Rhodes Rainbows: The Struggle is Real

The time: let’s just say the 90s. The place: Mrs. Rhodes 2nd grade classroom. Mrs. Rhodes had an awesome way of tracking her students’ good behavior in the classroom — by the envelopes on the wall assigned to each student. If you were bad, you got a raincloud. But if you were good, you got a beautiful, sunny rainbow in the envelope by your name

I don’t remember everything about second grade, but I somehow still remember those rainbows. Something about the desire to do good and the desire for approval and affirmation from my teacher was so real that I still can recall the feeling of yearning for that token of good behavior to this day. Oh how proud and accepted you felt when that sunny rainbow was put right into your envelope.

We are a works-based society and culture, and that has taught us a lot of works-based habits and ideals. This in turn spreads over into our relationships, our self-image, and our communication with God.

We desire so badly to get the rainbow. We work so hard to achieve it and set our self-esteem, our self-worth, and our self-respect upon the shoulders of its achievement. We are so quickly validated by the attainment of it, and our spirits even swifter to be demolished when it falls through our grasp.

One of the latest trendy sayings is the phrase “the struggle is real” — if I’ve heard it once lately, I’ve heard it 1,000 times among the teens I’m around every week. It is a satirical statement that you can put at the end of any comment about something that is difficult, or ironically, something that is not difficult. It’s hilarious to use when you’re being sarcastic or making fun of yourself for having first-world-problems. For example, a pretty joking usage of it would be: “I ran out of milk for my Cocoa Puffs today. The struggle is real.” [I may or may not have actually said this lately…] 

There are plenty of struggles that aren’t real and funny to make jokes about, but there’s a struggle that IS real, and that is the conflict of accepting ourselves and believing God accepts us through our works.  This is a true battle fought in hearts and minds the world over, as we struggle between the patterns of thought we’ve learned through our culture, and the deeper truths of love and grace that the Word ministers to our parched souls.

Ephesians 2:8-9 reads “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

The Message paraphrase of this verse says “Saving [you and me] is all his idea, and all His work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.”

You did good, so you feel good about yourself. You did bad, you feel bad about yourself.  You fluctuate up and down, down and up, your relationships with others, self-image, and communication with God all resting on the perilous frailty of your works. This is not how we are to live, this is not how we are to view love. Isaiah 64:6 says “all our righteousness are as filthy rags.” They do not reflect your worth or your acceptance by God. Romans 5:8 says “God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

God’s love is unconditional, strong, and valiant — the opposite of the weak, imperfect, and failing love of the world. Our lives should reflect GOD’S way of looking at our works and not the world’s. They should reflect GOD’S way of loving ourselves and others than the world’s way. We can accept ourselves and others not based on what we DO, but on the value God placed on us just because He loves us and we are His children.

Don’t get me wrong. Works are very important. Matthew 5:16 says “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.” Good works are a calling card to the unsaved, they are a witness and testimony of the faith we have on the inside. I do not want to diminish the weight of their meaning in any way — they are very important. They are just not the most important. They are vital to our Christian walk, just not vital to your worth and great price.

Sometimes we don’t do all the good works we should do as Christians living for the Lord. Sometimes we don’t spend all the time with God we should spend. Sometimes we don’t always obey the Word the way we know we need to obey it. Sometimes we don’t…..[you fill in the blank]…!!!

The condemnation that can come on you when you give in to feelings of inadequacy about the things you don’t do right can be absolutely demoralizing to your faith–because they take your focus away from one very important thing — God’s mercy. This whole life as a Christian is not about you, it’s about God. It’s not about your mistakes, it’s about God’s grace. It’s not about what you can do when you’re good, or what you didn’t or can’t do when you’re bad. It’s about what God is and can do through you regardless of if you’re the best at something or the worst.

Let me tell you something right now. God accepts you. Not only that, He approves of you. He loves you. Sometimes, we can become so works-oriented solely based on the desire to be accepted and approved, thinking that it’s good works that can accomplish unconditional love for us. But that’s the thing about unconditional love — there are no conditions.

