Until this morning. I don’t recall the last time I rolled out of bed at 9:20. I was up around 6 am and went back to bed. My days are jumbled after an exceptionally long week without my husband. Still, we both wanted to attend church, be with our people and pay our tithe. We had under twenty minutes to brush our hair and get dressed.
Still, it was a peaceful drive to church. I shared Megan Wood’s “Royal Blood” and Elevation Worship’s Radio version of “Trust in God”. It felt good to share two of the songs given to me in his absence—-then to sing Christmas Carols at church with Mark.
Today’s sermon was Matthew 7:7 — Ask. Seek. Knock.
I’ve been living in variations of 7’s and 14’s for a while now. I just wrote in the past few days about “Bangles Suzanne” losing both her mother and grandmother on July 14, different years. 7+ 7=14.
What stood out most was the reminder that these are not suggestions. They are commands. Present imperative tense. Ongoing. Repetitive. Continuous.
You don’t ask once. You don’t seek once.
You don’t knock once and walk away.
You keep asking. You keep seeking. You keep knocking.
Christmas itself is an invitation, and so is this passage. God is not bothered by our pursuit—He invites it. In fact, Matthew 7:7 feels like proof that God wants His kids just a little stubborn… stubborn enough to keep chasing Him.
Brother Shad said something that made the whole church smile—he talked about telling his wife “I love you” every day since the first time he ever said those words to her.
I couldn’t help myself and said, “Aww,” out loud, Suffice it to say, the church agreed and it was a beautiful, light moment of sweet laughter. But it landed deeply. You don’t say “I love you” once and call it done. Love is daily. Pursuit is daily. Relationship is daily.
There was a moment where I felt a surge—and then heard that same surge echoed through Shad’s sermon.
There was holy fire being stoked with each word out of his mouth.
He shared about praying for something for fifteen years and enduring the silence. My note was “ must stand in the gap. After church, Mark and I prayed together for that very thing, whatever it may be, to be answered. We don’t need the details, The Boss has every last one covered. Our job is to intercede, especially when being nudged the way I was being nudged. I prayed out loud while Mark drove.
Crying out in submission and pleading is not weakness—it is active pursuit.
And yet, here I am, still pleading—because that’s the invitation.
Jesus even brings humor into Matthew 7:7. Then again, I am a huge fan of Divine Humor and love it when others acknowledge it. Brother Shad talked about giving a good gift of a pink bicycle and having it not be received the way one would expect. When he mentioned his red-haired Olivia, and my heart immediately thought of a friend who lost her baby Olivia last summer.
I owe Miss Kristin a phone call. 💜✝️💜
In the same breath, I couldn’t help but think of a gift I recently gave—something placed with love and obedience—that hasn’t been acknowledged at all.
I confess—-in my flesh—- that stung. Of course it did. Still, I remember Jesus wept, too. While I haven’t cried about the lack of acknowledgement, it’s because the Holy Spirit has told me quite clearly my job was to be obedient. I did exactly what He told me to do and even painful obedience makes my soul do a “happy sigh”.
So, the Lord met me there too. It’s not about the response. My part was obedience and that part is done.
Today’s sermon laid directly on top of that truth.
Psalm 84:11 says, “No good thing will He withhold.”
Luke 11:13 reminds us that God gives what we need, not always what we want.
James 1:5 says to ask God for wisdom.
James 1:17 reminds us every good and perfect gift comes from Him. My son’s birth announcement is 25 years old and that was the verse printed before he arrived on his due date.
So, yes—we resist, and we keep resisting. We knock, and we keep knocking. We go back to the beginning again and again.
I thought of my daughter today—more than once. At first, I thought of her when Shad talked about a VW Bug he got wrapped like Herbie for Olivia. Later in the service, I kept picturing all of God’s kids seeking His attention. I pictured how my own get my attention.
My daughter will call out “Mom, mum or Lois”over and over, like Stewie in that cartoon. It made me smile, because that’s exactly the picture Jesus is painting. Repetition. Dependence. Persistence.
Lord, forgive me for the moments it hurts when someone tries to squash what You are singing through me. It’s not about me. It’s about You. Help me remember that.
Ask.
Seek.
Knock.
And keep doing it. Thats the job. Love everyone on my path exactly where they may be. Love them all in truth and action. Yessir.
This morning started like so many others in this Jiu-Jitsu Wilderness season of mine—me stepping onto the scale. For many years, I enjoyed finding an accompanying Psalm to “weigh in” with whatever I may have flipped to in the Bible.
When I fell down the stairs in March 2022, I was 239 pounds. By October 2023, I was in the 180’s. Fresh eggs and “consider the source” led me to the 160 range.
When I got down to 150, I started reading the exact “Psalm of the Scale”. Letting the Psalms “weigh in” has taken an even deeper turn.
