It Ain’t Just Change

3:45 PM and I had eaten nothing yet that day. I suddenly felt compelled to go to Culvers. The night before, I had gone grocery shopping and needed to swing thru the drive-thru in my kitchen, instead. I argued with myself about how I didn’t need to spend the money even as I pulled up to the order screen. Too late now!

As I waited in line for my food, God said “When the person comes out, give them the $1 dollar coin in your console from Me.” I thought well that’s kind of embarrassing. “Here’s a dollar that looks like a quarter. And oh, by the way, it’s from God! “

Change always seems so cheap or strange, to me, compared to tipping someone with a bill.

So as I debated on doing this, a young woman with my burger suddenly approached my car and I blurted out “God wants me to give you….” and before I could finish my sentence, she perked up and flashed me a huge smile. I don’t think she even cared what I was giving her. She lit up as soon as I said it was from God!

“Thank you! Thank you so much!”

Maybe she needed a dollar, or maybe she just needed a sign that God was thinking of her. I don’t know. We don’t need to know everything, kids.

As I drove away, God laughed. “Forget about the money. Do you not think I can get you the $8 returned to you?”

Kids, just be obedient and you can’t go wrong.

Listen and follow thru. Repeat.

Even if it is….

Listen and follow thru at the drive-thru.

Discernment

Warning: Long fear shame rant.

As Christians, can we just stop claiming everyone has a spirit of fear if that person feels “OFF” or negatively “AWARE” of something and we don’t?

Next time you want to spank someone for “fear” why don’t you first stop the judgment and offer to pray to see what God is saying about the situation?

At times, I have been accused of having a spirit of fear, meaning I was being paranoid about nothing. The person I was speaking to wasn’t on the same channel as me. Then later I found out I was right. It truly was something or SOMEONE that I needed to stop, drop, avoid or take spiritual authority over.

30 years ago when I was an atheist, I frequented a Burger King by my apartment. I kept telling people there was something off about the guy at the drive-thru window. One late night, as I handed him my money, I locked eyes with him and we both jumped! I some how knew he was evil, and he knew he was busted!

2 days later, on a local news channel, they showed him being arrested at his job for murdering his girlfriend and disposing of her body several months earlier. God was even showing me back then what was up.

Fast forward 5 years ago, I was the last person to leave work and was locking up when a man walked into the building with his 5-year-old daughter looking for a catalog of our products. He told me he was in the area and wanted to add some of our products to his very successful internet store. I got creeped out even though he was with his daughter and told him to come back in the morning.

I told some friends later that I felt like he was lying and they were like Jeanne! He came in with a kid! Yes, and Ted Bundy was an attractive man with a fake cast on his arm. Not everything is as it appears to be.

Several days later, he was on the local news as the police were looking for him. He was from New York and was running some local scam listing and selling products from high-end manufacturers that he never shipped.

God has given us our emotions for a reason. Sometimes the fear or “heightened awareness” you feel is truly from God and warranted, even if other people don’t agree with you.

Or the fear is a warning.
Or a time for discernment.
Or maybe it’s false and trying to stop you from what God has planned for you.

But…FEAR is always a reason to stop, discern, and take action. Even if that action is to send the false fear away.

Ask God for discernment and what YOU should do next. Just because another person doesn’t agree with you doesn’t mean God isn’t speaking directly to YOU about the situation.

Several times in the last month I have MISSED it, because I let others talk me out of what I was picking up. MISSED IT!!!!!!

Don’t ignore your Spiritual Spidey Sense

Sometimes it isn’t FALSE EVIDENCE APPEARING REAL.

Fear shame rant over peeps!

Happy Mother’s Day, Mama Bears!

All The Time

Recently someone, I will call Ted, made a comment to that he was just waiting on God. He was talking to me about a trial he was going through but assured me that. “God always comes through at the last minute and will show His hand. Sure is hard waiting.”

I am never really sure what people mean when they say that. Is it anguish? Or is it comforting? What exactly does this feel like to them? To me, that would be like a small child waiting on their parents to give them something to eat. Do they hold out in trust that they will receive food right as they faint but before they hit the floor. “Well, my blood sugar fell but my daddy came through at the last minute before my head hit the ground! That does not sound like a good parent to me!

Please don’t make insane comments like that around me and not expect me to comment.🙂 Just sayin. I don’t have the patience when it comes to lies from the devil disguised as God’s wisdom.

God loves you so much that He doesn’t expect you to wait until the last minute. In fact, here is some good news. It comes in the form of the Holy Spirit. He will want to provide, send assistance, send angels, give wisdom, fix it, etc. EARLY so you don’t faint from hunger OR crumble from the fear of not knowing.

And sometimes your needs catch up
With His blessings! You’ll receive it before you even need it. Start believing His blessings will chase you down the street!

Have a question? Ask Him. Need something? Ask Him. Need peace or comfort? Ask Him. You can and will hear from Him quickly if you just trust and expect that you will. If you expect Him to always pull a rabbit out of His hat at the very last minute, that is EXACTLY what will happen!