When Luke told the story of Mary and Martha, and wrote that beautiful exchange between Jesus and these sisters, he penned a line of truth that can stand with us in all our battles against works. “ONE THING is needful,” and it wasn’t the many works that make us feel good and accomplished. It is the relationship with God where we are seated at His feet receiving from His heart. It is knowing True Love and receiving based on nothing we have done. It is seeing ourselves through the Blood of Jesus.

Trusting in your works brings fear. But as 1 John 4:18 teaches us, there is no fear in love. Perfect love casts out fear, because fear has torment [aka condemnation]. The condemnation that tries to come when you fail in your “works” can take you back to the feelings of getting the raincloud by your name in second grade, because the tendencies of human nature are still the same. We desire to be validated, celebrated.

The struggle is real, but fight every tendency the world has taught you to justify or condemn yourself based on what you have done, whether you got the rainbow or not. Allow me, if you will, to encourage you with this thought, that you ARE validated and celebrated by your Father God today. But it will never be because you are good enough or pretty enough or perfect enough. It will always be based solely on HIS perfect, unconditional, and fully-approving love based on the blood of Jesus.

 

What I’ve Learned About Weeds

We did something very exciting and dreadful this summer — we moved! Although it was a lot of work to get situated, we are now so happy with our sunny yellow house in our favorite part of town. Along with our cozy home came this added responsibility called a yard. The yard wasn’t in bad shape when we moved in, but I would definitely like it to be better.

One thing our yard supports a large ecosystem of weeds — a population I find highly undesirable. So lately, I have been in the process of killing and uprooting all the weeds that don’t meet my manicured expectations. Some are remarkably easy to pull up because of their shallow roots, and yet some are surprisingly difficult. You cannot tell the underbelly of either from what it looks like in the topsoil.

The Bible has more to say about unexpected foliage than you might think. Planted, roots, weeds — these are all illustrations favorited by the Lord on several recorded occasions. In Mark 4, He talks about one particular “weed”.

3 Behold, a sower went out to sow….7 Seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 

In any planting and growing, roots are a very important part of the equation. In fact, that’s one of the main points Jesus was getting at when He was telling the parable of the sower in Mark 4. The seed the birds picked up (v4) was so easily snatched, because it hadn’t had the time to grow roots. The seed among the rocks (v5-6), though it grew initially, was ultimately scorched because it had not taken root. The seed among the ‘weeds’, or thorns, was suffocated, yielding no grain because the roots were intermixed with the roots of other life-draining plants. The seed that was able to grow and become fruitful did so because the roots were allowed to grow freely without obstruction in good soil.

There are many aspects of this story. You could talk about the soil, about the seed, etc. Right now, I want to focus on the roots. In all my sweaty hours spent working outside this weekend on my hands and knees, I was having profound thoughts about weeds y’all, and I’ve observed 5 things (so far!) about roots through this pesky greenery.

1. Like I said above, you can’t judge much about a root by looking at the exterior. I would go to pull a little small weed that I thought would be no big deal, and it would end up being the hardest one to try and uproot. Then I would get to a weed that looked large, and brace myself for a tough pull, but it would slip out of the soil with barely a fight. Sometimes we look at small sins, like bitterness or discontentment, and we see only a little leaf. It doesn’t seem too harmful or consequential, so we overlook the possibly vast root system beneath it. These roots are poisonous to the Word in the soil of our hearts in more ways than we realize. Some roots are thick, some are very fragile and thin. The Holy Spirit knows the seeds in our hearts and how to handle them — use His guidance on how to confront each one when uprooting it from the soil.

2. Your roots can have baggage. There were some weeds I’d pull up with that came up nice and clean, the bare roots showing little evidence of the fact they’d been joined with the dirt seconds before. Then other weeds came up with complete chunks of dirt attached. It was messy, and even when I tried to shake the dirt off, there was complete entanglement of the roots and the dirt. It left the ground with a big hole in it, and left that soil unusable for further planting. Sometimes we give in to sin, in the forms of anger, resentment, etc, thinking they are just little seeds that we can uproot later when we feel no longer inclined to them. But once seeds are planted, they became rooted in the soil of your heart. It grows to involve part of who you are. Don’t give even the smallest sins that much power or place to effect your heart in such a way.

