Repost: Blessed to be a Blessing!

As I continue packing up our home, I took a few moments to look at my blog, facebook, etc.  I came across this post from June 30th and it touched my heart again, so I just had to share it with you too.  This is the calling on our lives.  The power of love. 

God Calling: June 30 ~ Understand Them

Take joy wherever you go. You have been much blessed. You are being much blessed.

Such stores of blessing are awaiting you in the months and years that lie ahead. Pass every blessing on.

Love can and does go round the world, passed on the God-currents from one to the other.

Shed a little sunshine in the heart of one, that one is cheered to pass it on, and so My vitalizing joy-giving message goes.

Be transmitters these days. Love and Laugh. Cheer all. Love all.

Always seek to understand others and you cannot fail to love them.

See Me in the dull, the uninteresting, the sinful, the critical, the miserable.

See Me in the laughter of children and the sweetness of old age, in the courage of youth and the patience of man and womanhood.

“Dear Friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”  1 John 4:11

As God's children, we truly are.....

Keep your hands open and pass on the amazing and wondrous blessings you are given!

Live out His love daily.

A Powerful Blog post...from a friend.

When Everything's Collapsing?  The Ancient Paths by Richard Dahlstrom

click on link above to read his post

Everything was created through him;
nothing—not one thing!—
came into being without him.
What came into existence was Life,
and the Life was Light to live by.
The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness;
the darkness couldn’t put it out. 

John 1:3-5 The Message

The Summer of 2013

This picture sums up our summer!

Ups and downs and twists and turns - not knowing which way was up at times and wondering if this crazy ride would ever end...  Hair raising, sick-to-your-stomach, certain you are "going to die", completely out-of-control and having to trust that nothing bad will happen.  Yep, it was one of those kinds of summers for our family.  

Now, this was not the kind of summer we had planned at all.  We had a totally different picture in our minds:

Quiet.  Slower paced.  Idyllic....  Country living every day.  

Joy Bell Farm ~ from dream to reality

We prepared to transition our 7 years experience of building an urban farm toward building an organic, biodynamic permaculture production farm on acreage...

When suddenly, God interrupted our plans and asked if I would lay it all down and move back up into the city....and I said, "Yes, Lord."  And, upon sharing with Blaine and spending time in prayer, we were in agreement that it is the direction God is having us go.

From a growing season that rejoiced with early harvests due to incredible summer weather in Seattle (although the heavy rains that arrived in June ruined the strawberry crop) to hoping to sign a long term farm lease in Olympia to searching and searching and searching some more for a rental house in familiar Seattle neighborhoods.... Returning after 14 years away.  Wow!  This summer has held beautiful blessings and tearful goodbyes (and more to come still).

Where this has been the norm:

And now, with our foreclosure auction set for August 30th (oh, how we hope people do their homework and discover the serious environmental impact of this neighborhood and the underground water issue and how it has undermined the foundation of this house), we are not only packing up our belongings, but I am also giving away my entire garden.  I've kept just a few small pots and two of my dear maple trees...

This is going with me.  I couldn't bear to leave all my beautiful soil behind... 

Knowing soon, we will be seeing this in our new neighborhood:

And, I will have to trade this:

....and, eventually, this ~ 

For this:

Becoming a volunteer with Seattle Tilth and assist with garden classes (and in various ways they can utilize my service - events, in the office, etc) ...

Plus, visiting local Farmers Markets to purchase local, organic produce

...and find sources for local eggs, chicken, beef and pork

And, make this and Metro buses my main forms of transportation...

Instead of a car trunk, I will have panniers on my bike.

And, I will certainly continue my role in cheering on (and supporting) our local farmers.  You'll find me delivering farm guides every spring for Cascade Harvest Coalition!

In the midst of loss and laying down my farm dream, I am eagerly and excitedly embracing this new season/new lifestyle ahead of me.  And, I am so ready to learn more of who God is, what He desires to do through my life in sharing His love with others and to continually discover the wonders He has done.  

My people, hear my teaching;

    listen to the words of my mouth.

² 

I will open my mouth with a parable;

    I will utter hidden things, things from of old—

³ 

things we have heard and known,

    things our ancestors have told us.

⁴ 

We will not hide them from their descendants;

    we will tell the next generation

the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,

    his power, and the wonders he has done.  Psalm 78:1-4

And, praying that scripture shared with us, as we take a big step of faith into this new season of our lives, is truly evident, in some measure, daily!

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
   because the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
   to bind up the broken-hearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
   and release to the prisoners; 
² to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour,
   and the day of vengeance of our God;
   to comfort all who mourn; 
³ to provide for those who mourn in Zion—
   to give them a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
   the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
   the planting of the Lord, to display his glory. 
⁴ They shall build up the ancient ruins,
   they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
   the devastations of many generations.
Isaiah 61:1-4 

Phillips, Craig and Dean sang a song that is still a favorite of mine.  So I guess, it's really time to:  Let go of the wheel, take a reckless ride of faith!

I'm ready!  Are you?

Blessed to be a blessing

God Calling: June 30 ~ Understand Them

Take joy wherever you go. You have been much blessed. You are being much blessed.

