good fig exiled in Babylon ...

I have a story from the Old Testament that I must tell you as it has given me great hope for my own plight. This story begins with a dream. A dream given to Jeremiah by the Almighty to give hope, encouragement, and an assignment to the exiles in Babylon. Two baskets of figs placed in front of the temple of the Lord where shown to Jeremiah. One basket had verrrrrry gooooood figs, like those ripen early; the other basket had very bad figs, so bad they could not be eaten. Then God asked Jeremiah what he saw. It was God wanted the vision spoken aloud. Then the Lord explained the dream.

"Like these good figs, I regard as the good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent away from this place to the land of the Babylonians. My Eye will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord. They will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with all their heart.

But like the bad figs, which are so bad they cannot be eaten so will I deal with Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the survivors from Jerusalem, whether they remain in this land or live in Egypt. I will make them abhorrent and an offense to all the kingdoms of the earth, a reproach and a byword, an object of ridicule and cursing, wherever I banish them. I will send the sword, famine, and plague against them until they are destroyed from the land I gave them and their fathers."

Then God had Jeremiah write out His letter for the surviving elders, priests, and prophets among the exiles in Babylon to read to them. Before the letter is read there is a listing of who the exiles where. What came to my eyes? The craftsmen and artisans. Now these are my kind of people. I then knew this story was for me. I must get back to what was in the letter...

To My exiles in Babylon,
Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.

Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. They are prophesying lies to you in My Name. I have not sent them.

When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill My Gracious Promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places I have banished you and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.

always your Heavenly Father

Wow! All this can be read for yourself in Jeremiah 24:1-10 and Jeremiah 29:1-23. I had to reread several times because I felt this dream was just for me. I am a craftsman and artisan. I find great joy spending time painting, looming, crocheting, cross stitching, ink stamping and paper punching. I find even more fulfillment if I can use what I do with my hands to encourage another. But I am EXILED, exiled in Babylon. I am working in cost accounting for a boss who has fits of huffing. I did not want this job but this job is of God. I am not left abandoned. I have instructions to carry out. I am to build, settle down (not complain), plant, eat from the produce, increase not decrease (increase the joy not the grief), seek peace and prosperity of the company so that I too will prosper, and close my ears to anyone who says things that are not of God (other dissenters and ill seekers). In due time my Heavenly Father will bring me back home where I live out my passion in fullness.

What is interesting is that this story is hidden behind the great verse of Jeremiah 29:11. You just can't have the great verse without the story. It makes the verse deeper and richer and makes the story real because you know it in your life. I vow never to forget this story. I wrote it down here and am trying my hand at a poem. I am going to tell this story to anyone and everyone who will hear....

c word ...

A woman in my extended family found out she has cancer before Christmas. What do you say or do when you are shy and she isn't in your immediate family circle?

I always think about 'what would I do' in this situation or that situation. What would I do if I had cancer or lost a body function like my legs? Would I be able to shine with God's Light? Would it be a trial or tribulation or are these the same things? Would it be something God wanted to work in me or would it come because I did not take care of myself?

I think any one would want to travel through a hardship well and with joy abounding from with in. I also think anyone would rather take God working in us than being dealt a woe from doing something wrong. I do get beside the point.

This woman dove right in getting treatments and started blogging. She is even preparing for when she loses her hair. She walks with God and I think she will come through this saying that she was glad God touched with her this. She seems right on so what do you say?

I found a verse today and God's Word is always better than my own words.

.... Christ Jesus our Lord. In Whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at any tribulations for you, which is your glory. For this reason I bow my knee to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. ~ Eph 3:11-14

I am picturing it... bowed knee to God's heavy hand with Joy. What seems to others as a dark black cloud weighting you down is really a bright cloud of glory resting over you. Your faith is bold and confident. Your face is radiant as you look into His Eyes with trust.... absolutely noting to lose. Why die every day? Got eternal life? Then you have every day to live exceedingly abundantly beyond....

join the party ...

Luke 15:11-32

I always got hung up with the older brother not wanting to join the celebration of the wayward son returning home. I am a first born. I know those feelings of doing right and going unnoticed. The father's reply was kind but seemed like a rebuke.

Many times sermons never really talked about the older son or more like they never answered it in depth. This past Sunday a girl that grew up in the church, came back from college to preach for one of her classes. This was what she spoke on and she did a good job.

At the end of the story she gave us three choices. You can be the wayward son and squander your life on wayward living, or you could be the first born with a bitter attitude for receiving no kudos for your service, or you can be the father celebrating the Kingdom. The catch phrase is join the party. When you are feeling grumpy or when you have done wrong, come back home and join the party. God has big arms to hold you and a gentle brush of hand to wipe away the tears. It's time to celebrate...

can you see Him?

*They moved and their old house is still on the market for over a year now. She was telling me that even though it feels like a heavy rock around her neck, she sees God in other areas of their life that this is just a timing issue and it will sell. Other marriages could not withstand something like this but in their marriage they encourage each other by putting the focus back on what God is doing in their lives. “If God is working in these areas of my life, then He is working in the house part of my life,” she said with confidence.

Yes! It is hard to know that we are God-Masterpieces and that He works quietly but efficiently and in the Best Time always working on the fine details of our lives.


*She was a mother of six children. She had a rough go with it but had finally gotten her life straight with God. Three of her kids were at the elementary school and one at the middle school while she was at home with two little ones. It has been extremely cold for several weeks and she depended on a space heater for some extra heat. Carbon dioxide got her as well as her two babies before the fire broke out. What is a comfort to her family is that she has Everlasting Life. What this young mother of 32 didn’t realize that by her quiet turn around that in her death she would touch others for God more than she could have ever dreamed her little life could. Truly a grand and bold living when we see with Heavenly eyes …


silver linings if you look!