3. Oftentimes, one root is connected to other roots in the soil. In my experience, I would go to pull one weed, and end up uprooting several in the process because they were all connected. Several instances, they were totally different weeds. The same soil can have many different kinds of roots growing in it. When we let seeds grow in our hearts, good or bad, they became intertwined with the seeds planted in the same soil around them. That’s part of what the Bible is talking about when it says the the seed of the Word was uprooted because it was entangled with thorns. Lack of maintenance in the garden of your heart means that there could very well be weeds choking out the effectiveness and fruit of the Word God in your life, the roots entangling with the other issues of your heart. For example, faith can be planted in your heart, but if the weed of fear is present, then faith can’t grow with it, because faith does not work with fear. Light cannot abide with darkness. The entanglement of the two ceases the growth of the one.

In my gardening, there was one root I pulled that looked at first like I was just pulling it out of its one area, but all the sudden the soil around the whole flower bed shifted as I pulled it out. It affected at least a foot around the place where I had pulled the seemingly small weed. Who knew it’s root system was so wide-spread, and affected much more of the area than I would have thought? Again, one root can affect so much more than just its own plant.

4. When pulling a weed, you have to get the whole root. I learned this even as a young girl pulling weeds in my Mom’s garden. Many times when I’d go to pull one up, it would break off right at the stem, leaving the whole root system under the soil untouched. You have to dig deeper to get at the roots again, and very carefully and sensitively pull out its delicate trails through the dirt. There were instances where I had to repeat this several times to finally get to the last root. Because seriously, who wants those weeds coming back after all that work? Don’t just deal with the issues of your heart in a superficial manner, addressing only the leaves that can be seen. Dig to the root and let God work in deep parts of the soil. Only with His help can we truly uproot every weed that has lodged itself in our souls.

5. And lastly, though it be obvious, it is still true — as beautiful and manicured as a garden looks once it’s been weeded, new weeds can always grow if it is once again left unattended. Hence, my weekend project. Our yard had been unattended in the process of the move, and there was evidence of it in every flower bed. So you pulled weeds in your heart last week, and you planted some beautiful seeds of the Word yesterday? That is wonderful and admirable! But keep going. Keep pruning, watering, observing. Be attentive, and alert. Paul said he never looked back at what he had done yesterday, but always kept looking forward (Philippians 3:13).

I won’t even get into watering, seeing as there are 3 beautiful flower-filled pots at my front door crying for water because I always forget to rain it down on them with the cute green watering can I just bought. Turns out there are so many facets to this gardening thing!

To summarize the thoughts on this subject…judge yourself. Judge your heart. Prune. Guard. Plant. Maintain. Daily garden. Daily sharpen. And be diligent about it all!! (Proverbs 4:23) Take thought to what you let root in your soil! Be good ground. Clear out the weeds, uproot them from the very bottom. Then you’ll be the seed that can grow from here to Heaven with a strong and beautiful multi-fold return unto the Lord.

How beautiful the garden of your heart is to the Lord. How pleased He is with you for everything you do unto Him in your life. You have grace for this beautiful journey today!

And no, this isn’t my garden….yet 🙂

“You got a problem with that?”

If there is any situation in which you could insert the thoughts and attitudes of the phrase “You got a problem with that?”, and it would fit — you got a problem.

That attitude is ultimately a defensive reaction, and if you could see yourself saying it in the scenario of your current position, then you are probably in need of more examining than anyone else in that scene. It could be that we are more in the wrong than the person or situation at which we are looking.

Our lab, Knightly, is a very kind dog. He loves everyone and everything; but something funny happens to Knightly when he gets scared. He starts growling a fierce-sounding growl, the fur on his neck stands up, and he might even bark, in a different kind of bark than usual. He sounds fierce, but actually, he is scared. Usually, he is even backing into Rob for safety as he growls at an unfamiliar sound he heard outside. He’s defensive.

As much as we try to tell him when everything is ok, or even give him a command to stop, he won’t listen to us. Only until he doesn’t feel threatened anymore will he calm down and respond to us like himself again.

