Tank Life

So You want to Leave the Tank?

Living with a Conservationist Animal Rights Extremist has its interesting moments.  Like when we had to explain to our then, nine-year-old that there are critters in America that can eat you, and that we aren’t in England anymore where the most dangerous thing is a badger.  Or when we found a Black Widow nest in our yard, and we debated the pros and cons of allowing them to live in a specially designed (by said nine-year-old) shoebox enclosure in our house.

No they can not come in the house.  Why not?  Because bringing them inside the house would not help them fulfill God’s purpose for their creepy little lives. (And Mom would likely pulverize them upon entry.)

Children have a way of thinking that is different to adults.  They are still in that phase of life where they believe that all things are possible, where they really can achieve anything (including personal flight so keep the windows closed;) when their dreams can be a reality, when obstacles are just there to be overcome, and vision is not limited by lack or impracticalities.  They are masters of thinking outside of the tank. That sense of wonder and imagination is what sets apart the exceptional from the average, millionaires from minions, inventors from wanna-bees, victors from victims.

Matt 19:26 Jesus looked at them and to them, ‘With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible’.

What does life beyond the tank look like? 

You wont know until you leap. Leaving the tank, that place of comfort and safety where everything is ticking along just fine, to chart a course into the unknown is potentially terrifying.  The truth is though, that many have gone before you and survived the walk of faith.

We have had our share of Christopher Columbus moments. England is a very small country compared to most and traveling is arduous to us.  If we have to drive more than an hour or two then that requires an over night stay, and any daily commute exceeding 45 minutes would necessitate you moving house.  So moving country was a huge step into the unknown for us.  What enabled us to make that move was a baby step.  We knew that God was calling us to this big adventure, but it took a while for our flesh to get brave enough to move in the right direction.  Thankfully, God’s grace is sufficient for us and His plans are not that fragile that time, or wrong turns can shipwreck them.

 Beware of small tank mentality.

What if it doesn’t work out? What if its not really God? What if you aren’t ready?  What if you are wrong about this?

All of these are great questions.  The real question though is, Is God big enough to cover our mistakes? Can we trust Him to do what He said He would do?  Is He our source of happiness, provision, health, peace and protection? Do we really believe that He is the God of the possible? Are we allowing fear to make decisions for us?

Leaving the tank will challenge those around us.

 As people move on there are always those who get left behind because they can not or will not make the journey with you.  This is the probably the hardest part of pursuing our God given destiny.  Remember though, that like when the Children of God left Egypt, they all were given the opportunity to enter the promised land. Not all of them could see past the giants and it hindered them receiving all that God had for them.

Mark 9:23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things ae possible to him who believes”.

Confessions from a previous tank dweller:

-Life is full of unknowns, stick with the one thing that you can know: Jesus, who always leads us to triumph (2 Cor 2:14)

-Be moved with compassion rather than motivated by fear.

-Know that God is bigger than any mistakes we have or will make in the future-in fact He knows them ahead of time and picked us anywayJ

-Believe Big- God is not up in heaven worried that you will over commit Him to a promise of His that He can’t deliver.

Take the plunge today, believe God for something outrageous that only He can do!

#youarehiskid

Will the Real You please stand Up.

As the by the tears rolled down her weathered cheeks and dropped into her lap, something miraculous began to unravel… Jeannie’s brain was being eaten up by the enemy inside her.  Not th…

Source: Will the Real You please stand Up.

Will the Real You please stand Up.

As the tears rolled down her weathered cheeks and dropped into her lap, something miraculous began to unravel…

Jeannie’s brain was being eaten up by the enemy inside her.  Not the cancer that her doctors saw but the hopelessness which consumed her every thought.  Her frail body contained a flicker of the life that once was the real Jeannie, now barely present represented by her physical shell but absent inside.  As Jeannie’s family wheeled her towards me my heart sunk, their desperation was evident, the mission was clear.  This lady was dying and only Jesus could heal her.  The question was not if Jesus could heal her, but if Jeannie was still in there enough to want it.

Crouching down, our faces almost touching, her soft breath moving my stray hair we sat still for a moment.  The bustling room was filled with the chatter of a thousand conversations, but there was only one voice that I needed to hear in that moment.  Where are you Jesus?  Where are you in this lady’s heart? How did she get to this point?

Love overcomes. It never fails. Tell her of my love. She feels unworthy.

