STAR OF WONDER

It was Christmas Eve . . . a week prior to this final day of 2008 . . . New Years Eve 2008. My sister had asked me, the week prior to Christmas Eve, what plan we could come up with that would bring a meaningful touch to the evening. My response was to suggest that we do what Michael and I did with two of our own grandchildren the year before . . . let's have the children read the Luke 2 Christmas story aloud prior to our time of gift opening. In this way we would have the children’s attention and the adults would certainly be listening to the sound of their small voices. The real wonder of this was the fact we would do it at all. Our family gatherings have never been centered around open spirituality . . . it was simply understood this was the time of year we celebrate Jesus Christ’s birth.

The four children were assigned 5 verses each. Noah, 11, started out followed by Carter, 8. Kaylee, 8, was a little shy in front of the entire family, so Noah willingly read his little sister's part. Taylor, 6, read the final verses. The entire family was captivated by the children as they read the story of Jesus’ birth. I was personally captivated by the spirit of God that filled the room and the hearts of our family like I have never seen before. More than likely, that was the case with the others, if truth was to be known!

Perhaps 30 minutes later the 3 boys, who had made their way outside into the cold night to run off some of their Christmas Eve energy in my sister’s front yard, came barreling into the house to find me. Noah, our oldest grandson, led the troop and excitedly ran to me asking, “Grandma, you have got to come outside! We have found the star that was over Bethlehem when Jesus was born!!” What Grandmother wouldn’t venture out in the cold to see a sight like this at the urging of 3 young cousins who had made such a discovery?

Out on the front sidewalk the 3 arms pointed up above to the brightest star in the sky as Noah announced the position of the very star that led to baby Jesus many years ago!!! The two other boys ran back into the house to get my sister, their own “Gamma”. As she came outside and responded to the sight in the sky the same as I did . . . with wonder and amazement to match the same that was spilling out of the boys . . . the youngest, Taylor, declared the very words that would pierce into the deepest place in the heart of my sister who has been alone for the past twenty years . . . “Gamma!! The star is over your house!!! You are the goodest one of God!!” Taylor shouted the same words over and over again!! He was convinced that his Gamma was indeed the “goodest one of God”! Taylor then told his Gamma that her house was "going to Heaven" (because the star was right over her house), so she asked Taylor where she was going to sleep. He replied, "In your house - you will be in Heaven too". Luana's quick response to him was she was NOT ready to go just yet!!

Those words, the celestial sighting, and that evening would be remembered forever in the hearts of my family. Perhaps a new tradition has been established . . . to honor the ONE whom honor is due . . . by celebrating JESUS CHRIST and the wonder of God’s signs in the sky . . . the star that led my family to HIM!

My "HEART"

Today as I typed the two words “my heart” I saw a message. . . simply, I saw HE . . . EAR . . . HEAR . . . HEAT . . . ART. All of these words are within “my heart”! HE, the Lord, is within my heart. My ear heard what my eyes have seen (that’s Hearing Eyes Ministries). Sometimes the HEAT is turned up in my heart to feel the FIRE of HIS PRESENCE. The ART I saw I believe to be the “creative” side of what GOD CAN AND WILL DO if I believe . . . creating something from nothing! Then, when you take the letters within the word HEART and rearrange them you will see what I saw . . . EARTH! HE who has an EAR to HEAR and see that the HEAT in our heart (our lives) that is from HIM will have the creative mind . . . ART. . . . to see HE came to EARTH to draw our HEARTs to HIM!! All you have to do is . . . believe and HE will come into your HEART!!!

“She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world (earth).” John 11:27 KJV

The "Tip" Within Your "Pit"

The dark and dreary "pit" you may have found yourself in today may be the very place you will find the "tip" you need to stand by faith until you find your way out! As you see your "pit" from the end to the beginning, backwards forward, you will find your destiny, your testimony, your story. So, where you have found yourself - in the darkest of holes - look UP as it will be there you will see the glimmer of light and the hope of your new day and strength to carry on! Until your time of deliverance comes - may you remember the "tip" I will give you this day - that Jesus will be that very deliverer seen through the face of another or heard through their voice, who was sent your way to pull you from that pit! So remember this "tip" you have received this day - the very one or reason responsible for throwing you into your pit may very well be the one who receives your greatest expression of love...because you were able to see the "tip" within your "pit" ... you saw your story from the end to the beginning and how the first will be last and the last will be first!

This is Joseph's story beginning in Genesis 37.

"Whatever He Says To You ... DO IT!"

