Love is not just tolerance. It's not just distant appreciation. It's a warm sense of, 'I am enjoying the fact that you are you.' N.T.Wright  

Meaning of distant far away in space or time.

The word distant is in the in Bible 94 times...

Who are you? Do I remember you?? My memories of you are so faded and distant do I even remember who you once were??  I question how and why I allowed you to get so close to my soul??  

I do believe we are all born with a Godly purpose. A divine destiny..  I know in my heart our paths crossed for a beautiful purpose.  To LOVE... even if it was only for a fleeting moment in time.

In the beginning of my journey many began to distance themselves, from my life which wounded my soul... But I have learned that there are times, when God allows this distance so we can grow and find Him!  He will fill that void, that emptiness we feel in our hearts... He will soothe our hearts and speak songs of love to our souls... 

The most intriguing thing I found as people became distant... It afforded me the time to press into God’s heart more each day... As my life began to turn... I began to see things like never before. My soul began to breath a newfound freedom. And my relationship with my Heavenly Father grew into such a beautiful world of exciting wonder and unexplainable love... 

If you were one of the one's that could not find it in your heart to stay... You were not alone. ... Many chose not to stay or even call ...They have distanced them self, due to lack of kindness, compassion and or understanding.. Many walked away.... But I forgive you. 

Because I have found that it can be intimidating and a bit overwhelming for some to realize that God is a larger-than-life adventure... Many become squeamish just at the mention of His name.  Not all of us are ready to explore the possibilities of a love beyond this world... 

I do believe that this "distancing" experience is like being a beautiful rose bush that needs a little pruning of the dead leaves in our lives... As they truly serve no healthy purpose... They just hang on and drain life from the bush giving nothing in return... When we are pruned it makes us stronger, it allows room for the beauty of a deeper more meaningful growth to take place... It will breathe life into the very essence of who you are in your core.

God is an amazing gardener of the soul. As He removes things that no longer serves His heavenly purpose...  He will fill your life with such richness. You will appreciate life and love like never before. It is the most amazing experience!!! It defies all human imagination...  Things that you thought mattered will begin to fade... 

So, I can honestly say don't despair... If you are feeling alone, misunderstood? Or have experienced a wounded heart at the hands of another... Talk to God, speak from your heart... Or just call His name and invite Him to sit with you a while... He knows us better than we could ever know ourselves... He passionately loves all His children, and He only wants what will make us bloom into the most beautiful soul flower in His garden of LOVE.  

Don't distance yourself from God... Place your life in His loving hands...  

He is my gardener, my confidant, my all.... He wows me!! 

It's Him... it's always Him!

Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit John 15:2

Photography & Written by Lori Garner

Sinners Prayer

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Ed Sheeran's "Perfect" LYRICS - Christian Version by Beckah Shae (feat. Damien Horne)

I felt the urge to paint the door to my home red... so I did it this week... and this morning I became curious. Is there a significance to a red door in the Bible...??? And I found out a very interesting tidbit of information. 

A red door provides protection. In Biblical times, the Hebrew slaves were instructed to smear blood of a lamb on their front doors to protect their first born from the angel of death. In old Catholicism churches painted the doors of the church red to represent the blood of Christ. Passing through the door would mean that you were on holy ground. Some believe a red door protects the occupants from evil.

It seems there are so many things I do without knowing why have a deeper meaning. and it always points to Him... are they just coincidences.??? It does make me stop and say Hmm 

Do you find His mystery intriguing?? 

Revelation 3:20

John 10:7

https://triunelovesme.blogspot.com/.../door-open-door-to...

“God’s real desire, in addition to displaying His glory, is to claim your heart and the hearts of those you love.” - Priscilla Shirer...

Fervent means to be hot, to boil, to show great warmth and feeling, the intensity of spirit.

Fervent is used 12 times in the Bible. 

Some often think that the Bible is a dry and cold book. But it is filled with emotions of every kind. It is not dry history.  It is teeming with the feelings and emotions of God and His children. 

We are made in the image of God. In us are all the 5 senses, as well as the sense of the Spirit living in us.  God is living, feeling, and full of emotions. 

We see in Luke 10 that Jesus sent out 70 disciples to go to every town and tell them that God’s kingdom had arrived and to heal the sick.  When they came back to report to Jesus, they were full of joy and excitement.  