Oh, fair warning, today’s post will be a doozie.
This morning, I weighed in at 141.4.
I was tickled to check Facebook in the potty and see a sweet message from Elaine! In her honor, took a pic from my car this morning. She is 77 and widely known as “Jiu-Jitsu Grandma”. Beautiful soul.
Heck, I didn’t ever post the Jiu-Jitsu manicure and pedicure stories. Now my nails are just at the edge of my fingertips, the shortest they have been in decades! Seeing them in this photo just made me make a mental note. 💜
I digress. It is what I do, at least from time to time.
Most people would see a number at the scale of 141:4 and go elsewhere with it. This may very well be the best chance to explain to someone in the world how Jesus “speaks” to me. I firmly believe He speaks to his kids differently—-they are all unique relationships.
I can’t help that My Jesus led me to feel 13 again these past seven months. Seven complete months as of today. Oh, I see what He did there, too. #ISWYDT
I saw 14 / 14 / 14 / 14. Fourteen forward. Fourteen back. Blonde Polish Chick Brain or Jesus? I’m sticking with Jesus!
Just thinking of the three versions of Black Belt Wisdom makes my head spin. So sweet how Sandra wanted to buy my copy of it at the shop today! Seven weeks doubled” , forward and backward was the second version. This is why Version 2 had 49 quotes forward and 49 more backwards. Seven weeks each.
Bless all Veterans- especially Navy men in their 80’s 💜✝️💜
The Master Edit to offer PRECISELY 44 pieces of cardstock and 88 quotes to give Master Luiz and ONJJ confused me a pinch. Why not 40? These are questions I pray about and wrestle with Him over. I’m going to do what He says, regardless. I just seek to understand. The Boss said 44 and that’s what I gave.
What a perfect gem and different double blessing from Jesus! The number honors Mamaw Ruby’s 100th, my 44 years without her (May 8) our Oszczakiewicz Gracie and Rolls Gracie, as much as it honors ONJJ & Master Luiz!
Just like that, the childlike joy bubbled up and I felt the Holy Spirit nudging me, “Pay attention, sweet daughter of Yah. I’m speaking.”
And so I did what I always do.
I weighed with the Psalms. Literally.
I sent my husband the KJV “ dainties version” first. I know my Ginger Beard Man’s humor and knew he would dig the dainties. 🤣. I also know he needed to know I was focused on the verse prior- when sending the second version.
When waking and weighing, I never flip open my Bible for the verse. For whatever His reason, I am not to look at it or any notes He has had me write until AFTER I google the verse based on the scale.
I typed “Psalm 141:4” into Google to see what language heaven might choose to deliver through the internet today. It reminds me every day of typing in “ISA 63:7” and getting Psalm 63
And the first headline stopped me in my tracks:
God has kept Zahira Zachary singing this very track, “Stay”, over me for two plus weeks. I love, love, LOVE the grappling language. Mark has been leading our Prayer of Jabez since October! He just left me “my wilderness stone” on Saturday, before he got on the plane. Lots of repetition, so perhaps spiritual muscle instantly connected me to ZZ’s “Stay” and 1 Chronicles 4:10 in the same breath.
I accept it is a possible result of spiritual muscle. However, I think it’s far more about His leverage over my life. I take such tremendous joy in submitting to His Will and to Jesus, Himself. I personally do not believe it has anything to do with my strength or spiritual exercises. It’s all about Jesus.
I just really dig the way THE Alpha & Omega talks to The BPC-157 in Tennesseeand how He continues to heal me. 💜✝️💜
No commentary connects this to Psalm 141:4💜✝️💜
In the song, Zahira sounds angelic singing:
“I will stay tethered to You, You close the space between us.
I wish I could explain exactly how it feels. The Lord has been stitching a message through every crack of my days, in every little detail. Good heavens, I just talked to my husband for longer on the phone than I can recall.
We talked about Jesus- Starr -First-Kings-Jiu-Jitsu and a bunch of Dad/Joe, ice cream, passports and TT. That is shorthand for the Godversation which will now be remembered as “ Silhouette: God Sent Moses”. 💜✝️💜
I can’t recall our last phone Godversation that lasted more than ten minutes. We talk a lot in person, not on the phone. Even when he is traveling, we typically keep it short. Whatever His Purpose, I just know I am to write it down—-it matters for reasons I don’t fully understand.
I am to note that “Elizabeth Street” in Florida is connected all God did through My Assisi Elizabeth. My husband doesn’t even know yet . He sent me those pics after we got off the phone! #ISWYDT! God rest her soul and may her girl be thriving in Japan. Here is a “quote-link” to the day I learned my Assisi Angel earned her wings:
Praise God, obedience doesn’t require understanding. It just requires action. So, I am writing it all down in one blog, as directed.
