Okay...

So you know those stories told about how when you open a birdcage the bird stays inside because thats what it's known. That's pretty much my past year. I've been growing and such, but still just looking at that open door. Unwilling to step out. Well, a lot of growing and healing and growing and growing and growing has happened and is happening. A lot things have been broken off and a lot of things have been added to. I've been changed. Everyday. My dreams are growing - slowly but surely. I've been saying more than I could before. Even writing this, and writing about other things, has helped me. I've been moving away from guarded and into more open waters - clearer ones. For the past week, I've felt like I can finally breathe because my past is powerless. Actually not just my past - the past itself. My family's past and my non-Christian one wiped clean. A lot of things. Tonight when we went forward at Church it was about breaking out of my cage. It's time. The door has been open for so long, but now, it's time. No going back - I'm closing it behind me, or rather, He's closing it for me - firmly. Who knows what's ahead but God? Obedience in Him is freeing though - He wanted me out; I wanted to stay in - I wanted to keep small, I wanted the familiar, I wanted to be wrapped in fear, I wanted to be nothing; He still wanted me out. It was a long battle against myself for Him. I'm glad I lost. I'm glad I'll find my future in Him and not in a cage of my making. New things.

A past redeemed.

     I went to a Katie Souza conference this past weekend. It was amazing. It was so for God. I felt both so prepared and scared for it. I had a rough Thursday and Friday morning and I was set to leave at noon Friday. To be brutally honest with myself (and with you), I'll admit that I was freaked out. Freaked out about going to my first conference, freaked about finances, freaked out about stepping forward in God, freaked out about going with people I didn't know well, and mostly freaked out that I had no exit strategy. Freaked out! Ahhhhhh! But, God is God. He was firm when I wasn't able to be. He shaped the time I spent earnestly seeking Him; When I try to shape that time myself nothing comes of it because I'm not really seeking Him. Katie Souza's teaching on soaking was interesting and powerful. I got a lot out of those 2 days and it's worth applying to everyday.

     Oh, for once in my life, it's hard to explain what happened in writing. This is difficult, so stay with me.  I think I'll just talk about what I pulled from it. Friday night I was just terrified. Flat out. It was good, but I was scared. I started taking things in though. All of a sudden, what I'd been worried about in the preceding days fit - I got clarity. I knew the whys - the whys behind my worries. That's a definite time to move forward in. I did that on Saturday. I got things logically on Friday, but on Saturday morning I grasped 'em spiritually. Everything came together! Everything that I've read and heard from The Bible, Third Day Worship Centre, Paul Hegstrom and Katie Souza combined and linked together into a mega hammer of God and smacked me with His truth. I love that. I love seeing more of His whole (I love fractals!!!).

     Okay, I won't tell everything because I can't write for hours and because I'm not crazy enough to try. Anyways, I wrote this post called The Red Sea: Closed. in May. It was that. It was everything I've ever learned about and from God in one hit. Katie Souza said roar (I'd picked that up from Pastor as a keeper word during altar time from way back then, then we got that crazy powerful 'Roar from Zion' song, and it's been in my head and in my heart since!). She told us to roar. I'd been waiting for God to close the sea for me. God wants me to open and close some doors on my own (once again our Third Day church services have been crazy aligned) - but I'd never seen that task (the roar close) as my responsibility. All of a sudden, it was so so so clear that it was on me. This was a move I made for myself; One I made to get closer to God. I did. I roared my past closed - not audibly, but with everything in me. It was like I could finally breathe. As previous post mentioned before, I finally changed my address. Nenners thought that would play a big role in my faith - it totally did. Crazy. Anyways, wow. Then, there was an atonement offering - and I giggled the whole time - it was for tithe-eating (personal and generational); I paid half with my money and half with some of my parents. Whahaha! Another bit of my past bites the dust. I felt refreshed.

