Count me in…. are you coming ??

Meaning of census a count for official purposes, especially one to count the number of people living in a country…

The word census is in the Bible approximately 36 times.. 

Counting, counting, counting... What is the purpose? Are we just a number??? 

Many of us have been part of a census... Many of us have not even realized that we have been included even without doing a thing... 

But the question that came to my mind is why do we need to segregate? Race and Ethnicity??? Class??? Rich... Poor... If truth be known we are more alike than we care to admit... When did being a part of the human race become less important than where we came from or what color of skin covers our inner soul... 

We are all looking for that golden ring... that peace in our hearts and that love that heals our scars and for that inner circle that accepts us for exactly who we are... We all dream of being included in what I call the census of the heart... 

The word census has taken me down memory lane!! I started my amazing journey 3 years ago. Without a religious background, I had a Holy Spirit Encounter that rocked my world... The first Sunday after my spiritual experience I found myself in Church. This quite private, awkward soul marched herself to the front row and took a seat... The music began to play and I slowly stood... Raised my hands... 

( something way out of my comfort zone) I closed my eyes... Tears began to stream down my face... And in my soul, I could feel Him... And I whispered in my heart ”count me in I am here!!!!” And from that day I was all in... There was no turning back... And then He proceeded to take me on the most amazing journey of my life... 

So when I think of the word census... I have committed to seeing beyond our world, beyond where we came from... and beyond the color of our skin... I will strive to look at the soul and the heart... I will look to Him for guidance on how to love beyond boundaries... We are not perfect... We the people have many flaws... But I have given Him my heart and my commitment to follow Him... 

So I urge you to raise your hand today...make your comment, be counted as one of His chosen people... You will be accepted just as you are... And you will experience love beyond this world... 

 “And we no longer see each other in our former state—Jew or non-Jew, rich or poor, male or female—because we’re all one through our union with Jesus Christ.”

Galatians 3:28 TPT

 It's Him, It's always Him... 

Photography & Written by Lori Garner

Sinners Prayer 

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Switch - "Count Me In"

"Agape is total love... Whoever knows and experiences Agape learns that nothing else in the world is important – just love." ― Paolo Coelho 

Pattern meaning: A Biblical pattern is a spiritual model or example given in Scripture for purposes of imitation.

The word pattern is referred to in 8 verses in the Bible.

I truly had no idea how this word came to my mind.. It not a word that I would normally think of... Is this a pattern in my journey?  Is this a word with more depth than I could ever wrap my head around.. 

As I opened this word I stepped back with great amazement... Many Bible scholars have studied in depth the patterns that seem to hold many secret messages throughout its delicate pages... 

I do believe I have found a gold mind hidden here... But unless I am prepared to spend a lifetime studying these nuggets of wisdom I would need to address this word on a much higher level or isolate one pattern that speaks to my heart... I will wait for guidance... 

Waiting on Him.. Now that is a pattern I understand... lol

This is such a daunting and challenging task... It is like trying to pick God’s brain... Which one of us is equipped to understand His complexity and depth? There are so many articles on the patterns in the written word. For instance, there are patterns that point us to Numbers, Prophecy, and Jubilee... just to name a few... 

Pattern hmm is this a secret code from our Heavenly Father? How do we with our limited thinking unlock this code? What type of Mastermind can create such an intricately woven Masterpiece of literature??  It has captured and maintained the hearts and minds of humankind since it was written ... How did He organize and orchestrate this with such rudimentary supplies? They did not have the technology that we have grown accustomed to. Let's just look at the statics of the Book itself. 

The Bible was written over a period of 1400 to 1800 years by more than 40 different authors. The Bible is a compilation of 66 separate books, divided into two primary divisions: the Old Testament (containing 39 books) and the New Testament (containing 27 books). It is believed that all of the books of the Bible were written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.(www.allabouttruth.org/when-was-the-bible-written) 

I do believe the only way this could have ever been accomplished is by Divine Intervention and inspiration... 

Just imagine the simplistic yet magnitude of this project. 