It was the love of God that reached deep inside of her that day and found hope, hope that was bruised but not crushed, downtrodden with disappointment but not defeated.  It began with a whisper of truth, the truth that sets us free.  The truth that says we are chosen by God, accepted in the beloved, an heir of His promises, planned for, protected, dearly loved, formed with a future written in His book, set apart for great and wondrous things, destined to reign, equipped with power over the enemy and justified by the Most High God who loves us with the tender heart of a Father and the strength of a King.  The truth that says we are worthy to receive all that He has for us because of what He has done.

John 8:32 And you shall know the truth, and the ruth shall make you free.

As the tears fell, they became tears of joy. (Neh 8:10) The joy of the Lord became the strength that Jeannie needed.  The real Jeannie lifted her head, and I knew that it was done.  No longer could the enemy keep her bound, I was looking at a free woman.  A woman who took ahold of the truth with both hands and wouldn’t let it go. A woman who had let go of the enemies in her own mind and allowed the Healer to come in. A woman who came dying and left walking. A woman now free from cancer.

The real Jeannie stood up that day.  What will you do with the truth?

Galatians 5:6 is a great place to start:)

 

 

 

Chill. You Got This?

Lessons from the other side of the mountain
:
Moving country is a mammoth undertaking of epic proportions. No matter which way we looked at it, hauling three small children, 18 pieces of luggage (most of that filled with legos) thousands of miles to a country we had never visited with out any back up plan, place to live, or transportation other than a one way plane ticket appeared to any ordinary human being, just a tad irresponsible. Except we were not then and still aren’t now, ordinary human beings. 

Our journey across the ocean began with a quiet stirring on the inside that we came to recognize was God. A simple, wild idea that grew legs as we discussed it and developed into us applying for a visa. Against all the odds, including the US Embassy, God made a way for us to step into the plans that He had for us. Knowing that He was making straight the paths ahead in ways that only He could, gave us the confidence to take the plunge and charter a course into the unknown. After living in America for several years it became time to apply for our permanent resident status or green card. Unsuccessful applications result in applicants having just a matter of weeks to leave the country. Our kids were well settled by this point, barely remembering life back home. What they knew was home to them. Our application was complicated, and selected for review at least six times. It didn’t look good.

It was during this long, and stressful process when the mountain appeared so huge that it looked like it would fall on us, that God reminded me of something. This adventure was His idea not mine. This was subtle at first, and momentarily comforting, but soon I was busy fixing the problems and addressing each challenge as it came. I got this, I thought. Yeah, well that didn’t go too well for me and from somewhere near the bottom of the paperwork pile I waived my white flag. If all else fails, seek the Lord right?!

So what did the Lord say? He showed me a picture of an army thousands strong lined up facing me across a valley. To my left and right stood my army, all on horseback ready to charge but hopelessly out numbered. Everyone of them looking at me to give them instruction, depending on me to lead them to victory. No pressure right?! As I’m wondering how anything good night come of this battle He asks me a question: ‘Do you want to know what your horse’s name is?’

‘What kind of question is that at a time like this?’, I thought. Then it came to me, the Horse’s name was Holy Spirit. We couldn’t both be leading the charge. In order to win that battle I knew that I needed to let go of the reins. As they fell from my hands, Holy Sprit began to move towards the army, and one by one every opponent fell away until none remained. The battle was over the moment I let go of those reins.

2 Cor 2:14

Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.

No matter what your battle is today, it was His first. Chill, He’s got this!

1 John 4:4. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

It is easier to raise dead!

For all those parents out there who raise teenagers from the bed every morning, this is for you…..you’re welcome.

Hey Kids,

Feel free to leave your stuff wherever you want this summer. Half-finished smoothies in the family room? No problem. I got it. Socks in the hall. I’m on it. Dishes in the sink? Keep ’em coming. Legos? Everywhere? Love it. Oh, and feel free to drag your blankets all over the house and abandon them the moment you no longer want them. I’ll fold them lovingly for you and return them to your rooms.
And doors? Shutting them is optional. I’m right behind you, so, seriously, don’t worry about it. I love when the wasps get in and the air conditioning gets out. Who are we to be sequestered in our climate-controlled house? Open door policy in this house. We have endless money.

