Our God is a Consuming Fire

for our “God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:29

Yes, I burn the color into this cross. I actually get this cross so hot, that it sometimes bends the crosses arms inward. Almost like it’s reaching in to embrace you.

(originally posted on July 31, 2017 on divinecrosses.com)

Thin Blue Line

It’s been such a pleasure getting to know of the people who are receiving these Peacemaker Crosses. That blue line may be thin but it runs deep! Thank you for being in every city and town doing this job no matter what the Holiday is. #divinecrosses#peacemakerscross #thinblueline

(originally posted on December 14, 2016 on divinecrosses.com)

Help

For you have rescued me from death; you have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk in your presence, O God, in your life-giving light.
Psalm 56:13 NLT

There are no coincidences…

Last Sunday afternoon Joshua was helping me work on our farm fence. This was really cool because we haven’t spent much time together lately. Someone not far away, but hidden from us by trees, decided to unload the clip on a .45. One of the bullets came down over Joshua’s head with a crazy whirling sound and hit with a thud in the ground in front of us. Scariest sound I’ve ever heard. Hearing a bullet whizzing near my youngest and seeing him reaching for the top of his head.

I immediately got in my truck and drove up the street fully intending to run anyone down who had a gun. To kill them? I don’t know, everything was going black. I’ve gone through a range of emotions the past few days especially after seeing the shootings in Vegas that same night. My heart hurts for them so badly.

I began having graphic nightmares of Joshua being hit by that bullet and was fearing sleep. So, I stopped trying to sleep for a couple of days. I was going to a darker place and I could feel it.
I didn’t go in the barn and even think of touching someone’s cross.

I wasn’t sure what to do, so I just decided to do heavy labor everyday to wear myself out and not think or interact with anyone. I don’t believe in coincidences anymore since being closer to God.
So, I asked God, did the devil have that bullet come toward us? Did you move it’s direction to not hit his head and only go through his hair? Then I’d ask more questions in anger. I’m ashamed.
I was disconnecting and starting to look at anyone as the enemy. People I love, I couldn’t look them in the eyes. That’s when I realized this was the devil at work and that jerk’s intention all along.

It wanted me to slip, but my savior didn’t let me slip. :)
Thursday night after jolting awake in a sweat, I finally said one word.
HELP.

I wanna say this too. I have written this post three times (now 4) and 5 since 8:00 tonight and the phone keeps freezing up every time I write that word HELP. The devil seems to not want me posting this!

So let’s leave it here. This story is still being written anyway.
Just say that one word to the Lord.
You are being tested and you don’t have to do this alone.
Just say HELP.

Here is a sunset from behind the barn after the storm :)

(originally posted on October 8, 2017 on divinecrosses.com)

Gone Fishing

And He said unto them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19

This is one of my favorite photos of my youngest and me. The joy of fishing is in the work and time you put into it! If you truly care and love the experience of fishing and are willing to put in that effort, you’ll catch one!

Having my boys work with me making these crosses now, they are learning about the love, time, and care you have to put into it to be fishers of men :) think I may hang a sign in the new shop when we are working on crosses. The sign will say “Gone Fishing”

(originally posted on 3-3-2016 on divinecrosses.com)

TO BELIEVE

“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 18:3

Joshua prayed for snow all day after hearing the weatherman say there was a “slight chance.”
He was talking to his Grandmother, who was so excited as she was having quite a bit of snow.

After he hung up, he looked so sad. He looked at me and said, “Dad, I’m never going to see snow until I move away. Then I’ll be too old to enjoy it.” It broke my heart because I knew how he felt. I was once a little boy praying for snow in Florida. I’m thankful God gave me something to say to him at that moment.

I told him that I saw a post earlier of a young girl struggling to live who has never stood before. But, that day she stood tall at a window for over 2 minutes watching it snow outside. It was a miracle!

I told him that when his Grandma was out walking in the snow that she ran into her neighbors from Russia. They told her that it reminded them of “home” so long ago. Maybe they needed to recall a time before things “got complicated.”

