One Small Book

Rick and I were talking yesterday. He had my Bible in his hand and commented on how small it was.

“It’s funny,” he said. “You could have a whole set of encyclopedias and still they would not contain the wisdom that is in this one small book. It has everything we need for every situation we’ll ever face.”

Baby Wisdom

My baby grandson, Cord Toft, was born yesterday. His little sister, Mesa, and I stood outside the delivery room giggling at the cries we heard coming from his little lungs in his first seconds of meeting the world.

Looking at his little face and eyes of wonder, I was filled with that love once again at the birth of a child—the kind of love that is giddy and bursting with joy. The Bible says that heaven rejoices at the birth of every child. What a wonderful welcome little Cord had yesterday!

I wonder who he will become? What are God’s plans for him?

From my classes on leadership, I wanted to share a few quotes to encourage you to discover your own identity and destiny with God. Some things we can learn from babies:

“A baby cannot get its identity by looking at its past.”

“A baby knows that it can do what its parents can do because he/she was made in their image.”

“Stop trying to fix yourself; become something.”

(Quotes from Wendy Backlund - Bethel Church and Global Legacy)

May this spring and this season bring a new joy to your house – that same joy the Father felt the day you were born!

Pasque Flower Love

I’m in Texas today awaiting the birth of a grandson. While the Bluebonnets are in full display here, I imagine right now the Pasque Flowers must be blooming at our old homestead in Old Park on Gore Pass in Colorado. I searched my photo files and found a pretty image of this harbinger of Spring for today’s post, and just like art does, it stirred old emotions and memories. Not only did I “see” the colorful carpet of wildflowers in my front yard, but I smelled the melting snow and the blooming sagebrush, felt the soft breeze, and heard the song of the red-winged blackbirds in the aspen tree outside my dining area sliding glass door.

I also remembered the special day we moved into our home 30 years ago on May 1. It was a home we built with our little sons all by ourselves.

My life has changed. That house is no longer ours. But my memories are as fresh as they were during all those springtimes on Gore Pass. God placed us for a season in a paradise beyond belief. I am forever thankful and grateful for His love for our family.

How is His love touching you in this season?

His creative love towards us is revealed through new birth every Spring—whether purple Pasque Flowers, spotted fawns, or a baby boy in Texas.

Daughter - Take Hold of His Hand

   God has made women beautiful, sensitive, strong, enduring, faithful, playful, and fun. He has placed in our DNA dreams, visions, and a heart to know Him and hear Him.
   Have you been locked up in your emotions, fears, or stress? Right now, He calls  you to freedom to be who you are. You may see giants blocking your way, but He sees the promised land beyond that.
   Jesus invites you now to take His hand and walk past the giants. They won’t be so big with Him at your side. Enter now into the abundant life He is calling you to.
   His goodness goes with you!

Taste And See That The Lord Is Good

Our senses always seem to bring us home, don’t they? The cinnamon aroma of an apple pie; the sight of snowy peaks against a blue sky; the touch of a toddler’s hands on your cheeks; the taste of good coffee; the sound of an old love song; the memory of a loved one’s glance...

Our bodies are wired to remember “home.” Psalm 34:8 invites us to “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”

The One who wired us with our physical traits and our five senses put into us a way to also sense His presence...to find “home.”

When I read Philippians 4:13, I taste His vitality. When I eat the pleasing promises of Psalm 121, I taste His delight. When I think about the way He desires to give me even more than I ask for in Ephesians 3:20, I taste a new facet of the Father’s love for His daughter. Even more than these, when I walk through a mountain meadow fragrant with pine and flower, hear the song of a stream, and feel the sun on my face, I indeed taste God Himself.

Sometimes, the incredible goodness, sweetness, and richness of what He has for me seems a guilty and undeserved pleasure, like eating five Hershey bars. But God purposes to lavish gifts on those who choose to receive with thanks. In Christ, we are positioned for the glory the Son deserves. Oh what greatness God has called us to, that He should choose to love the world through us. Sweet, full-bodied, pure, fragrant, and satisfying.

Taste and see how good He is.

Thanking Our Good God

God is attracted—just like a loving grandparent and parent—to our appreciation and thankfulness. One thing I have discovered as I learn about His nature and how much He loves me, is that I, in my love and honor for Him, want to be thankful for what He has done and is doing and will do. I refuse to be worried, complaining, or regretful about what He hasn’t done yet. How has God blessed you? (CT)

“There is greater healing for the soul in beholding splendor than there is in beholding self.” John Piper

2012 - The Best Year!

A view from our front porch in Parachute, Colorado.

New Year's greetings to all of our friends around the world!

Rick and I are excited about this new year. We are filled with hope. God is answering prayers and blessing in amazing ways. We are overflowing and we just extend those same blessings to our friends and family as they face all the adventures this year will bring.

Jobs

Rick is enjoying night shifts doing his natural gas flowback and frac operations with Encana. No kidding. He really likes this work. He's fascinated by the operations and enjoys long nights atop frigid mountains monitoring wells and servicing equipment. He gets home around 6:30 a.m., sleeps for 6 hours, spends a couple hours reading and taking care of business, and then it's back to work. When he does have time off, he gets a whole week and then we travel to visit family and friends and hang out together in our beloved Colorado.

I continue to help authors and do some writing, editing and photography, working from my pretty home in Parachute. My office has mountain views, and I take my lunch breaks out walking or swimming at the local rec center.  Check out my website! www.christinetracy.com. I also have the privilege of working on a 100 year history book and writing columns for Kremmling Community Church. This is our beloved church who blessed us to go to school for two years. Although we are not living close to them, it is wonderful to be able to continue to do what we can to try to bless them back.

Ministry

Rick and I are having many opportunities to share what we have brought back from our two years at school. I have been doing some life coaching, and teaching classes on the books: Cultivating Kingdom Creativity by Theresa Dedmon; Dream Culture by Andy and Janine Mason; and Prosperous Soul by Stephen DeSilva, using internet and conference calling. (These classes are open to anyone who can connect with me by phone and FaceBook. Let me know if you are interested.)

Rick and I are also taking the Global Legacy Leadership Development Training through Bethel Church - an amazing 12 month course where we join 1100 people from around the globe, thanks to the internet. We are doing the class with three Colorado friends and are so excited to have them on this journey with us. The course is conducted by Steve Backlund and Paul Manwaring of Bethel who have a mandate to take the kingdom culture and advance it internationally through this course.

Upcoming

Stay tuned for news of my book, messages on creativity, and some samples of my bulletin columns. I just want to share my thoughts with all of you. Our prayers are that our lives bless you, and that we may impart to you the abundance of blessing and love that have been poured out on us by our good and loving heavenly Father.

Thoughts on 2012
Thank you for sharing this upcoming year - 2012 - with us. We know about the scary predictions out there...but we also have faith in the Creator of the universe - God, His Son, Jesus, and His Holy Spirit. The words we are getting from many sources are that God is re-establishing His government and His order and it starts with the family. Homes and families will be mightily blessed this year. He has been answering our prayers. Let Him answer yours!

"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." Jesus' words from Matthew 21:22.

Many blessings!
Chris