I am sure many words were written by Candlelite and scriptures show us that they were inscribed with an iron tool on a lead or engraved in rock forever! (Job 19:24) They had no computers, no file sharing... No, delete or save buttons ... No spell check... And every beautifully written word pointed to Yeshua, the Son of God, the pages are filled with a poetic love story between the Trinity and all of mankind... He wrote the words in a way to keep our hearts and souls interested for centuries!! Will we ever unlock all the messages within its pages... Will we truly ever understand all the patterns? Will we grow in our knowledge to understand the magnitude of His great love ??? 

I feel so ill-equipped... 

I can only stand in awe... His very presence blows my mind... He is so much more than my earthly mind can understand... I am so grateful that the pattern that fell from the sky into my heart that day was a “feel” clue. It is such a small word with such great power... He let me feel His love... He opened my spiritual heart and eyes. I know I should study this magnificent book, I should look for all the hidden clues... 

But I will admit ... my attention span is not that broad.. As I began to read I seem to always be swept away to thoughts and conversations with Him... Many call it prayer some call it devotionals... I call it heartfelt... 

As I traveled on this journey I have had the privilege of witnessing the great love He has for all of His children. As a parent that thought seemed simple enough for my earthly mind to understand... 

But it did not stop there... His LOVE is real, His love runs deep His love WOWs me... It is way beyond what my heart and soul have ever felt.. it boggles my mind.  As parents, we say we love our children. We would give our life for them... We would move Heaven and earth... And when that child looks at you with adoration, and smiles and says from their heart  I Love You ... You smile and your heart melts. 

And to think,  our love is only a fraction of the LOVE our Creator shares!

Double WOW 

It’s Him. it’s always been Him... there is no one that has ever or will ever come close... 

He is the master of my heart and soul. I rest on the pattern of His Love!

Photography & Written by Lori Garner

Sinners Prayer 

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 Finding the Pattern - Jessica Curry 

“Love is not love until love’s vulnerable.” – Theodore Roethke...

Meaning of mute refraining from speech or temporarily speechless. 

The word mute is referred to in approximately 28 instances. 

Hold that thought!! What the cat got your tongue??? I’m speechless!!! 

If I share my feelings or thoughts, some people will think I am not good enough! Or maybe they may think that I am losing my mind?? Feeding my doubts which may factor into negative thoughts?

I don’t know about you but when I look back on my life, I too have had many silent moments... Moments when I did not speak my mind or share my feelings. I retreated many wondered why I did not have anything to say??? I thought, did my opinion really matter? I would find myself gravitating to people who were conversationist so my being quiet became comfortable and that grew into who I had become. I had crafted the art of listening... Which isn't really a bad thing.

But I became aloof and only shared my inner thoughts with a chosen few... Trust and loyalty are traits I deeply value. However, like many of us, I fell into that snare.  And cared too much what others would think... 

So with time I bound my heart and kept my soul buried deep within... 

I indeed found myself dancing on the edge of being mute...... 

But one day everything changed... I can only say I was chosen to be loved far beyond my own understanding... I still do not understand why things happened the way they did...

However, I will admit in the beginning, I felt a burning desire to share this amazing love. To be honest it was a struggle to contain it and spilled out many times. Many people did not understand. This was not my normal, it seemed that my behavior was changing.

What they did not realize is, I had been mute for so long, That I learned to fly under the radar... You could say I became invisible. I now was like a fish out of water? I had lost the ability to openly share without fear of judgment? 

Such a dilemma, I had been given this great love but my insecurities were raging. I felt bewildered and confused ... and I cried many tears... The struggle was real... What would others think?? But this LOVE was intensely beautiful and much greater than any fear... 

And my Savior did exactly what His name described. He saved me from me and He delivered such a beautiful life lesson for me to experience and to share. 

He loved me through my doubts and sang a beautiful love song to my soul... He opened my heart and freed my soul... 

This newfound love and freedom loosened my tongue... 

He gave me this message for a reason... This message is about greater love. He sings His love song to all mankind... Listen with your soulful ears...and hear His voice...

He has asked us to love beyond boundaries... We are all not so different... We all bleed the same... We will struggle with things in our lives. 

