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: 

 Hebrews 4:12

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:  

 The Lydia Jar

 

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.