The Easter Lily

        

                                  ~~The Easter Lily~~

           

           For many the beautiful trumpet-shaped flowers symbolize:

                

                   ~PURITY~VIRTUE~INNOCENCE~PEACE~HOPE & LIFE~

                          

                                  The Essence of Easter

History, literature, poetry and the world of art overflow with stories

 and images that speak of the beauty and majesty of the elegant white

 flowers. Often called the “White-Robed Apostles of Hope,” lilies were

found growing in the Garden of Gethsemane after Christ’s agony. 

      Tradition has it that the beautiful white lilies sprung up where

 drops of Christ’s sweat fell to the ground in his final hours of sorrow

 and deep distress. Churches continue this tradition at Easter time by

 banking their altars & surrounding their crosses with masses of 

Easter Lilies, to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ &

                                   hope of life everlasting.

        Be  Blessed with Peace, Hope & Love this Resurrection Week

The Winding Road of Life...

          There have been portions of the road, that have been laden with burdens and  seemingly insurmountable obstacles...

                                         Other times the path has been straight and sure...

                       There have been some portions that have been dark, with no end in sight....

And sometimes I was definitely between a rock and a hard place, the walls seems to be pressing in...

But there have also been those places where the truth unfolded like the petals of a blooming rose...

And certainly the path has turned to find the sunrise, and all the hope and promise of a new day....

Today has been a day that is a culmination of all the other days, the winding Road seen as the whole that opens into a clearing and explains the whole of the former path, and sheds light on the latter yet to come.....

A day which everything up until this moment becomes CRYSTAL~CLEAR, and good or bad it makes sense, and understanding why is obvious, and the future is full of expectation, without fear, because God is my portion and he has lead me all the way and will until faith is made sight, and I see him face to face.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed,
because his compassions fail not
GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS!





I love the beauty and newness of the seashore at sunrise,
it always reminds me of how each new day starts fresh, new, with a clean slate.




What is sometimes hard, is how long some things take,
to meet the morning that finally wipes it out!



I AM SO HAPPY!
1/11/11
Marks almost 2 years of waiting, for the sunrise to rise on the day that would finally bring a most hurtful chapter of life, full circle and to a long awaited close. Interestingly enough it was a day that started overcast and dreary not promising anything different than the last 2 years had held. As a matter of fact, the enemy worked overtime all day to make believe it was a day that would concrete and soldify the hurt one more time and forever. I am here to say, The Devil IS a Liar and the father of them! As the clouds literally loomed all day, and in the corners of my mind as well, they gave way to snow and a dreaded covering much like the thoughts of events so long ago that covered me many,many days.






Jesus came to set the captives free and whosoever the son makes free, is free indeed! Lord thank you that even after you set us free by giving us salvation, you come back around, and set us free from the prisons we not only set up for ourselves, but that we sit imprisoned in as we hold our own prison keys.








You did hear the cries of my heart and you do in your own time, and on the SONRISE of your choosing perfect that which concerns me! I am overwhelmed with gratitude at you many undeserved kindnesses to me! And that the day has dawned on the sunrise that I have waited so long for, GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS, Lord unto me!

What if??

I know the cross is foolishness to those who do not believe, I know those who do not believe think they are right. I sure did and was willing to say it without reservation. But the fact that we all start out with an inner voice, God-conscienceness. That tells me at sometime before we press down that inner voice, before he is quenched and grieved, I believe he causes all of us to sometime ask ourselves, WHAT IF I'M WRONG!! We ask ourselves that question about such lesser things, I know I asked myself that question, and even deeper and to the point, I know God directly asked me that question WHAT IF YOU ARE WRONG? So is it just me or did you come to the place where you asked that of yourself, or did he ask that of you? And did that help to further draw you to him, or do you stand in the crowd that says we believe foolishness....and if you do stand with that crowd ARE YOU SURE 100% I believe it was Fanny Crosby (blind writer of many old hymns)...that said she was so sure she would swing over top of hell singing "Blessed Assurance" By the way, God says it is the FOOL who says in his heart there is no God, not those who believe in the cross, everyone becomes a believer at death, not everyone rejoices in it though! A one second after death conversion is no conversion at all but is eternal damnation, knowing the truth and knowing you are separated from God forever because you rejected his call to you......So ask yourself honestly no-one but you and God present........WHAT IF YOU ARE WRONG?




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The Communion of Community...

I love these pictures...


Mostly because of the memories that surround them, that you can't see


In progression, they tell a story of individual lives,
coming along side and becoming community



God intended us to live in community not isolated,
we are better when we live within community where we can share and grow

You see at the time these were taken, life, Satan, and some very toxic relationships had turned me to isolation, And I was down for the count. You know the kind of days when you want to pull the covers over your head and never move out of the bed! Or like when Elijah sat discouraged, tired and defeated ready to give up and die, because it was too scary and too hard. Ever had one of those days?

