TheWritePath

       IT WAS ONE OF THE most beautiful meadow I had ever seen. Tall lush green grass layout before me as far as the eye could see, gently swaying with the wind as it was dancing. There was a feeling of peace and serenity unlike anything I had ever experienced, and with the strain of the past few weeks after my grandfather’s death, it was a welcome change. Then I saw it as if it had not been apart of the landscape until that moment, a tall oak tree with its outstretched branches reaching to the heavens. How beautiful was, and for some unknown reason, it seemed to bring a strong feeling of comfort to me, like I was drawing strength from it that penetrated every part of my soul.    As I approached this stately tree, I noticed two figures dressed in white standing under its branches. One appeared to be tossing something into the air, catching it, only to toss it up again. As I drew near, though I did see their faces, I knew instinctively who the two men were—o...

       Remember when Jesus was being tempted by the devil after His baptism in the Jordan River? The Spirit had led Him to the wilderness, where he fasted for forty days, and the Word saysHe was hungry. Satan came toHim dating, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread” Luke 4:3,NKJV). Oh precious child of God, did you see how the Satan tried to plant his seed of doubt into Jesus’s mind, “ If  You are the Son of God,”  how many times in the past has he done the same thing with you.   If  you are a child of God, why weren’t you healed? If  you are a child of God, why do you still struggle? If you are a child of God.  Satans words were no more than seed of doubt. Should anyone put the word IF  in-font of God or you in this manner beware, don’t accept them!     When he comes to plant his seeds in your mind, remember to do as Jesus did and boldly say, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone...

     Several months passed, and the seasons had changed. As I sat alone in the swing, I saw the fields were about ready for harvest. I thought back over the last few months, things had changed, but more importantly, I had changed. I wish I could tell you it was got the better, but I can’t. The month prior had brought with it a feeling of hopelessness and dread. My emotions were changing like the leaves on the trees, the harder I tried to control then the more upset I got. I had been doing so well . . . why can’t I control these mood swings? My  heart was grieving, and I felt alone and confused.    When I reached the point that I was ready to listen to what the Lord was speaking to me, He took me to Matthew 27:35 through 28:10. Concentration to read that I had as the words tan together and when I finished, I was lead to Mark 15:24 through 16:6. This continued until I had read all four accounts of the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord. I sat there more...

         IT WAS EARLY SPRING, and the warmth of the sun on my face was refreshing after the cold winds of winter. As I sat in our porch swing, I watched the busy activity of the birds in as they scurried about gathering twigs for their nest. Off in the distance, I could hear the sound of a tractor in the fields preparing  the ground for planting. With the coming of spring, all the trees were budding, and the first flowers of the season had pushed their way through the soil, bringing new life all around me. As I sat there, my heart was filled with hope and excitement as I looked to the future.    It had only been a few weeks since the seed had been planted in my heart, and I had taken care to guard it from anyone or anything that might come and try to destroy or steal it from me. Oh, how I longed it see it mature, but for now, it needed time to grow until it became apart of all that I was becoming in Christ.     As I took a deep brea...

     I knew where this was going, and I also knew the Holy Spirit had more to teach me about the seed that fell among the thorns. “. . . They are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in chock the word and it becomes unfruitful.” (Mark 4:18-19, NKJV).  Jesus was addressing the issue of the carnal Christian, living more for others than for Him. As I sat there, I took a long look at where my life was going. The Lord had given us our first home, and I had gone back to work because I wanted to get a few things for the house.  In it’s self this wasn’t wrong, however I had allowed the cares of of this world to fill my life with thorns. I still studied, read the Word, and was active in my church, but something had changed. My flower gardens were an outward sign of what was happening in my life. I had allowed the cares of life to steal not only my time, but more importantly, the pe...

     A parable is like visual teaching of spiritual truths, told as an allegory, using everyday illustrations to help bring the message to life. In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus is teaching that the kingdom of God is received at various levels within the human heart. While the seed is symbolic of the word of God, and the ground is the condition of the heart. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” is used, if I remember correctly,  over 240 times in the Word, so put your spiritual ears on as Jesus tells the Parable of the Sower,  “Behold, a sower went out to sow. And it happened, as he sowed, that some  seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth: immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. And some seed fell amount thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it and it y...

