Our Open Portal with Jesus

God is our LIFE - our physical, mental and spiritual experience;

the One who constitutes our existence.

Today, Flint (my hubby) and I were discussing a portal that he had to set up for concrete delivery. He was quick to say “I won't order my concrete that way, but I am required to have the portal if I want to track the delivery schedule of the concrete. So I have to get it set up." 

It made me think of all the portals we have set up in our lives: one or more for healthcare, one for each utility provider, maybe one for your workouts, a source for cooking recipes, and even your church. Nearly everything has a portal for us to “log on". I was pondering this: 

Are we “logged on” to what really matters? The One Thing? 

That's what I am asking myself today:  Am I abiding in step with Jesus Christ like He describes in John 15? The New Living Translation uses the word remain.

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:4-5 NLT 

How do we “abide?" Teach us Lord to abide. Here's a terrific song that helps me so much. I listen to it nearly every morning. Abide: The Worship Initiative. 

Going slow, staying in step with Him, operating for His Kingdom purposes and communing with Him and with other believers. All these things help me to abide in Him. 

We don't need another portal to do so, we need to seek Him. He is Our Life. Talk to Him about all things: His character, His current work around us, mistakes that we have made, all the blessings He has provided, and our requests. He is not in a hurry and we don't want to be either. 

Click here for April Prayer Guide 

Firm Foundation: Resilience After Trauma 

I did round one of the formatting process and was quite pleased when it came back on March 20 with nearly everything correct. However, the resources pages at the end of the book provide links to other valuable information and they are still needing corrective attention. I am hopeful that I can talk to HopeBooks and resolve this quickly so we can get a publish date! I say us because it is a whole team of people helping me to get this done. You can be part of that team and I will share that info as soon as I have the publish date. The Lord knows the perfect timing which I constantly reminding myself. {No need to be in a hurry…He is right on time} Please pray for quick and correct resolution to this formatting round two.

Of course this is happening right in the busyness of real estate spring market - the busiest time of the year. The exact time I was hoping to avoid. But I sense God whispering to me: watch this. So I am watching for what He is about to do next.

On My Nightstand are these three:

1. Memory Lane by Becky Wade - I love this series. Family drama that is not too intense, suspense and clean romance seasoned with the main character's clear desire to do what is right before the Lord in the context of daily living. So refreshing to read. If you haven't ready any of her books, I highly recommend them.

2. The Flamingo Advantage by Katie Hornor You are not going to believe this story. Katie was the keynote speaker coming in from Sioux Falls, SD to the Worthy Woman Summit I attended in Mississippi. We were seated beside one another at lunch & had a terrific conversation. It led to me asking where she is from and she tells me “Andrews, NC”. You could have knocked me into the floor. For those who know me, Andrews is the home of Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters where I took students for years. This solid ministry has impacted my life, my family, and the lives of those in our church for literally generations now. Katie's family started the truss company that is literally right next door to SWO. Clearly the Lord wanted us to meet and I am loving her book about “How to Leverage Unique, Stay Relevant, and Change The World”. What a small world! One quote on the back says this: “Katie taught me the difference between doing business for God and doing business WITH God and I'm thrilled to see this powerful content coming out now in The Flamingo Advantage. Read it, you won't be disappointed.” -Kathy Burrus. I cannot wait to dig in.

3. Theo of Golden by Allen Levi - Two friends, one in her fifties and one in her eighties, texted me to say “have you read this book?” So I got my copy and have just started. Stay tuned to hear more from this one. It is the author's first book and is already a surprise best seller.

Amazon tossed me out as an affiliate again. Craziness when I had already met their “requirements”. If anyone has insight on this, please let me know.

If you find this encouragement valuable to you, please forward to a friend. 

Every subscriber really helps.