Stay!

We all have promises that we are heading towards...

We all have been given our own "personal promise land"  that represents an expression of wholeness, desires fulfilled, goals reached, and celebration of the fruit of our life.  It means something different to each of us because God has created every single one of us uniquely.  

My personal promise land includes many things God has placed in my heart and "wired" me for, it encompasses my family and the mark we are designed to make, it's satisfying, restful, and yet full of productivity.  It reaches beyond me and touches others, it is the mission of my heart in motion. 

God, by his Spirit spoke to me a few months ago.  He actually sang this over me in the exact melody in the video as I was worshiping and I knew it was something I needed to listen to. 

He said as you are journeying to your promise land, don't forget to STAY.  That sentence carried such conflict to me.  "What do you mean STAY, Lord?" 

"Tiffany, It is the posture of your heart to My presence." 

"But God, you have taught me what it is to rest in you and be still - you have shown me the "GO of God and the Yield of the Spirit, but never have you said STAY, especially in the middle of a transition season."

What I began to discover, at a bit of a deeper level, is that as we are journeying to our own personal promise lands - we find the passage to be full of different experiences.  We go through wildernesses, mountain tops, valleys, and hidden places all while following the "cloud by day" and the "fire by night" - His Presence and His Voice, found in our relationship with Him.  

These experiences or places in our journey are what strengthen and qualify us to dwell in the place of promise God has created us for.  IT REQUIRES INTIMACY WITH OUR MAKER AND FAITH TO WALK AT HIS PACE!

So if you find yourself in a hidden place or a wilderness on your journey,  keep moving forward but don't rush through it.  Stay in His presence Stay talking and LISTENING to our Creator and let His Spirit take you through it step by step knowing that when you reach the other side you will be well equipped for THE BEAUTIFUL PROMISES HE HAS WAITING FOR YOU! 

Romans 5:2-5 The Passion Translation
²Our faith in Jesus guarantees us access into this marvelous kindness that has given us a perfect relationship with God. What incredible joy bursts forth within us as we keep on celebrating our hope of experiencing God’s glory! ³But that’s not all! Even in times of trouble we have a joyful confidence, knowing that our pressures will develop in us patient endurance. ⁴And patient endurance will refine our character, and proven character leads us back to hope. ⁵And this hope is not a disappointing fantasy, because we can now experience the endless love of God cascading into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who lives in us!

 James 1:3-5 NLT

3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

It's The Little Things

It's The Little Things 

After a crazy "first week of school" all the preparation from school supplies to lunches, gym and sports uniforms, extra curricular activities, new schedules, car lines, football, emails galore, a very messy house - backpacks homework, papers to sign spread from one side of the kitchen to the next, "yet to be folded" laundry covering the couch, and Morning/ All Day sickness; all I can say is YIKES! 

BUT
I started reading again about our great EL SHADDAI - God Almighty - All Sufficient One - More than Enough! 

"Because our God is Almighty, there is nothing He can't do.  No problem is too big.  No concern is too small.   God never gets weary from carrying our burdens."
 Matt 11:28

The Word 

His Name, El Shaddai, reached my anxiety, stress, and sickness.  Even though my "first week of school" with all these kiddos is not some crazy, desperate situation, I still needed to know that the same God who heals the sick, raises the dead, and does great miracles cares about my overwhelming week.

SO

Some very BIG - little things...  :)

MY MOM CAME, made dinners, went grocery shopping, got me some new clothes, and organized my closet  (which is a miracle in itself)!  Then some sweet person sends me a note with cash in it and says "For Football Expenses" - WOW!  And then my in-laws unexpectedly brought over snacks and supplies for the kids.  Oh, and toilet paper for dayyysss... hahahaha!
I'm so grateful for all the help and the grocery shopping especially since grocery stores currently increase my morning sickness. 

One More Little Thing

As all the craziness subsides,  I began finishing the closet project my mom started.  I found this picture painted by my Kaden dated 8/29/2011.  It's his Kinder  hand print, cute beginner's writing, and his sweet sweet, little face.  

My mommy heart was captured.  I sat on my closet floor with a heart already full of thanksgiving for the people in my life and the revelation of my "More than Enough" God; I just had to stop, breathe, and take it in. 

What this little Kinder Picture painted for me was the greatest part of my "El Shaddai weekend".  Each of my children, MY ARROWS, represent something very special.  Kaden represents VICTORY!  You see, he was born in what looked like an adverse time, a divided house in a painful season. But, in a different reality he was born in a time of purification and re-creation.  He was a part of that beautiful process.  His life is a JOY!  He has so much favor, remains in the top of his class, he is talented, athletic and very spiritually awake and mature.  Not a single ash from that season has ever touched him.

What the enemy of our lives meant for destruction, God redeemed and brought His beauty and glory out of.  God was More Than Enough then, He's been More Than Enough time and time again, and He has  shown Himself THERE and STRONG!

God did it again after this crazy week; He showed himself MORE THAN ENOUGH! 

In all of these little things
I got to see my very BIG- More Than Enough God ~ El Shaddai.  Because I have experienced his goodness it gives me tremendous faith for you today!

No concern too small for our God, your creator!  No problem too big for El Shaddai!  My prayer for you and I is to see the greatness, the depth and width of a loving and living GOD who cares about every nook and cranny of our lives.  I pray that as we become more and more aware of him, and as our gratitude grows stronger and stronger, that we would find ourselves overwhelmed in His GOODNESS, left with an incredible shine, a shine so bright, it would literally create an awakening wherever we go.
  
Here's to a revolution for the Kingdom's sake!  Amen. 