In John 2:1-11 we read about the first miracle of Jesus at the Wedding at Cana. When the wine ran out at the wedding, Jesus’ mother told the servants, “Whatever He says to you ... do it!” Jesus then instructed the servants to fill six waterpots with water. Imagine how silly that must have seemed to them when it was wine that was needed. Out of obedience they did exactly what they were instructed, including taking a portion to the master of the wedding to taste. The water had been supernaturally turned into wine!

For me, the beauty of this story is the fact that it was the servants that experienced the miracle!

What is it that the Lord has nudged you to do that you have found to be “silly”? Your own obedience to do that silly something may be the very step of obedience towards the miracle you need!

As our Lord's mother would say ...“Whatever He says to you ... do it”!

John 2
1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. 3 And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”4 Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” 6 Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. 7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. 9 When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. 10 And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!” 11 This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.

Are You Looking For A Donkey?

In I Samuel 9-10 we read that Saul and his servant were sent by his father to look for lost donkeys, which they were unable to find. The servant suggested they seek out the prophet to help with the search. While this was going on, God spoke to the prophet Samuel telling him that the following day he would encounter the man from the tribe of Benjamin who he would anoint commander over Israel’s army, so that they could defeat the Philistines. God heard the cry of His people and told Samuel that this man would become the King over Israel. Samuel also knew that this Benjamite would be searching for donkeys.

As was told to Samuel, so it happened. Samuel met up with Saul and his servant and took them to the dining hall where Saul was not only given a place of honor, but also the choice meat that was set aside for him, by Samuel’s instructions, before he even arrived. Saul must have really wondered about this special treatment as the Word notes that he was puzzled that Samuel honored him knowing that Saul was from the smallest of the tribes.

The next morning Samuel sends Saul on his way. However, before Saul left, Samuel sends Saul’s servant ahead so that he could speak privately to Saul. In that moment he anointed Saul and prophesied that he would be commander over Israel, told him his next steps of finding the lost donkeys, that he would encounter 3 men on his way that would feed him, that he would encounter a group of prophets, and when he did, the Spirit of God would come upon him and he would prophesy, turning into another person and giving him a new heart. He also said at that moment Saul would do as the occasion demanded and God would be with him.

Just as Samuel prophesied . . . so it happened! Then, Samuel gathered the children of Israel to give them a “thus saith the Lord” word telling them that because they had rejected God He would give them the King they asked for, a king chosen from the smallest of the tribes, the tribe of Benjamin, and that their chosen king would be Saul!

I would imagine that Saul in hindsight would never have ever thought his trip looking for donkeys at his father’s request would lead to his becoming Commander in Chief and King! Our own destiny may be awaiting our obedience to our Father’s instructions to do that which is odd, unusual, or what is not what we would really want to do . . . if we will “go” when He says go and if we will “go after what He sends us after”!

Remember . . . Numbers 22 records the time that God spoke to Balaam the prophet through the mouth of a donkey . . . don’t be surprised at HOW and through WHO or WHAT He may speak!!!

May I ask you today . . . what donkey are you looking for?

(I took the photo of the donkey you see. Michael and I found him while driving in the country by Granbury, Texas . . . he loved me speaking to him!)

Babbling Prophecy??

Last night Michael and I were visiting with two of our close friends regarding the current day prophetic ministry. We all agreed that today many are becoming very discouraged and concerned about the varying degree of differences in the Words coming forth from those offering “thus saith the Lord”. On one hand one will prophesy that prosperous times are ahead, just believe, have faith, and see that the Lord will come through for us in America, while on the other hand, dreams, visions, and words are being shared of the judgment of God coming forth against America. Also, just recently we all remember the horrendous division springing forth regarding the Lakeland outpouring in Florida, led by Todd Bentley. There is MUCH confusion on what to believe!

As we shared these thoughts with one another the thought ran through my own mind, “Could the Lord be scrambling the language once again as He did in Genesis 11 with those building the tower of Babel?”

Babbling prophecy? Are there those trying to make a name for themselves as was done in Genesis 4:11? Give this some thought.

Genesis 11

1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.
2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.
3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.
4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.
6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.
8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.
9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

Crossing The Bridge

Michael suggested that I post portions of HEARING EYES, the book that I have written, which has been shelved for several years waiting on the Spirit to instruct me on what the final chapter will be. So, I am listening. The following is the introduction to the book.

Have you ever stood on one side of a raging river wishing that there was a bridge to cross over so that you could make it to the other side? If you have, you will easily understand the message and purpose of this book ... to provide a “crossing” or “bridge” to get to the other side.

