Free

I am free
free to love as never before
throwing open
windows and doors
rejoicing in my wholeness
I see clearly
as I run with purpose
choosing the right road
no longer stumbling
over my own neediness
I move
even paced
head high
shoulders back
heart firmly in place
making choices with my head
not from my heart
ignoring the demands of the flesh
I stretch my spirit
and respond to God's voice
running eagerly
toward His instruction
caught up in His potent promises
I am bound to Him
a willing love slave
yet freer than I've ever been
finding the lost pieces of myself
I foolishly gave to others
casting pearls before swine
once weeping
over the trampled pieces of my heart
I am now restored to give again
to one more deserving...
I discover I am
lost in Him
only to be found in the truth
stronger than ever
ready to love better
because now I have more to give
and I will give
carefully
abundantly
and only at His leading
I rest
I fly
I am FREE!

Michelle Mckinney Hammond

The Luggage of Life

Today was one of those days where I carried about 10 pieces of luggage. Only one of those bags was even for school. What were the other bags you ask, well they were all emotional bags. each full of something different: guilt, discontentment, weariness, grief, doubt, loneliness, plans changed, control, and selfishness. I walked the halls of school giving people I met only a slight smile. So worn out from the load that I willfully carried that I had no joy to give. I spent the day wallowing in self pity about my plans that God had so rudely changed with out my permission, LIKE HE NEEDS IT. I had failed to do my devotions since I got up at 6:30 and flew out the door by 7:00. I managed to grab every single piece of luggage except my Bible, which Mrs. Lee said to keep with me at all times. well needless to say I spent the day in agony. Since then I have looked back and can see this problem could have been solved very easily. I f I had taken 5 to 10 min. out of my miserable day and had given 9 of my bags to the lover of my soul, my father, and best friend. I do believe it could have been quite a joyful day. Well here are somethings I learned today I hope that my misery can help you be joyful.

Ephesians 3:12


In Christ we can come before God with freedom and without fear.We can do this through faith in Christ.

John 8:36


So if the son sets you free, you will indeed be free.


2 Corinthians 1:4


He comforts us every time we have trouble, so when others have trouble, we can comfort them with the same comfort God gives us.

Jesus wants to use us to help others who are struggling.
But how can He use me if I am exhausted from carrying around all my bags? God has a great race for me to run.Under His care I'll go where I've never been and serve in ways I've never dreamed.But I have to drop some stuff first. How can I share grace if I am full of guilt? How can I offer comfort if I am disheartened? How can I lift someone else's load if my arms are full with my own?

Galatians 5:13


My brothers and sisters, God called you to be free, but do not use your freedom as an excuse to do what pleases your sinful self. Serve others in love.

• Jesus invites us to drop all the baggage we try to carry through life.
  We try to carry burdens that we were never intended to bear.
  We can't reach out to others if our hands are full.
  Worrying over our own troubles interferes with our ability to help others with theirs.
  

So for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ whom you serve, travel light.
For the sake of those you love,travel light.
And for the sake of your own Joy,travel light.