     Saturday night was cool too. There was a lot of knowledge dispersed. I want to listen to all of her teachings. They so encourage people to grow in God for themselves. To mature and move forward in God, by no others push, but by our very own desire to change in Him. I like. Then, we soaked. We focused on repenting and bled the blood of Jesus over generational and personal sins (about seeking the roots like in Paul Hegstrom's teachings). Then we turned to the glory and power of the Resurrection to heal those wounds (again like Third Day's services about healing with the Holy Spirit, about filling what had been emptied of sin). Then, and only then, we were free to control what goes in and comes out of our soul. We were given our full inheritance in Jesus, by both His death and His Resurrection. Crazy. In soaking, we just spent time seeking God. I've been doing this for a long time - I like spending time thinking through things with God, but I got something new from this too. While thinking of Christ's death on the cross I had a vision of myself getting lightly showered in His blood. I've had that from since I was saved, but because this was also focused on my past before Christ, and on my family's past (like every single member), I feel like I finally had a blank slate. I feel like the time I lived before knowing God has been redeemed. It's not weighing me down anymore. Both my own past and the pasts of those who've been in my life (and the blood line that furthered it :P) are no longer weighing me down! There is such a freedom in that. In thinking about His Resurrection, I saw a glimpse of the old Christian me, the new one, washed afresh. I felt like I'd just had that happen again (by His blood), then I saw Jesus. I just saw His face getting brighter and brighter until it encompassed all of me. Everything, drenched in Him. It was powerful. It was cool. It was a jump start in my tunnel. I'm excited for what's coming next in God. I'm still a little scared, but at least I'm not being pulled down by as much as I was.

     I'm good with the soaking upkeep, but I wasn't able to overhaul the 17 pre-saved years of my life without this 'Soul Healing Conference'. This was yet another God-given fresh start. It was a whole one though and I think that's new - IT IS - it's the first time I've moved forward in God without feeling gut-wretcheningly sick - it's the first time my family and old friends didn't have a voice in my head right after it - it's the first time I've stepped forward for myself and didn't feel an immediate pull from the past and from the world. I'm just so excited! Anyways, it was a great weekend. The God moments, the people, even the drive - awesome. I'm glad I went, but mostly, I'm glad I came back changed.

Vision.

     Service tonight was awesome. It was about getting right with God. It was about the visions God plants in us. It was about the visions that are about bigger things - like those that link up with others and give us a piece of God's plan for the world. It was about our responsibilities in them. It was about how God opens the impossible doors, but leaves ones for us. It was about making a choice to take up the vision for our lives, about being built up in it. Pastor quoted one of my all time favourite verses:

Habukkuk 2:3

"For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay."

--> I love it. I have always loved this verse. I spent the better part of my life telling God to wait and it was horrible, but waiting in Him is so different. He has promises for me. He has plans. I know some of them. Sometimes, He says 'wait'. I'll wait. I'll wait until He prepares me - until I'm in the right place and in the right time.

     Pastor also spoke about how this is the time for trials to come up against us. When we get closer to God that'll always be true - we're Christians - we've been called to shine His light where darkness threatens to reign. It can't though. Not for us, and not for those we share His love with. We need to hold onto Hs truth as close as we can. Tight. We need to walk it out.

Psalm 16:7-8

"I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me. I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me."

     I'm been feeling this narrowing Holy Spirit push lately, and I've mentioned it here, but tonight I really felt pushed in the word 'precision'. The words this year has put in me have been about connections, about tunnels (about moving forward in them), about Jenga towers, about putting things down, about steadfast joy, about red sea closings, about patience, about doors of hope, about Pendulums vs Plumb lines, about strings & thorns, about narrowing, and now about precision.

     I started praying about precision. Opening doors is scary and this service was about opening doors and moving forth in them. About taking responsibilities. We can't do that without Him. And He is precise. We can't be precise without Him, we try but that's when we fail. It was funny but I started repeating the word precision, writing it on my heart, and I accidentally said persistence. That's applicable to our faith walks as well. Both of these words can be used as excuses though - and since we're trying to step out of those (how else could we take up responsibilities?), we need to be extremely careful. We need to move by God. Not before, jumping into things, and not after, waiting past His time. I tend towards the latter. Both are extremely dangerous, and they both are disobedient to God.

     The other part of the service that sunk in deep was taking up the visions we've received. It was about His promises. Pastor talked about God's promise to Abraham and Sarah. About how they would parent a nation. About how their descendants would be as numerous as the stars. About how accepting that vision with an unwavering faith made the stars shine that promise upon them. It's true, when I understand the things of God, I tie them to the pictures or words He gives me. Stars were always a promise to me - a steadying joy - they were fractals before I had heard the word fractal; I felt big and small looking at them, I felt order. I like tying God's promise from this story to my own acquired definition of stars. It's so amazing what He gives us.