Just as God brought ravens to Elijah's rescue, God brought a handful of good friends to see me through, when everyone else, yes mine own familiar friends that I went into the sanctuary with as David said; Turned their backs on me without even asking my side of the story.
Ahhhhh but those faithful friends walked alongside me, counseled me, listened to me, corrected me where needed, encouraged me often, stood by me at the risk of their own well being, ate with me, laughed with me, cried with me, opened the word with me, prayed with me and for me, trusted God with me when none of us could see the answers, but knew God would not leave us nor forsake any of us.
I was with 2 of these friends when I took these pictures, 2 years ago, and at the time of these pictures none of us knew how the story would be written for or against us, we just knew we had our God and a few good friends that could be transparent with, and pour our hearts out to. To me this is what God had in mind when he made us to need and desire community. We are stronger in community, we are wiser in community, we are better in community, we grow in community, we mature in community.
To the glory of God, we had different paths to get where we are today, but certainly as of the time of this writing we all are healed because of community, stronger because of community,sharpened within community and better equipped to help others heal within the safety of community.
And you thought these were just some random pictures of some horses......

2Bclear or more to the point, 2Bcrystalclear....

Strange how something makes an impression on us, and it can have such a profound effect on us that it becomes us, we embrace it, it becomes our mantra....



Or was it maybe always meant to be, is it who we have always been, possibly even who we were born to be and through life and revelation of our own being we come to the knowledge that has always been us? Something possibly Sovreignly designed and destined for us from before the foundation of the world. Yes this is the belief to which I subscribe, and the reality that I live on a daily basis. Some might call it being comfortable in my own skin, The truth to which I subscribe is that I am fearfully and wonderfully made, and that this truth allows me to know just how loved I am. And I awake again and it is just as true today as it was yesterday and more so as I sink down into the truth that has certainly set me free.
For many years I have known the meaning of my name:
Crystal: Brilliantly Clear
So what about it? Well for years I would say it means what you see is what you get because that was what it meant to me, and I didn't think much more about it! Oh until the giver of life came and completely changed my life around and I began to see meaning in even the smallest things. I was very interested as I looked into the bible how God would emphasize the meaning of a name and that it totally embodied who that person was. I then began to think of my own name and what that said about me? Yes what you see is what you get, but what does that mean and what impact is it meant to have on me and on those around me? I began to realize to be brilliantly clear meant being totally transparent, see through, no masks, no facades! And I knew that is how my life was intended to be lived out, not just for me, but for those around me who may not be able to as easily live that way. This is why my email, my car tag all reflect this saying 2Bclear, 2Bcrystalclear, O2Bcrystal clear, it is a reflection of who I am to be in Christ. And when I am living Spirit-Filled, is when I come closest to fulfilling who I was made to be. And as I have come to a new understanding of that, God has allowed me to again see a new meaning to my name to be Brilliantly clear, also says to me that I am free from sin, clear...Brilliantly Clear never to be judged on my sin, but now free 2Bclearly who I was made to be... no longer 2 just B Clear but 2Bcrystalclear.........

Miss Ariana Lynn~~~Miss America

I have always heard that good things come in small packages! What an understatement, this little girl has changed my life in a way words could never express. There are not too many times in life that I have been left speechless, when I think of how incredibly blessed my family is to have such a wonderful addition as little Miss Ariana is, truly there are not words to describe. What an impact for good she is to all of us, she is sheer pleasure and pure joy, to each one of us. I can already see that her name "Ariana Lynn"~~meaning~~"Holy Beautiful" is absolutely who God has made her to be, certainly she is hope for the future and my prayer everyday is that she will have a Holy Beautiful impact on all she comes in contact with, all the days of her life. So today, September 4, 2010, the 6 month milestone of her birth, (wow does time go quickly)I just want to publicly thank my Lord and my God for blessing us with her in our lives, as I spill over about how much joy she has brought I want to make sure I state, that my God the giver of all we have and ever will have is to be honored and glorified above all else, for HE alone is worthy of all my praise. I have always been taught to be careful not to worship the gift above the giver, and I know that "Little Miss Ariana" is the one gift to be most careful with. Lord we know without you there would be no joy in anything, your life within gives the ability to enjoy to the fullest all we have, your son is the greatest gift I will ever have and gives the ability to enjoy all else, Thank You for salvation, and may you bring this wonderful gift to Ariana at the earliest age possible, may you always be real to her and may she serve you all her days with unmatched passion!!