In that hour it says that Jesus was overjoyed and rejoiced greatly(fervently) in the Holy Spirit.  The emotions He had were boiling over and fervent with excitement. Everywhere they had been there was a harvest of souls for the kingdom. 

What causes the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to be fervent?   What makes Them full of joy?  The harvest of souls!!!  

He has called us to share His love, His message to everyone.  May our soul be overflowing as we Talk about Him with fervency.

In another instance, in the Bible, we are called to be fervent in prayer.  Our prayers should be burning within us as we talk with Him.  He hears our cries.  He knows our hearts. 

Let us not be lukewarm or cold, but hot in our walk with Him.  And be fervent every day as we respond to His love.  Loving Him with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength.  212 degrees!!

fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;”
Romans 12:11-12 KJV

Photography Lori Garner Written by Joann Turnbull

Sinners Prayer 

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Katy Perry - Firework (Lyrics)

Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times. -Martin Luther...

Meaning of confidence the feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something; firm trust.

We located 20 verses that contain the word confidence. 

I am confident that a least one heart will connect with this heartfelt word... 

Can confidence be built? Or can it erode with time??? 

When I thought about this word I closed my eyes and I could clearly see a beautiful pool of water... I had the privilege this summer of watching my granddaughter's swimming lessons. Her Mom had hired a unfamiliar yet friendly teacher. 

Day one.... was shear panic, tears and crying out my name..."Grandma" as difficult as it was not to help her I had to stay in my appointed seat.. 

The teacher was scheduled to come twice a week... She patiently began to speak softly and give her deliberate directions. She started by teaching her how to put her face underwater and blow bubbles ... Then she held her as she floated...As the weeks progressed she began the process of building her trust. Soon the art of swim strokes followed... As the time passed I watched my granddaughter’s trust and confidence in her teacher grow... As summer faded ... She had mastered the task set before her of swimmimg.. And now with great confidence she stood at the edge of the pool she called out my name "Grandma" watch... She then confidently began a deliberate high jump into the deepest part of the pool... She was fully submerged underwater... And soon her little head broke the surface of the sparkling water... And there big as you please was her beautiful confident smile... She did it !!  

Many might think this word study would take me to the question “How much confidence do I have in God??” Much like the pool story above many of us may start out our spiritual life in shear panic, crying out and looking for our teacher to save us??  But as our teacher speaks softly to our hearts we began to let go of the edge of the pool... That is how our  trust in Him grows. With time, we began to tread water... and spiritually we get stronger each day.. There will be the day that we call out His name and with a deliberate jump we will land in deep water. And as we break the sparkling water's surface He will be there to see our beautiful confident smile... 

If we are lucky we have built that trust and confidence in our Heavenly Father by spending the time to know without a doubt He will always be at arms length ready to save us from the challenges of this life... 

But does it stop here or does this circle of confidence go beyond our confidence in God?? What about His confidence in His children?? Why were we chosen? Did He see something in us that gave Him the confidence to trust us with such a valuable message??? The message of His greater LOVE!!! As we look back in time there has always been a chosen few... A few that were willing to stand at the edge of the pool ready to jump and fully submerge themselves in Him and His gift of heavenly love...  I am confident that it’s our soul's desire to be being fully submerged in His sparkling light...

This word has taught me that confidence goes both ways... I have learned to trust Him with my life... I am confident that with His guidance I will be ready to jump into the deeper part of knowing Him ... 

He is my LIFE-savior... My mentor... My confidant... ❤

Its Him, Its always been Him.

We have been chosen to jump??   But the question is 

are we ready??? 

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7 

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. Hebrews 10:35–36

Photography & Written by Lori Garner

Sinners Prayer 

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SANCTUS REAL | CONFIDENCE - Official Music Video 

When you Run alone, It's called RACE? And When GOD Runs with you, It's called GRACE! - unknown...

The meaning of cautious is careful to avoid potential problems or dangers.

We located 7 verses that speak of the word cautious... 

Are we just being cautious? Do we tread lightly when we are unsure? There is so much to digest these days... So many instabilities... So much uncertainty? So many “experts” ??? 

I don’t know about you but it makes my head spin?? Am I being overly cautious or am I just dizzy from too much information from the so-called “experts”? Are we truly being bamboozled? 

We have truly taken our eye off the ball? If we look at the Bible we see many parallels... 

We see hate and discord with the Government. We see a division within the general population. Political, Race, Gender... We see blatant judgment... 