     Those God ties get me through my days. They're why I see His order everywhere. I can look at a cloud or a tree or feel the wind and know that God is a part of everything good. When I have constant reminders like that, when normal things become God things, I can see His hand in the people around me.  In the saved and the lost. It's like rivers in the desert - pathways just appear - then Holy Spirit understanding takes ahold. All we have to do is decide to see Him, see His truth, and to live for Him.

Isaiah 43:19
"Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert."

--> The only new things that we can grasp onto are the things of God. Walking towards that is about being stripped of the world, but its painful. Walking that out with Him is about walking in His timing, in His precision, in His order, and most of all, in His love. We can choose to open the doors and walk through them. We choose Him and then we open them. He gives us free will and we choose Him in it. Every time we seek Him first, His voice increases. Every step we make towards Him gives clarity and order, His not ours. Yes, the things of darkness will come against us, but we hold onto Him above all else. He will carry us through. We, in turn, will carry the visions He plants. We will walk out faith. We will walk in obedience and in His timing, because He is everything.

Here.

Alright. Last night I couldn't sleep at all. Actually, the past week has been a practice in not sleeping enough. I hope to only stay in the practice zone with this one. I try. I try early-ish. Then, I get up again and try to distract myself. Last night, I got hooked on Touched by an Angel. I'm so corny. I watched so many, too many. By the last one I was laughing - a baby was born to this weird flute discussion - so funny. Anyways, at like 3 in the morning, I was fidgeting like a crazy person. I'd been doing nothing for 3 hours. Then, I all of a sudden remembered that I was supposed to change my address. My parents have fully moved and I actually had to do this. It took until a 'had' got involved. Woke up fully and did so. It only took me 11 months. All that to say, I am here, sleepy and rather stubborn, but here in an official capacity nonetheless. (:P)-]=[

Frannie: Baptism Time

She's just so cute. Didn't get that many pics - dying Hipstamatic - but what cuties! Love 'em muchly.

Frannie & her Dad - check out his defensive move. Parental skill.

She's just so cute.

Giggles.

Lee Jr. wary of the phone camera... and perhaps her aunt.

Explanation time - let's talk about this Bible.

Lee Jr. & My Parentals.

Surrounded by her sibs.

 Picture taking fun:

Prep Work.

1 Chronicles 22:5
"David said, 'My son Solomon is still young and inexperienced. And since the Temple to be built for the Lord must be a magnificent structure, famous and glamorous throughout the world, I will begin making preparations for it now.' So David collected vast amounts of building materials before his death."

     Last week, Pastor taught about structures and boundaries. He spoke about positions as well. About how people play different roles. About how Aaron and Hur held up Moses' arms so that Joshua, and Israel, could win the battle in Exodus 17. My dailies included this verse and it brought the service back for me. About preparing the way for Jesus and for future generations of Christians. What a call. David couldn't build the Temple himself, but he could help prepare Solomon for the work and the call that God had on his life. What a blessing to be involved in the furthering of the case of God. David was able to support those around him. Like in Exodus, this Chronicles passage is about supporting fellow believers, something mentioned throughout the Bible.

Hebrews 3:13
"But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called 'Today.' so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin."

     Exhorting the body of believers. This version uses the word encourage, but it's the word exhort in other versions and I like that better. From the world's view, both words are about furthering the person or their works alone; That's living in the world, living separate from God. Can't grow without Him though, not in any good direction, at least. Biblically, it's about supporting people in their God walks. Supporting His truth. The words encourage and exhort are both about earnestly seeking more, it's about pushing for and building people up in Him. There are so many opportunities for this. I like fractals... for serious... did you really get this far without knowing that? Anyways, like the amazing 'It's a Wonderful Life' movie, we really don't know the roles we play in others lives. Because we don't know, we have to protect our interactions with those around us; With everyone. We have to be a light in the world. We have to share Jesus. People help me all of the time in my walk, they are God moments done in His timing and they're amazing. I want to help prepare people as well. For Him.

Solitary Walk.

     My day. I was off - completely and totally free for any and all obligations. Not that I'm usually busy, but there was just something about today. With this time I decided to do something a little crazy. I decided to wander and wonder. I went for the longest walk ever. I sat on a bench and pondered. I read my Bible dailies. I prayed. I praised. I planned to become secure in plans I'm not secure in yet. I made more steps than just the physical kind.

     I ran almost smack into a Butterfly. It was my favourite kind of Butterfly - a Monarch. As a child, a kind lady once gave me a Monarch still in its cocoon so that I could see its metamorphism. I loved it. I released it in our backyard, and I obviously still have a soft spot for them. I followed the Butterfly to the paths. I hit the trails. I saw more Butterflies - it was crazy - they were everywhere.

