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A Joyful Sparrow

A Joyful Sparrow

Tabitha's Journey toward the Heart of the Father

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Faith, Ministry

Solo Performance

11 May 201724 Apr 2018 A Joyful Sparrow

No one has read this blog. That is not a figurative statement, it is downright literal.  I’m not referring only to this post, or any other post for that matter. I am talking about my entire blog—all fifty-plus posts. Every thought reflected, along with the hours upon hours invested putting them into words and stringing… Continue reading Solo Performance

Tagged blog, blogger, Faith, gifts, post, Writing8 Comments

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  • Marriage
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~ AMPLE RAIN ~ . I’ll never forget traveling west through the Cascade Range to Seattle for the first time. Clearing Snoqualmie Pass, with its post-card views of snow-capped Rainier, we descended into the Valley and caught our first glimpse of the lush hills heralding our approach to the Emerald City. The element responsible for the green is, of course, WATER. Though Seattle is not technically the wettest city in the country, it tops the list for number of days with precipitation. Rain, drizzle, mist, and fog all contribute to the Temperate Rainforest biome of the region. In stark contrast to the semi-arid desert on the leeward side of the Cascade Range, it is a rich and thriving blanket of green. I am grateful for how much of Himself the Lord has poured into my life. From early childhood I had the blessing of learning of Jesus. I live in a culture that offers an abundance of faith resources at my fingertips --- websites, IG feeds, podcasts, music, television, books, dozens of Bible options, and good churches galore. I think it's fair to say we live in a "well-watered" land. . 🍃For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God.🍃 Hebrews 6:7 How much must be received, before the heart bursts open to release into the lives of others? Our Father passionately desires to draw the lost to Himself through the Son who was sent to reveal His love. According to His perfect plan, He commissioned US to share life-giving water with those on the desert-side of the mountain. Our voice must speak His love. Our hands must console the hurting. Our feet must carry light into the darkness. . 🍃But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.🍃Hebrews 6:8 We are not well-watered simply to be saturated; but so the Living Water can move through us to others. We are drenched in His grace so we can flourish in the good works to which we are called... “for whose sake it is cultivated”. . This week, let's pour generously into those whose souls are parched and thirsting for Living Water. In His Love , Tabitha 🍃💕
~ SURRENDER to LOVE ~ BLOG POST EXCERPT: You know that great Hollywood divorce story? The one where former spouses remain good friends who greet each other with an affectionate smooch over a gourmet espresso? Mine is not that kind of story. It was ugly—brutal to be honest. When it comes down to it, all divorces are. To say divorce was “amicable” is like saying there was a civil war with no casualties. Our divorce came after six years of marriage and a heart wrenching series of selfish choices, unfortunate blunders and missed opportunities for reconciliation: and culminated with two stunned college kids exiting a courthouse with their matrimonial hopes and dreams reduced to the ink on a divorce decree. Civility was abandoned on those cold hard steps as well. The ensuing war games dragged on for years, followed by an equally long cold war... . So imagine my astonishment this morning when I realized that I love him … READ MORE: Follow my blog link, search “Surrender to Love” . . . Pic: Grigoreva Alina . . . . #livinginjoy #christfollower #faithblogger #walkingbyfaith #graceupongrace #shereadtruth #womenoffaith #hopewriters #joyfullifemagazine #walkintruth #lovewins #loveoneanother #godofmyheart #chooselove #eternaltruth #growinlove #jesusheals #loveofanotherkind #loveoneanother #sanctification #thelawoflove #trustandobey #graceupongrace #choosejoy #christianblogger #walkinjoy #everydaygrace #joyfullifecommunity #writersofinstagram #loveneverfails
~ PROVERBIALLY SPEAKING ~ Most of us have learned firsthand the power of words to cause hurt and brokenness. We all bear scars from words thoughtlessly chosen, or even intentionally used as a weapon. If we're honest, we've all been on the wounding end of things as well. Solomon's musings in the Book of Proverbs cover close to three dozen topics ---each a vital aspect of life and godly living. One of the recurring themes is the impact of the spoken word. The tongue has the power to build up or to tear down. HIDDEN POWER ~ The Proverbs attest to the destructive power of the lips: but Solomon also reminds us that wisely chosen words diffuse the sweet fragrance of life. Words can be a healing balm. Words can inspire. Words can empower. . 🍃Those who guard their lips preserve their lives... Proverbs 13:3a . 🍃The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death. Proverbs 13:14 . 🍃...the lips of the wise protect them. Proverbs 14:3b . 🍃A gentle answer turns away wrath... Proverbs 15:1a . 