Hope Victorious

  It can be difficult to truly rest. There is more to resting than simply ceasing activity or doing less. Rest is more than being inactive, it is more than being quiet or doing nothing. Rest is not sleeping.   Rest is more than a physical state; true rest is found when you are in a place of peace, being refreshed and restored. I find rest to impact my mind and emotions in addition to my body. I want to share the key truths that I find best support and enable me to rest. When I focus on these truths I can rest amid hardship and stress. There will always be reasons to be anxious and to stay busy. I believe that rest is a choice, a discipline that is critical to our health and wholeness. When I focus on these truths, I can choose to rest: Rest is necessary and commanded by God. My effort is not the biggest factor in my success. My choice to rest instead of striving is a command of God. My relationship with God is advanced and deepened when I choose to rest and depend more on Hi...

  Home   Secure and Confident In who I am           No pretense           No need to strive, worry or be on guard Accepted   -   Approved of Loved Celebrated   Imagine being so sure of how you will be received That you are free           Completely Unashamed           Unafraid and Unintimidated           Encouraged           Guaranteed Praise This is freedom “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere”*   I knock and you answer I cry out and You hear me Open arms greet me   I am here At Home With You, my God       *Psalm 84:10             I Run to You   I am running to your protection You define my safety I trust You I take risks and I am stretched Within Your protection, I can grow   I run to your power...

  Were I a Tree   Were I a tree I would be A Willow tree      Soft and swaying      Thin and hanging      Atop my sturdy core Come a walk beneath my branches Feel the breeze through all my leaves   Were I a tree I would be A mighty Oak      Heavy Imposing      Aged and Wise      Leathery lobes on gnarled branches      Twisting - spreading Climb along sturdy limbs Lay beneath dense canopy Protected   Were I a tree I would be A towering Redwood      Higher than eyes can see      Roots reaching far and twisting      Needles and cones      Small but resilient      Bark protects, resists -  survives None more determined than me Stand in wonder Feel drops rain down   Autumn Tree Turning Leaves Painted Trees Golde...