     I listened to my iPod. Found another favourite song - can't even tell you how many times I played it. Then nature got so loud that I could hear it over my iPod. That was cool. Good combo. Listened to The Oaks on repeat. Got stuck on 'We Love Who You Are'. Love Him and love that the song's just so for Him. For Him not our perceptions of Him. Good way to spend some time. Then, homeward I went. Texted with awesome people - go Oompa Loompa Kate (love her and her blog of awesomeness from a Canadian faith fighting superhero stance. Oompa Loompa transformation: that's a metamorphosis of hilarity, me thinks).

     Spending some time right now with Mr. Si, Sunshine, and Mister Giggles - 'Hotel for Dogs' (I love corn)! I love that today when I was walking I found one of Mr. Si's spots. I love that I knew it was his without him being there. That's happened to me with Nenners too. We unknowingly had the same spot in High School, which happens - its small, but then we had the same one in University too. In a basement. Where we had no classes, by a loud wood-working shop, with the wonderful smell of carpentry and fresh cut wood. Cool times. That's like when I spend time with Seb and Tate and pick up their words, or when I pick up 'who''s voice. Or when I say the things my parents do. Family makes for funny funny things and situations. Anyways, off to add to the funny blog because, of course, things happened. Night!

 

 
 Okay. I know. Photo overload. Long walk though... lots of opportunities. This is my new favourite flower. I just love the ends of the petals. And the colour!

Movie Theatre Night.

Monte Carlo style. Good movie. I really liked it. My nieces loved it. They mentioned that they were waiting for something else to happen though - like something more exciting. I like it the way it was - I like that there was life in it, but not magic. I like that it wasn't a full-out princess story (though I like those too), that these characters made choices and lived out the consequences. I like that in the beginning when one character mentioned wanting to become a new person by the end of the epic trip, that a parent piped into the girls real character. That it was about growth, not just happenstance. Smart flick.

Afterwards... funny times. Our night on the town:

Nieceamine trying Sunshine's 'shaggy' look. Fail, but she's still cool!

Talk with the hands. It's awesome!

Seriously - a Paris poster at Pizza Pizza. Saweet!

Goofy girls - the very best kind.

Us. Some of the coolest people in town :P (pale, tan, pale - funny)

Calling all mooners... Nieceamine <3's You!

... Sometimes it's just good to have a camera on.

In case you didn't catch it --> Nieceamine: "I love any type of moon... I mean not the bad kind."

Disclaimer: I haven't been mooned at church... don't be scared away from the awesomeness of Third Day :P

Narrowing. Plumb lines & Pendulums & Tunnels.

     Narrowing. That's the word that just keeps hitting me on the head. I've mentioned it many a time before, but now I can't think of anything else. Last post, I mentioned moving away from things I'm supposed to be familiar with. I talked about stepping away from the way I'm supposed to live. God is so big though. He's just so awesome. This thing that kept me up all Saturday night caught me right up through the Sunday services. It was just cool. And yes... it involved fractals and tunnels. I'm stubborn, okay? It takes until I admit that for Him to move. It takes a long time for me to see something clearly and God knows it. Seriously, He does. I can dwell on a detail for hours, just becoming familiar with it. I like that. I like seeing Him in everything good. I like knowing that the Word can be applied to every thought, action, and situation. I like that the things of God always line up. I like feeling the Bible's truth. I like knowing that it's His Word. I like timing. I like that I've gotten things in bits and pieces. I am working towards living wholly for Him, but I could never live through seeing the wholeness of Him. I'd die. I can only change myself; He's already all that He is. All that is good. In this relationship He's the truth and I'm the person trying to line up to all that that means, to all that He is.

     I'm having sentence structure problems today. I'm a sicky and I'm all over the place, but I wanted to put some time into this. It usually takes me about three times working through something to know it. I read a book that way: once to get to the end (impatient much - I read the end first too, so it's just about the details at that point), twice to just enjoy it (I've slowed down at this point), and the third time to know it - to be familiar with it (I feel like there should be another set of brackets here... even though I don't have anything to add). I always have to do that with the things of God. I am deliberate, Holy Spirit led, but I want a foundation too. It takes a service about three days to sink into me. Three days to make sure it's deep enough to last. Three days to write it on my heart. Then, the further processing begins (I'm weird okay). I start trying to line up my actions. I fail. I try again. That's why it's a process.

