jesus Himself thought unsystematically on the cross. He began with forgiveness; He spoke of a paradise in which even a robber had a place; then He despaired that perhaps there might be no place in paradise even for Him, the Son of God. He felt Himself forsaken. His thirst was so unbearable that He asked for water. Then He surrendered His spirit into His Father's hand. But there followed no serenity, only a loud cry. Thank you for what you have been trying to teach me. I have the impression that you were only repeating, without much conviction, what others have taught you." (Pp. 120-123 in With God in Solitary Confinement by Richard Wurmbrand)

I cannot help but think and believe with every fiber of my being that this awakening that the Lord started here in Kansas City on November 11, 2009, which is spreading across the globe, where people's hearts are being set free, bodies are being healed, Salvations are happening, and Jesus is being glorified through it all, is a great preparation for what the Bride of Christ must be ready to face. We in the West need to be broken in the way this man, Richard Wurmbrand and many others like him, have been broken, so that we too can embrace a non-systematic theology that has as its sole passion intimacy with Jesus.