But in the end, we all crave to be accepted and loved by our Creator... It’s a love not of this world!!!! It’s a LOVE that surpasses all human understanding... 

I am no longer mute ... because to share Him and His Love is the greatest adventure we can share in this lifetime... The only time now that I am speechless is when I can feel His loving presence... I can only close my eyes and breathe Him in ... and bask in the moment... and my heart whispers I love you, thank you for the gift of you! 

He WOWs me #speechless 

It's Him. It's always HIM... But now it's you and me... He gave us a voice ...share Him... your life will never be the same. 

And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God. Luke 1:64 

Photography & Written by Lori Garner

Sinners Prayer 

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Naomi Scott - Speechless Lyrics (From Aladdin 2019)

Sweat equity is the most valuable equity there is.” — Mark Cuban..

Meaning of sweat moisture exuded through the pores of the skin, typically in profuse quantities as a reaction to heat, physical exertion, fever, or fear. 

The word sweat appears approximately 5 times in the Bible... 

Many of us have heard Jesus sweat blood🩸? But what does that mean? Do we even stop to understand the deeper implications or do we just pass over those words without feeling and pain in our own hearts?  

I did not even know that this was even possible, did you?

I did discover yes, that you can sweat blood... It was not just a symbolic view of a pivotal moment in history. 

There is an extremely rare condition called hematidrosis. The face and forehead are common locations for this to occur. Many people do not know anything about this condition. But many have heard about it from the Bible but how many of us have taken the time to understand the depth of this moment ??  

When we look to the Bible we see in Luke 22:44; “And being in agony he prayed more earnestly, and His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” 

The operative word is agony... The rare condition can occur with great FEAR... 

Have we ever stopped and lingered in this moment? Or do we rush past this moment straight to the cross? I do not want to diminish the suffering of any of these precious heartbreak moments... 

But I do know from my own experience there are times we suffer long and hard before the actual event occurs. 

He was suffering in the garden long before that heart-crushing day occurred ... He was left to suffer in anguish alone and fear gripped His mind with such magnitude that He sweat those precious drops of blood... 

Even though His mind knew what was to come His soul knew it was written and the moment must be fulfilled for all of mankind... He could have walked away... But He knew it was part of His Heavenly Father's greater plan. 

What a beautiful heartfelt gift of LOVE. His only crime was that  He wanted is to teach us how to live and how to love...Crucifying Him was the biggest crime man will ever encounter. 

So I can only ask what sweat equity have we given Him in return ??? That is a question that only you can answer... 

All I know is that it would be a crime if we do not surrender our hearts to His commitment of love...  He sweat those tears of love for you and me.

He is the most amazing gift our Creator has ever shared. He is the brightest star and our guiding light... Our love for life! 

It’s Him... it’s always been Him 

Turn up the heat for Him &.... Sweat 💦 

And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling do And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. Luke 22:44

Tears flow silently through the soul and cleanse's the heart. 

Meaning of the word cleanse, a process or period of time during which a person attempts to rid the body of substances regarded as toxic or unhealthy, typically by consuming only water or other liquids:

There are approximately 40 verses that mention the word cleanse... 

Does life dirty our hands ?? Does our lack of compassion harden our hearts ??? Do our thoughts pollute our hearts and minds... Do we scar other hearts with callous actions or unkind words?  Do we allow the pollution of our world to penetrate our very soul? Are we a sluggish society?  Are we broken? Are we bruised ?? 

How do we find the beauty our world once had? How do we find that soft place to fall? How do we change our hearts... 

Many of us try to wash the wounds of life... And travel on our way without healing.  We become lost or maybe distracted and continue our daily routine without much change?? This action may result in a darkness that makes your soul silently grieve and your heart harden. 

How do we change the heaviness we feel... How do we learn to trust again? How do we heal our scars? How do we learn to love again? 

When we think of the word cleanse. Perhaps we think of washing...We think of restoring ... We think of the word refreshing ... 

I can only share what I have experienced during my journey.  And how I found the freedom to chase God's love with all that I am... At the time I did not know Him. I knew of Him... There is a beautiful difference... 

