“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 conversationalists, 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 about 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 

Inspiring Music by (youtube)

Naomi Scott - Speechless Lyrics (From Aladdin 2019)

“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” —William Arthur Ward.. 

Just sharing,  this was our first post on this blog in March of 2020, and here we are 6 years later with 196k views, 824 post. and... He still blows my mind..              

HOLY Smokes ...We created the blog to share this amazing journey of discovery. And to my amazement, we have received over 20k views. 

During this time I have been taught so many amazing things about life, love, family, and friendship... 

I have been loved far beyond my own imagination by the Father, Jesus, and the amazing Holy Spirit. I have grown to love this book that I thought was old and boring. Many know it as the Bible. I found that there is so much power, grace, and pearls of wisdom lying between its pages. But mostly I discovered it's...

The GREATEST LOVE STORY EVER TOLD. 

It is such a masterpiece of wonder. 

My friend and I started this Bible Word Study on Dec. 14, 2019. We committed to each other to study one word a day... Details can be found here Word Study. We have cataloged over 460 words... To me, that is such a personal victory... Our blog started because of Covid and a desire to share our word journey with others. 

Special thanks to Joann for sharing life and love, it's been an amazing ride... and thank you to those that have taken the time to become part of our journey. 

xoxo

Lori 

Holy is the very first post on our blog to read more click on the link below. 

  ------------>    Holy

And there is always a song;

Photography & Written by Lori Garner

Bible Verses From KJV, Easy  /  Sinners prayer 

Inspiring Music: 

The Journey (Lyric Video) - ICF Worship

Love is a choice to reach beyond myself not once, but twice. First, I reach out to God to grant me the love that I don’t possess, and then I reach out to others to give them that love. And to be a conduit of this sort is to take love beyond the thin romantic notions of men and set it ablaze within me so that it might consume the world around me.

Craig D. Lounsbrough

The Meaning of reach - To extend; to stretch; in a general sense; sometimes followed by out and forth; as, to reach out the arm.

The word reach is used approximately 104 times in the Bible. 

When I reach for you will you be there? I run to you each day but you are always just beyond my reach. I feel you in my soul, I hear your gentle whisper. However, I yearn so to touch your beautiful face. 

What is this race we call life? What is this drive to love you, that lives in my heart? What is our purpose… 

I find this journey so simple yet so complex. 

It’s the midnight hour when I seem to reach for Him the most. I want to share my thoughts, my desires, my love with the one that holds my heart. The one who keeps the chaos from knocking at my door. The daily noise of life becomes a distant memory in His presence. … He is my fortress, my high tower, my protector, my escape to a spiritual existence. 

In Him I found life. He is such a gentle and kind spirit. I found a beauty that I never knew existed in this world. He fills our souls with an unexplainable love. It is so difficult to put it into words. His dream is for His children to share this great love! So, I ask you, how do we share this kind of heavenly LOVE ?? I can only pray that He opens your heart and that He gives me the words. 

He has given us this promise of this kind of love for eternity.  Once you have felt God’s Love there is no turning back…. I can only pray, that if we began to slip from His grasp. That He will reach for our hand and pull us lovingly into arms. I personally do not ever want to fall far from His reach.. 

It’s Him.  It has always been Him.

He breathed life into my soul. How did I not reach out sooner? How did I not respond ?? He tried to reach me so, many times…But I never stopped long enough to hear His melodic voice. 
He had to pour out His heart from heaven and touch my soul so deep, so profound that there was no doubt ... I knew in my heart it was Him. 

And life will never be the same. 

Thank you, my LOVEs my 3N1for never giving up…  

Psalms 139:7-11, 17-18, 23-24 TPT

“Every single moment you are thinking of me! How precious and wonderful to consider that you cherish me constantly in your every thought! O God, your desires toward me are more than the grains of sand on every shore! When I awake each morning, you’re still with me. Where could I go from your Spirit? Where could I run and hide from your face? If I go up to heaven, you’re there! If I go down to the realm of the dead, you’re there too! If I fly with wings into the shining dawn, you’re there! If I fly into the radiant sunset, you’re there waiting! Wherever I go, your hand will guide me; your strength will empower me. It’s impossible to disappear from you or to ask the darkness to hide me, for your presence is everywhere, bringing light into my night.

God, I invite your searching gaze into my heart. Examine me through and through; find out everything that may be hidden within me. Put me to the test and sift through all my anxious cares. See if there is any path of pain I’m walking on, and lead me back to your glorious, everlasting way— the path that brings me back to you.” 

Photo Design & Written by Lori Garner

 / Sinner's Prayer

Inspiring Music by (youtube)

John Barry - Somewhere In Time (Original)

The Trees Are Weeping is a reflective visual meditation set to an emotional orchestral soundscape of cello, violin, and piano.

                                              Seasons of Love (If They Only Knew)

Do we listen to God's whispers? Do we feel thought that tug at our heartstrings? Or are we too busy to know it's Him? 

I now realize He tried so many times to get my attention and I was way too busy with life to know it was Him... This image was taken by me on January12, 2015... It has no edits. It was captured on church grounds in West Palm Beach, Florida. The quote was mine. I hid behind the GW initials because I was too timid to share.  In 2017 we moved from Florida to Tennessee and that is when I had a Holy Spirit Encounter that rocked my world... And He gave me wings to fly.