Why? Because you won’t hear or see HIM any other way. You get what you EXPECT! God is good a daddy. ALL THE TIME! Remember that. Expect that. God loves you. Luke 11:9-13. Jeremiah 33:3.

God Laughs

Tales from the road: 2023 Magical Ministry Tour (Beatles, silly) 3.28.23

I stopped at a Kwik Trip in Wisconsin to use the facilities and walked by a young woman who looked around 20, applying makeup in the bathroom mirror.

God said to me as I entered a stall,” She has low self-esteem. Speak to her.”

Ok, God. She has nice hair. I’ll give her a compliment.

Aggghhh NO! I don’t have time. I need to get back on the road. Bad hair day. My hair looks like an overgrown Chia Pet. Besides, I really dislike even talking to young people in public. You know… stranger danger! 🙂

I started to wash my hands and was going to say something about her hair, and God laughed. He had other plans.

“Hi, not to be weird, but God is telling me He has better things for you to do and not to settle……”

Before I can finish, she whips around “Are you judging me because I am putting on make-up while I am working? That I should be doing something else?.” Merrowwwww!!!!!

“No, no I just heard from…..”

“Who told you to tell me?” Now she is upset, but she is only waving an eyeliner pencil at me and I think I could take her.

“No, God told me… ” then I went into how He wants her to be happy and do what makes her heart sing, even if she has to go back to school….. and then I see her eyes soften and I can tell Daddy God is touching her heart.

So I finish my word and as I walk out the door I add ” I am not trying to evangelize you, I don’t care you are putting on makeup and didn’t even know you worked here.”

The young woman smiled and thanked me as I turned to see an older woman coming out of a stall with a huge grin on her face.

I thought we were alone in the bathroom! Oh well. She was probably a Christian, just like me, enjoying the spiritual ear hustling.

Make it a God-awesome weekend.

This Just Sucks

April 22 2017

It was shortly after midnight when the night nurse walked in and introduced herself. “How are you doing?”

I grunted ” This just sucks!”.

She laughed, ” Yes it does !”

I thought she must not of heard me because she certainly wasn’t being very compassionate.” 😊 I repeated ” THIS JUST SUCKS!”

She laughed “Yes, it does!”

Me:”Well thanks for agreeing with me!”

Then we both started laughing! After that she started to tell about others she had seen moving quickly through the tough physical rehab and getting on with their lives after a traumatic car accident.

Sometimes before we start spewing Bible verses OR earthly or Godly wisdom we need to just connect with the person that is hurting. We need to momentarily connect with their fear, pain, hopelessness, depression, or anger. Doing that isn’t giving into the devil.

She wasn’t another person that wanted to rush in with a peptalk on how it wasn’t so bad and make light of my feelings. . I would be confined to a wheel chair for the next couple of months. She just got on my level and momentarily agreed with me.

Today, Pastor Aaron stopped by and let me get all of those emotions out, before he started giving me some solutions on moving forward.

Rick and Nancy stopped by and held my hand as I cried about my situation so I could get it out of my system.

We all are in such a big hurry to get people moving on with their healing that we bypass that part of them that needs to see the reality of how THEY FEEL about their situation so that they can see that God is so much greater and can and WILL bring a much better outcome. That He will supply all the energy and resources needed during their journey.

It’s funny that when we are in pain , someone most surely will tell you that you shouldn’t be. Specially if you’re Christian. We want to argue. This is my pain! Can’t you see I’m in pain? Don’t tell me I don’t have it!

Sad, but as humans that’s how we automatically react.

Anyway for those of you who have family or friends who are going through things right now, no matter where they are in it, momentarily connect and agree with them. When you do, you’ll see the switch and then you can start to offer solutions and options.

I feel like somebody needs to read this today. Like they’ve been fighting with someone to see the good side of their problem and they’re forgetting there’s a person with feelings attached to it.

Have a great Saturday peeps!

Agenda

“The dying have their own agenda”

The night before Dan launched the hospice nurse sat us down for her “hard talk”. She told us “The dying have their own agenda as to when they are going to leave this world. So if you’re someone who is going to feel guilty or cheated because you weren’t there when they take their last breath, you need to get this. They might leave just when you step out of the room. Don’t wait. Tell Dan tonight how much you loved him, share good memories, and it’s okay to tell him that you will miss him but that you will be okay. It may not seem like it, but he can still hear you.”

I was glad for her frank talk but I thought he can’t be leaving this soon. Just that morning, another hospice nurse had told us that Dan had probably 4-6 more days. I had to go back home for a day, but maybe he would hang on until I returned. Besides, I didn’t even know what to say and didn’t want to break down. Dan had told me earlier in the day that I needed to be his “positive reinforcement” and to believe for his miraculous healing.

Several hours later, I slipped into Dan’s room and sat on the bed. I leaned down close to whisper in his ear so a group in the next room couldn’t hear me. Lord please help me to say goodbye.