Love,
Turtle

My Knight

I have watched

and waited

for my knight

to come riding over the hill

of my desires…

watching…

waiting…

to see him

dressed in white

upon a horse

big and strong

as his shoulders

where I will lay my head

as he carries me away

to the promised land

of dreams come true

and joy eternal…

watching…

waiting

peering from the window

of my fortress

my rock

my stronger tower

with my heart in God’s hands

left there for safe keeping

I peek expectantly

over my Father’s shoulder

every now and then

settling back into the warmth of His lap

I watch…

I wait…

trusting that my expectation

will arrive

beautiful

resplendent

covered in the dew

that falls from heaven

being all that I hoped for

better than I dreamed

loving me

the way I want to be loved

freely

unconditionally

adoring meas if I were

the best thing since sliced bread…

you know

that when-a-man-loves-a-woman

how-Christ-loves-the-church kinda love

too high

too deep

for me to truly comprehend

but it sure sounds good to me…

so I watch

and I wait

sometimes feeling like Rapunzel

sometimes Sleeping Beauty…

waiting…

waiting

sometimes conscious

sometimes not hope keeping the light shining

like a beacon in my eyes

beckoning my knight

should he lose his way

but for now

I lay content in the arms of my Savior

letting Him rock me

and love me

like no other lover can…

and I learn

of love

of life

and giving…

and I wait…

clear-eyed

with no misguided expectations

no desperate desires

no distorted views

binding me

marring my judgment

I am free

to say yes

to say no

according to the King’s leading

in spite of my flesh

or my heart

only a God-appointed knight

will I receive

no matter how long the wait

I will wait…

I will wait for Him…

By Michelle McKinney Hammond

My Man

I want a man
not just any man
I want God’s man
Hand – picked
Kingdom appointed
For such a women as this…..
I’m looking for a love
Not just any love
I want the kind of love filling a heart that beats
To the kingdoms rhythm
Unadulterated
Holy Ghost saturated
The kinda love that
Can’t be rated…
Poured out runnin’ ovah
Like water in a glass
Already full of good things
Smooth as silk
Yet tough as rope
Wrapping around my soul
Keepin’ it all together
Forever
With room for me
To be
A woman
Not just any woman
God’s woman
Whole and free
To love you
The way I want you to love me
With a love
Not just any love
But the God kind of love
Rich as a sinful dessert
Pure as tried gold
The kind of love that can hold
Onto your hand
And God’s at the very same time
Delivered from all other ties that bind
And yes
I’m free enough to wait …
For a man
Not just any man
But the man
Who understands
And knows what love means
And lives what God says…
And wants what I want
A real love
A strong love
A tall love
Agape love.
God’s love.

by Michelle Mckinney Hammond

Things Don't Just Happen!

Things don't just happen to us who love God;
They're planned by His own dear hand.
Then molded and shaped, and timed by His clock.
Things don't just happen ; they're planned.
We don't just guess on the issues of life,
We Christians just rest in our Lord.
We are directed by His sovereign will
In the light of His holy word.
We who love Jesus are walking by faith,
Not seeing one step that's ahead,
Not doubting one moment what our lot might be,
But looking to Jesus instead.
We praise our dear savior for loving us so,
For planning each care in our life,
Then giving us faith to trust Him for all,
The blessings as well as the strife.
Things don't just happen to us who love God,
To us who have taken our stand.
No matter the lot, the course, or the price,
Things don't just happen; they're planned.
by, Esther L. Fields

Big girls don't whine

There are a few things I have discovered at the age of twenty-two that I want to share.You can always add to a conversation at the appropriate time, but you never can erase words once spoken.
Our speech is governed at least in part by the way we think.And thinking is the engine that pulls along every emotion you have.So many of us me included have never abandoned childish ways of thinking, and therefore we find ourselves overwhelmed with childish emotions and childish speech.The Big Girl knows that her capacity to think is greatest asset. Mature thinking produces mature living, and of course childish thinking produces childish living.Can you spot the problem:

Children don't think things through to their natural conclusion.They see only what is immediate.
Children don't think about how their actions will affect others.
Children are unable to see more than one side to any situation.
Children take things personally. " she hurt my feelings" "he hit me"
Children really like it best when "it's all about me"
Children are better manipulators than negotiators. They learn early how to manipulate and whom to manipulate.
Children like fairy tales where good guys always win, bad guys always lose, and everyone lives happily ever after.
Children tire easily and allow fatigue to affect their general attitude and demeanor.
Children do not know what is best for them, although they may protest loudly when they fail to get what they want.


All right here is how Big Girl should think. Lets see if you notice a difference, I saw a Big difference.

Big Girls think things through to their natural conclusion.They see not only the present but the future as well.
Big Girls think about how their actions will affect others.
Big Girls can see more than one side to any situation.
Big Girls don't take things personally.They understand someone can only hurt you emotionally if you let them.
Big Girls understand that life is never "all about me".
Big Girls are good, fair, and reasonable negotiators.
Big Girls may like fairy tales, but they like true stories, too, and are well aware of the difference.
Big Girls may tire, but they don't allow their fatigue to control their general attitude and demeanor.
Big Girls know what is best for them and are disciplined enough to go after it.

