Jonah and the Whale

Are you running from God?

Are you too busy with your own life 

to wonder if it is what God wants? 

Are you avoiding another path because it doesn't sound easy?

We run around like hamsters on a wheel going and going, but where?

Is what we are doing really making us better and stronger people? 

Is it something that will last? 

God has something everlasting that will give you s strength and peace. 

It may require you to go a different direction. 

It may require you to slow down, be quiet and listen. 

I know that's inconvenient at times, but in the end it is what's best. 

We are in quarantine now. No more excuses. Sit. Be Still. Listen. 

What do you hear? Your own conscious? 

Say His name, yes... that name... "Jesus". 

The world seems to cringe at the sound of it. 

Just try saying it. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. 

Be still, listen, hear, trust... and obey. Yes, obey. 

This is where you may squirm away. 

If you want to squirm, read the story of Jonah. 

He squirmed. He loved God. 

He was willing to DIE for Him. He offered over and over to die for Him. 

But when asked to LIVE for God, He squirmed. He ran and tried to hide. 

God loved Noah enough to grab him and sweep him away to solitude so that he had no choice but to listen. Has that happened to you? Maybe God is trying to sweep you away to talk to you. 

Quit squirming like a toddler worm and listen. Be still. Your life depends on it. 

Your life can have purpose. You can have a great commission. 

You can have everlasting treasures beyond the reach of rust, moths and thieves (Matthew 6:19-20). 

Sticker Burrs & Boken Blue Egg

Woke a little early to work outside. I'm working on getting rid of these spotted clover patches I found. They look harmless, green and kinda sweet. But looks can be deceiving. Upon closer inspection, I see a green little, sticky ball inside this patch. 

The key to maintaining a lively & productive garden, I'm slowly learning, is to identify the good and bad. Leave the good, kill the bad. Knowing is the first step in this battle. I know the truth about those little green balls. I know what it intends to do. It will get in Todd Quinton Morgan 's socks this Summer after mowing, it will get in our garden, it will choke the beauty from our flowers. It will cause pain. I want it gone for Easter so we can celebrate new life. While picking up these burr patches, I started to feel defeated. I can never do all this alone. There's too much here. If I leave just a little on accident it will all come back! Ive already filled a washtub. How much is left? 

Just then, I found a blue broken Robin's egg. Never seen one. I realized what God was speaking to me at this point...

 A reoccurring theme has been circling my walk with Christ over the last 7 years. The theme is "thorns". They were what my late husband, Shannon Seaton, spent his last hours removing from our home. He held armor for it across his chest when he left. Coincidence? No. Message? Yes. I believe this was his last message to me, his family and everyone. "Rid the weeds". In Genesis 3:18, God purposely put weeds on the earth because of our sins. Before that, food grew from the Earth with no labor. Ever since then we had to labor to live. Is we do not uproot the thistle from the ground, it will come back. There is no quick easy way other than pulling it up. I know because before the day Shannon left, he tried every method. He resorted to hands and knees. Hands and knees will rid the weeds. It's a humbling experience that is guaranteed to relieve the pull of the thistle. God says, in Hebrew 12, to run the race of life with perseverance, being careful to not let the snares at our feet entangle us. Lots of us are running with Christ. Thorns still exist on our journey. But if we catch them before they brown & harden, the roots are weaker and the pull is less painful. In all this struggle to get out what slows us down from our walk it can seem as though we will never win. We won't. There's too much of it. We've filled our buckets. If we left any out there, It will just grow back... right? This is False news. Good true NewS!! Easter is here! Something happened. Someone is here in your garden to get rid off all that sticker bur, He's gonna pull it ALL out. He's gonna make it new and beautiful! He's been sitting in the garden the entire time. He was just waiting for you to notice the blue broken egg laying there. Notice the tomb cracked open and laying empty. This is for real!!! Celebrate the end of the thorns! The crown of thorns is replaced with a crown of beauty. God can s look weak to you too. Open your eyes and ears. Go be alone with Him somewhere. Ask Him to help you garden. Ask Him to sit on the porch. ASK him to go on a walk. ASK Him to dance silly with you. Ask Him to come into your pain and pull out the weeds in your heart. Ask Him to soften the soil in your hearts so that love can grow again. Ask Him. He is there. He is alive. I know.

Life before and after Christ. 

Working gloves with sticker bur on them. 

Naked hands with no shame because He defeated death. The tomb is empty. 

Be You

It can be hard to know who you are. It's a struggle for my middle school kids and even adults. You know what you like and what you don't like about you. When you find out that YOU are the only ONE that can control who YOU are... it gets pretty easy. Growing up I knew I there were not a lot of people i could identify with. So i had to take pieces of people to model who i wanted to become. I was an observer of people all around me, picking and choosing aspects I desired for myself. I think this deep desire to find myself grew me closer to my Creator . As I grew, I tried to take on characteristics of people I admired to find out who I was, or who I wanted to be.

That is me now.

I am a piece of my 2nd grade teacher, Ms. Raines, sincerely seeking talent and goodness in people I meet. I encourage them in what I see to go forward without fear.

I am Connie Anderson, with my ideas floating all around my art room, inventing new ways of producing beauty like a mad art scientist. I create without apology, independent and strong. I listen to my music freely (hers was KT Oslin) in my car and let it drive me.

I am My Mom, a thrifty woman unafraid to tell a total stranger about Christ.

I am Mrs. Stansle, sharing Christ to my kids friends when they come to our home. Because as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. I am wise and full of advice.

I am Tisha Woody's aunt, listening to the Cure on MTV and dancing in the living room.

I am by Pen Pal, Rachel from elementary school, unique in all she loved. She was ahead of her time and knew what she liked before others followed.

I am Roxy Cheatham, laughing loud, having fun & accepting company as family.

I am Mrs. Crump, the substitute teacher,  with crazy spikey hair licking yogurt of me yogurt lid and not caring who sees.

I am Mrs. Harris, the music teacher with gold elf shoes dancing in front of her students and decorating my classroom to make it magic for the kids.

I am Mrs. Holtman, the 4th grade teacher, seeing the left out kid who's hurting, pulling them aside to encourage them.

I am Sis Brandy Dudley, worshiping my Father like a little girl without a care.

(May add more later)

My goal is to be a piece of all of these women that inspired me in order to be an inspiration to others. I want them to learn from me to be the person they want to be. Show people how to rid the voices that keep them hindered from being the them they were created to be. Tell fear to back off and let them be free to be themselves. Like Francesca Battistelli sings in Free to Be Me.

Peace out.