My Dream

Hope postponed grieves the heart; but when a dream comes true, life is full and sweet.

                Proverbs 13:12

  This is me(smile)! It's been awhile since I've cyber scripted my thoughts with you but better late than ever. And, as you well know, life is busy. We are all busy! After the year ends time feels like it's speeding by rapidly. New roles, new challenges, goals and new resolutions.  I've committed myself to many of them...I'm trying at least(smile).

  In my World, and I'm sure as in yours, you've experienced expectation or hopeful anticipation of a dream, a desired future, in hopes of seeing it come to pass. But the "waiting" can be quite the challenge(smile). Just like planted seeds, you can't harvest the results until it's time, so, you wait...and wait...and wait.

  As I wait, let me tell you what I've committed myself to in this tension of time called waiting:

1. I've resolved in my head & heart to be at rest...I will not jump the gun.

2. I'm committed to keep doing what I'm doing until that hope has been fulfilled. Be busy!

3. Help others achieve as they wait too!

In other words, I can help push them forward as I'm "waiting". Nothing's worse than being so self focused about your own desires and not extend an open hand to position someone else to see their dream fulfilled.

  To wait is challenging and a hope that's been deferred makes a hopeful heart lose hope all the more. I'm hopeful, yet, I'm waiting. I'm excited, but it's not time nor is it the season to receive what I'm waiting for. But I'm busy doing, being, planting "spiritually invested seed" into my family, my children, my friends and those who need an open hand. And, yes, I'm committed to waiting for the door to be opened. In my World, only God opens doors that a human hand cannot shut. So, in the meantime, I'll wait to have Him completely unhinge the door for me to access the very thing I asked for...

Don’t give up. Wait for the Eternal in expectation, and be strong. Again, wait for the Eternal.

                    Psalm 27:14

Question:

What dream are you waiting for in the meantime?

Chick Manifesto

Woman...there's just something about you:) 

The way God made you that's quite unique on your own. Not only are you soft, kind, a nurturer, a help to many around you. But YOU embody strength, fortitude, endurance, longevity, brilliance and the epitome of the characteristic of the Holy Spirit-a comforter. Throughout the Ages you built families, endured hardships, absorbed pain, navigated dangerous journeys, and founded societies and cultivated new worlds. You are the reflection of the creative image that fashioned you into existence-God himself. A supporter of every Adamic counterpart, the very brilliance of God's creativity and that is so good!

Throughout the Ages, the seed of every wicked plan devised against you, tried you from your sacred Mother's womb to the battlefield of life; the evil one has not overcome you! Not disease, nor distance can eliminate the bridge across the great divide. The bridge that brought us closer to our destiny, our call, our purpose, our first position which is the visual of being seated in heavenly places with Him. 

Woman, you are more than your beauty, more than your sexuality, more than the wrinkles accumulated over time and more than the symbol dangling from your attire. You're more...more than time spent in front of mirrors, more than the dyes & perfumes misted once you leave the scissor-laiden room. More than the illegitimate relationships robbing you of time, value, your physical beauty.

Your mind has great capacity for strategies, your senses can tune into the atmosphere of a room, your mouth can expel words that build kings and strategize nations. Your beauty commands the ears of legends and thoughtfully craft freedom for prisoners. You wield influence and leverage your ability for the greater Kingdom. You are proactive, a protagonist, and protected! Your Father knows you well.

So, with this in mind, You, Woman, are the antithesis of every foul word, evil deed that has been plotted against you. Every foul imagination, every diminished detail of your very frame is null and ineffect. You, Woman, are the protagonist to every antagonist. You, Woman, are the embodied, creative solution to every problem. You, Woman, deflect the plotted schemes of any deviser of wickedness, you project wisdom and virtue in contrast to every unsavory, belligerent foe. Your language dispels critics, your words banish doubt. You can never be imitated nor duplicated. Your femininity is unmatched! You're not a cheap imitation nor a carbon copy of a similar design-You are an appraised original masterpiece!