     Sunday was Sunday. I don't know that I can equip words that would rightly explain it. I don't think I'll try. I don't want to change things. I will share about the tunnels though (because you haven't heard enough about them :P). It's a perspective thing. I can't handle all that God has to show me sometimes, so He gives a small piece, and then that's expanded. At the right time - the right moment - the right season. I've been thinking about plumb lines (again, hilariously obvious). Plumb lines are steadiness. The purpose of a plumb line is to rightly align our lives to God. They're amazing. Not so useful in a pendulum state though. In fact, they're just about as dangerous as can be. In a pendulum state, the plumb line is not weighted enough - not full of God. It becomes our measure, not His.

     What can we build without a Godly plumb line? One of those Jenga towers of dust and worthlessness; Self-made nothingness. That's sad. And I've been following my own plans for far too long. The path of a pendulum when graphed is squiggly lines - it presents a picture of equal rises and falls - it has no baseline. A proper plumb line is all about a baseline. We are in a time of building and we need to build on the rock that is our foundation in God. I don't want to live a life of equal rises and falls - I don't want every success to be followed by despair and vice versa. I don't want to dig a hole, fall in (or jump - we do sometimes), climb my way out, then start all over again. The key part of that process is that it involves actions we're doing, based on choices we're making. God doesn't want us in cycles such as these. He wants us in continual growth. We live His way, doing His actions, and we cannot be trapped - because it's not about us alone, but us in Him. It's about us pointing to Him. It's the only gift we can give Him, because when we do so then we've given, are giving, all. All for Him.

2 Samuel 22:3

"My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; My savior, You save me from violence."

--> He is our everything. He, by His Son, saved us from the living death that comes from not knowing. 

     It's so big, but what else is there? Pain from the absence of Him. He's there, but we would be trying to be separate from the true definition of love. See... sad. I love that story about proofs and absences - my sister has it on her office wall - I had it in a journal in grade 7 when I first gave some time to thinking about (but ultimately not knowing) God. Here it is in foreign language video form:

     --> I love it, 'cept bring back the faith and the relationship, not just the religion. What an amazing ad!

     Onto the tunnels, and explaining how pendulums and plumb lines and narrowing fit in this. Okay, so in my tunnel vision, there was a gird. It was a plan for people to have God moments. Many, many, perfectly timed God moments. An area of influence in this the cause of Christ. A persons path would meet another persons and there came a possibility for change or growth, for steadying. All tunnels were full of God-combustible material. Some were lit with God's Holy Spirit fire. Others were dormant. When two such tunnels met, there was a choice. An action to be had. One determined by Him. I had many God moments before knowing Him. They were perfectly timed and placed. They stayed with me even when I tried desperately to push them away. He was with me when I tried to be without Him.

     The thing that really hit me during praise and worship on Sunday though was the width of the tunnels. Mine went from wide to narrow innumerable times. I knew that the narrow times occurred when I let God take control. It scared me how quickly that was lost though. I am deliberate and those wider times were me deliberately not letting God in. I want the narrow times to be dominant in my life. I want Him to be in control. I want that against my flesh. I want that against my stubbornness. The wide times were pendulum times, times that I lived according to my measures. The narrow times were God times, filled with the steadiness of having His plumb line, His Word, reign in my being. The really cool thing was the fractal pullback - it was the look I got of the gird with the new wide/narrow tunnel differentiation - it was that every single of those God moments happened when both lives had narrowed towards knowing God. I like that. The pre-saved God moments I had happened when I was questioning my life, when I was questioning whether to live for God. I knew He existed, but I didn't know how close - I was weighing my options.

     Seasons are funny funny things sometimes, but they're always mapped out. God is in control. He's got us. I like that. I also liked getting these Whack-a-Lisa moments on Sunday. Well, maybe like's not the right word exactly, but I do like moving forward in God. I have a lot of lost time that Jesus covered for me, but my choices now are deliberate. I'm no longer ignorant of the things of God. I'm no longer lost. I'm no longer a child in Him. Growth is the off spurt of knowing those things. It's time to build a foundation on which to stand until He returns.

Matthew 7:13
"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it."

--> Narrowed to His purposes. Stripped of the worldliness around us. Ready to walk in the path towards Him.

2 Timothy 2:19
"Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, 'The Lord knows those who are His,' and, 'Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.'"