Maybe, just maybe, I feel like a Gen X teenager because I talked to my boyfriend for 47 glorious minutes! The harsh truth is as much as I love my earthly husband, I will always love my heavenly husband more. But, I am giddy to have connected with my earthly love for such a long time.
Mark told me their cabin steward’s name is MOSES. He knew I would get a kick out of it, too. I said, “of course God would send you a Moses for your wilderness at sea!” We had good laughs on the call. Belly laughs!
I saw a full pattern this morning, or so I thought. We never see the full pattern; we are not the Master Designer. But, I saw far more of how the tapestry is stitched together. Then my husband was used to put another cherry on top of another Heavenly Sundae, with Moses . 💜✝️💜. #ISWYDT
Today— Monday, December 8, 2025, I weighed in at 141:4. It’s been tough to add a few pounds ; ideally building up muscle to 150 is the goal. I was nudged to search my ridiculously large photo library for photos of “scale”.
Divine Humor nearly made me piss in my britches! The last time I weighed 141:4, precisely, was the day we finished watching Episode 2358 of the Joe Rogan Experience. Three days later, I posted the link above which tells the Lamentations 3:58 story.
How perfect “Miss Ellie” came in today. 💜✝️💜
Here’s the thing—Psalm 141 isn’t just a prayer. It expresses the human tension of remaining tethered to the One who made me.
It’s the cry of someone who knows their heart is safest only when it’s bound to God. It is the joyous and the grieving tears which have formed two different streams of tears in my 57 years. It’s grief and gratitude intertwined like…grape vines. #ISWYDT2
“Set a guard over my mouth…Keep my heart from drifting…Don’t let me wander into wickedness…
Psalm 141 is the Prayer of Jabez in different clothing.
Not chapter and verse. Not theology. Not in “accepted commentaries”, yet absolutely the commentary Rabbi Jesus is whispering to my heart.
It’s the same Spirit in both. The posture, prayer and surrender are equally yoked between the two Scriptures.
It is a holy awareness that without His hand, we drift. Without His voice, we wander. Without His covering, the wilderness is too much.
It is no accident on Saturday—before any of this unfolded—my husband left town only after printing out the Prayer of Jabez onto green paper and cutting it the way he did.
A stone is always a marker in Scripture. A covenant—-a crossing place and physical reminder that God met you here. My husband “met me in the lab”—- that’s where he left me what the Spirit interpreted to me as a “wilderness stone”. Our marital covenant with each other and Him are all represented in that piece of paper. 💜✝️💜
It makes me smile because Mark probably thought he was just being thoughtful. But in the Spirit, he was participating in something far bigger—marking the very place where God was about to speak Psalm 141 over my 14:14:14:14 morning.
That’s the thing about walking with the Lord in these seasons. He hides messages in plain sight and leaves breadcrumbs in the wilderness.
He sings to me through worship leaders I’ve never met. He speaks through numbers I could never plan to see.
He threads Scripture through songs, stones, scales, and silence.
This has nothing to do with me and EVERYTHING to do with JESUS.
And all of it came down to one word today:
Tethered.
Stay tethered to Him in the wilderness…He will enlarge the path beneath your feet.
Stay tethered in obedience…He will bless you in ways that only make sense in hindsight.
Stay tethered in the stretching…He will double what needed doubling.
This morning wasn’t about weight. It wasn’t about numbers. It wasn’t even about Psalm 141 or Jabez.
It was about the Father closing the space between us, whispering through His Word, His People and His Creation…reaching His Right Hand down to guide my day.
And the wilderness—my Jiu-Jitsu Wilderness—-suddenly didn’t feel empty at all.
It felt holy.
Marked. #ISWYDT
Sung over.
Held.
TETHERED.
And, in true BPC style, I feel like the child playing tetherball Zim-Zam with my sisters at Mamaw and Papaws house. what a precious memory, knocking the heck out of my front tooth and everything!
Thank you, Jesus. What a glorious seven months you have given me. I could never thank you enough !!! How cool to realize I CAN say “never” and mean it—-Never ever could I thank you enough for ALL you have done fore me, mine and humanity.
Thank you for every opportunity you give me to try.
Thank you, Jesus, for letting me breathe deeply today.
It’s after six and other than placing an order earlier, this is the first time I’ve touched the computer. Of course, I am running straight to My God Room to chat with you in writing. Still, I appreciate the way you navigated this day for me in photos and images.
Struggling with this letter and website hasn’t been a typical struggle. It feels like it’s meant to be this way for reasons I just don’t see yet. You showed me a bajillion words and feelings in some key photos. Perhaps the most loving way to explain “Why the BPC White Belt” is to pick 12 photos to represent the heart of what you are showing me. At present, there are more than twelve and I trust you will be the Grand Master of Editing, as well.