And it’s totally fine to leave your wet bathing suits and towels on any surface, from the floor to the banister. I love heaps, but be creative! Oh, and putting them on painted wood surfaces is the best. I’ll grab them so they don’t warp the wood. You’re busy. Stop. Get back to your Netflix. Friends is not going to binge-watch itself.
And let me know when you are hungry. Don’t be encumbered by normal meal times. And please don’t coordinate with each other. The kitchen is open 24/7, and I’m happy to whip up anything you need, whenever you need it. I majored in short-order cooking.
And if you make something yourself, just leave every single item exactly where you last needed it. Milk, too. If it goes bad… I’ll just buy more. Money? Please. I’ll just work more. And I’ve got the clean-up. I will walk in your footsteps and put things away. It’s fun for me to live vicariously through your cooking. Like, Wow, how did they get so much shredded cheese on the counter? Impressive.
And every time you are thirsty… get a new glass. We have tons. And a dishwasher I love to load and unload. Not to mention, as far as I know, endless electricity and water. The world is our oyster.

And if something comes up with your friends? I’m in. I’ll drive you there or back — or, hell, both. I mean, I have a car and a license. I should put it to good use. And please, no need to give me any advance notice. I can easily stop whatever I’m doing, even work, to take you. I know how valuable your time is. Need some money for the movies? You got it, kiddo.
And to the little one, when you feel like it, I’ll take you to the pool. Before we go, you can complain and squirm while I put on your sunscreen. Don’t hold back. Just be you. Express how you’re feeling. It is cold, isn’t it? I love the challenge you pose me by inching away slowly as I’m applying it. Good stretch for my arms and back. Kind of you to think of me.
And just one thing on goggles. I’m on it. Don’t bother to keep track of yours. I’ve made it my summer mission to know where your goggles are at all times (in the car… left side… wedged in between the seats). At night, I’m sleeping with them under my pillow. We can’t be too careful. How will you swim without them?
Just a few last-minute housekeeping items: Eye rolling? Yes! I love the immediate feedback on my thoughts and ideas. How else can I gauge if I’m pleasing you or not? Showering? Optional. You know what’s best. I defer to you. Wearing a hat? No way. The more sun the better. Chores? Just tell me when it’s a good time for you. The weeds and messes aren’t going anywhere.

One last thing… please always wear your headphones so that you can’t hear me when I’m talking to you. Communication is totally overrated. Little-known fact about me: I love yelling things at the top of my lungs three or four times with no response. It’s very cathartic. Look it up.
Well, call me crazy, but if you guys follow all of these guidelines, I think this summer is going to be a win for all of us.
Or, if you don’t understand sarcasm, you won’t make it until July. Either way…
Love you guys.

Mom.x

Making the Turn

 

Life is a choice, are u ready to make it?

In my mind, I saw a light switch. I knew that if I flipped the switch, the epilepsy I had struggled with since childhood would be gone.

The profoundness of this realization hit me like a freight train. If I had been talking, I would have become speechless. Seconds before God spoke this truth to me, I was a sufferer, a victim of life and circumstance just trying to survive. Now I understood that the God of the universe had put the power to “choose life” in my hands. A hundred questions raced through my head. Could it really be that simple? Do I really have a choice to change my circumstances? Can my thoughts and beliefs really change my physical condition?

According to scripture, we do have a choice to make. Life is not automatic. We have to choose God’s blessing over the devil’s curse.

I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.”                                                                                                                              Deuteronomy 30:19 (emphasis added)

Life is meant to be a blessing, but receiving that blessing starts with a choice—our choice.

God put the choice to live before me. Looking around I could see others opening their eyes, and I knew it was time to go. But fearing I had lost my mind and that others could see it, I said nothing. I knew I would have a lot to think about during the next two weeks.

I continued to keep the afternoon’s events to myself—even from my husband. I was certain they would sound as ridiculous to him as they did to me. I decided that if what I’d experienced really was God speaking and not some strange side effect from one of the dozen or so medications I ingested daily, then I wanted Him to show me it was real. My brain tried very hard to convince me that I had just imagined or dreamt it. But I knew it was of God; every time I searched my heart, I found that the thought of being healed filled me with dread.

I know it sounds silly, but I was afraid of being healed. All my life I had been sick in some way. I hated to admit it, but a part of me needed to be sick. It had become a way of life, a part of my identity, an excuse when I needed something to hide behind. It made me special. I was ashamed and embarrassed at my own neediness. But I knew my flesh hadn’t dreamt up the notion of being healed. I didn’t know how to be well.