Years ago, back in the mid-60’s, while living in Farmington, New Mexico and while attending one of the local Baptist Churches in that city, I joined hundreds of other area teenage girls on an overnight campout in the southwest corner of Colorado. Our group was comprised of girls who were active in the G.A. missions program at each of their local churches. Our leader, the mother of my close friend, Joy, drove our small group of five or six teenage girls to this outdoor campsite. At the close of the evening program around the campfire we all spread out our sleeping bags on the ground to sleep under the stars. Very soon after all the giggling girls somewhat settled down to sleep, a rain storm suddenly hit all the unsuspecting and inexperienced campers. I crawled down deep inside my sleeping bag and pulled it over my head only to realize it was hardly enough cover to protect myself from the downpour.

Joy’s Mom instructed us to quickly gather our belongings and head to their Scout, the family vehicle, so that we could immediately leave the camp and drive back to Farmington. However, there was one possible obstacle to making that a reality. We had to cross over a stream that separated us from the highway. Earlier in the day the bridge that crossed over this gently trickling stream stood about 10 feet above the surface of the water. Once the rain began to pour, the water flowing down the mountainside caused that gentle stream to develop into a raging river!! We could see from the car that the water was quickly rising with every passing minute.

Joy’s mom asked Joy and me to both get out of the car and see if the bridge was safe enough to pass over. In hindsight … what fourteen year old girl has the wisdom and discernment to make that decision? Joy and I complied. We carefully ventured out onto the dark bridge where we could see that the waters were literally touching the underside of the bridge. We turned around and quickly reported back to Joy’s Mom what we saw. She made the decision to drive across the bridge. Thankfully, the Lord protected us while we made it over to the other side without any problem. For years I wondered about the fate of the hundreds of girls left on the other side of the stream, wondering if perhaps they chose to wait out the storm before returning home.

Forty years ago I stood on one side of a stream and longed to make it over to the other side where the highway was that led us back home. Today I have found that there are countless Christians that find themselves on one side of a spiritual stream from those who are experiencing the deeper things of the Lord. These Christians listen to those on the other side tell of hearing God speak to them while they long in their own hearts to know how they too can hear Him for themselves. But, they are looking at the raging rivers that are flowing in the Church …the Living Waters of Jesus … the spiritual rivers that are so frequently spoken of or written about. Those on the other side threw caution to the wind and jumped into the raging rivers when the Holy Spirit led them to jump in. Nothing, absolutely nothing, kept them from following the voice of the Lord when He said, “Come.” There are so many who have observed those who risked everything to “jump in”, yet, when the voice of fear rose up within them, they were convinced that there was no hope that they will ever survive such a jump themselves, nor even make it to the other side where the others seemed to be enjoying a fulfilling life in the Spirit and hearing God’s voice speak to them. These fearful and doubting Believers have also listened as these Believers encouraged them to “trust God for themselves and come on over and join them”, but, that also seemed a hopeless cause. Perhaps the answer here would be a spiritual bridge for them to cross to make going to the other side possible.

Simply put, these Believers have no idea how to reach the other side of this spiritual river and walk where the “others are walking”. They are curious, yet, that curiosity is quenched by the fear of being embarrassed if others knew they didn’t know how to hear God’s voice for themselves ... or simply they have embraced the voice of doubt more so than the trusting arms of the Lord. It seems as if there are opposing sides in the Body of Christ … those who hear the Lord and those who don’t ... those who are daring enough to look like fools when they trust the Spirit’s call to jump into a “wild and crazy spiritual river” and those who must “see a tangible way to believe that they could survive such a jump and not look like fools when they do”.

We, the Body of Christ, are traveling down a spiritual road called “life in the Spirit”. In the natural we also take road trips, we travel about town, and while we do, we will encounter one road sign after the other. We are trained in drivers education to watch for, read, and then obey these signs . . . signs that warn, signs that give directions, signs that we must obey so not to break the law, signs that will keep us on track as we head towards the goal of our final destinations. In the Spirit our Heavenly Father gives us signs as well.

One problem we have in the Church as Believers is that we have not received in depth training on how to read and then understand the Spiritual signs that are from the Lord. These signs are instructional, many times conveying to us what is “up ahead” by showing us where He is leading us and how far we will travel until we reach our destinations, or destinies, if you will. These spiritual signs train us to see Him at work in our lives along the way. They train our eyes to see what He is doing and to hear what He is saying through what we see.

