A Gold Miner's Daughter

It was another one of my puzzling dreams. I was standing in front of a group of people singing this seemingly silly song. "I'm a gold miner's daughter. I'm a gold miner's daughter." Spectators were chuckling as I sang these words with conviction to the tune of the old hymn, "I've Got Peace Like a River". This is strange I know, but oh how true. I am a gold miner's daughter.

Needless to say, God has spoken nuggets of gold truths from this dream and I would like to share them. First of all, I am not who I thought I was. I am not the same today as I was yesterday. I am becoming all that God wants me to be through the testing and trying of my faith. This revelation is knowledge that I had in my head, but is now becoming through the passage if time real within the fibers of my very being. Not only is my heavenly Father constantly panning for gold in me, but He is making me into a desperate gold digger.

Just a few weeks ago I found out that I was expecting a baby. We have nine precious gifts from God's heart. Now, we have two angels in the realms of glory living in prosperity and eternal security. I had the first miscarriage back in late June and the second one less than a week ago. These loses have been extremely painful for me. I agree with Mother Teresa's statement that one who says there are too many children is like saying there are too many flowers.

It is interesting that I had actually been praying and asking the Lord to bless us again with another baby. Many say to themselves," What in the world would compel someone in their right mind to ask for more and more children?" My answer is, this desire is not of this world and it is something I cannot really explain.

On the other hand, I have also been praying fervently for God to show me more of His heart and to reveal Himself to me. Just like Moses, I was asking God, "Show me Your glory." Oh what a dangerous prayer to pray. However, the King of Glory is waiting for those who would boldly ask with sincerity of heart.
Also recently I have been hearing of testimonies all over of signs and wonders in the land.
There have been accounts of feathers, gold and sapphire dust falling from the heavens onto people's skin. There have been events of oil scented with myrrh coming from the palms of people's hands and from the soles of their feet. I have even found myself looking around from time to time for a diamond from the throne of God laying at my feet. It is a glorious endeavor to desire these signs and wonders. However,my heart springs with delight whenever I recall a pastor who said, "It is not so much in how He chooses to come and reveal Himself, but what matters is that He come. Just come Lord Jesus and show us your glory."

When we consistently ask of the Lord for more of Him, we become diggers of gold. We are mining for the treasures of God's heart that we may get next to Him and know Him in a deeper way. However, God is the Father Miner who is digging and sifting for gold within us.

Because gold is a weighty substance it always stays at the bottom when being panned for. Especially in the past, gold miners would use a pan to sort the gold from small rocks and gravel. They would mine in small streams by scooping up soil along with water. The lighter debris would float to the top while the gold would stay at the bottom. This would happen through the process of sifting and shaking by the one searching for the gold.

Likewise, as God mines for gold within us, He causes shaking and sifting in various ways in order for the unwanted and undesirable things of our flesh to come to the surface. The items that are gold and incorruptible stay in the deep places of our hearts. This deep place is God's treasure chest which is stored deep within.

God does not always reveal Himself to us in seemingly blissful ways. The word says that He is an all consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29). When we ask for His heart of gold, His fire always comes first. He will test us through trials by His purifying fire that we may be perfected and become a trusted vessel to carry His presence to others.

Job 23:10 says, "When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold." He is after a faith that is genuine and transparent, just as pure gold is transparent. 1 Peter 1:7 says," That the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ."

When we seek the Lord for more of Him, we must accept the way in which He sees fit to come. Many times it is by His fire and it is through His shaking. This is the way God has chosen to visit our family lately. It would be so much easier to have gold dust in my lap and and oil from my hands. However, here are some ways God works through the fire and sifting of His presence. He is asking, "Will you embrace the way in which I choose to come to you?" When we say yes in the midst of the pain of His scorching yet loving flame, His heart floods with pleasure and delight for He knows we have chosen Him above all else.

1. God's fire proves your faith. He will test you in the very areas that are dearest to your heart. This may include desires that are godly and pure. He is asking, "Will you still love me even if I choose to never answer any more of your prayers?" He is looking for a bride who will love Him for Him only. We are just like this too. We want others to love and care for us because they value who were are, not just the things we can do for them and give them.

2. God's fire cultivates brokenness. Brokenness yields humility. A child of God who walks in victory but does not have brokenness becomes triumphant in way others cannot relate. This repels others who are going through hardship because they cannot relate to that person. Pride parades and drives needy people away. Humility brought forth through brokenness creates a fragrance which draws others to Christ.