As the two weeks ticked by, I barely noticed. I was too busy thinking about all the ways in which I had adapted my daily life around the disease of epilepsy. I began to notice the small details of my life: the drug routine, the hospital appointments and admissions, the babysitter that came to sit for me because I could not be left alone with my children. I noticed the locks we installed at the top of each door so I could contain the toddlers in a safe place when I felt a seizure coming on. I remembered the number of times I woke up in a strange hospital room wondering who I was and where the twigs in my hair had come from. I remembered meeting my baby girl for the first time and thinking, how do I know that she is mine? (I was mid-seizure during her delivery and unconscious.)

It amazed me to realize that not being able to work or drive or function independently as a healthy adult had messed with my thinking. Epilepsy had begun to identify me, slowly taking larger and larger pieces of my life over. It dictated how I spent my time, where and with whom I could associate. It told me how to plan my day, what to eat and when to sleep. It separated me from my family and strained my relationships. Epilepsy had caused financial hardships and made plans for my future. But worse than all of these things, it was sucking away my confidence and self-worth like a disgusting parasite.

The thought of being normal and healthy terrified me. I had no track record of health. It was foreign ground to me and I didn’t know if I could make the turn in my mind to embrace it. Epilepsy had given me a crutch, a way out when I didn’t want to do something. But if I was normal then I could work a job and drive a car. I would have nothing left to make me special. And that was the bottom of the barrel, an ugly truth in my heart that I didn’t even know was there—epilepsy made me feel special.

Once all these dirty little secrets surfaced within me, I just could not squeeze them all back into the jar they came from. Now that I knew they were there, I couldn’t “unknow” them, and I didn’t really want to. My heart was changing. Ever so gently, the Holy Spirit was convicting me of the dark insecurities of my heart so He could show me my salvation.

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.                                                                John 10:10

This verse revolutionized my thought life. For the first time with the Holy Spirit’s help, I saw that the enemy came to kill, steal, and destroy me physically, emotionally, and spiritually. But Jesus came to give me life and show me how to live it. Even though it was uncomfortable for a while, the Holy Spirit guided me into truth so He could bring healing, peace, love, joy, and freedom to my life. (John 16:13) I began to consider what life would be like without epilepsy. I thought of what it would be like to plan and follow my dreams, to have enough energy for the day, to walk down the stairs and know that I would make it to the bottom without having a seizure. I dreamt of what life would look like to not fall asleep without warning or rock myself into a fetal position when the side effects of my disease cramped my muscles. I thought of the freedom it would be to walk alone, to drive, to explore, to not have to explain this condition or take medication or stay in the hospital or even go to the doctor anymore. My dream was huge!

But even bigger than my dream of life without epilepsy was the miracle that no one ever saw. The biggest part of my healing was the revelation that I was special simply because I had become a child of God. I didn’t need to be afraid; God was with me. He would always be my hiding place:

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. ²I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.” ³Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence… ¹⁶”With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.”                              Psalms 91:1-3, 16

 

This verse showed me that if put my trust in the Lord, He would deliver me from epilepsy. And I was finally ready to give the disease that had taken over my life to the Lord. I knew I was no longer powerless in this situation. I knew it was my decision to accept or reject the gift God had for me, and I knew my decision would determine whether or not I lived allowing the enemy to steal from my life. I was ready to flip the switch. And I knew that the moment I flipped the switch in my mind, epilepsy would be gone.

Being rather preoccupied, I had forgotten that two weeks was the timeframe God gave me in prayer. I didn’t realize that time would be up the very next day. On the way to my women’s Bible study that Friday, I wondered if everything that I had heard, felt, and experienced of God had really happened. I had never heard of anyone talking with God like I had. I’d never heard of anyone being healed, had never seen anyone be healed. What if I was crazy? This was probably heresy; I was going to die, struck with lightening for stupidity or blasphemy. Well at least, I thought, I haven’t spoken out my thoughts or told anyone…But what if, my heart cried, it was God? If it really is God, then someone will offer to pray for me, I thought. If not, then I will forgot about it all.

The ladies gathered as usual with the little kids playing in the hallway, quietly dismantling the house. Occasionally the conversation broke to allow a mom to apply an ice pack to newly slapped skin or attend to a pungent bottom. But nothing out of the ordinary happened, and suddenly it was time to go. Rounding up my tribe and heading out the front door, one of the ladies stopped and turned towards me. “I need to pray for you,” she said.