🍃The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge... Proverbs 15:2a . 🍃The soothing tongue is a tree of life... Proverbs 15:4a . 🍃The lips of the wise spread knowledge... Proverbs 15:7a . 🍃Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Proverbs 16:24 . 🍃The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. Proverbs 18:21 . 🍃Gold there is, and rubies in abundance, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel. Proverbs 20:15 INSPIRATION ~ These scriptures remind us that each of us has the potential to impact others for good if we allow 'Christ IN us' to speak words of life THROUGH us. Let God's Word saturate your heart and mind this week. The more we marinate in His Word, the more His thoughts become our thoughts; His words, our words. . "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good... For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." Luke 6:45 Let's use the power we've been given to speak sweet words of Love, Encouragement, Hope and Grace to the souls around us today. KEEP READING: ~ In His Love, Tabitha🍃💕 . Pic: Pixabay
~ WANTED: 1 Homing Pigeon ~ . A BLOG EXCERPT: . I’m a homemaker, a.k.a. I don’t earn a paycheck. My last culturally defensible tenet for being home full-time walked down the aisle last September. That milestone added to an underlying angst that started with our final home-school graduation four years ago —that "I-should-do-something-with-my-life’" feeling… My heart longs to remain on the home-front. My creative-self dreams of becoming a published writer. Echoes from past ministry call my name. The worker-bee in me feels guilty for not contributing a paycheck. Last but not least, my ego is drawn to the prospect of a "legit" career. Hence, the internal tug-of-war rages on. My head is spinning in a fog of confusion that feels a lot like that internal panic you get when you’re on a super highway interchange and not sure of where you are going. Pressed and hemmed in by traffic, you’re caught up in a dizzying labyrinth of possible routes. Road signs move by so fast it’s impossible to read them. There are no clear landmarks and no time to think. Making a wrong turn and ending up lost is highly probable…” . KEEP READING: Click on link in my bio. Search “Wanted: 1 Homing Pigeon”. . In His Love, Tabitha 🍃💕 Pic: Pixabay
~ My 3 R’s for 2019 ~ I entered 2019 with thanksgiving for the Lord's faithfulness despite a year colored by struggle to find solid footing and focus as I sought to walk out my calling. The year began with a commitment to invest my gifts more fully in kingdom work, and somehow ended in striving, spread thin and fearing my impact was more hit-and-miss than anything. All in all I was left feeling less in sync with the rhythm of His heart than before and wondering how I got sidetracked. As others were posting their WORD for the year, I was waiting for the fog to lift enough for the path ahead to take shape. I strained to hear His voice with the hope of receiving direction—preferably in the form of an unambiguous plan. Of course if you've walked with the Lord for any length of time, you know He rarely works that way; for although we tend to seek a “destination”, faith is far more about the JOURNEY. He has promised that when we call upon His name in earnest, He will not leave us floundering. Yet He may show us only one step and ask us to simply put one foot forward in obedience. In all honesty, He has been softly nudging for some time; gently reminding me that faithfulness is not measured in "doing" but in knowing and loving Him. It’s time for a reset and that begins and ends with resting in Him. I believe HIS words for me as I begin 2019 are: REST ~ Jesus is calling me to a Sabbath season. He has stirred in me a deep hunger to steal away and spend time with Him—to be held in His arms and hear Him whisper “Come away with Me, My love”. I long for the quiet hush needed in my life to hear His heartbeat once again. REFRESH ~ Last year too often found me drawing from a dry well. I thirst for immersion in His Word. I know He is inviting me to refreshing found only in ABIDING in Him. I can minister to others only as I am filled to overflowing with Living Water. RENEW ~ I am excited as I know renewal is in store: rekindling of embers and igniting of new dreams—His dreams and His vision. So I'll be hanging out with Jesus for a bit. You’ll see me here only as the Spirit moves. You will remain in my prayers. All Blessing & Love ~ Tabitha 🍃💕 . Pic: Dreamstime
MOVING FORWARD . "For I know the PLANS I have for you,” declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you HOPE and a FUTURE." Jeremiah 29:11 I was reminded recently that the windshield is larger than the rear-view mirror for a reason —our journey is about looking forward. As someone who has spent far too much time glancing in the rear-view mirror of life, I understand how hard it is to let go of what has gone before. The past has a magnetic pull that threatens to draw me backward and limit my forward movement. I am also learning that when I keep my eyes fixed on my DESTINATION, the distant view in the rear-view mirror becomes increasingly diffuse. No matter who you are, no matter where you came from, or what you have done or been through; God has promised that you have a future — a destiny for which you were created. No matter what the beginning of your story looks like, the ending was re-written the moment you accepted Jesus. He is the Creator of the 'fresh start' and the Author of your forever story. That is the HOPE that fuels our lives and keeps us moving down the track! Blessings as you step into 2019. It's going to be glorious because He is already there waiting for you! . In His Love ~ Tabitha 🍃💕 . . Photo courtesy of 'Through Maggie's Lens' photography
