Open Palms

LORD,

Open palms
Worship you,

Bring you praise.

Say, “I surrender”
Say, “take it all”
Say, “have your way”

Open palms are open fists
Take everything
It’s all yours
All of me, all I have, all my dreams.
Everything without you-Is completely empty
Your absence makes the essence of my being-unworthy.
My words, my time,my my thoughts, my eyes…
My will.
My fists
that clench
to worldly dreams.

The vanity
The facades
The chasing...
of meaningless things

I’m yours.

Open palms, worship you
They face your sky
I’m yours.

Take it all…
My will, My thoughts, My dreams, My mind.
All I am, All of me.
Without you,
Everything is meaningless.
I’m yours.

praising Him through the desert

Two wonderful friends Andre and Jeanette Garces were a few months pregnant and lost the baby to a miscarriage. Andre is asking for prayer for his wife, yet giving glory to God through this really tough moment.

He writes:

"Please pray for us, especially my wife. God in His wisdom and love has taken the new addition to our little family home. Child of Andre & Jeanette...sibling to Mary...enjoy the alluring, delightful and beautiful glory of God!!! We shall meet one day!"

The little baby-the blessing-that Andre and Jeanette believed the Lord would entrust to them to raise, is now in the presence of the Living God, in heaven. Andre encourages the baby that he will not meet here on earth, to enjoy being in the presence of God in heaven.

The blessings in this life, like a child or a marriage, are only meant to be extra gifts that can bring us extra joy. With or without those gifts and blessings we can experience fullness of and complete joy if we know God and belong to Him.

God Himself is the greatest blessing of all and the promise of eternity with Him and freedom from this sinful world and our fallen bodies is the most amazing gift ever. He also gives strength and encouragement during very hard times.

I'm SO humbled by Andre and Jeanette's reaction of praise and the faith they have in the Living God. There's no doubt that there is hurt-because there is loss. Nevertheless, they cling to the truth they believe in their hearts to be true, that God is good.

He alone is the giver of the strength that they are showing.

Seeing God's people give Him glory, like Andre and Jeanette are doing, is incredibly encouraging and brings God so much glory. We're able to clearly see the God-given strength and joy through the pain.

Let's keep Andre, Jeanette, and their daughter Mary in our prayers.

Isaiah 43:19-21

"Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth,

do you not perceive it?

I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

The wild beasts will honor me,the jackals and the ostriches,

for I give water in the wilderness,

rivers in the desert,

to give drink to my chosen people,

the people whom I formed for myself

that they might declare my praise."

Como Salmo 23

Quiero cenar en la mesa de mi Padre.
Donde nunca falta nada,
Y de todo
El se encarga.

El llenara mi taza
Hasta que este sobrellena
(mi alma y también mi taza).
Fe correrá de los lados, fe, alegría y
Pasión para más vida

Viviré siguiéndolo con fe
Aunque yo no pueda ver
Mis ojos, serán puestos en el
Mi cabeza así arriba…
me quedare enfocada en el amor,
que es mi Padre..

El es el amor,
Que me llama por las mañanas
En las madrugadas oigo su voz
Como el agua que moja lo dentro de mi ventana,
El entra, y platica con migo.

Sin invitación,
el sabe como entrar a mi corazón…
En horas de tristeza,
y en horas de dolor
No tengo que llamarlo-porque el conoce mi voz
El llanto de mi soledad, de mi corazón.

Sin hablar, mi espíritu le platica…cuando yo…
no tengo más palabras.
Me rodea en su amor.
Mi abrigo, mi Padre…
Solo en el encuentro yo refugio…
((( estoy; tranquila )))
Me gustaría estar siempre ahí.
Lindo amor, bello amor.
Palabras NO explican TU Lindo Amor.

"Paid in Full" Detention

At St.Philip's cathedral I sat in what felt like
detention after confession:

"Recite 5 Hail Mary's, and everything will be okay."
(my prescription to redemption)

Shiny wooden bench more holy than me.
Unlike it,
I would never be "good enough"
to have access to the Father.
Of it, I felt jealous...envy.

"Hail mary full of grace"
the stale words in my mouth I can still taste.
Shiny wooden bench more holy than me.

The joke that I became.

Sat I,
and recited 5 memorized "Hail Mary's"
Words that honestly,
meant not a thing to me.

Like sharing words without meaning,
Reciting poems without feeling.

"Paid in Full" detention after confession

I didn't feel any closer to The Father.
a vacancy in my soul,
still bitter,
still thirsting.

Evil shiny wooden bench more holy than me.

"Hail mary, full of grace."
The stale words in my mouth I can still taste.

The Black Makeup

The black makeup dripped from my eyes
Down my shower drain that night
After I did away with my pride
and asked His love into my life
Accepting His forgiveness…
My tears
Smeared
Black streaks down across my cheeks.
Like the red blood
The red LOVE
that creeped down His eyebrows
As He wore That piercing thorn crown
The black makeup
Smeared….
Down across my cheeks that night.
Down from my eyes rolled drops heavy of…
Lust
Greed
Disgust
For the past decisions I'd made
Remembering how
Remembering when
I said yes to the snake and
Filled baskets
with red apples.

(The sweet juice
of the forbidden
fruit
dripped…
from the corners
of my lips)

When I …
Fell away
When I…Walked away
When I…Disobeyed
What I'd heard my Heavenly Father say.

But the skin piercing crown of thorns from which he bled,

The red blood The red love
that smeared
down across his forehead,

Has set me free.
And I AM FREE…Indeed