Finally, no scalpel can shorten your span of days, no government edict can eliminate your existence, no striving for your unique quality can surpass your value, nor the best articulator or debater can diminish your position. Every eye will be rapt in attention for your wisdom, every foe will see your head graced with honor. Not enough parchments can contain your history and not even enough books can hold the length of your days because you are the personified handiwork of creation for YOU are WOMAN!

God told the serpent:

“Because you’ve done this, you’re cursed, cursed beyond all cattle and wild animals, Cursed to slink on your belly and eat dirt all your life. I’m declaring war between you and the Woman, between your offspring and hers. He’ll wound your head, you’ll wound his heel.”- Genesis 3:15 

To the Millennial: A Prophetic Diagnosis

MKTO song: Thank You (a sarcastic thank you)

Lyrics: 

This one's for you role models.

We are the ones, the ones you left behind.
Don't tell us how, tell us how to live our lives.
Ten million strong we're breaking all the rules.
Thank you for nothing, cause there's nothing left to lose.

Thank you for feeding us years of lies.
Thank you for the wars you left us to fight.
Thank you for the world you ruined overnight.
But we'll be fine, yeah we'll be fine.

Thank you for the world you broke,
Like yolk and it ain't no joke.
So cold and there ain't no coat,
Just me, my friends, my folks
And we gonna do what we like.
So raise that bird up high
And when they ask you why.
Just stand there laugh and smile.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
From head to toe from the soul you ripped apart.
I say, "Thank you."
I say, "Thank you."
Yeah, yeah

Yo if you don't like what they tell you to do, don't do it.
If you don't want to be who they want you to be, screw it.
It's your world, it's your life and they ruined it.
Role models, tune in, turn up, drop out...

  So, guess who watched men & women in their 30s-70s stand to their feet dancing, clapping to this prophetic proclamation against themselves? Yup, that would be me(smile). Two teen member band, ex-child stars, raising the profound "bird in the air" to all the previous generations in great collaborative song saying in a nutshell, "#%^! You!" To my surprise, it doesn't take a great thinker or interpreter to discern what they meant. But deep feelings from a generation wanting  nothing to do with the generations of the past; you, mom, dad, & grandpa.

  
  It doesn't surprise me that this is the "anthem" of a fatherless & motherless generation. I hope I'm not scaring you but waking you up to see that this is the result of not stewarding a generation well. They want guidance but received neglect. They wanted love but you embraced another man or woman in your life. They wanted your attention but we gave someone else our energy, time, and creativity. In other words, we gave neglect. From the desperate housewife syndrome to keeping up with the Kardashians, what raised them up in values, actions, and nurtured their thinking was our neglect of this generation.This is the diagnostic reading of the issue at hand, BUT let me tell you what God's Kingdom & kids will and can do(smile)! There is hope!

⁴ "One generation after another will celebrate Your great works;
    they will pass on the story of Your powerful acts to their children.
⁵ Your majesty and glorious splendor have captivated me;
    I will meditate on Your wonders, sing songs of Your worth.
⁶ We confess—there is nothing greater than You, God,nothing mightier than Your awesome works. I will tell of Your greatness as long as I have breath." Psalm 145:4-6

                                       

  Friends, parents...there is and always will be the antithesis of the culture of Heaven. To deny it would be foolish, however, we can ascribe to this generation where others failed to pass on and that is they are revolutionaries that need loving direction. This generation is hungry for consistency, hungry for healing, and burning for something to fight for. They are NOT a problem, but birthed to be a solution!

"But look ahead: I’m sending Elijah the prophet to clear the way for the Big Day of God—the decisive Judgment Day! He will convince distant parents to look after their children and resistant children to look up to their parents. If they refuse, I’ll come and punish the land.”-Malachi 4:5-6

Some glimpses into the future are taken into notice and others are being fulfilled:

"“I will pour out my Spirit on every kind of people, Your sons will prophesy and your daughters.Your old men will dream, your young men will see visions. I’ll even pour out my Spirit on servants, men and women both. I’ll set wonders in the sky above & signs on the earth below: Blood, fire and billowing smoke, the sun turning black and the moon blood-red, Before the Judgment Day of God, that Day tremendous and awesome.Whoever calls, ‘Help, God!'gets help."-Joel 2:28:31

  We need to understand as one generation that we have to resist seeing one another as an enemy. The Kingdom is not divided by adult tables & infant/toddler sections. We are one(smile)! The better I run my race, the better the baton-pass is given to the next generation. My kids, your kids, our kids are fighting an invisible battle and the win is great pleasure in the Kingdom but the loss is that more real; loss of life, stability, health, ability and the Kingdom.