“HEARING EYES” has been written in response to the Lord’s command to me back in 1999 to “teach how to see in the Spirit”. How might we see in the Spirit? There are many, many ways. This book will share several of those ways as an attempt to convey to you, the reader, how you can hear God’s voice through what you see each and every day of your life. I have found that I personally gain more through hearing or reading personal testimonies that convey truths more so than by textbook teachings alone. Teaching directly from the scriptures is essential and foundational. Everything that we try to share in the way of teaching testimonies needs to be founded and backed by scripture.

It is my prayer for you, the reader, that as you read these stories the Holy Spirit will quicken in your spirit new ways to recognize the same leadings He has given you in your own personal life that perhaps you did not realize were significant or even from Him in particular. I know this method is effective as many of my close personal friends have time and time again shared with me that they are now tuned in to the Holy Spirit and His ways and methods in a new way after hearing various testimonies I have shared with them. These stories will open your eyes to Him in new ways on how He will speak to you … it is so exciting once that spiritual switch is turned on 24/7 rather than just when you read the Word, hear a sermon or teaching, or words spoken through this brother or sister in the Lord.

This book is full of stories that have been compiled pretty much in chronological order. I will make every attempt to convey the Biblical foundation that supports the experiences that I will be sharing and how the Spirit led me through each experience, so not to appear as a loose cannon firing away. This book will offer you a manuscript full of actual stories that testify to what I have personally walked through (and survived) and then recorded in journals for the past 20 or so years. Along the way as I experienced each one of these situations I would many times just chuckle to myself knowing that once again the Lord was setting me up to record one more situation that I must record for future use. That “future use” has blossomed into this book that I pray will serve as that spiritual bridge for those who seem to find that they are standing on one side of a spiritual stream and wondering how in the world they could reach the other side so that they too can join those who are obviously living victorious and fulfilling spiritual lives in the Lord.

Lastly, this book is a personal invitation to you to come, take a few moments of your time to step out of your comfort zone and allow the words that are written upon these pages to stretch you a little bit in your thinking as they are meant to be simply a “bridge” for you to venture out upon so that you can reach your destination on the other side of the raging spiritual waters that may seem so frightening to many of you. I pray that as I share these personal stories you will see them as just one more plank in the bridge … one step closer as I try to lay down my reputation, any concern of what “man may think”, to give you another step closer to walk on to reach what is waiting for you on the other side. It will only take a step of faith … one step at a time … to trust the leading and call of the Spirit as He says, “Come.”

Dream - The Church's Fear On The Election Results??

Today is the first posting of the HEARING EYES MINISTRIES BLOG. Please feel free to comment while bearing with me on HOW to operate within the this NEW vehicle called a BLOG. Hopefully, I will be able to maneuver around in ease!

I woke from the following dream this morning. (if the Holy Spirit gives you insight, please feel free to share. We all NEED the workings of the entire Body of Christ to receive the FULL picture and interpretation of the mysteries of God through dreams)

DREAM: I am driving my car at the top of the mountain, headed to a banquet at the end of the trip. I am suddenly faced with going down the STEEP mountain road that is VERY NARROW, that of a wide one lane road. I ride the brakes down the road wondering if I will make it when I see 2 cars making their way up the winding road towards me. Some how, some way, supernaturally we pass on the road and I did not go over the edge that I was driving next to. I arrive late to the banquet and take my place to see another late arriving woman as she is served the last plate of food. At the break I approach those who planned the banquet to see if there was any food. No. They were not at all interested in my request. Suddenly though, one stepped forward and took out a piece of meat from the freezer and offered to prepare it for me. I was grateful. The next scene I am asking for help in determining my trip back home. Could I find an alternative route around that same mountain that I knew my car was unable to climb nearly straight up to pass over. They told me it was the only way unless I chose to take a LONG path north and then take a highway south to miss the mountain altogether. It seemed as if that was the choice I would take.

Partial dream interpretation: I believe I may possibly represent the Republican CHURCH BODY praying for the election, faced with the STEEP descent to the bottom from where they have been at the top as President Bush led. Fear is moving upon those for what is ahead. At this lower place the Church WILL participate in the affairs of our country (at the banquet) alongside the ones who will not particularly want to help us out (Democratic CHURCH - the winning side), but will eventually. The road back may seem insurmountable, but a way of escape will be provided.

It is my prayer that we all will find our hope in HIM, who able to do more than we ask or think through the results of this election and as we continue to pray for our new leaders, attempting to walk in unity with the entire Body, asking our Lord for HIS MERCY over the Church and our nation. AMEN.