Centuries ago we had the opportunity to witness and love Jesus and we let Him slip through our fingers??? Was He cautious in showing His love? I say NOT! 

I do believe we must be cautious as we travel in our broken world... We must uncover all the facts... We must sift all things through our Saviors heart and our Father’s words... We must hear His protective cry before we take action... We must diligently pray for guidance. 

The vision that comes to mind is a horse race... So much training goes into each race. So much trust in his jockey.  Winning the prize is the ultimate goal..  and one of the best pieces of equipment the horse will wear are blinders...This helps him focus and only see what’s ahead... 

Again parallels. We are all in a race we call life... We are all training for that lifetime opportunity... We all must grow and learn to trust Jesus... Never, Never take your eye off the prize.  We must wear our spiritual blinders..and must stay focused on the days ahead.

It's His presence that will give us peace in our hearts in the midst of our uncertainties...  

Trusting Him has given me the ability to throw caution to the wind and blindly focus on Him!!! The prize of eternity with my Savior is my Heavenly goal... We do need to be cautious of the fleeting things of our world... One day they will all fall away. But His gift of Life and LOVE will never fade... It can only grow stronger in our hearts as we approach the starting gate, and the final bugle call is blown... and the race is on... mud flys.. and you can almost hear the announcer calling the positions of the race...  Are you in first place ?? Or dead last?  And as you go under the wire... in a faint small voice, we can say thank God I made it !!! 

It is there in the winners circle our focus becomes clear...

It’s Him, it’s always been Him!

So take diligent heed to yourselves to love the Lord your God. Joshua 23:11

“By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.”

1 John 4:17 ESV

Photography & Written by Lori Garner

Model: https://horsesthathelp.org

Sinners Prayer 

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The Cavalry Charge - William Tell Overture (Finale)

Meaning of conviction: a formal declaration that someone is guilty of a criminal offense, made by the verdict of a jury or the decision of a judge in a court of law. 

We located 40 verses that speak of conviction in the Bible... 

Guilty as charged ??? 

This word brought me to thinking of children... Have you ever witnessed a child in the act of doing wrong... And when confronted they have the ability to look us in the eye and say I did not do it!! It wasn't me !!! But the truth is written all over their face!! 

We all have been guilty of the same behavior at some time in our lives... We may think if no one witnessed the act we do not have to own up to the action... So then we try to bury it deep with our hearts... 

But who are we truly fooling??? 

Guilt can eat away at the lining of our soul... until we come clean. It will haunt our peace.. and can even make us physically ill. Because it comes from a dark place... But conviction is the Holy Spirit’s cleansing process... We must acknowledge the wrong... We must bring it to our Heavenly Father.. and ask for forgiveness... that is when the weight in our heart lifts and we are able to breathe again... 

His forgiveness, His grace ...His undying love... Works miracles in the field of guilt, conviction, and remorse... 

But we have some responsibility in the process ... We must meet Him where He stands... We must commit our unclean heart to Him... daily. We must work towards setting the wrong right... We need to acknowledge that in our human form we will always fall short of being perfect. Because perfect is not attainable and He knows it ... Striving for improvement every day ... Can only make us better... than the day before... He welcomes improvement, He watches the growth... And loves us through each challenge... I personally do not understand how He has never given up on His children??? How? Why? So many questions? 

How does every word, every thought, every day that my heart beats point to Him?? 

It’s Him! It has always been Him!! 

I must admit ... I am guilty .... Guilty as charged... Guilty of falling in love with Him and I pray that it is written all over my face !!  He WOWs me... 

I am a work in progress!!! But He still loves me, even with all my imperfections... 

Forever His.  

“This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.” Acts 24:16 

“Pray for us; we are convinced that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way.”Hebrews 13:18

Photography & Written by Lori Garner

Sinners Prayer 

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Conviction - Rachel DeLong Music

"If you are discouraged it is a sign of pride because it shows you trust in your own powers." - Mother Teresa

Meaning of pride: a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements, the achievements of those with whom one is closely associated, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired.

Ok stand back and brace yourself most if not all of us could use a hefty dose of humility when we crack open this word...

It just might hit you like a cold glass of water on a blistering summer day... Will it be a pleasant tune or just a bunch of white noise... 

I think we have hit a sensitive cord... Pride can be dark, it can be full of self... and the shrapnel it releases can wound unsuspecting hearts...