           ANYONE THAT KNOWS ME knows I love plants. When space allowed I had as many house plants as garden, both vegetables and flowers. I believe they add so much life and beauty to your yard and home, for me personally caring for them is both physical and emotional therapy. Working in a garden can lift the heaviest load from a troubled heart.     I had one special place in my home I called my summer room. It was filled with plants, even the pictures on the walls, and decorated with wicker furniture even the wicker coffee table had magazine and books about plants. I spent many hours there reading, lost in thought and praying.  It was a place much like my porch swing, where I could go to be alone with the Lord, to be refreshed and ready to start my day or perhaps to put the cares of the day to rest.  Somehow the flowers and plants seemed to help put me in the right frame of mind to listen to what He might be speaking to my heart....

  That night, as I was sitting alone, studying the rocks I had purchased on our trip, and trying to get the experience out of my mind. But no matter what I did I couldn’t erase from my memory what I experienced and the effect it had on me. We’ve been is several caves and all of them turned out the lights at sometime on the tour, but nothing like this has ever happened before. After awhile I heard a gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit ‘the narrow path.’ All of us are on an eternal road and at some point we will have to make a decision, the Word puts it this way, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14, NKJV). Hell is a real place  where  “the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever” (Revelation 14:12, NKJV), and there will be no more opportunity for salvation ...

         OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, my husband and I have enjoyed the beauty of exploring the world of caves. I like seeing the different types of formations and the way their lighting brings out the natural beauty. Within the caverns, one’s imagination can open a world of stone figures that can only be matched in the cloud formations above. At one point on every tour, the lights go out, and we can experience what it is like to be in total darkness.     It is more than being in the dark; it’s the absence of all light, more of a feeling than the inability to see. You feel the emptiness of standing their completely alone, afraid to move or even breath. The darkness is so heavy you find it difficult to feel, let alone move, your arms and legs, it sort of like being isolating you even from yourself. The silence becomes deafening as the coldness of the cave wraps you in a shroud.Seconds seem like an eternity as you feel alienated within the aloneness...

    As I look back on my life, I realize I got the better part of that bargain. There have been many times in these in these past twenty years that the seas became fearful, but like Peter, I have learned to step out of the boat and call upon the name of the Lord. I am deeply grateful for the guiding hand of God that saw my husband through a successful surgery, and I am eternally grateful to a God who exchanges bargains for commitments.    I have had the opportunity to visit Israel twice, and one of the most astonishing places I got to see was the Sea of Galilee. In my mind. I had pictures this as a great body of water like the Mediterranean or the Dead Sea, but much to my surprise, it is a lake only 13 miles long and 7 miles wide and has a froth of about 157 feet at its deepest point. Both times I was there, the sea was was as calm as glass, but our guide explained that because it was 685 feet below sea level and virtually surrounded by cliffs and hills, it was subje...

     There are two occasions in the Bible the Lord brought to my remembrance concerning acts of desperation and fear that led to salvations. The first is the story of Jonah. Do you remember why Jonah fled in the first place? That’s right, he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he did not want to do what the Lord had asked him to do. How many times have we, in our own way, done this very thing and in doing so found ourselves, just as Jonah, in the sea of circumstances? Jonah boarded a ship for Tarshish, in the mist of the sea, a great storm arose, and the ship was about to be destroyed. When he was confronted by those onboard, Jonah admitted to his sin and told them to just cast him overboard so that they would not perish because of him. God had prepared a great fish to swallow him, where he remained in its belly for three days and three nights. In chapter two verse two, we see Jonah had accomplished what he wanted to do. The Word tells us he was in the bell...

        SEVERAL YEARS AGO, on a cold winter morning, standing alone in the snow and feeling , frightened, I made a bargain with the Lord. It was not myself that I was concerned for but for my husband.    For several months, he had been suffering with severe back pain from an injury that had grown increasingly worse. This is a man who doesn’t give up easily, and continued to work until the pain and lack of sleep no longer permitted him to do so. It wasn’t long after that when he finally reached the point where walking became almost impossible. I had felt so utterly helpless as I saw him dragging as he pulled himself  along. The doctors had sent us to a specialist, and he told us that if he didn’t have surgery immediately, he could be paralyzed. There was no time to think, only respond, so surgery was scheduled for the next morning, and he was admitted to the hospital. I barely remember driving home; my head was spinning with things I needed to take care...