I was surprised at how easily my feelings for him poured out of me. I told Dan I loved him and was grateful for every minute I had gotten with him. I shared some special memories of him and our trips and asked forgiveness for not always being a pleasant redhead. I shared that I had never felt loved by anyone as I did by him and that he had helped to heal a big hole in my heart. I cried as I told him that I would miss him terribly, but that I would be okay.

I sat back up and looked down at Dan’s face and saw one large beautiful tear coming down from his left eye. I knew he had heard me and I wanted to hold onto that precious perfect moment forever. The presence of the Holy Spirit filled the room and I could feel God’s eternal love for both of us. I was sad, but yet I felt joyful as the realization hit me that I would see Dan again.

Early the next morning, I briefly stepped out of Dan’s room to dig something out of my purse and seconds later he left. Like, I am not waiting around for you to find some gadget in that Bermuda Triangle purse of yours. The purse he bought me because my old one wasn’t “big enough”. I was like WTHeck? I was just talking to you!

I am so glad the hospice nurse had given us her hard talk. I may have mistakenly thought I had more time to think of the perfect way to say see you later….

Please don’t wait to share with someone how you feel.

Someone needs to hear this…. you can do this and I love you!

Sonlight

Never fails to amaze me how tulips will bend and reach towards the sunlight.

Reminds me of people. God usually sends me atheists, new agers, unbelieving believers, or those who have been hurt by the church. I have found that deep down everyone wants proof that there is a God. A real time God who knows them by name. Easier to bend and reach for the light of the Son if you know you are loved and accepted. Without judgement. Regardless of how long you have hated or denied the existence of He who has created you.

Never too late…. Lord open my eyes and heart to you and your goodness!

Babies From Ashes

The following is a story from my friend Tamara… Beauty from ashes over and over and over……

One of my friends kept trying to get pregnant and eventually just could not medically try anymore. While she lay in ICU she was wheeled to a recovery room and shared a room with a woman. The woman began to talk to her and as they talked the woman said, ” Do you want a baby, my daughter is about to have a baby and doesn’t want it?
My friend did not know what was happening because it was so fast that she and her husband took foster care classes and became the foster parents to a newborn that they watched come into the world.
Over time they became one of the top foster care families in the county. And now have officially adopted five.
They became known as the couple who has so much love to share that babies healed when placed with them. Children have had legs become straight, and be healed mentally and emotionally.
If you ask my friend she would say God called her to motherhood. She knew she was supposed to be a mother. She just didn’t know how it would happen. To God be the Glory it is happening. 🔥🙌💕

No Longer A Fit

When I put my shoes on to run to Cub Foods, God told me to donate my coat at a nearby Goodwill on my way home. Ok. No problem. I had lost a little weight so it was big on me anyway. I pulled into the Goodwill donation bay, took off my coat, checked the pockets for any future winning lottery tickets, and handed it to the donation clerk. She gave me a puzzled look, probably because it was the middle of winter, and then tossed it in a bin.

On the drive home, God continued to speak to me about how we hang onto things that no longer fit us. Things that are no longer good for us. Or beneficial. Why? Because it feels familiar. Comfortable. Predictable. Hard to turn the page and get to that next chapter when we have a permanent and immovable bookmark.

What causes us to hang on to old crap? Fear of the unknown. Fear that things could get worse. Or worse yet……they could get better and we wouldn’t know how to handle ourselves. Or anyone else. Think about it peeps! What old coat are you unwilling to part with even though it no longer fits you and where you want to go? Or need to go? Or will be bored to death if you don’t go? I don’t want to be on my deathbed sorry that I played it safe. I just want to be smiling because I DARED to play! Dared to draw outside of the lines! Left the fenced-in area!

Make a decision to make one commitment to yourself this year to move forward. Don’t know what that is? Ask the big Guy. He knows. We have an ever-forward-moving God! He is never stagnant. Me? I am asking for His wisdom this year. His wisdom in ALL THINGS. I am ready to move forward. Even if I am screaming and freaked out on the way!

Join me?

Sometimes Love Tells A Lie

One night Dan and I visited my 96-year-old father in his assisted living apartment. Dan got into my dad’s wheelchair and started doing wheelies around the room. Dan was the biggest kid I knew and never missed a chance to play.

Dan finally stopped the chair in front of my Dad’s recliner “Do you mind if I marry your daughter?” I was shocked as I didn’t know this was coming. A man usually asks your Father when you aren’t there but Dan was up for the weekend and had asked to see him.

Without missing a beat my dad responded, ” Why? Do you HAVE to get married?”

Dan laughed “No seriously. I’m being respectful. I want your blessing.” My father looked at me and said “Well Jeanne do what you want. But does Dan golf?”

I looked at Dan and mouthed. “Say yes”

Dan nodded, “Yes. Yes, I do”

My father’s face lit up. “Dan the man! I knew you were a good man, Dan!”

Later, after we left:

Dan “I don’t like lying. I don’t golf.”

Me: “You just made an old man happy. Golfing is a requirement to marry one of his daughters.

“Ok, but it’s still lying”

I laughed. My father at 96 was highly unlikely to get Dan out on a course with him. But Dan always wanted to be truthful, honest, and do the right thing.

My father died 2 months later.