I don’t remember what she prayed. I know it was quick, a micro prayer that didn’t add an “if it be thy will” to its end. Immediately I felt heat throughout my body, and in my mind I flipped the switch of epilepsy off. Nothing on the outside of me changed, but I knew it was done.  That was 13 years ago, and I have never had a seizure since #totallyhealed

Excerpt from ‘Miracles Made Easy’

Make the turn, miracles start in the heart, find yours today.  Its waiting for you.Making the Turn

Learning our Authority as Believers and how to use it!

If you missed class today, here is lesson five of Dressed For Success.  

Faith Comes By Hearing

Healing begins with hearing.

When I first heard God speak on the inside of my head, I feared I may have experienced some mental derangement, probably from a lack of sleep. (After all, any mother caring for three children under the age of three, who changes a minimum of 20 pampers a day, could expect a few damaged brain cells, right?) Then I got an epiphany; God always spoke—He was always there—but now I was finally listening (Is. 51:16, Heb. 13:5, and Matt. 13:15).

During an afternoon young Mum’s afternoon Bible study we sat; in as near a silence as one possibly could with a herd of toddlers dissembling the bedroom next door, and practiced listening to whatever the Lord had to say. I was certain that the only reason God would ever speak me would be to bring correction, so I was always careful to make sure every sin was promptly confessed. I even included a blanket statement at the end of my prayers, “And please forgive me for anything else I forgot to mention. Amen.” Because of my diligence, I was confident the Lord would have nothing to say to me. Still, I sat as requested, cleared my mind of wandering thoughts, and listened. To my surprise, thoughts began to pop into my head which seemed to come from nowhere. With one eye tightly shut and the other very slightly open, I shot a glance around the room to see if anyone was the source of the conversation going on in my head. It was then I realized the Lord was putting thoughts in my mind!

I had dealt with sickness forever. It was a source of strain in my daily life, but also my spiritual life. I was reading my Bible and just couldn’t reconcile the differences I was seeing in the early church and the one I attended. I couldn’t understand how God could be described as loving and yet be responsible for much of the suffering and heartache ascribed to Him. I began to recall all the people I had seen prayed for and healed. (I had actually never seen or heard of anyone receiving healing in a spiritual way. I knew of people who thanked God for healing them, and I am sure that He had a part to play in it, but they all followed some course of medical treatment. Rather than seeing this as a matter of divine intervention, the nurse part of me concluded that medicine had done its job.) In my experience, Christians prayed for the sick more from duty than with any real expectancy. We always ended our prayers with, “If it be thy will Lord,” and that hardly seemed a guarantee. But how could we know if God was in a good mood? Or if the person being prayed for deserved healing? Or even if God still healed? Then I recalled reading in James:

 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.            James 5:14-15

And I noticed it wasn’t just any prayer that “saved the sick.” Healing required a prayer of faith. Well if faith is to be sure of the things I hope for and certain of the things I cannot see (Hebrews 11:1), I thought, than praying with faith involves a level of certainty not wonder. Apparently, when James wrote about praying for the sick he was not asking God to heal them, but expecting to see them healed. No wonder I hadn’t seen or heard of any healings! There was clearly no shortage of sick or praying people, but there was a shortage of faith. That day I realized that faith has to be present for healing to be received. As I sat there processing these thoughts and listening, I heard something that sounded so alien to me I knew it could never have come from my flesh. I heard:

Carlie, you have held Me outside of the Epilepsy. You don’t need to. I want to take it from you, if you want me to. In two weeks’ time, you can be free from this if you choose to be. Flip the switch.”

Little did I know that this simple phrase would change the course of my life forever.  Hearing was the first step to believing, and believing to receiving.  Take time to listen and hear God today, He is trying to get good things to you that might just change your life.  Rom 10:17

Calling all Preppers!

Being prepared is key to survival.

Wait! Put the pitch fork and shovel down, before you rush out to the yard to pick your ideal bunker location let’s think this through….

There is a factor that is often overlooked by those determined to prepare for life after a nuclear fall out, national disaster, or zombie apocalypse.  God has a plan for our lives that is not ship wreck-able by any outside force, but by us alone.

2 Cor 10:3-5

Our battle is not over the circumstances of life, our faith already gave us the victory over the things of this world, the preparation that I’m talking about starts between our ears.