  Mom, dad, grandma, grandpa...we can turn this tide. It begins at home. Take a mirror and make an honest assessment of you. Now, wipe the tears, roll up your sleeves, and take this generation back child after child, son after daughter. Look at your child...their hearts depend on you(smile).

  

"Children are a gift from the Lord; babies are a reward. Children who are born to a young man are like arrows in the hand of a warrior. Happy is the man who has his bag full of arrows.
They will not be defeated when they fight their enemies at the city gate."-Psalm 127:3-5

I'm Ignoring You...

ig·nore

/igˈnôr/

Refuse to take notice of or acknowledge; disregard intentionally

I'm Ignoring You!

  Have you ever felt ignored? Well,...let's say this, unacknowledged? I have from being a kid, to being a young lady, to an invisible mommy moment, and, need I say, just being a woman:) I'm sure you've experienced a snide remark, a sarcastic comment made at your expense, a curt attitude towards you...Well, it doesn't feel good but you roll with the punches;)

  To be ignored & slighted is not a comfortable feeling. I grew up in a family where manners were expected. Where eye contact &, yes, acknowledging your enemies was a social grace:) You actually confront and speak truth about feelings and not pretend there's not an issue;) Being nice displays kindness and not passive aggression. Today, we call this attitude being "fake". Who taught this culture this word...fake? To me it insinuates an underlying truth of energy, time, and a bully disposition of, "I don't feel like being nice, so, I'm not going to acknowledge them at all" kind of air in our social gatherings. Stop it! 

  Amongst people who don't know the Lord that kind of attitude I come to expect. Yet, you're nice. But amongst brothers....come on now!!! Be better!

  In the Kingdom we call this "blessing your enemies"(smile). It's actually something that's historically done by Christians thru the ages-be nice to those who don't like you, talk about you, make fun of you and so on(notice my humor). I've practiced this "ancient method" to those who are young & feel they know more to those who are older & feel like the world is being stripped from them. People will always carry attitudes they are projecting to the world around and you can't help them but definitely YOU don't have to carry that negative attitude on your person. The issue is not you but how people respond to what you carry-Jesus! They may reflect envy, pride, jealousies, anger, competition, roots of bitterness, offense, and so on. But they are responding to the Jesus in you:) Now, if you are mean and NOT nice, well...that's why they're ignoring you;) BUT if you have been gracious, patient, and kind this might answer that gnawing question of, "Why are they ignoring me?"

  Listen, sis! We carry God's amazing grace and being nice to people helps reflect what He has done in our lives. Believe me when I say this, it works! Ancient Christian methods work! So, don't waste time figuring it out just be the daughter of God He is displaying you to be:) Pray for them and their success, encourage them to their faces, hug them when they are unloveable, and be nice when the say the meanest things to you;) Believe me...I've done it! Why? Because Jesus loved me well;)

"If people mistreat or malign you, bless them. Always speak blessings, not curses."-Romans 12:14

YOU will smile!!!

  So, I just turned 40! Amazing!!! Double fist pump(smile)! All my warrior chick girlfriends are standing and applauding because this milestone is a right of passage for every woman; all your youthful naivete'-gone, a built-in inner strength has formed, and your dreams/aspirations in God are being fulfilled! In other words, your walking in-step with how God timed it to be, in due season:)

  Let me tell you what you look forward to-it's ALL good. God is the good gift giver...AMAZING dad, amazing! Jesus and I have been thru so much and my fantastic hubby was so kind to affirm publicly how good it is to be a woman, a mother, his wife, his confidante, a leader, a friend, a sister, a prophet-a WOMAN! It's nice to have my God use my husband as my mirror in life:) You need someone as a woman. Someone who reflects clarity-a clear picture of you. A man can verbalize to a woman the strength, the courage, the prophetic part of who you'll become instead of the insecurities and baggage of another woman. You, my friend, are going to love your 40's!

