“Your life really has taken a 180 degree turn, hasn’t it?”
“Yes…yes it has.”

The comment was prompted by a stroll down memory lane. Only the sentimental, tree shaded lane was more like a rutted dirt road with weeds and thorns grown over it. I had received a message from a long lost friend, someone from my prior life. John and I were discussing it, and what my life had been like way back then.

It wasn’t a bad life. I graduated high school, went to college, got married and expected to live happily ever after. I had everything a girl could ask for. Except God. I forgot to include Him in my life. I had walked away from Him and the church I had known and loved. I was saved, but not abiding in God’s word. I knew Jesus, but hadn’t cultivated a deep relationship with Him. I wasn’t growing in Christ.

My soul was shriveling.

And then this question in our Bible study class a few days later:

How has God’s presence changed your life?

I wept as I tried to explain the years of wilderness wandering I had chosen. The words wouldn’t flow when I tried to express what having God’s presence back in my life meant to me. During those years, I had been about as far away from God and His presence as I could be. All those years I didn’t open my Bible. All those years I didn’t carry my burdens to Him in prayer. All those years I was a stagnant Christian. All those years – now being redeemed by Jesus. This prodigal has been welcomed home with open arms and nail scarred hands by a merciful and forgiving Savior.

For so long I lived without sensing God’s presence, even though He was there. One of His eternal promises is that He will never leave or forsake us. These days, I seek and find His presence in His Word, in prayer and in obedience. My life is fuller, more complete now that I am deepening my relationship with Him.

Perhaps you’ve wandered away from your first love of Christ. Maybe you’re searching to find more depth and meaning in your life with Him. I pray that you would embrace the abundant life Christ has for you, that you won’t wander in the wilderness aimlessly…and that you will learn from my mistakes. Don’t neglect your relationship with Jesus. Don’t ever get tired of spending time in His Word, and with Him. Acknowledge His presence and walk with Him. Your life will move from ordinary to extraordinary.

Because of the decades of NOT being in the Scriptures, I am passionate about them now! I am passionate about digging into God’s Word, spending time in prayer and stretching myself beyond my comfort zone. Ok, maybe not so passionate about stretching myself. But I’m working on it!

Over the past two years of writing, I’ve honed in on these passions. Beginning in December, you will see my writing centered on four core areas. My hope is that you will see more focus in the writing. I pray that I will share from my heart, and from my heartache – because we’ve all had our share of suffering as well as joy. Most of all, I want us to have fun along the way. I want us to enjoy seeing Christ in our every day. I want to celebrate with you when your life becomes extraordinary because you choose to walk:

In His Word: I’ve lived life without the Scriptures. It’s just ordinary. But with Jesus, and His Word, life is abundant! His Word is living, active and powerful (Hebrews 4:12). I encourage you to dig into His truths and mine it for priceless nuggets of gold.

In Worship: We worship God with our prayers. And when we pray, we exchange our human wishes for His divine wishes. Lord, teach us to pray like this, that our wishes would be exchanged for Yours, and Your wishes would become our prayer.

In His Wisdom: Our wisdom is the ability to apply what we’ve learned in God’s word. It’s growth, even if it means getting out of our comfort zones. I want to encourage you to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ (2 Peter 3:18).

With a little dose of Whimsy: This area will include fun things like recipes, and funny stories. Proverbs 17:22 says a cheerful heart is good medicine, so there will be a healthy dose of Whimsy each month.

Life’s too short, but it’s never too late to live the abundant life of Christ. Oh, and if you’re wondering what’s happening on the blog in November, it will be full of Whimsy – I hope you enjoy!

Until next week,