Friday, January 25, 2013

Journaling Divine Dots........





Hello  dear friends and
holykisses to every person who  reads this.  
My hearts kinda bustin at the seam today.

Since the beginning of the new year, I've jumped back into reading the bible all the way through again.  To keep  God first in my life I knew  I needed to make it a priority  because there would always be something to get in the way of  it.  -- In keeping with my title of connected dots...There's  someone in my life who really inspires me
to read the Word  cover to cover and that's my Step Dad.    I don't know how many times he's read it through but .... numerous. 
-- There was and still is  so much of the bible I don't understand ... and when I'd get stuck, it was then I'd put it down.   Don always encouraged me to keep going.  So even now I pray and just ask God to help me understand what I need to and not get tripped up when I don't but to just keep reading.  
I just love God's word and it's exciting when something I've read before but maybe didn't "get"... next time might just jump off the page right into my heart.  His word really is alive.  I like what it says in Hebrews about it: 

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
So...this morning I finished 2nd Samuel and started reading 1 Kings.
Notice  the blue journal in the photo up above?  It's for "Victories." 
Moments ago, this  victory was penned inside...
 "finished the book of 2 Samuel." 
I'm really thankful too that when my Momma married Don,
our lives intersected and we made a dot connection.





I believe  this book is part of another dot connection.  
Back before I even knew what a blog was;  God began  revealing how he was  actively doing stuff in and around my life ... connecting more and more people dots.  This awakening for me started when I saw with my heart this connection 
when reading  about Lydia in the bible. 
Acts 16:13

13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us."
What jumped out at me was that Lydia 
worshiped God ... 
then He opened her heart.  
Worship.  
God used that moment; years ago... to draw me and from there
opened door after door and connected dot after dot...
even purple ones.  You can read about it here:  

 
Jumping back forward to today and 
the Mission of Worship book... the dots continue to connect.
I've been listening to Midday Connection for 3 years or so now.  
If you hadn't heard of it; it's a women's radio program that I personally download via podcast onto my ipod.
I can't begin to even describe what a blessing it is to me and the the hosts as well as many guests 
have become more dots. Divine connections that bless,  
help me grow and always
point me to Christ

The booklet above was a gift.
I've been enjoying a  new program called Bring To Mind through 
Moody radio and they  had a giveaway on Facebook.  
After signing  up for it;  this book was found in my mailbox! 
The very day it arrived, I sat down in the evening and read it cover to cover.  
I knew with everything in me that it was heaven sent.  
Worship.  
A word that's  been on my heart. 
 From  strong emotion and thoughts about worship in church, to writing and sharing
back and forth with a friend about it, and to the scripture about offering my body a living sacrifice; holy and pleasing to God-
true and proper worship.  
I found myself underling and highliting so much inside this book about worship.  
And when you just know ... that it was meant to be you read it?.... 
I know it was sent with purpose and .. I'm excited because I just have this feeling
there's more yet to unfold.  



 With bible study in front of me this morning I journaled page after page
while looking back over my timeline.  In doing so; I started realizing all the more
the many dots that were connecting before my eyes.  

If you read the post about the Lydia jar, then 
you already saw the picture of my Lydia jar and the teddy bear sent to me 
by friend Fancynancy.  Neither of us had ever met in real life at that point but
I mailed her a Lydia jar and she mailed me this teddy bear.
The very fabric I used on the lid of the jar... for her, 
was thee exact same fabric she used to create the bear, for me.  
  We both knew God connected a very divine dot ....
and it was way bigger than even what we could see: in  matching purple calico.  

We are all connected dots -- and part of God's plan.
It's like this giganticnormous   circle of friendships and ... it's  such a gift.  
I'm realizing that I've not been opening my eyes wide enough 
to take it all in.... 

See the quilted  angel in the bottom right corner of the collage above?