I do not know why, but one day He whispered my name... And that Is how this amazing journey began. 

As days passed, He began to share a beautiful love that tore down my walls. Walls that had been built to protect my heart. As the walls crumbled... I found myself meekly standing there alone, with only His love...  I had never felt a love so pure, so warm, so heavenly.. There are not enough words to describe His love. 

I felt that my heart was being circumcised... I felt stripped, bewildered, and confused. I did not understand the magnitude of His love or His plan for me.  I could not run... I had no place to hide... He saw the raw me, the true me... Yet He lovingly held me as I faced my insecurities and fears. 

And as He took my wounded heart in His loving hands He began to shave the layers of dirt from my life...  He spoke words of love to my soul. I felt a freedom that I could not contain... Tears fell like rain from the deepest chambers of my heart...His love opened my soul and eased the chokehold I had placed on my life...

He taught me how to let go and breathe again... 

It was at that moment in time I fell in love and surrendered my heart to the one who knows me better than I know myself...  

His love runs so deep... His care is so gentle and kind... He sees us through our failures and helps us rise from the ashes. He revels in our victories. There is no one anywhere that can even compare!!! 

I believe His love contains beautiful healing oxygen that frees our souls...

This cleansing process can be heartfelt. Facing your inner fears and yourself can be difficult at times. But I have found that with pain there is growth... There is an inner peace that comes from traveling this road of life with Him. 

There is an amazing love transformation that happens within our heart and soul... When you began to love with no boundaries. This includes loving who you are becoming. 

Over time I have learned to just close my eyes, open my heart and trust Him with my life...  But I must say... Loving Him is the best thing I have ever done... 

It’s Him... It’s always Him...

PS...I am a work in progress ... I am at the mercy of my Master’s loving hands... He WOWs me.

That’s where he restores and revives my life. He opens before me the right path and leads me along in his footsteps of righteousness. so that I can bring honor to his name. Even when your path takes me through the valley of deepest darkness, fear will never conquer me, for you already have! Your authority is my strength and my peace. The comfort of your love takes away my fear. Psalm 23:3-5 TPT 

Photography & Written by Lori Garner

Sinners Prayer 

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Cleanse You by Calee Reed - Lyric Video

The meaning of render To interpret; to set forth, represent, or exhibit; as, an actor renders his part poorly; a singer renders a passage of music with great effect; a painter renders a scene in a felicitous manner. 

The word render is referred to in the Bible approximately 111 times... 

Is rendering the act of delivering something? Is it a message?? Is it the act of surrendering... 

I can relate to this word on many levels. During my amazing spiritual journey, I have been rendered speechless many times ...

I have surrendered my heart and I have been asked to deliver a message. A message that was not for me alone... It was given to me to share by a soul that with time I have learned to love with all that I am... 

It was a message that seem so simple... But yet so confusing. It was hidden deep within my soul...He was the only one that had this kind of power. He had to gently and methodically unlock my once bound heart.

I had never felt a love so deep or with such intensity... It was so difficult to contain..... But as I tried to understand why me ?? I felt so inadequately equipped to deliver such a beautiful message... 

But as I listened to my Creator's gentle persuasion, I learned to wholeheartedly trust Him.  He has taught me to love without boundaries... He has given me the joy of laughter... He has guided my heart on an amazing journey... He taught me to treasure the beauty of each day. He has given me the gift of people... Some were fleeting moments in time... Some decided to stay and learn more about this gift... All of them were an important part of growing this LOVE ... Some even taught me the art of forgiveness... Some shared in the beauty of sharing life.

My life changed, my love grew, and my confidence and His message of LOVE grew stronger in me each day... I no longer worried about what others would think... And on that pivotal day, I decided to throw caution to the wind and live life...LARGE

By rendering my heart and soul to the one who gave me life...

I came to the realization... That I had been soulfully lost ... and He was the only answer.

He has been chasing me for a long time... But one day on a lonely road in middle Tennessee. I must have stood still long enough to hear my Shepard’s voice gently calling my name... 

