Luke 5:16
“So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.”
1 Kings 19:11-12
“And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.”
Psalm 104:12:
“Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches.”
The science: A phantom road experiment reveals traffic noise is an invisible source of habitat degradation
A phantom road using an array of speakers to placed amongst the trees demonstrates the value of the quiet place.
🧠 The "lizard brain" refers to the reptilian complex (basal ganglia), which controls the instinctual behaviors, the impulsive desires: fight, flight, hunger, and reproduction.
It doesn’t process morality, long-term goals, or deep thinking. Our higher reasoning comes from the prefrontal cortex, which governs the moral and spiritual discernment: discipline, planning, and self-control.
Romans 7:15 (NIV) – “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”Galatians 5:17 (ESV) – “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”
📜 Matthew 21:28-31 (ESV)
"A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.”
James 1:8 (ESV) – “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.”Colossians 3:2 (NIV) – “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”Jeremiah 17:9-10 (ESV) – “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”Ezekiel 36:26 (NIV) – “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”1 Corinthians 6:12 (NIV) – “‘I have the right to do anything,’ you say—but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’—but I will not be mastered by anything.”Galatians 5:16 (ESV) – “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”Matthew 6:33 (ESV) – “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”Romans 12:2 (NIV) – “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”1 Corinthians 9:27 (ESV) – “But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”Hebrews 12:11 (NIV) – “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”
Proverbs 4:23 (NIV) – “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”Ezekiel 11:19 (ESV) – “And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh.”
Proverbs 30:28 (NIV) – “A lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings’ palaces.”
All relationships take work to keep it in shape and to take it to the hospital when it needs mending. But it is only successful when both halves want to keep it alive, even then it's a challenge to overcome. Hard to let love live when choices leave it bleeding out. Hard to let love live under oppression.
While a first aid kit of Christ's love (with time and growth) can heal it all, for love covers a multitude of sins, reconciliation is a choice and hard work. So is accepting the gift of forgiveness. The type of trouble some types of sin cause are great. Some are a significant enough to break the marriage covenant and some permit divorce. A rib removal while awake? Most unpleasant.
It is hard to witness and experience. I am, admittedly - glad for the lesson; through it the Lord's taught me much!
Though sadly and not all will embrace that truth to its fullest potential.
It was a waterworld... circa 2012... the last time I was awake perhaps:
I was rendered conscious to the hot sun glaring down on me while its rays burned my skin. A constant pain was present in my temple. Lifting my hand to block the sun, I saw dried blood flaking away in the light breeze. I touched the side of my head and pulled away, my fingers were damp with thick blood. I closed my eyes again, feeling out my body. I attempted to sit up, however my body thought otherwise, I turned to my side and retched dry heaves. I was looking down through a weathered fishing net. Below me, water rolled and tumbled past. I sat up. I was gazing across an empty expanse of liquid terrain.
Did I spend some time in the belly of a whale, like Jonah? Whose name means dove.
Paired with northern flicker for many years... I think I tried to fly away from the Lord? Hard to take flight when you run from destiny. Oh how many years I wrote off the revelations by the Lord! By not listening to my dreams? By living in disobedience. By ignoring His stirrings?
I repent of how I have quenched the Spirit with my choices of chemicals to mix:
Pink and blue,
Mixed to no hue.
A symbol of transparency,
Yet trapped in duality.
Colors merge, then drift apart.
A symbol of the restless heart.
In the mix, we find the key—
Truth’s not always what we see, but rather... what we believe.
So I seek the olive branch as the water recedes.
No longer sick but in flight - a journey to serve the Lord. Time to use the nets. The strength of the Lord is with me. Beside me. Inside me.
I pray our love, though not awakened as it is before it's time, is as strong as death.
"Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like a blazing fire, like a mighty flame."
📜Song of Songs 8:6
A woman that bows before the King of Kings but stands tall in battle.
📜 Proverbs 27:17 — As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
📜 Genesis 2:18 — Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”
📜 Psalm 33:20 — Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help (ezer) and our shield.
📜 John 10:11 — I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
📜 Matthew 6:33 — But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
📜 Revelation 19:7 — Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready.
📜 Romans 3:23 — For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
📜 Galatians 5:16 — But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
📜 2 Corinthians 10:5 — We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.
📜 Acts 3:19 — Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out.
📜 Proverbs 17:3 — The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the Lord tests the hearts.
