Echoes From Zion

My Dad sent me a friend request on Facebook recently. I looked down on my phone and saw my Dad's name followed by the words, 'wants to be friends.' I gladly accepted. As I accepted his friend request, my heart was drawn into something I've been pondering lately - Friendship with my Father. It's amazing how friendship with my parents has happened. I can't tell you when it exactly happened, but somewhere along the way I became friends with my parents and not just a daughter. In fact, I don't call my parents because I have to...I really want to check on them, share my feelings with them, and just tell them about the mundane things of my day. Why? Because we're friends. Just yesterday I called my mom to see how her day was going. As I hung up the phone with her I thought about my teen years - back when I was much smarter than she was and couldn't stand it when she wanted to know every little detail of my day, let alone my Life! As my mind wandered back

Sometimes when I sit down to ask the Lord a question, he directs me to past journal entries. That's exactly what Papa did to me a few minutes ago...I was searching for an entry about abiding when I came across this one without even intending to do so. And wow- I'm so glad I did. Belows is a journal entry from September 23, 2011. I pray it blesses you as it did me all over again!   Jesus, thank you for being that servant, the very one Isaiah sadi would come. I am amazed at the accuracy of the prophecies! How you fulfilled them Lord! Oh, thank you that you came with the Spirit of god upon you. Thank you that you walked in wisdom and knowledge of things too great for us to understand. Thank you, that you were willing to be humbled, humiliated, ridiculed and beaten to the point of being unrecognizable. It’s cruel. I am sorry for you and yet, so thankful to you. I believe you have brought me freedom from prison! You have opened my eyes! Beloved! I love you. Thank you for

This morning I was reviewing something the Lord has said to me on more than one occasion: learn on the fly. The first time He spoke this to me was in July of 2010. That journal entry is posted below. Our conversation began with me seeing a picture of Jesus walking quickly uphill. He was teaching as he walked, with that beautiful smile on his face, but you could tell his disciples were trying to keep up with his pace. I saw myself then, trying to keep up as well. It was such a strange picture that I even questioned if I was seeing correctly. Then, and this may sound even stranger, I saw a picture I had seen a few times before: me seated at a finely dressed table...and Jesus serving me his heart. It's not a gory image, but it's as if Jesus presents his heart to me, his very all for me to feast upon and enjoy. As always, the Lord brought such revelation to my heart as I spoke with Him about these two pictures and how they worked together. He began to explain to me that I must

Ps 20:1-7 May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble; May the name of the God of Jacob defend you; 2 May He send you help from the sanctuary, and strengthen you out of Zion; 3 May He remember all your offerings, and accept your burnt sacrifice.  Selah 4 May He grant you according to your heart's desire, and fulfill all your purpose. 5 We will rejoice in your salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners! May the Lord fulfill all your petitions. 6 Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand. 7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. Commentaries say that this scripture was most likely one that the Hebrew people prayed for their king before he went into battle. The Bible Exposition Commentary says, "Before the army went out to battle, the Jewish law of warfare required the officers and soldiers first to dedicate the

So, I got a phone call a couple days ago. I didn't recognize the number at all but being the nice person I am, I cheerfully answered, 'hello.' What I heard in response, though, wasn't what I expected. Instead of a responsive, 'Hello to you,' I heard someone speaking Spanish on the other line. I stood there kind of stunned and finally said, 'I don't speak Spanish' in clear English, and apologizing, I hung up the phone. I knew it was stupid to speak in English to someone who doesn't speak English...but what else could I do? I don't speak Spanish.  Now, I took French in High School for a couple years. And with all of the cassette tapes we listened to and the VHS tapes we watched of funny little French teens speaking in their berets, I still only know just enough French to make me sound like an idiot. I can understand some words in French and speak some sentences but they're usually ones that have no benefit to real life -  sentences such a

