Five Minute Friday {Dance}

Dancing in the Desert

God has taught me some vital moves.

Moves that I need to survive this journey through the desert.

In one word, He has taught me to trust.  Completely.

There have been some personal struggles that I have overcome.

I am still working through some too.  

I have hope and will cling to His promises that I find daily when I read His word.


Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Ps. 62:8

Faith endures and what He has given me has proven to be enough.

This desert journey has been one of tears, fears, and cheers.

Full of joy, sorrow, suffering, rich in healing, comfort and grace.

Loads of trials and victories too, riddled with conflicts and tension, triumphs, hardships, trouble.

Many understandings that have protected and prevented mistakes.  

God's mercy has brought me to His side.   

His perfect trust teaches me to dance in this desert.  

Music Monday - {Gold}

Beckah Shae Standing Firm Like Gold

This week's pick for Music Monday is from Beckah Shea with "Gold".  Not only does the song have some really good beats but it beats truth into my mind when I hear it.  The one line that jumps out of the speakers is this one...

"This fire is makin’ me better, refined it don’t matter whether".

It's obvious to me that Beckah is familiar with trials and tribulations that befall most Christians.  Her perspective is honorable and admirable.  She wouldn't be talking about it, like it's a gold thing, unless God has revealed Himself through it.  

In this one line, I am reminded that it's worth it.  The journey of faith, whatever my circumstances has taught me more about God than I could have ever imagined.  That's the way God works.

These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. 1 Peter 1:7 

God loves to break us through whatever painful circumstances that come our way so that He can be our hero and either deliver us from our problems or show us how to fix the problem.  He wants us to trust Him to help us through.  He loves us so much that He knows we can't do this life on our own, so when everything falls apart, that's when he wants us to look to Him for help and deliverance, not to the patterns of this world.  He wants us to trust Him to provide or take care of or deliver us.  In doing just that He shows His mercy, grace and love.   He  brings His awesome to every situation and when invited into all of the details, He reveals His faithfulness.

I know..I have been there many times too.  I have suffered through many desert storms.  And through them, I do know God better and my trust has deepened because of the sand that pelts my face.  This life we call a joy-filled journey is exactly that.  Filled with moments of joyful experiences where I have walked and sometimes crawled to the feet of Jesus, and once there, I have found that He and only He is the oasis.  The hope that we have is that as we go through tough times, that God has promised to never leave us or forsake us.  He is there with us in His refining process.  And even though it hurts sometimes, it still makes us better, more like Christ.  Like gold.

Music Monday [Where I Belong]

At Winter Jam there were some volunteers sporting yellow hard hats and t-shirts.  They were the street team for Building 429 helping to push their product, but it gave a construction zone feel to the place.  They came out on stage they sang their set, but the lyrics of Where I Belong really hit my heart.  

So when the walls come falling down on me
And when I'm lost in the current of a raging sea
I have this blessed assurance holding me.

Many times in construction zones, it gets really messy before it gets better.  There is pretty much a mess with materials and tools until the job is complete.  I often consider my life like a construction zone with God as the Master Planner.  He's got the blueprints and has designed me to obey and follow Him.  I often want to peek at the plans to see where we are headed.    One truth remains as I seek to follow and that is I am not "home" yet. 


Home is heaven and I have accepted His invitation to join Him in living my forever there.  That's where I belong.  So in this world that I live and in my home that I reside I have a blessed assurance that God is holding me and holding the plans for my tomorrows.  His assurance gives me comfort that this world is not a home that God created me for...He knew that I would just be passing through.  That's comforting, that helps.


In my construction zone of transformation, as I thrive to be more like Christ, there are a lot of twists, turns, walls being built, walls falling down.  The zone of change is quite active like a raging sea at times.  A lot of turmoil, a lot of trials, a lot of opportunities, a lot of impact.  But through it all, I have God's assurance...this is not where I belong.  Heaven is.