And it made me wonder ... 

Was the “ONE" referred to in the Bible Scripture  Luke 15:4 "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?

He knew it was time to capture my heart! He knew I desperately needed Him... He knew my heart was primed and ready to accept His LOVE ... 

But most importantly my heart was ready to LOVE Him back with the same intensity He LOVEs me.

It's Him, It's always been Him. 

He renders me speechless!!! ❤❤❤

And they were astonished above measure, saying, He does all things well; he makes both the deaf to hear, and the speechless to speak. Mark 7:37

Photography & Written by Lori Garner

Sinners Prayer 

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ED SHEERAN'S PERFECT AS WORSHIP!! - LYRIC VIDEO (Philippa Hanna)

Fear causes hesitation, and hesitation will cause your worst fears to come true.- Patrick Swayze...

Meaning of hesitation 
the action of pausing or hesitating before saying or doing something:

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions... life is full of decisions ... But wait ...I am not ready yet... Hold on..what about tomorrow? What makes us hesitate? Fear?  Over analyzing? Rejection? Doubt? Worried what others may think? 

What is it that makes us have any hesitation when we speak of our Creator, His amazing Son, and the beautiful Holy Spirit?  I have found that many people hesitate or even hide their true feelings or only worship Him in the silence of their mind for fear of what others may think? 

There are times in our lives our hesitation can and will paralyze us just where we stand. ...This can hinder us from becoming everything God intended us to be... 

How do break the chains? How do we embrace freedom and cast caution to the wind ??? How do we become publicly confident in showing our love for Elohim? How do we learn to travel this amazing freeing journey to a brighter God-given destination?  How do we let our light shine without any hesitation?? 

Truly it’s Him, for with Him all things are possible... The more time you spend getting to know His beauty and love, the braver and stronger your faith in Him becomes. 

As your relationship grows, You will begin to wait on Him. You will learn to heed His guiding whispers... You will trust Him with all facets of your life... It's at that pivotal moment in time you will throw caution to the wind and let the world know how you truly feel, knowing full well that if you fall... He will catch you without any hesitation!!! There is an amazing freedom that comes with letting go and LOVING HIM.....

Cast your fears to the wind...

And JUST JUMP... Feel that freedom to live life large and love with all that you are !!! 

It's HIM... It's always Him... Catch me I am falling in LOVE...

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ Mark 12:40

Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. Matthew 21:43 

Photography & Written by Lori Garner

Sinners Prayer 

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NONAH - Jump (Official Lyric Video)

The heavens proclaim the glory of God...night after night they make him known (Psalm 19:1,2).

At Even Ere the Sun Was Set

As the sun is setting in the evening sky.  The colors are bright orange and red. Spectacular visions to our eyes. How can He show such rare beauty?  It is His gift of love for us to behold. 

Father, though the evening of this world is here, we come with the hurt, the sick, the prisoners, and all who need You.  

Jesus - At evening they brought all the sick to You.  You took all pain and sickness to the cross as well as man’s sin. With every blow, wound, bruise, and touch of the spear you took it all.  And at the end, You said “Father forgive them.”  The thunder sounded in the darkness and the earth shook as You breathed your last breath and said, “It is finished”.  

It was evening.  

As watchers of this scene went home. So sad.  They did not know that Jesus had fulfilled His assignment, the Lamb of God had been slain. He was slain for you and me.  The redeeming price had been paid.  The evening sacrifice had been made. 

Soon the evening and darkness would turn to dawn.  He was raised by our Holy Spirit. And early that morning on the third day He appeared.  They had last seen Him in the evening on the cross. 

Now He is alive and He is still healing the hurt, the lost, and those without hope.  He says come,  In this evening of time, His touch is the same as in ancient times.  Come to the One who loves you with eternal love.  Love this One who gave His all.  Love Him with all your heart, soul, and mind. 

Psalm 113:3  From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised. 

Psalm 65:8 They who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs: You make the dawn and the sunsets shout for joy. 

Photography by Lori Garner 

Written by Joann Turnbull 

Sinners Prayer 

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have i told you lately that i love you - van morrison