I asked him how he was praying? And he said: “To see snow of course”! I told him that maybe I prayed for it the wrong way too. I would say it like that too. For “me” to see snow. Like I needed proof of God’s existence, and of course, I was disappointed time and again. Which led me to stop believing as I grew older.  I told him that maybe we should pray for the people who need to see it. So they’ll believe again. Then just maybe they’ll forget their worries for a moment and feel as innocent and free as a child. And to possibly help them remember what it felt like to truly believe in miracles. Then, of course, the adult in me added, “It’s a tall order to pray for snow in Florida anyway.” Well, it wasn’t a tall order!! It started snowing at 12am and didn’t stop until 3:33! I have a feeling that Joshua may have added his Dad into that prayer. Because for a moment today, I didn’t believe. I watched and played in falling snow tonight, and found myself giggling like a child :) I’m still outside walking in inches of snow. I’m so excited to wake everyone up when the sun rises to see all this white before it melts. I need to believe you Father, like a child believed his Dad today.

(originally posted on December 9, 2017 on divinecrosses.com)

Wisdom is a Tree of Life

Proverbs 3:18 New Living Translation (NLT)

Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly.

I went back to the original shape of the Tree of Life Cross that I made for my Great-Grandmother over 20 years ago for this one. What inspired the Holding On design was a Sweet Gum Tree. I went to a nursery I worked at back in college to pick out some trees to plant around the barn. We need some trees here :) I was looking for Sweet Gum trees since they actually have leaf color change or fall foliage this deep in the South. Fall is my favorite time of year by the way.

These Sweet Gum trees were in small pots and wee growing skinny and tall because they were wedged in under larger trees. They were doing their best by growing straight up looking for the sunlight. We brought them home before a Tropical Storm hit and planted them right after. We planted them in full sun. It was a very hot start to autumn with temperatures in the mid-90’s daily. Right away the trees went into shock and shed nearly all their leaves. The trees were now holding on to a handful of leaves. As we nursed them daily, new buds began to appear. Everyday I went out to water them I knew they had a chance to make it if they were still holding on to those few little leaves.

God placed a wisdom In those trees beyond our understanding. Those trees knew to shed most of their leaves and concentrate on root development. They held on to those few little leaves to gather what sunlight they could but not over stress themselves as they did this.

How much is this like our lives with God! When we go into shock, it’s a chance for us to obtain growth and Wisdom. We shed the things that are outwardly seen as beautiful or pleasing in other peoples eyes (like those leaves) and concentrate on growing our roots into Him. When we do this we may lose others in our lives who see us changing too. They may give up on us at first. But, this is our opportunity to show them how to survive with God’s nourishment . They’ll see us holding on to the Wisdom God has engrained in us and they’ll see us not giving up. Just like the Sweet Gum didn’t give up. We can Witness through this Wisdom. Hold on to it!

God is Our Daily Bread

I’ve been trying to understand the feelings and why I was having them while working on this cross. They are feelings of nostalgia. They are warming and from my heart. 
They are feelings from the Holidays when we celebrated together as a family with more food than we could eat at three sittings. They are feelings of love that came from the hard work that went into growing the crops and the time it took to prepare the food selflessly for others. 
Then I remembered something.. I have forgotten to say the blessing before I eat for over a year now.. I have taken for granted that we have food ready to eat in our home. 
There are people that don’t have that luxury... There are people who have never celebrated with more food than they can eat. 
Lord, I’ve never known hunger like that and I pray that I.. No sir, I pray no one will. 
What a huge thing I’ve taken for granted and I’m upset that I have. 
Lord, give everyone this day, their daily bread. Please give to the ones first who need it the most. The ones who worry where their next meal will come from. 
Lord, I am sorry that I have neglected to thank you for your daily bread. 
You are our Daily Bread and thank you Lord, for reminding me with this cross. 
#ourdailybread #givethanks #theblessing #divinecrosses

Live in Peace with Everyone

Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,“I will take revenge; I will pay them back,”says the Lord. Romans 12:18-19

It can begin with one act of revenge for something we couldn’t let go. Even generations later! Once the revenge is enacted and the fight begins, one of the hardest things to do as humans is surrender. Sometimes it drags on to the point that we don’t remember why we are fighting. Yet, in the bible it says there is so much honor in surrendering. And it’s our own pride that won’t let us.

We are always living in a time of being attacked. History shows that. Sometimes we aren’t suppose to fire that cannon back. Before you light that fuse to fire back ask yourself if this is a way to peace. Remember this, sometimes God doesn’t send us in to win it; he sends us in to end it.

I took this photo in Shiloh two years ago with my family. The cannons sit scattered throughout the battlefields and are a huge daunting presence lined up pointing in one direction. Yet, they are so peaceful sitting there alone not being fired.

Peace be with everyone this Tuesday.

(originally posted on 9-1-2015 on divinecrosses.com)