📜 Matthew 6:19-20 — Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
📜 Luke 17:7-10 — Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’
📜 James 4:14 — Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
📜 Psalm 34:1 — I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
📜 Matthew 19:12 — For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.
📜 Ephesians 6:14 — Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness.
Heartbreak for the breakthrough.
Something He saw, something He knew,
Pain He repaired,
With agape He cared.
My eyes are a lamp, tears shed with blood.
I now seek the five crowns, eyes anointed by mud.
A bearer of light, a bringer of truth,
All to Christ I owe, this is forsooth.
The white stone,
His death did atone.
Healed with a prayer, healed with laid hands.
Great is His mercy, and greater His plans.
Too focused on ezer, divided in heart,
My efforts wasted when I lose sight of what’s bought.
Though given a vow, it was too quickly dismissed,
Now eros is dead, but His grace I have kissed.
This lampstand seeks an olive tree,A gardener east of Eden that is me.Ant of dust, who's embraced a thorn,A little king, no crown here or forlorn.Leaves be green in burning days,Each breath wind, each step a praise.Hope in Christ, heart of flesh be true,Was refined in fire and rib of clay won’t do.
📜 John 8:12 – "When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’"
📜 Matthew 5:14-16 – "You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."
📜 Matthew 7:7-8 – "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."
📜 Proverbs 31:10 – "A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies."
📜 Matthew 25:3-4 – "The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps."
📜 Romans 11:17 – "If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root..."
📜 Psalm 52:8 – "But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever."
📜 Hosea 14:6 – "His young shoots will grow. His splendor will be like an olive tree, his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon."
📜 James 1:5 – "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him."
📜 Zechariah 4:11-14 – "Then I asked the angel, ‘What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?’ Again I asked him, ‘What are these two olive branches beside the two gold pipes that pour out golden oil?’ He replied, ‘Do you not know what these are?’ ‘No, my lord,’ I said. So he said, ‘These are the two who are anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth.’"
📜 Genesis 3:18 – "It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field."
📜 Genesis 3:23-24 – "So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After He drove the man out, He placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life."
📜 John 20:15 – "Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?’ Thinking He was the gardener, she said, ‘Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have put Him, and I will get Him.’"
📜 Ephesians 5:1-2 – "Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."
📜 Matthew 13:3-9 – "Then he told them many things in parables, saying: ‘A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.’"
📜 1 Corinthians 3:9 – "For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building."
📜 Luke 10:2 – "He told them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’"
📜 Genesis 2:7 – "Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life."
📜 Proverbs 6:6-8 – "Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest."
📜 2 Corinthians 12:7 – "Or because of these surpassingly great revelations, therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me."
📜 Matthew 20:25-28 – "Jesus called them together and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’"
📜 Psalm 8:5-6 – "You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of Your hands."
📜 John 18:36 – "Jesus said, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.’"
📜 Matthew 5:3 – "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
📜 1 Peter 5:4 – "And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away."
📜 2 Timothy 4:8 – "Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."
📜 Revelation 3:11 – "I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown."
📜 Matthew 28:20 – "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
📜 Jeremiah 17:7-8 – "But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."
📜 Daniel 3:27 – "They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them."
📜 Isaiah 43:2 – "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze."
📜 1 Corinthians 10:13 – "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."
📜 Genesis 2:7 – "Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life."
📜 John 3:8 – "The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
📜 Psalm 150:6 – "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord."
📜 Exodus 15:2 – "The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him."
📜 Romans 15:13 – "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
📜 Romans 5:5 – "And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us."
📜 1 Peter 1:3 – "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."
📜 Ezekiel 36:26 – "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."
📜 Proverbs 4:23 – "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."
📜 Philippians 4:6-7 – ""Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
📜 2 Corinthians 3:3 – "You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."
📜 1 Peter 1:7 – "These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."
📜 Genesis 2:22 – "Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib He had taken out of the man."
📜 Zechariah 13:9 – "This third I will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’"
📜 Ephesians 5:31-32 – "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church."
📜 Song of Songs 8:6-7 – "Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame."
📜 Proverbs 9:1-2 – "Wisdom has built her house; she has set up its seven pillars. She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine; she has also set her table."
📜 Genesis 2:18 – "The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’"
For my olive tree if that gift be Papa's will:
“The man who is asleep does not care what becomes of his neighbors; how can he while he is asleep? And oh! Some of you Christians do not car...