Is this word always an ugly word? Is there a time when pride can be an emotion that can drive us to a place of beautiful growth ?? 

As parents, we tell our children we are proud of their achievements... But when we take it to others in a boastful manner I think we have just shifted pride to a displeasing level... When pride points to self that is when we lose our humility.. our grace, and our focus on what truly matters... 

Would it be out of line if I said I am proud that I am a follower of Christ?  Or would I rather hear my Father say He is pleased with who I am becoming... I pray the latter.

When we do not own the word but give it the way it takes on such a beautiful meaning... 

The heart you gifted that emotion to may have needed your approval or just a few words of encouragement... 

When you weld this emotion mix it with a pinch of love and make sure it lands firm and does not boomerang. 

Be a humble encourager ... 

Be the most amazing soul you can be!!! Make our Father be delighted in the soul you have become.

Then suddenly the voice of the Father shouted from the sky, saying, “This is my Son—the Beloved! My greatest delight is in him.” Matthew 3:17

Photography & Written by Lori Garner

Sinners Prayer 

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Selah + Pride Of A Father - Hillsong Young & Free //// Subtítulos en Españo

"I want to know how God created this world. I am not interested in this or that phenomenon, in the spectrum of this or that element. I want to know God's thoughts, the rest are details." -Albert Einstein

Meaning of “think” has a particular opinion, belief, or idea about someone or something. Direct one's mind toward someone or something; use one's mind actively to form connected ideas.

We located 14 verses that speak to the word “think”.

Hmm, hold that thought!! What were you just thinking this very minute? The human mind is an amazing gift. Did you know there are 39 different types of thought processes?   Our thought process is a type of cognitive activity in our brain. It allows us the ability to uses our mental capacity to complete and understand certain functions of our human experience. Many of these activities give us the ability, to problem solve, make split and long-term decisions, create, and evaluate any given situation.

But how does our thinking process affect our emotions? our mood? Does our thinking affect how we act and react towards life and others? 

In most cases, our thought process stimulates some type of emotion… I found that most times is not the outside world that causes the emotion it is our internal filtering system. Life experiences weigh in heavy in this process… 

Have you ever witnessed someone that always seems to be at peace even when they face difficult times? They seem to have a positive outlook. Do they have an inner joy??? What is this gift of positive thinking??

How do we rewire our thinking??? How to shift our mood from darkness to light?? Where can we find this product that they seem to possess???  

This may not speak to everyone. But perhaps these souls have tapped into something much deeper something so simplistic and available to every man, woman, and child?? 

What does the good book reveal? What is it that keeps us coming back? There seems to be a medicinal phenomenon that lies between its pages… There are so many nuggets of wisdom hidden here… When we dive in and meditate on these beautiful words our mind becomes filled with the love our Heavenly Father placed in each written word… 

It has been proven that if I say a word… you will automatically think of the object. Your life experience with that object will begin to race to your thoughts. And your emotions and sometimes all your senses will come rushing forward.  That object will become your focus. Other thoughts may try to invade your headspace… But stay focused!!! Are you ready to test this theory?? Close your eyes and think of…

God... His beauty... His Love... His power, His grace, FOCUS on Him, and His love for you. You are His beautiful, forgiven, child… I pray your heart feels HIM... Because your emotions will kick in… and your thoughts will be filled with HOPE and the most amazing LOVE known to man... 

WOW, He truly knows how we are wired?? He gave us Psalms 1:2 for a reason… Meditate on Him and His word day and night… This type of thinking can and does shift our thoughts… It has been proven… But the question becomes… How much of the day or night do you give Him?? Some share a quick devotional in the morning, some pray before bed. Some hit church on Sunday… But is that enough to change how you react to our miss guided world? 

He has given us the gift of thinking, use it wisely… 

It's Him, It’s always been HIM…. He can change the way we are wired to think!!!

THINK of HOPE, THINK POSITIVE THOUGHTS, THINK of His AMAZING GIFT OF LOVE … 

THINK of HIM.. and maybe your thoughts will become that ripple of love that our world needs to meditate on day and night… Be the change…

But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditates day and night. Psalms 1:2 

The naive believes everything, But the sensible man considers his steps. Proverbs 14:15

Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise. And apply your mind to my knowledge; Proverbs 22:17

Photography & Written by Lori Garner

Sinners Prayer 

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Consume Me -Grace Williams