"She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come"
Proverbs 31:25 NIV

  If I were to breathe life into the seasons that you are walking thru or to help give a season a proper burial, I would pose this one question, "What would I say to your teens, 20, 30-something version of you?" Hmm...,where do I begin? I would tell the teen-something version of you, this season will go by quickly;) Don't rush your youth or to be older-you'll have your whole life time for that! Enjoy your friendships, avoid the "meangirls", and make room for the odd girl in your life! She might teach you something;)

  Hello, 20something!! You have your curves, your freedom, your life ahead of you-keep your anchors in life. Vital anchors are your family and your healthy friendships who are your cheerleaders in life. This main thing brought me to a safe place to learn and I hope you hear me on this-be patient with yourself. The previous generation helped me build my life to be better! And sometimes their pain were my greatest teachers. Borrow from people's pain...it will shape a wisdom you can gain early in life:) By the way, Rome was not built in a day! Risk is great at this age. So, try things, careers, food, risk friendships, travel, etc. And let me tell you, someone else's insecurities about themselves don't have to be yours:) I was young when the enemy would use people to shame me from speaking up. And that shame grew into a fear. But, God set me free to speakup, to confront when needed, to speak truth, wisdom and life! Sis, I give you permission to love the frail you, the brave you, the vulnerable you-God is really good at tempering as you grow, so, let Him be the dad He was meant to be.

 The best thing I could ever pass onto you is what someone prophesied over me and into my 30-something years. I will never forget it and I pray it opens some-thing in your heart to see me with the "eyes of your understanding" (Ephesians 1:18). "Your 30's will be the best years, Dianna! You'll grow, be more in love with being in your own skin and come into who you are as God made you!" So, I say the same to you warrior princess! Life will be amazing for you in all of its intricacies, flaws, disappointments, chaos, postpartum depression, anxieties, successes, and triumphs:) If you need healing-fight for that healing! The Holy Spirit is a great guide thru unchartered waters that you are not prepared for but He's great at taking the reins of your life. He will hone the areas of your voice, your passion, your heart.

 
  As you live, choose well! Decisions that honor God will serve you well:) People will come and go...there will be 'meangirls'...you will be burned...you will fail...and when it happens, bless that chapter and move on:) Life is short to have you hindered with hurts in life. And if I can prophesy into your 40's it would be this; you have honed your voice, God will place you on platforms where you never asked Him for them but He has anointed you with wisdom to use your voice to forge pathways for your children. Look for spiritual daughters to encourage and help birth their dreams because intertwined in their dreams-yours will be fulfilled. It's the secret to the Kingdom! 

  Love hard-cry out-fight well-bless lavishly! Bless you and who you are becoming:) Don't diminish or retreat...augment and broaden yourselves in God,

...Dianna:) 

 "The Teacher did his(her) best to find the right words and write the plain truth."

Ecclesiastes 12:10 

Meet My 'Crazy' :)

 

"God settles those who have been deserted in their own homes; he frees prisoners and grants them prosperity..."
-Psalm 68:6

 

 

I wake up to crazy like many of you;)

 

   House in disarray, clothes scattered throughout the laundry room, the endless sink with dishes, homeschool books hidden under sofas, and socks not quite making it into the laundry basket. YES, SheCray comes out(smile). The crazy of life!!! Time doesn't slow down nor do activities and people. There's always a noble thing to do, always a task to accomplish, always things that make it on the priority list. But life has been built with the Kingdom ideal of family and all of its craziness. Why? Why family?