Such stores of blessing are awaiting you in the months and years that lie ahead. Pass every blessing on.

Love can and does go round the world, passed on the God-currents from one to the other.

Shed a little sunshine in the heart of one, that one is cheered to pass it on, and so My vitalizing joy-giving message goes.

Be transmitters these days. Love and Laugh. Cheer all. Love all.

Always seek to understand others and you cannot fail to love them.

See Me in the dull, the uninteresting, the sinful, the critical, the miserable.

See Me in the laughter of children and the sweetness of old age, in the courage of youth and the patience of man and womanhood.

“Dear Friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”  1 John 4:11

As God's children, we truly are.....

Keep your hands open and pass on the amazing and wondrous blessings you are given!

Live out His love daily.

Steps of faith

God Calling: June 29 ~ My Will - Your Joy

Our Lord and our God. Lead us; we beseech Thee. Lead us and keep us.

You can never go beyond My Love and Care. Remember that. No evil can befall you. Circumstances I bless and use must be the right ones for you.

But I know always that the first step is to lay your will before Me as an offering, ready that I shall do what is best, sure that, if you trust Me, what I do for you will be best.

Your second step is to be sure, and to tell me so, that I am Powerful enough to do everything ("The hearts of kings are in My rule and governance"), that no miracle is impossible with me ("With God all things are possible" and I and My Father are one).

Then leave all with Me. Glad to leave all your affairs in a Master Hand. Sure of safety and protection. Remember you cannot see the future. I can.

You could not bear it. So only little by little can I reveal it to you. Accept My Will and it will bring you joy.

Taking steps of faith, as God leads us forward!

He is able!

God Calling:  June 22:  YOUR RED SEA

Go forward fearlessly.

Do not think about the Red Sea that lies ahead.

Be very sure that when you come to it the waters will part and you will pass over to your promised land of freedom.

We're believing and expecting miracles, Lord.  You are so able!

5939 Shincke Rd NE, Olympia, WA

We are asking God for this land ~ believing He has led us to this place.  Our dream + His story!

Theme God gave us for 2013:  Hope, Health and a Future...open to possibilities.

Be gloried, Lord God.  This is all about YOU!

Crammed with Inspiration!

I admit that I'm a dreamer.  It is part of who I am.  I am an encourager of others.  I am blessed to be a blessing to others.  It is why I do what I do.  And, I believe that God is doing amazing things in and through our lives (and in yours).  He is my hope.  He is who I live for.  How I pray His love is shared in and through my life and experienced by others.

I'm a visual person.  Words and pictures speak to my heart and spirit.  And, God's Creation all around me draws me closer to Him daily.  I pray the following inspirational pictures draw you closer to Him and you receive some insight into how amazing our God really is.

And finally, God lead me to I Take Joy with Sally Clarkson and this entry from March 2013:

Sowing seeds of faith, righteousness and waiting for the crop

“Sow with a view to righteousness, Reap in accordance with kindness.”

Hosea 10:12

I have always loved fields of wildflowers. Seems to me when I see fields and fields of the beauty, (and blue is my favorite color), I almost feel like it is evidence of the invisible hands of God still planting flowers in His gardens to remind us that He is still creating and perpetuating life, even when we are not aware.

When looking at a tiny seed, it is impossible to see what will bloom from this minute speck of nothing, -the color it will produce, the bloom or fruit, or how large the plant will be. There is vast potential locked within, that under the right circumstances–planted in good soil, watered and covered in sunshine, a miracle will happen. The seed transforms into something more than itself–it gives birth to a plant that blooms and brings beauty, life, color and a fruit–and this is a miracle-almost something out of nothing.

And so, God calls us to sow–to sow broadly, generously, diligently.

Sometimes the seeds that He requires us to sow, do not obviously promise anything–yet, we are asked to believe in the potential–the latent miracles inside of these small life-seeds.

We are to sow with a view to righteousness–not seeing or knowing totally the vast potential of what is in our hands. But ours is to be faithful to sow, by faith, the seeds of promise given to us–

to cast the seed of promise into the soil of life, generously, diligently, faithfully–

And His is to do the miracle-

To take all of the planting of faith seeds, and love seeds, and integrity seeds, and faithfulness seeds, into the moments of our lives when no one else is looking;

faithfulness to the gospel and spreading the good news;

serving our children, and loving and helping our spouses;

praying and believing when no sprout of answer is in sight.

And yet, in time, in His hands,

there will be such a bounty of beauty, a harvest from the seeds planted in life, that we will finally see, that

He was creating the miracle right beside us–the seeds will indeed sprout into a harvest of righteousness and redemption that will be beyond what we could have imagined.

But, the harvest of such sowing is only for those who plant, and water and cultivate and wait, by faith, believing in the promise of what lays ahead.

So, dear God, let us look at the flowers you have planted and see the potential beautiful harvest of our lives, if we will only believe in the seed potential in our lives right now,

which by faith will become a harvest of righteousness beyond measure.

Theme God gave me for our family for 2013:
Hope, Health and a Future...open to possibilities (based on Jeremiah 29:11)

May the Lord bless and keep you and provide for every need.  May you know His amazing and gracious love.