3. God's fire also heals and gives you a message. Just as fire is used to weld metals together. He will work His fire within you to mend your broken heart. Your faith will be pure and sure. Also, you will have proof through your life to show to your children the goodness and faithfulness of God.

4. God's fire spreads and ignites those coming behind us. The next generation does not want to just hear about the works and faithfulness of God. They want to see it in live action. We are the screen they are watching to see if God will come through. They see the realty of who He is in the way we allow Him to bring change in us. His glory is not so much in the manifest signs and wonders of diamonds, oil and gold. His splendor is in the gold He is bringing forth in our personal lives. This is what will stay with our children. This is what will remain.

My heart is comforted in knowing that the hardships we face are not just about us. They are about our children, and their children. I want God's gold to come forth in me and for my faith to be proven for their sakes. My desire is that my life would count for something much deeper than just my short time here even if it means all of the desires of my heart do not come to pass on this side of heaven. I can rest and be at peace knowing that the Master Gold Digger is digging in my heart and bringing forth gold that will be passed as an indestructible inheritance to my children who are following and watching me. Remember also that your testimony is not so much in the outcome of your circumstances, it remains and gleams in and through the change that the test has worked in you.

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testingof your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:2-4

He Holds You

Do you see this beautiful picture? Really focus and take it in. This is you right now. No matter what you are going through, soak in the reality that your Father holds you. You think, "Jesus is holding a child in this picture." Yes, that child is you. When I saw this photo, I felt it was a message for those who are grieving. It is when we grieve, we lose all of our composure. The veil is removed and we are vulnerable. One embrace from our heavenly Father and we melt. We are safe to be. We are free to weep. This is for those who are grieving.

Grief is like being on the ocean when the waves are really rough. Or it can be described as a tidal wave which hits unexpectedly. Everything in you and in your life is suddenly changed. The loss of a loved one is as a violent storm.

Even if your loved one passed away a year ago or more. There will still be swells in the sea of your heart. There are triggers that cause the swell such as holidays, the anniversary date of the death, or even just seeing something in the store can trigger a swollen wave of grief. Do not be discouraged and feel as though you are not healing. We must learn to ride the wave when it comes. It is a healthy part of your healing.

Also when you are in the midst of cresting waves, guard your heart against condemnation. Other voices will come and whisper that you are not thankful for what you have. Grieving and experiencing sorrow does not mean you are not thankful. Sorrow means you are courageous enough to love. Sorrow means your heart is soft enough to hurt. Your Saviour catches you in the turbulence, holds you until you are still, and never releases His grip upon you.



Sorrows as a tidal wave crash upon
heart and chest as weights of unflinching steel
Pressing upon me as though I could
Never breathe again.



I cry, "Saviour, I cannot inhale.
I am fading, please save me.
This surge is cresting,
Do not let it over take me.
Are you here?


The inflaming monster approaches,
There is no relief in sight
Suddenly, I am caught
Beneath its unending vigor.

Black. All is black.
Will my heart beat again?
Yet I am alive.
Stillness. Illumination.


The crest has broken
Its violent intention
Push me upon the shore
Upon the bosom of the One
Who retrieves me
And breathes hope and life
Back into me



The next wave is bulging
I know of its plot
but I know His loving stance
To catch me after each shattering crest
And to replace my breath with His
Upon His eternal shore
Within His unending hold
I will make it through each wave
Until the sea is glass.

Life's Bare Necessity-Intimacy with God

As a little girl, I would flip through the same story book until the pages were worn. It was bound with Disney Classics of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and all of the well known fairy tales. Also, my grandmother had a box in her closet filled with fluffy dresses and high heeled shoes. She also would give me old tubes of lipstick that I would put on when playing "dress up" After donning myself with such "grand" apparel, I would proceed to the huge living room where my grandparents had numerous record albums of what we then called "elevator music". I did not care for the sort, but it had to do. I would spend countless hours making up dances and creating make believe balls where I was the princess.

In Staci Eldredge's book, Your Captivating Heart, she shares the same examples illustrating how God created our hearts as women to long to be the beauty, the princess, and to be pursued by the One who cherishes us the most. There are traces of evidence even from the womb, that God created us with those longings. He created us for intimacy.