A situation can start out where you have been misunderstood, or someone has done you wrong. You are innocent in the matter! Your reaction to it determines if you stay innocent or not. If you become defensive, it will quickly take you down a road toward bigger issues like being offended or bitter. Defensiveness will cause you to hold a grudge, instead of responding in kindness. Like Knightly, you are protecting your self from being hurt. Unfortunately, as natural as these responses feel, we are not to respond that way. Rather, we are to put on humility, meekness, gentleness, and teachable heart in our response, along with all the fruits of the Spirit. (Colossians 3:12, Galatians 5:22-23)

We’ve all seen that clever prop “D-fence” held up at a ball game (pictured at the top). I recently saw a comical ad making fun of the “D-fence” sign. Endeavoring to point out the uselessness of the sign, it read “Blocks your view. Makes no noise.” As funny as it is, there is truth to that spiritually! Being defensive, especially in your spirit, blocks you from being able to see people and situations clearly. The whole ‘mode’ of defense to which your emotions quickly draw are very useless to you in helping you make good or sound decisions, spiritually or otherwise.

That can come as a shock when you are viewing someone else as the one with the problem. It takes quite a shift to turn around and look at yourself. Great peace can come though, when we yield to the gentle voice of correction from the Holy Spirit in this matter. Proverbs 3:12 AMP says “For whom the Lord loves He corrects, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.” Just as a child often has a defensive attitude in receiving correction from a parent — no matter how much he knows they love him — we can also have that same attitude with God as He tries to lovingly instruct us.

In the harmless situations, it is, well, harmless, I suppose; but the purpose of the insignificant situations is to train you for the bigger ones. In important, life-altering situations, this attitude and reaction can be quite detrimental.

The source of it all is our inner man. Our conscience. When it pricks us, deep down and ever-so-lightly, instead of yielding to its guidance, many times we balk up and get defensive. We put other people’s names and other situations on the reason why were are justified in the reaction we have.

One of our favorite television indulgences is the BBC original ‘Downton Abbey.’ The grandmother on the series is one of my favorite characters; she has so many witty lines. In a recent episode, she said one that was more than wit — it was wise! — and it stuck with me. She said “People are never more righteous than when they’re in the wrong.”

People who are in the wrong, especially morally, are usually pretty defensive about it. Many even react by lashing out or pointing fingers at those who are in the right. The voice of immorality in our world is very loud, in fact. Why? At some point when they started down the wrong road, they felt the prick of conscience in their inner man, and chose to rebel against it. But it follows them, and they and their voice get louder as they try to fight it. They are reacting defensively to the still small voice inside. These scriptures in Acts and Ephesians show this to be the case:

“For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.” Acts 28:27 ESV 

 “They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.” Ephesians 4:18 ESV

Another situation in which this can be seen is with relationships — ok, yes, I’m going there! In both friendships and romance, if something is not right, usually the people around you are a good judge of the situation; they can see things honestly and from a place less emotionally attached. So many times, we rebel against their opinion; we defensively react to the deep down scratching we want so badly to ignore. Kenneth E. Hagin called it a feeling of ‘washing your feet with your socks on.’ People make friendships with or date the wrong people all the time, out of pure defensiveness. In fact, some of the worst decisions of our lives can come out of this place.

Are you feeling defensive about anything in your life? No matter what the situation, stop right now and examine yourself. Be true to yourself and honestly look to see if you may be in the wrong. If we make the habit of doing this in even the little things, it will help us be able to see clearly in the most important decisions of life. It may be that you find only small adjustments need to be made; decisions like looking at God instead of man. You may find something bigger that needs addressing — either way, don’t ignore it.

Say instead, as David did “My defense is of God” (Psalm 7:10), and trust God to work together all things for your good (Romans 8:28). Let the Lord be your defense!

“I will sing of your mighty strength and power; yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy and loving-kindness in the morning; for You have been to me a defense and a refuge in the day of my distress.”

Psalm 59:16 AMP

Comfy?

Deut 4:29, the Amplified version, says “But if, from there, you will seek (inquire for and require as necessity) the Lord your God, you will find Him if you truly seek Him with all your heart and mind and soul and life.” 

I love that. There is something so beautiful about the resolution of total surrender, complete trust, and fervent expectation. Those traits are portrayed here as steps that take us down the path to finding God.