Quiver Full

I am pregnant with my 6th CHILD. 
Before you say anything.... Yes, we have TV.  Yes, we know HOW this happens.  No, we are NOT crazy! Yes!  We are happy to be a part of God breathing NEW LIFE INTO THE EARTH!

So... Quiver Full!!!!!! 

 

We have 5 great kids from 4 to 13 years old and one on the way!  We love pursuing the Fullness of Life in Christ and are raising our kiddos to do the same. 

Life is busy and crazy yet simple focused and fun!  God is always stretching us and increasing our capacity for greater things.

Grace is our oxygen and understanding seasons is our defense against weariness!

I love Psalm 127:3-5 (NLT and PT)

Children are God’s Love Gift, they are heaven’s generous reward!

They are ARROWS  in the hands of WARRIORS.

How Joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them

A Household full of children will not bring shame on your name but victory when you face your enemies.  

Your children will have influence and honor (city gates) 

Children are God’s Love Gift, they are heaven’s generous reward! 
The word –reward in this text strikes me incredibly because reward is something given in recognition of one’s service, effort, or achievement.  Wait…. Heaven is REWARDING US???!!!  What did I do to deserve this reward? LOL! But in fact I did nothing to earn this great reward; it is simply the gift of being God’s creation- His achievement and an intricate part of His greater master plan. INCREDIBLE!

They are ARROWS  in the hands of WARRIORS.  
I love this so much because arrows have a very direct mission - to hit a bullseye at the center of their target.  Arrows must be fashioned and formed and the released into their targeted mission. They are put in the hands of WARRIORS!  Not Civilians!  It’s about engaging the battle at hand not shrinking back to live a civilian life. 

As I researched how arrows are formed I found this great parallel.

Welcome to Arrow Crafting 101!

Any arrow to be useful must have a shaft, fletching (feathers), a nock (the groove at the end of the arrow into which the bow string fits), and a point. If all of these four are made well, the result is an effective arrow, beautifully designed for impact. These four qualities give us four clear goals to pursue as we craft our children. Nearly every issue or trap our children will encounter can be linked to a young person's need in one of four areas.

1. The arrow's shaft: identity
 The making of a fine arrow begins with the shaft. Obviously, since every other part of the arrow
must attach to the shaft, this part of the arrow is a lot like a child's identity. If a child's self concept is warped—not straight and strong—his flight in life may be wobbly.

2. The arrow's feathers: character 
Why do arrows have those feathers at the back end? The feathers or fletching create drag when the arrow is in flight, which keeps the back end of the arrow behind the front end—a pretty important function! It also stabilizes the arrow as it flies to its target. An arrow without good fletching is undependable and dangerous. If an arrow has the right kind of feathers, properly installed, it will fly straight. We think character has the same effect on a child.  From Genesis to Revelation, character development is a major theme of God's work in people. And it's one of the major assignments God gives us as parents. Character is how your child responds to authority and life's circumstances. It is "response-ability," and comes as a result of training our children to submit to God and His Word.

3. The arrow's nock: relationships
All of the pent-up power in a bow is of no value if it cannot be effectively transferred. That's why every arrow, at the rear of the shaft, has a small groove that holds the bowstring. This is called the nock. The nock keeps the arrow in place on the string until the power is released.  The nock can be compared to the third core ingredient necessary in a child's life: relationships. When someone's life intersects with God and with people, a power transfer occurs. None of us was intended to make a journey through life alone. We need the strength, comfort, encouragement, resources, and power provided by God and others.  Try teaching truth without a relationship with your child. It produces rebellion. Similarly, relationships without truth can result in a self-indulgent teen, one who is spoiled.  Children also need parents who will build into them the ability to love others. And this training can occur quite naturally in the context of our relationship. The best school to learn about relationships and resolving conflict is in the University of Family, where the professors teach and train their students for more than eighteen years.  (This is so practical and gives an incredible image as I am mothering my 13 year old)

4. The arrow's point: mission
Our finely-crafted arrow is nearly complete. Only the front end of the shaft needs a finishing touch—a point.The point of the arrow reminds us of the last essential quality we want to craft in a child: Every person needs a reason to live, a driving passion or calling that provides meaning and impact. This is a person's mission.
Adapted from Dennis and Barbara Rainey's book, Parenting Today's Adolescent,Copyright © 1998 Thomas Nelson Publishers.

How Joyful is the man who's quiver is full of them- This is a life of JOY!

A Household full of children will not bring shame on your name but victory when you face your enemies. 
When the enemies of life show up,  it has been my children that have been a great part of showing me the purity of God’s power that overcomes darkness.   Kaden, my 2^nd born, whose name means "warrior", was with me in the womb when I learned the life-transforming supernatural power found in the Prayer of Warfare. I truly became a warrior, He warred with me and we saw our family restored.  It was one of our greatest victories!  The power of agreement we shared in the womb we still walk in today, and we are living from one victory to the next.  It's our Victory Parade! 

-In the Messiah, in Christ, God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade- 2 Cor 2:14 MSG.

Your children will have influence and honor (city gates)

Our children were meant to impact the world! They were born for the days that we are living in and they are equipped to rule and influence the state of mankind in this age.  God knew them before they were born and wired them with a strength and grace for the hour we are living in! No, it is not an overstatement to say we are raising WORLD CHANGERS!  Lord let us learn the balance of  being a safe place & refuge  for our children but not sheltering them from the world they are called to impact! We reject the temptation to fear the world we live in and rise up as WARRIORS in this age with ARROWS in our quiver! 

Father Make us like you!  Teach us by Your spirit to fashion and form arrows that will hit a bullseye into the mission of the Nations!