The Word of God makes this all clear in Philippians chapter 4

Well this what I am working on, I want to be a Big Girl. Only then can I be all that God wants me to be.
This came out of the book big girls don't whine by Jan Silvious

If For Girls

If you can smile, and share another's gladness
Though yours may be denied, and still rejoice;
If you can bravely face regret and sadness
And let no bitter accent tinge your voice;
If you are free from bias and fault-finding
And make your creed the olden Golden Rule;
With neither fear nor doubt your vision blinding,
Can live each day serene, sweet, and cool

If you can bar out envy from your spirit
And keep the little jealousies away;
If when some gossip starts, you do not hear it
Unless you rise at once and ask fair play;
If you can let good sense determine pleasure,
can look upon yourself with honest eyes;
If you can give your friendship in full measure,
and find your life the stronger for its ties

If you can set desire below your duty
And find in work and study much joy;
If you can turn from artificial beauty
to that real charm which never needs alloy;
If you can help where you know help is needed,
And even make your silence sympathize;
If you can let unkindness go unheeded,
And always see God's sunshine in the skies

If you can fill your soul with gentle kindness
And hold your faith no matter what may come,
Let neither greed nor pride blight you with blindness,
Nor self-love all your finer motives numb;
If you can love, and hope with rare believing
Can shun the dross, and ever seek the worth,
Then you will find life's fabric you are weaving
Means Womanhood- God's greatest gift to earth.

Wilbur D.Nesbit

My personal winter

In the alone place
fear closes in as I sense my aloness
the part of me without You
that is lost
wandering in its own apprehensions
causing my spirit
to imitate a mime
pressing against invisible walls
that soundlessly threaten
suffocation by unconscious
yet deliberate isolation
And I long for the resuscitation
that Your breath brings
giving all my members
strength to my soul
causing me to unfold
like a wet new butterfly
fighting to unwrap itself
from the bondage of its
self-imposed cocoon
to spread new and unfamiliar members
for the very first time
testing their strength
readying these fragile members
for the act of ascending
not caring for the fact
that it is the struggle
which produces strength
to take wing and fly
while resisting the urge
to cast off my independence
and call upon Your help
I weary myself
and wonder at my ability
to continue on
to rise above
where I presently lie...
This place is not kind
to my spirit's expectations
and I am lost in the prison of my self
while You patiently hold the key and wait...
wait for me to invite You into this alone place...
But I have learned of
another space called time
that calls sweetly to me
that woos me gently to its bosom
causing me to rest in the discovery
that it is in the alone times
that I find You
refreshing me like newly falling dew
washing me in my own tears
imparting Your comfort
like liquid oil soothing my heart
melting my defenses
and all my reasons
why I deny You
until I find myself back in this place
where fellowship is sweet communion
where intimacy is second nature
where I am reminded of You faithfulness
and Your love for me...
yet there is a time called alone that I fear
but cannot seem to flee
for an invisible arm grips me suddenly
unexpectedly
while supports I counted true vanish
daring me to keep
my standards
in the face of a million opposing voices
I stand in the cold
shivering from my own indecision
torn by reality
of how little I trust You
as my stomach knots in hunger
for one word of reassurance
from You who holds the key to my wholeness
that I am really not alone...
Still there is a place called alone that I seek
tucked beneath the arm of God
warm and sweet
a place where I can lay my weariness
and unanswerable questions
finding revelation in the rest
that His heartbeat gives
as I burrow
deeper into the fold of His breast
lost in the depths of His mysteries
and riches untold
found in His love
that always finds me
when I feel most alone
It is here that I find that the alone place
is no more than my own personal winter
where all that is in me dies
A season of the soul
pressed between the tendency
of my flesh
and my heart to measure time
give it walls that hem in my spirit
and torment my faith
And so I wait for spring and the warmth of theSon
to release me
from the coldness of fear
I throw my arms open surrendering to the light
until I find myself
basking in Your love
reveling
in the alone times...

by, Michelle McKinney Hammond

Jesus Makes God Visible

He is enduringly strong.
He is entirely sincere.
He is eternally steadfast.
He is immortally gracious.
He is imperially powerful.
He is impartially merciful.
He is the greatest phenomenon that has ever crossed
the horizons of the globe.


He is God's Son.
He is the sinner's savior.
He is the captive's Ransom.
He is the Breath of Life.
He is the centerpiece of civilization.
He stands in the solitude of Himself.

He is august and He is unique.
He is unparalleled and He is unprecedented.
He is undisputed and He is undefiled.
He is unsurpassed and He is unshakable.

He is the lofty idea in philosophy.
He is the highest personality in psychology.
He is the supreme subject in literature.
He is the unavoidable problem in higher criticism.
He is the fundamental doctrine of theology.
He is the Cornerstone, the Capstone, and the stumbling
Stone of all religion.
He is the miracle of the ages.

Just give me Jesus! He makes God visible!

From Anne Graham Lotz book Just Give Me Jesus