I was a messy child. From my bedroom to my desk at school, I was plain messy. No matter what my parents did to get me to keep things neat and tidy, it just never happened. Mom and Dad, if you're reading this...I'll admit it: You did your best but I was inevitably messy. Heck, my teachers kept me in at recess sometimes to clean my desk. My parents grounded me until my room was clean. But try as I may, I always ran into the same problem: the mess was too much for me. 9 times out of 10, when told to clean my messy room, I would walk in and see the mess and just become completely overwhelmed. I would then walk right back out with my hands raised in surrender to welcome my punishment. But my parents would not accept defeat. They would simply make me march right back into the room and stay there until it was clean. Here is where I would run into another problem - instead of remaining overwhelmed at the task before me, I would sit down in the middle of the mess and play! As I pi

If there's any disciple that gets a bad rap it's Thomas. I mean, how would you like to be know as Doubting Desiree or Doubting Tom, Dick, or Harry? Not exactly the title we'd want to be known as. I'm sure when we get to heaven, Thomas will say, 'Okay! Let's just address ONE thing right now: My name is not DOUBTING Thomas! I mean, I was a MARTYR for goodness sake!' In all honesty, I love Thomas'...well... honesty! In John 14, he's the only dude to break the silence and say to Jesus, 'we have no idea what you're talking about' (vs 4-5)! Like the other guys weren't thinking the same thing. It's real easy for us to criticize him for his doubt or Peter for his 'foot in mouth' disease, saying 'tsk, tsk!' as we read their stories. But every single person can identify on some level with their humanity and weakness. Weakness and humanity is not a bad thing. It's when we try to work and reason within our human weakn

Okay, so I don't mean DEEP like you're thinking! :) I find that the most simplest of truths are deep in nature. But this one is both simple and deep. I was journaling about humility and I simply asked the Lord this: Do I have a humble spirit? What is humility, child? Well, I’d say it You: willing to take the low seat, to serve...but still so strong in character. It’s not weakness…it’s preferring others in true love, in serving them from the nature of the heart and not duty. You have answered well, child. And speaking of well…look at this well.( I see me and Jesus at a well! ) Its depths are truly deep, are they not? They are, Lord. I can see deep down into darkness. Now I see Jesus and me on a rope, descending deep inside the well with spelunking lights on our heads and flashlights and picks in our hands. Where are we going, Lord? I want to show you the depths of humility, child. It is linked into the heart of a man, in the well of the spirit. It

So I was praying and journaling with God today, asking him to show me any attitudes in me, whether good or bad, that effect me. The Lord began to show me that weariness can be an attitude that creeps up in me. Most ministers can heartily agree with me that weariness can suddenly hit you. The Lord showed me something, however, that really opened my eyes today:                                                                                                                   Weariness feels overwhelming and depressing, a ‘hands hanging down’ kind of feeling, Lord. It can come all at once sometimes. It is connected to your disappointment , child. This can be the attitude, the source of the weariness. I can see that. HOPE must be the answer…cause HOPE doesn’t disappoint J And child, I AM hope! I am your hope. I am hope at all times. I know the plans I have for you…the appointments, if you will…so I cannot be dis-appointed…and neither can you. You will reach the appointment. You

Most Believers can quote John 14:1-3,   “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.   3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." How many songs have been writen about this passage? How many prayers of comfort in the time of loss? Everyone is looking for heaven! I am amazed at how many hymns in my hymnbook talk about 'these many mansions' that Jesus has built. If we were to ask, according to this passage, 'Where has Jesus gone & where are we going?' most everyone would say, 'to heaven! Jesus has prepared a place for us.' And while this is true, I believe this passage shows us that streets of gold and mansions are not His destination nor is it ours. Keep reading:  " 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will

The Birth The womb is darkness The blackest of night. But here in this ethereal void something springs forth from nothing. Visible from the unexisting, Dawning from the pitch. The seed of light implanted. The hope of life takes form. Something new is beginning. A creation never before seen, but all seeing eyes and stars alone observe it. Soon, the waters part and new life emerges, a baptism of earth and sky reborn, as up from the watery grave the clay arises. To windows still draped in heavy sleep, no sun yet shines. But the winds soon stir & the light gives life as face to face clay and Creator collide. An exchange of atmospheres is made - one breath to another, one soul spilled forth for man - until at last, the lifeless clay gasps it's infant breath, filling up the lungs with heavens winds.   The new birth has come. All is light and breath and life as dawn to dawn circles on and