If we are saved and born again, God has already been ‘found’ by each and every one of us. There is no need to go trying to find Him again, in this regard. But there are levels of knowing Him, each one deeper, that He desires to share with us, just as we desire to share the deeper parts of ourselves with those we love most. We are those that God loves most, and He desires those deeper places to be found by you — and they can only be found by seeking Him in the way this verse describes.

In our culture, so very many things come so very easy. I am amazed when I think of things like Skype and Bluetooth technology, for example. The convenience of our world is astounding. And then you have things like Frozen dinners and Snuggies, that show our obsession with being comfortable. Comfort is catered to, even courted. It is a defining mark of many of the technological advances of our age. We are always pursuing ways to make easy things even easier.

This all has its place, and I will be the first one to say how thankful I am for convenience and technological advances; but I do feel that the comfort of our culture has created ease not only in the “things” in our lives, but also in our souls. We don’t need to seek convenience in our spiritual life the way we do our natural one.We must learn to separate the two. Separate the circumstances of life with the attitudes of the heart.

Many times, the disruption of comfort in the circumstances of our lives brings us to a place where we seek God out of a fervent need for Him; like in problems with family, finances, or health, for example. God is a very present help in times of trouble, and we can always know that He is the first place we can run when things go wrong. But He can also be the first place we go all the time, even when things go right.

It is good that we would be closely familiar with God in our daily lives, but we should also always keep a reverent fear and awe of Him in our hearts (Ps 5:7). Don’t let comfort in any area of your life cause you to lose zeal in your spiritual life. Revelation says that God does not prefer you in a lukewarm state.

“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. You say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing.’ You do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked…As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.” (Revelation 3:15-17, 19 NKJV)

You may not feel like you are the person who has need of nothing, but let’s relate to this soul in the attitude of our hearts. Do we find any common ground? No matter where you were yesterday, let us be passionate today. To do so, you will have to fight against the urge to draw back, because it is not always convenient to be on fire for God.

Be full of zeal, so that when the world turns on Christians like the leaders did in Daniel’s day, or in Esther’s — we will be strong enough and passionate enough to stand firmly. (See Daniel 6:7-10, Esther 3:12-14, 4:14-16). “The people who know their God will be strong, and will stand firm, and do exploits for God” (Daniel 11:32).

Live with a unsatisfied satisfaction, being content and thankful with life, yet considering it as nothing in contrast to knowing Him. Paul did in Phil 3:8:

 “I count everything as loss compared to the possession of the priceless privilege (the overwhelming preciousness, the surpassing worth, and supreme advantage) of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord and of progressively becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him [of perceiving and recognizing and understanding Him more fully and clearly.]” (Amplifed version)

May we know God in that light today — with that intensity of purpose and devotion. With no reason, or no other agenda today, seek Him. ‘Require Him’ as a vital part of your day. How do you do that? Read the Bible. Talk to God, just like you would talk to someone you trust. Think about Him. Desire Him.

There are great rewards when you find Him. He brings sweetness, joy, and peace into every area of your life. There is a reason He is worth pursing with all your heart and mind and soul and life. Let’s find out what it is.

My “Mom” Bible

I bought my Mom bible the other day. {Mom Bible?} Yes, you heard me! Mom Bible!

I have a “main” Bible — a big, solid Bible with a beautiful case that I keep at home and take to church. It has all my main and favorite scriptures underlined and highlighted in it, and is very special to me. But I have also always carried a more compact Bible — one that I can take on the go, that is portable and versatile.

When I was in college, I had a small Bible that fit in my highly oversized backpack and tramped around with me everywhere, from the cafeteria to the science building. During the day, when I would have a few moments to myself between classes, I would sit in a quiet area of the campus and let myself be encouraged by the precious words on its pages. That was my college Bible. I pick it up now, and am reminded of many different moments in my life just by looking at the things that are highlighted, the notes beside different verses…The scriptures about a husband are highlighted, underlined, and the pages worn a little thinner, because in those days, of course, he was just a dream — a constant hope, and point of faith and trust in God. When I look at my college Bible, I see the journey of how God has brought me into exactly those things that I longed so deeply for then. I see also the things for which I am yet still believing. Mostly, when I look at my college Bible, I see a journey. One well-trekked, and well trod. I am proud of that journey.