   Family represents the training ground for many of God's social experiments of Kingdom truths; love, preferring one another, confrontation, forgiveness, anger, pain, kindness, nuture, long suffering! We practice being a brother, a sister, a mother, a father, a husband, and, yes, a wife;) 

Contributing into a family is hardwork! You will get your feelings hurt, you will get mad, you will be taken for granted. But, at the same token you will see the fruit of your good labor, witness family triumphs, witness successes, and be one another's cheerleader:) It's what the love of Jesus looks like when we put into practice. And that's what it is, it's practice. We get to choose the principle of what Jesus would like for us to respond instead of practicing our natural impulses; selfishness, self-centered gratification, me, myself, and I.

Whether you've grown up in a Christian family, grown up in a single-parent family, grown up in the dysfunction hodge-podge of abuse in your family, or abandoned with no family, God still has the same heart intentions for all of us to learn, His Kingdom mindset of family:) He's a great Father that would love to have all His kids get this mindset in all of us. From a distance, we can definitely see darkness at work to try to dismantle the core heart of family. But God is crazy about His family and if you can get anything out of this it would be to fall in love with His heart for your family too:)

Yeah...He's all up in your crazy too;)

"Don’t you see that children are God’s best gift? the fruit of the womb his generous legacy?Like a warrior’s fistful of arrows are the children of a vigorous youth.Oh, how blessed are you parents, with your quivers full of children!Your enemies don’t stand a chance against you; you’ll sweep them right off your doorstep."

                                                                                                                                                           

-Psalm127:3-5
   

Lady Wisdom

"Skilled living gets its start in the Fear-of-God,
insight into life from knowing a Holy God.
It’s through me, Lady Wisdom, that your life deepens,
and the years of your life ripen.
Live wisely and wisdom will permeate your life;
mock life and life will mock you."-Proverbs 9:10-12

 

   Memories has its course to follow. It reminds us of moments sweet, tender and loving about family and friends. But, it is a shadow of a reminder of stupid things we've done:)

   I can recall my elementary years...kindness of my mom, but a terror of abuse from other family members. I can recall the "ugly" phase too! School pictures, my hair texture and working with that thru rollers(ugh)!

   The middle school years...I was just an angry girl. I was bullied and I was mean to others because I was mad!

   The high school years...my choir class was my refuge, just plain safety. I grew, I was unsure, but I was what you would call a "late-bloomer" of sorts:) My mind, my thinking, my body image, my femininity, my voice...I'm sure you can reflect on your time too(awkward silence). I remember my first kiss(nasty)! My first boyfriend(weird)! Those times were just dumb, young and shows inexperience can be a constant companion:)

 

   University years...this is where my inexperience began to show. I was just unaware...culture, life, making friends, life choices, boyfriends. You name it, I've seen it! By the fifth year, I was wasted, lost, no anchor or grounding-I lacked wisdom and it was a frail reminder of how, when untaught, lack of wisdom can shape the most youthful minds to the depths of loneliness. But that isn't where my life ended...that is where my life began:)

 

   My life began in the pit of not having anything to turning to a God of wonder:) He was soo rich and I was so poor in every way but we had the most excellent exchange! My nothing for His everything:) That sounded like a great trade off that seemed to be too good-to-be-true!

 

My brokeness...His healing
My lack...for all of His abundance
My loneliness...His friendship
My lack of family...He's my family
My unloveliness...His beauty
My lack of wisdom...His pure wisdom
My history of memories...His mind...pure
 

   Where many think my life ended, that's where it began. It began in an old theatre on old, stained carpets listening to the tune of this beautiful exchange. I was 23, young, inexperienced, foolish and left that building with a mind at rest...feeling so clean, so free and eyes wide with wonder.

   That was Wisdom's beautiful exchange.

"You’re blessed when you meet Lady Wisdom,
when you make friends with Madame Insight.
She’s worth far more than money in the bank;
her friendship is better than a big salary.
Her value exceeds all the trappings of wealth;
nothing you could wish for holds a candle to her.
With one hand she gives long life,
with the other she bestows recognition.
Her manner is beautiful,
her life wonderfully complete.
She’s the very Tree of Life to those who embrace her. Hold her tight—and be blessed!"  Proverbs 3:13-18