Where there is intimacy there is fulfillment, joy and fruitfulness in our lives. May the concept of intimacy be redeemed in this fallen world we live in. The enemy of your soul does not want you to know the full definition of the word, intimacy, and how to thrive in your relationship with God.

In the Wikepedia, intimacy is described well. Here are some statements shared.

"Intimacy is linked with feelings of closeness, safety, trust, and transparency among partners in a collaborate relationship."

"For intimacy to be sustainable and nourishing, it also requires trust, transparency, and rituals of connection."

"Intimacy requires empathy-the ability to stand in the other's shoes."

"Intimacy requires identity development. You have to know yourself(know who you are in Christ (my addition) in order to share yourself with others.

Even though these statements came from an encyclopedia, they perfectly describe God's heart for you. He desires to be intimate with you and He longs for you to return that affection to Him. The voice of our Savior's heart cries out, "I want to be close to you so that I may show that you can trust me. You must trust me. I am asking you to come closer to Me so I may show you all that is in my heart for you. I know who I am, the Alpha and Omega, your All in All. However, you will not know really who you are until you come close and learn who I am. For you to know yourself, you must know Me. Yes, you may know of Me, but you must grow to know me. As you long to be known and understood, I too desire to be known and to share my heart with those I can trust. I stood in your shoes by dying for you. As my child you now are in right standing with Me and I wait for you to come closer. In return, I will draw nearer to you."

Psalm 139:13 says "You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb."
This verse clearly expresses God's intimacy with us before we were even aware of what affection was. Verse 15 shows us that our frame was not hidden from Him and He was weaving us together in secret. This was an intimate time; just you and the Maker. As He was forming your inward parts, He was constructing much more that your organs, muscles, and blood. The Creator of all the Universe was forming a living sanctuary within you where He deeply desires to dwell.

Within you is a castle where riches long to be buried. Within you is a Prince who fights for your soul and rides to the high hills to recapture your heart when it starts to stray into dangerous terrain. This King of Glory whose name is Faithful, paid a very elaborate price to be intimate with you. He is captivated by one glance from you. Stir the known and unknown longings within your heart and call to Him. He awaits your invitation!

(This was inspired after reading, Your Captivating Heart, by Staci Eldridge)

Passion and Purpose- A Great Couple

"I DARE YOU"!!!!Let's play truth or dare! No! How about we live the truth and plunge into the dare! I just dare you to fan the flames in your heart and jump on the hot road of God's purpose for you in this earth! I dare you!

I have been reading Joyce Meyer's newest book, "I Dare You". It is a powerful and encouraging writing that will confirm, reaffirm and stoke the coals of passion and purpose in your heart. This writing is also packed with practical wisdom in maintaining your vision with courage, discipline and consistency.
God has given you dreams and they are not something you just thought of. Once you were passionate about the dream and you dared to believe those dreams would become a reality. However the bad guy has lied to you and has robbed you of your heart's desires. What did you used to dream about? You need to go back and recapture those divine longings. Go into the enemy's camp and take back what he has stolen from you. You have believed a lie and it is time to take back what is rightfully yours as a child of the King.

I would encourage you to read this book. Joyce talks about passion and purpose. If you look at the photos above, you will see the illustration of the balance between passion and purpose. Many people have passion in their hearts for many things. However, passion without purpose can get out of control. Think of an actual fire. If a fire is not controlled by water, it will spread and do a lot of damage. However, a fire that is controlled can fulfill it's purpose. Having flames of the heart are powerful when they are combined with the water of the Holy Spirit.

The water of God's Spirit, keep the passion in line and on the road to purpose. On the other hand, if I have a great purpose with no passion, then there is no flame to spread that purpose. It is not catching and will die out eventually.

We also must make it a practice to stay poised before the Lord. (read more about this on the website :leapinghearts.com under Heart Threads). Remaining fixed and consistently hovering over the promises from God's heart, in addition to thriving in our relationship with Him, are the keys to being victorious in being who God has called us to be. It is also vital for the dreams He has placed within you to come to pass. You have a responsibility. God will not drop your dream into your lap You have to fight for it.

Sometimes you will feel alone in your passion and purpose. This is not the time to give up. When you are alone, the enemy will take advantage of the moment and try to impregnate you with his lies, abort your dream and destroy your fire. In the seasons when you feel alone in your dream, you need to make it your passion and your venture to make this the most intimate time with your Lord. This is the practical way to overcome the adversary of your heart and dreams.