Lately, I have begun a new journey of the heart, as my hopes and dreams shift to a new phase of life — that of being a spiritual wife, and one day, a mom. I have begun to look up new verses and build up my faith in these areas. The focus of my heart is the family Rob and I are building. As I started to look up scriptures on the subject of marriage, kids and motherhood, it suddenly seemed out of place for me to be marking those scriptures in a place that symbolized so much of what God has already completed.

Last week I received a coupon in the mail for 50% off Bibles at my local Family Christian Store, and I took that as my clue. I haven’t bought a new Bible in a long time. The guy in the store was laughing at me because it was taking me so long to pick one out. I had to feel it, touch it, compare the versions…This is a big deal!

I picked out my Mom Bible. I have fresh pages upon which to start this fresh new chapter in my life. I picked out a Bible that can fit just about anywhere. I can take it to soccer fields and dance recitals; I already am picturing it with the wear and tear that comes with sharing space in a diaper bag.

A little premature? Nah. I am not yet a mommy, but before I ever become one in reality, I want to first be one in my heart. I want to have my faith built up, ready to stand for my family, my marriage, and my kids. I know the ‘planting of those roots’ begins in the Word, and I’ve started with a slew of awesome family verses to which I look forward to turning every day.

I look forward to this Bible accompanying me in this exciting chapter of life. I retire the old one with great thankfulness and remembrance of all God has done for me in the last (almost) 10 years since starting college. When looking back, and especially looking at my college Bible, it is so crystal clear to see the path God led me on was one of His faithfulness and love. He can be trusted. And I trust Him now with the future as well. Such an exciting life, the one lived with God.

I’m ready to let the Word help me dream God’s dreams for my future family, and for the one I already have with my dear husband. I’m so thankful that the Bible lets me invest in them even before one of them ever came to be.

What are you believing for? A mate? For your job or career? For your house or home? In whatever phase of life you may find yourself, find the scriptures that will help lay the road for where you want to go next. Don’t just think about where you are — think about where you want to be! Let scriptures from the Word guide you to the dreams you dream in your spirit.

I’ll have to do a post another day sharing all the awesome scriptures I’ve found so far. I’ve found so many that have blessed me — what are some scriptures that have blessed you? For all the Mom’s out there, got any good scriptures for me to start highlighting in my newest addition?

Happy highlighting!! 🙂

Rooted in Christ

“Plant your roots in Christ and let Him be the foundation for your life.” Colossians 2:7 CEV

This scripture captures the purpose and essence of this blog. Every oak, no matter how mighty and tall, if its roots are none or shallow, will eventually, under pressure or storm, fall. Jesus described this phenomenon in Mark 4:5, in which a sower planted seed into shallow soil.

“The seed sprouted quickly, but soon wilted and died because it didn’t have deep roots.” (NLT)

In further explaining the story, Jesus adds in verse 16 that the seed represents those who hear the Good News of the Gospel, and “immediately receive it with joy.” But,

since they “don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s Word.” (NLT)

Our daily lives and attentions are so drawn to the branches and leaves of life–and certainly beautiful are the birds nesting, the fruit growing. Our roots, on the other hand, are something we often take for granted. If they were there to get our tree growing in the first place, they must still be there, right?? But roots require constant nourishment and watering. If they are taken for granted, they not only lose their strength and stability, but they deprive the whole tree of its source of life.

It is so important as a Christian to take the time not only build our branches, but also to deepen our roots. The pages and archives of this blog are the record of my roots lengthening, stretching and strengthening as I become more established in the faith and the Savior I cherish, by reading His Word and gaining insight from the Holy Spirit. I share my thoughts with you in the hopes that they serve to further establish and strengthen you as well.

My prayer for each of you is,

“that Christ would dwell in your hearts through faith–that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to…know the love of Christ.” Eph 3:17-18 ESV.

There is no stronger foundation upon which to build ones life than Christ alone. He is the richest soil, and the firmest ground.