--> I want that seal for always. I want to be in His Hands. I want my name in His Book of Life. I want my path to be narrow and in pursuit of Him. I want this for my family, for my friends, for my co-workers, and for the lost I see everyday. That we could all choose to have this everyday. Every single day. We who were created and loved by God, rescued by Jesus, nudged and whacked by the Holy Spirit; Choosing Him over and over again.

Back to the Basics. Plumb line.

     So. I can't sleep. Actually, I already have slept a bit, but too early, so now I'm back up. I've spent the past hour just thinking. Trying to get back to sleep (I'm playing catch-up, normally I have ridiculous hours), but being unable too. I get the value of a good sleep, but I also get the value of restlessness. Many a time, I've been woken up to do something specific. I've also been kept awake to see truth. Mostly, I deal with words. I have to line them up before I can rest.

     Tonight, I've been thinking of the phrase 'back to the basics' - that's probably quite obvious for the post title, but I'm sleepy and trying to be clear. Having taken way too many English courses, I can say with certainty that the definition of basic is skewed. It's one of the reasons I came to dislike so much of what I was taught. Basic means base. I like that. I don't like that, to some, 'base' (I'll be say it as 'base' when it's bad) means low and crude, though. It's used to represent of filth of worldliness. I had to read into so many 'base' stories and writers and characters. What a horrible way to view the world. It's why I couldn't finish my English major, I went with a minor instead. Yuck.

     The phrase 'back to the basics' is a good one. It's meaning to me has always meant simplify and condense. It's funny how a phrase can step so far from what we think the words mean on their own. It's complex and delightful. It's why I love words. Anyways, it's always been an encouraging phrase to me. It's just meant to be. Basic has a good meaning in it. Basic isn't a horrible word. It isn't a horrible state to be in. Basic is about natural - this is where the grain changes - our natural isn't worldliness. It isn't about 'base' natures - it's about having a base in God. Man was formed from dust. Woman was formed from a rib. I was knit together, woven in my mother's womb (Psalm 139:13). God was there. Always.

Jeremiah 1:5
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations."

--> He's our base. Yes, we screwed things up, in that history and in our own, but we gave ourselves back to God. We're His. That's a base to build a foundation on.

     I've been stepping away from that base. I know what I'm supposed to do. I've not done it. Everyone sees the world in different ways. It's how we knit together as believers. I'm supposed to see the world in fractals. To see what leads into Him. I'm supposed to have my tunnel vision in the main part of my mind. It's not a side story or a non-concern, it's how I'm supposed to live and breathe God. I'm a details person. I trust Him with my life, with my own details, but I see the details of Him everywhere. I see Him that way; I see His plans. Not that much, I couldn't, but enough to recognize His pattern and His voice. I need to be able to see the value in that. To line those views up for God. To see and understand and accept what He gives to us.

Amos 7:7-8
"Thus He showed me, the Lord was standing by a vertical wall with a plumb line in His hand. The Lord said to me, 'What do you see, Amos?' And I said. 'A plumb line.' Then the Lord said, 'Behold I am about to put a plumb line in the midst of My people Israel. I will spare them no longer.'"

     God has a standard of truth. Real truth is His, everything else is just distortions. We will be measured by His alone. I don't want to be measured in only the last days. I want to align myself with Him now. Being sifted is painful, but those pains are growth in God pains. I know the value in those; My life is an example of the value found in those. All of ours are. I know where I'd be without Him; I'd be where I never want to be. I'd be like the hermit from 'Yogi Bears First Christmas'. I would. I'd be alone and full of pain. I'd be the living dead. Now, I'm alive in Him. There are no shades in that truth. I struggle, but there are no shades. I was dead and now I'm alive. Lost, but now I'm found. I love the verses behind these words. I love the song 'Amazing Grace'. His not ours. My Grandma Lil had this cloth on her door with it stitched onto it. It's my first memory of reading. I remember learning my name and could definitely read before I saw it, but it put words into perspective for me. It's gone now, but it was one of my favourite things. I'll always remember it and that song will always be a part of me.

1 John 3:1
"See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him."

--> We've stepped out of the world. We've stepped from 'base' to a base in God. We're in a season of foundation building. We will be measured by the plumb line of God. We will be sifted as wheat like Simon, and tested like Job. This will happen because of the greatest truth there is. It will happen because of His love. We just need to live it out. It won't be easy, but it will be fruitful.

Off I go back to sleep. The words lined up. Night!