It's when I look back, I can see the little hints He was dropping all along the way... I now only wish I would have listened to my heart sooner... Because He has shared the most amazing LOVE I have ever grown to know... It is so difficult to put into words... It's beyond human understanding. 

Do not miss those soft whispers... They are not coincidences... He is knocking at the door of our hearts. It's up to us to open it !! 

It's Him, He is the most amazing and relentless pursuer of our hearts. It's always been HIM... 

Photography & Written by Lori Garner

Sinners Prayer 

Inspiring Music by (youtube)

HOW HE LOVES // worship cover

It's on the mountain that God reveals to us our weaknesses and insecurities. We find in our relationship with him a strength we didn't know existed.  - Jarrett Stephens...

Meaning of mountain - a large natural elevation of the earth's surface rising abruptly from the surrounding level.

Mountain formation refers to the geological processes that underlie the formation of mountains. These processes are associated with large-scale movements of the Earth's crust.

The word mountain is referred to 55 times in the Bible. 

When we look at the word mountain we can stand at the foothills or rise to the beautiful peaks. There have been times I have stood at the foothills and looked up to what I felt were impossible odds. I have cried and asked my Heavenly Father to remove this mountain before me!! I have opened my eyes and I thought nothing changed... I felt alone, unsettled, and felt like my prayers went unanswered. 

But as I traveled this path of life. I knew “I” would need to prepare myself with everything I could think of for this difficult climb. Ropes, climbing shoes, gear... And with an uncertain heart, I began my journey living life one day at a time.  As difficult as some of the terrains became to overcome I found comfort, the strength I did not know even existed. There were days that were without challenges smooth and unencumbered. But then there were treacherous places that I wanted to quit, throw in the towel..and just withdraw from my very existence. 

But like most I too have been guilty, in final desperation, we seem to cry out to our Heavenly Father help me I need you !!! 

Only to realize at that moment He has been traveling beside us every step of the way.  He has danced with us through the beautiful light and through the darkness of despair. 

He held us tighter when we began to slip and lose our grip... and as He holds us we can hear “Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you or forsake you” ( Deuteronomy 31:6). 

In my journey, I have stood at the foothills and traveled to the mountain peaks... I find that He is always at my side. there are times I think .. where are you? You are so distant! He was always there ... I am sad to admit it was me who moved. 

But to my surprise I found that He is my constant, He is my rock at the foothills and the wind beneath my wings at the mountain peaks. 

So grateful that He plans on never letting me go...I have been on a spiritual climb each and every day...So much to see, So much to hear, So much life to live... With Him, mountains are a beautiful path to the heavens gate. Where we can feel Him in the wind... See Him in the beauty of the open sky ... and hear Him whisper to our soul.

It’s Him, it’s always Him 

I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalms 121:1-2 NIV

 Photo design & Written by Lori Garner                 Bible Verses From KJV, Easy  /  

Sinners prayer                                                                                       

Inspiring Music by Jaci Velasquez - Imagine Me Without You (with Lyrics)

The meaning of Waning and Waxing: Waxing means “growing” or expanding in illumination, and waning means “shrinking” or decreasing in illumination. 

When we look at these words they seem to point us to the moon phases… 

I truly have no idea why they tugged at my heart today… I can only say that I seem to feel those same types of pulls on my heart and soul. 

Our Creator seems to have placed a force that keeps every little detail of creation in its place…. The total Universe seems to be affected by what we know as gravitational pull… 

He created the moon to be the tidal force that causes Earth—and its water—to bulge out on the side closest to the moon and the side farthest from the moon. These bulges of water are called high tides. These tides interact with our earth's surface... 

I question, 

Do we have a similar pull that interacts with our Creator? Did our Creator put this gravitational pull into our very DNA? Are we all on this spiritual migration home? 

As I travel on the quest to unlock this mystery and grow closer to my Creator … my first love.. I have come to the realization of the similarities between the ebb tide of the ocean and our relationship with our Heavenly Father. 

I will admit there are times I feel Him so strong that it is difficult to contain the tears as they stream down my face. I can feel this beautiful yet mysterious gravitational pull that He so lovingly placed within the depths of my soul. 

But then there are the times I  feel He has placed some distance between us… and the closeness I once felt is lifted, and it grieves my soul  … My soul longs for His presence… The struggle to find Him is real… 

And then I remember that beautiful day in May when I felt a love so strong that it left me forever changed… He gave me a gift that filled my soul with a love far beyond my own understanding…. So, When we try to rationalize these moments in our mind, it can become a heartfelt perplexing feeling…. 

There is no way I can not deny His existence… I can only trust Him.. and wait… waiting is the most difficult task… longing for His presence is such an emotional quickening of the soul … 

The Waning and Waxing becomes a beautiful dance of the heart. It's a love story between me and a precious soul that has loved me before I was even born…

He illuminates my life like the beautiful moon on the darkest of nights… 

I so love the moon... 

It’s Him, it will always be Him!! 

Dance with Him like no one is watching - slow, quick, quick. Your life will never be the same. 

Job 26:

He makes the moon wax and wane, putting it through its phases.

Photography & written by Lori Garner

Sinners Prayer 

Bible collaboration - Joann Turnbull 

Inspiring Music by (youtube)

Fly Me to The Moon - Diana Panton

When you Run alone, It's called RACEAnd When GOD Runs with youIt'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 

Inspiring Music by (youtube)

The Cavalry Charge - William Tell Overture (Finale)