I encourage you to read this book. It is packed with practical wisdom for your future. Furthermore it will fan your flame of destiny. Keep pressing on and be courageous!! I DARE YOU!

Who is God Speaking Through?

A couple of weeks ago,my oldest son told me that I have a bad habit of interrupting people when they are talking. I was shocked and surprised he corrected me. However, it was done in a very respectful and loving way. I never realized I had this habit. However it took my own child to point it out.

The choice was before me to receive correction from my own son with humility or to pridefully reject what he shared with a pure heart. Over the last couple of weeks I caught myself doing just that. Someone was sharing something with me and I interrupted with something I wanted to say. Once, I even found myself finishing some one's sentence for them. It made me realize how rude I must sound to others at times.

I believe the Lord wants to break me of this habit and I am thankful He brought it up through my son. As parents or even leaders, I think we can become prideful in who we receive truth or correction from. We tend to choose those that we will allow to speak into our lives at times with a haughtiness that someone "less mature" than us cannot actually reveal something undesirable in our lives. This is a true test of humility. Here are some questions to ask ourselves.

As a parent, do I feel resistance rising up when my child says something about a weakness I have? As a leader, do I have attitudes toward others that they are not as "far along as me" spiritually, therefore I do not need to receive from them? We must always keep our hearts open to every avenue God wants to speak.

As for me, personally, I want to be a better listener. That means speaking much less that I listen. My heart is to help others work through their problems by pointing them to Jesus. Allowing others to finish what they are saying, and just being quiet is such a vital key in doing this very thing. The Lord listens much more than He speaks. How I want to be like Him.

Lord, Thank you for your grace and the loving way you correct us. You desire for us to be transformed into your likeness even in the way we listen and the way we relate to others in conversation. Help me to be more courteous like You Lord. Amen.

Industrialization 101

I just had to share this unplanned self learning and creative time the kids had yesterday in the backyard. I love the flexibility of homeschooling. I had gone outside to call the kids in to finish up their "book work" and they were all working together on these pine straw huts.It was so fun to see them collecting large limbs from the woods and I admire their creativeness in building something so unique. There is such a message of unity in this activity. Together we can work and make something great!!! I am amazed at how God reminds us and teaches us some of the most wonderful truths through the creative and simple acts of our children. May we all follow their example. The little hole in the pine straw where you see the kid's faces are little windows they made in the hut.

DR. MAC (Memories of True Hospitality)

Dr Mac was truly a man who exemplified what true hospitality is all about. In our culture of material gain and outward appearances, I feel we are losing this simple art of the heart.Dr. Mac was "Granddaddy" to me and he was a medical doctor back in the day when doctors made house calls and delivered women's babies in their homes.

For Granddaddy, it was his heart and his joy to help others. He was a simple man who was filled with a kindness that is rare today. I remember going to my grandparent's home to visit for a weekend. If Dr. Mac was on call, he would get up in the middle of the night to meet patients at his clinic. If the patient was very ill, he would go to their home. If they were poor, he would give them medicine. In addition,I also remember numerous times when sick people would come to his house needing help. I do not remember him ever turning anyone away.he even took a step further and made time to call his patients the next day to see how they were doing.

This compassion impacted my life as a little girl. As I watched him, there was a work being done in my young heart that I did not realize. This was a simple man, who simply loved people, and he was known and respected not for all he did, but for who he was.

Dr. McLane,(Dr Mac) was a true vessel of hospitality. It is grievous to see how our world has twisted the true meaning of hospitality. It is not about having a perfectly decorated house, and preparing the fanciest meals. It is not about trying to advance appearances. Hospitality is an art of the heart. It is kindness shown toward guests or strangers. It is a resting place within that says "welcome" to those we meet. In fact the word hospitality is formed from the root word, "hospital".

Our homes should be a place of rest where our family members feel welcomed and accepted. Our churches should be a place of comfort and encouragement where others feel valued. We should see every individual as Christ sees them and esteem others as more important as ourselves.

When someone is before us, we need to welcome them with a smile that is genuine. Instead of frowning or turning our heads when someone walks by, we should say, "WELCOME" with our countenance and smile.

I am sure our Saviour smiles much more than HE frowns. He delights in His children.
Let us make an effort to reflect His genuine smile,make house calls,and go to the places where others are hurting. Then follow up with a phone call. Thank you Dr. Mac, Granddaddy, for showing so many the true meaning of hospitality. May your legacy live on!

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.