The first week of January is my "take stock" week--- time to turn down the volume, slow the pace, enter into the still and reflect before launching into the New Year. This month will usher in my 5th grandchild. Watching my own children begin their parenting journey is indescribable ---my cup truly runneth over. I am absolutely giddy and yet also aware that the path ahead of them will stretch them in ways they cannot yet imagine. The most daunting challenges and the greatest rewards of my life are of the same origin – my journey as a mother. (That goes double for the home school years.) My children are adults now, and I am still discovering what it means to be a mom. Mothering is not for a season ~ it’s for a lifetime. Being a mom means continually growing and learning and adapting as our children journey from birth to adulthood and into life. Even after wearing the “mom” nametag for nearly 39 years, I am only beginning to fathom the powerful nature of this thing we call parenting. It is a dynamic process in which we learn as much from these human beings as they do from us. Our character is shaped and refined as we pour into them and do life alongside them. My children have been my greatest teachers. They exceed and complement who I am in every possible way. They challenge me to think bigger. They inspire me to try harder. As a parent, our greatest aspiration should be to lead them to Jesus ---to lay a solid foundation of Truth upon which they can build. Our hope is that they will journey further, dig deeper, and climb higher than where we are able to take them. In the end the greatest reward is to have our children lead US to even greater heights: to teach us through their relationship with Jesus. . “Thank you Lord, for the five precious lives you entrusted to my care. Thank you for allowing me the privilege of being called ‘mom’. Give me the wisdom to continue planting seeds that will bring forth eternal fruit for generations to come.” . . PIC: My second son showing me the ropes, and encouraging his 50-something mamma to keep movin’ it!! . . #titus2women #momlife #joyinmotherhood #vintagemom
~ MIRACLE of a MOMENT ~ . . ❄ Does the rain have a father? Who fathers the drops of dew? From whose womb comes the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens when the waters become hard as stone, when the surface of the deep is frozen? ❄ Job 38:28-30 Happy Winter! Here in the Bakken oil patch of North Dakota, we got dumped on over the last few days. The snow is glorious and this empty-nest mama is warming herself with memories of my 5 little snow angels. MOMENTS ~ Last Friday was the ‘Winter Solstice’. In scientific terms it is the point in the earth's revolution when the N. Pole is at its maximum tilt away from the sun. In practical terms it is the shortest day (or longest night) of the year for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. It also marks the first day of winter. The above is common knowledge to most of us, perhaps even to the trivial point. Yet as I sat and watched the snow fall yesterday, I was reminded that 'Winter is a miracle'. Despite our aversion to cold, the sometimes inconvenient realities of snow, and inevitable cabin fever... the entire season is utterly miraculous. Every crystalline snowflake, every wind-carved drift, every glassed pond and glistening branch; even the howl of that old North Wind holds complexity and mystery that will never be unraveled by the mind of man. Take a moment today. Just a single moment. Quiet your soul and enter into the stillness. Look intently around you and in that single moment ---if you open your heart--- you will witness miracles that will leave you breathless. Don't let the busyness of this season cause you to miss the gifts the Creator has placed all around us in His extravagant LOVE and GRACE. Look to the heavens tonight. See if the twinkle of a single star in Orion's belt is not more majestic than all of the ornaments and tinsel manufactured by man. . ❄ Can you fasten the chains of the Pleiades or loosen the belt of Orion? Can you bring out the constellations in their season and lead the Bear and her cubs?❄ Job 38:31-32 Let’s enter the New Year with a spirit of worship, the wonderment of a child, and hearts burgeoning with gratitude. . . ~ In His Love, Tabitha🍃💕 . Pic: Pixabay
~ A CHRISTMAS STORY ~ . Once upon a time, there was a girl named Tabitha... . Who came face to face with a Prince named Jesus... . He was beautiful beyond description, perfect in every way, powerful, and full of truth and grace... . He gazed deep into the emptiness of her soul, reached out His nail-scarred hand and gently whispered ... . “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. Isaiah 1:18 . ...THE END... Forever and ever and ever 💕 . . .
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