Here she is... 
After I met Fancynancy, I received a box in my mail.  
It was addressed to my Momma and me.  
Inside... was this hand crocheted afghan.
A prayer shawl.  A woman named Linda whom I've never met heard about Mommas
cancer through Fancynancy.  I think they'd met on Ebay too!  
Anyways... God told her to make a prayer shawl for us.  
In case you're wondering... yes it was purple too.  :)   
While she crocheted it... she prayed.... words of  love and healing for us both.
I can still see my Momma wrapped up in it.  Sometimes on dark days... I'd curl up next to her 
on her big olde king sized bed and we'd wrap up in it together and just talk.... 
I could feel the love and warmth prayed into  that soft shawl.  
After Momma went to heaven, ... on my dark days I'd pull it down off the shelf and
wrap up awhile... and soak in the love.
 God's healing love. 
On another day,  I found the angel above in my mail.
It was from this Linda whom I'd  never met ... yet who God used mightily
to cross my path, connect my dot, and point me back to Him.
The angel even carried  this dragonfly kiss.  
I still have never met her.. but for years now... she's remained
this wonderful special and very divine dot in my little life.  



 This is another very special dot.  
Looking at it ... brings tears
because with every purple stitch,
I'm able to see that  glimpse of how
God's all up in the details of our lives. 
Even mine.

After meeting Fancynancy via Ebay... but we all know it was really a God thing-
well, later on she sent me an angel made from a vintage handkerchief .  I just loved it and hung it up out in my purple craft room.  
Life rocked  on with us both... forever friends.

Meanwhile... I was this new blogger... you know with a potting shed. lol  
And somehow.. my path crossed with a new friend named Cora. 
I really liked her writing style and something clicked between us.  
That friendship spark lit all uP.  
Cora had breast cancer and while she fought it; her picture
remained on the sidebar here at the potting shed reminding myself and others 
to lift her every day in our prayers.  
Praise God ... she walks in good health today and 
some of you may  know she's become my mentor.  
Little did I realize though ... that God was working every step of both our journeys with special purpose...
But He was.  
 - Remember the beautiful purple angel sent to me by Fancynancy...
I found out it was handmade by Cora and Fancynancy bought it on Ebay and then sent it on
to me- not knowing... I  knew Cora.  
Small world?...
More like: BIG GOD.     
 My cup starts spilling over all over again
when I try to wrap my simple mind around it.  

As I look through all my  friends and acquaintances... and recount the dots how we "met"... 
well it's pretty overwhelming.

 

It's  amazing really.

Unique, intricate, circles 
....for His glory.  
For this today... I give thanks.

  

7 comments:

Cora from Hidden Riches said...

Lea, I'm sitting here just praising God for the way He DOES connect dots in our lives. The verse that came to mind as I read this was Prov. 3:5 & 6, Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths (or can we say, connect your dots?)"

I've learned one thing in life --- sometimes what we are led to do seems small, dumb, and insignificant. But when the Spirit nudges us and we obey, somehow dots are connected and we see a beautiful picture emerge. Remember the little coloring books we had as kids and they had pages of "connect the dots" all numbered out? You just didn't see the picture until they were all connected correctly. I'm humbled to think that maybe my name is on one of those dots that connects your life's picture!!!!

I will never see dots the same again!!!

Sweet Magnolias Farm said...

Hello Sweet Lea ...

it's Been a while since I last stopped in and once again my heart was blessed .. I too began reading my Bible from the beginning this year which I haven't done in 4 year. So many things have stood out to me in such a different way than ever before I guess that comes with age. I agree I sometimes get stuck on the things I don't understand but I have done just as your husband said and just kept going ..but I must admit reading all the names of the tribes in Leviticus was a bit much ..LOL ! So glad the Dots connected our lives ..

Blessings ..Sara

Dee said...

There is a lot of love connection in your blog post today....God is amazing. I do not feel anyone we meet or connect with in any form is by accident.

Denise said...

Beautiful post. Friends are truly heart blessings.

Anonymous said...

I am thankful that our Lord brought you into my life through blogging and before I even had a blog, from America to Scotland, distance no barrier. Praise God.


Jeanie xx

Debra said...

Oh what a beautiful post, Lea. I was blessed all the way through it.
I love you.
Debra

Paula said...

HE DOES direct our paths :-) Hallelujah
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