For centuries the human race has had to overcome adversity to survive.  What sets apart the victors from the victims is their perspective.  In other words how we view challenges determines our ability to overcome them. Proverbs 23:7 Says ‘as a man thinks in his heart so is he.’  The way we imagine a situation to play out is often a self-fulfilling prophesy.

When our son goes out on the soccer field and his team scores the first goal of the match, their chances of holding the score line and winning the game increase.  The confidence level in the team gets a boost and suddenly they believe that they can win, when they believe that they can win they begin to play like they can win.  I have watched those boys go out against much bigger and stronger teams and beat them easily because they could see the victory.  Physical preparation and training is obviously important, but mental preparation is the secret weapon that separates the victims from the victors and allows Davids to overcome their Goliaths.

Giant Killers like David see the victory before the challenge, and keep this as their focus which enables them to move on past the trial and emerge victorious on the other side.  The victory was so real to David that it gave him the courage to run head first at that giant with the full assurance that with God he was well able to overcome it.  So real in fact that David described in great detail to that giant exactly what victory looked like and how it was going to come about!

What are you picturing? What does victory look like to you today and what are you shouting at your giant?

Phl 4:8

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

Sometimes seeing the victory means refusing to see defeat.  This was something that I realised lying on back in a grassy field!  I had chased our cat across the farm yard in a vain attempt to rescue a baby rabbit that was dangling from its mouth, when my foot became lodged in a muddy rut under the grass.  Momentum carried me passed that hole and I heard a loud crack originating from my ankle, which didnt make the journey at the same speed as the rest of my body.  A half mile from the house, all alone in the wet grass, I began to picture myself hobbling through the airport on crutches dragging three small children and 18 peices of luggage towards the plane.  We were in the middle of packing the house to move continent and a broken ankle was not something that I had time for at that moment.

Suddenly, I had a choice to make.  Lay there and hope someone might hear me screaming, crawl back to the house across the field, or change the picture.  Out of my mouth came a shout, it was my Giant Killing battle charge and all it said was “Jesus!”  I lept to my feet and ran all the way home on a broken ankle.  Yes, those first steps hurt, but by the time i got home my ankle was healed.

What I learned that day was the important of being preppared.  Practice your battle cry, see the victory beyond the giant, and crush defeat before it has opportunity to speak!

 

Cultivating your Genius

Did you know that you are a Genius?

You may not be a member of Mensa, you may not have aced your SATS, maybe you dropped out of high school or flunked the test of life in multiple categories but none of these things define us.  One thing is for sure, you are a certified ‘Genius’!

According the dictionary (which was written by smart people who read stuff) the definition of genius is: a person of exceptional intelligence, creative power or other natural ability.

Regardless of our level of education, upbringing, social standing or Facebook friend status as Believer’s we have: the mind of Christ (1Cor 2:16), an unction from the Holy one who shows us all things (1 John 2:20), access to the wisdom of God (James 1:5), the power to gain wealth (Deut 8:18), miraculous power and supernatural ability (Matt 10:1).  By definition we are genius’s!

When our children were small they loved to collect acorns and leaves in the fall, stuff their pockets full and plan the creations they could make with them when they got home.  Inevitably many an acorn lost its way only to be mysteriously rediscovered in a sibling’s private collection.  Of course the lost or found acorn always happened to be the most ‘favoratist’ of both parties, necessitating motherhood mediation.  It was not unusual to find our little squirrel’s blessed acorns in the strangest of places- drains, the refrigerator draw, attached to the cat, wedged up a nose or swallowed.  I had to make a concerted effort to check every tiny pocket before hurling their dirty laundry in the washer or we’d be listening to those seeds roll around like marbles until the cycle finished.

When the dryer started acting up I was not thinking ‘acorn’.  However, when pulled the machine out and took it apart, sure enough the source of the breakdown was one of those little brown acorns that we had collected six months earlier.  It had been washed and dried and had found its way through a crack somewhere inside the machine, until it settled amongst some dryer fluff undisturbed.

That tiny seed, which looked so ordinary, had endured a tempest of activity and harsh conditions.  It had preserved and now it was blooming.  In the most unlikely of circumstances that dead looking seed had begun to grow and would continue to inside my dryer had we not have discovered it.

How is this possible?  There was always life contained within that seed, it was just waiting to be planted in the right conditions before it could grow.  One tiny acorn, with mighty Oak potential on the inside of it.

Starting today, we can recognize the Mighty Oak potential that God has placed inside of us, and rather than despising our small beginnings lets cultivate our genius!