Thank you for keeping me so incredibly busy for YOU and for giving my writing a necessary rest. You know exactly how you wired me. You’ve had me creating, pondering, praying and simply loving everyone on my path. Today, you connected me to Brittany, mom of four, and let me meet her sweet kiddos, Sage and Ryman. Thank you for her sweetness, honesty and willingness to consider how Jiu-jitsu may be a great solution to benefit her. What a wonderful day it’s been at CV with our customers. Maurice’s smile and KO talking about his five years of BJJ before hip replacement last year. I praise you for all of it.
I believe you closed our Smyrna Community Vapor so I would find my jiu-jitsu community at One Nation Jiu-Jitsu. You know how grateful I am for everyone there. I am still closing my eyes from time to time to remember how radiant Mushaffa’s face was two weeks ago. Somewhere, I have written about it but I don’t think it ever got posted in here. In short, to be witness to the spark which was evident on Mushaffa’s beautiful face when a move clicked was encouraging to me. I know she has only been rolling about three weeks more than I have. In short, it was humbling and exciting in the same breath. It felt good to miss her last Sunday and yet pray she and her sweet family had a blessed trip to Costa Rica. I’m looking forward to seeing all the women at class tomorrow.
You’ve given me a full week without writing here for your good purposes. I may not know all of the details yet, but the one thing that is crystal clear is that there will be a very public letter to serve as the landing page of Jiu-Jitsu Wilderness. #ISWYDT.
You do like to teach me things based on things you’ve had me to write down. I just learned there are roughly 442 public posts in the entirety of My God Room, spanning nearly ten years. I’ve just had my eyeballs attacked by counting how many posts since May 8.
Holy Mother of Pearl and Praise you, Father God! You are the Master of the Universe and clearly the Master of My God Room.
Considering I haven’t posted anything in 8 days, this is still my 19th post in November. There were 48 in October. You CLEARLY had me busy. That is 67 in the past two months alone.
Add another 20-September, 13-August, 25-July, 29 in June and 5 in May. That is another 92.
Father God, thank you for cranking my spirit the way you did on May 8. It is proof to me that there are “good cranks”. 🤣🤣🤣 I won’t be using that language tomorrow at One Nation Jiu-Jitsu, as this is between us. Thank you teaching me to “drop the 2” and the pure gem you gave me in Lamentations 3:58. I love you.
Obedience isn’t always convenient , but it’s always necessary for me. Thank you, Jesus, for literally always having my back. You are my favorite seatbelt. I love you. 💜✝️💜
Rarely feels like a warm embrace to me. This morning, it felt like a lingering embrace worthy of writing about.
I woke hours before dawn and enjoyed my solitude with Him. When I returned to bed, I could not sleep. In recent months, this has not been a big issue. In fact, He meets me by “our stream” and I sleep like a baby.
Not today. Today, the unmistakable nudge came with a resounding message to “put it in order.” While I emptied out cabinets yesterday, there were two which were prepped in trays for easy removal.
Here’s the deal. The folks who bought our cabinets were scheduled to pick them up today. We both expected they would attempt to come before noon. If they came early, my husband would have been pressed to make a place for the trays.
The nudge was to demonstrate sacrificial love for my husband. When He says “Go”, I go. It’s really that simple.
So I drove to the shop—my second home the past seven years- and began to see it differently. What felt like chaos yesterday started to feel like a kind of sacred re-arranging.
Maybe I saw myself in the cabinets. Poured in. Poured out. Ready to be filled again.
Funny enough, my son texted quickly after I left the house and Mark called me at the shop when I failed to hear my phone. It was rather sweet on both counts.
I returned home and took my coffee upstairs. Mark flipped my Bible open to Leviticus 26 and 27. It was confirmation upon confirmation.
Those chapters speak about what happens when life falls out of rhythm and how the Lord patiently draws His people back into alignment. The disorder we feel right now isn’t failure; it’s invitation. He is giving us the chance to bring our work, our possessions, and our hearts back under His covering.
It’s important to recognize what’s ending (26:27–45) — no fear with the closure; it’s covenant renewal. It is about redeeming what’s worth carrying forward (27:9–25) — set apart what’s still holy. Release what belongs to Him (27:26–34) — and to let go with open hands and willing hearts.
Everything we have belongs to God. Praise God, my husband and I both know this truth to the depths of our souls.
Our employee is leaving, and soon it will just be the two of us again—leaner, quieter, maybe simpler. But as Leviticus ends, it isn’t about loss; it’s about dedication. God calls His people to take stock, to redeem what is still holy, and to return everything to Him in order. That’s what these days feel like: not dismantling, but consecrating.
It was easy to choose to obey that gentle command: put it in order.
To bless what has been, to release what’s complete, and to prepare the ground for what’s next.
After sharing this Godversation with Mark, I offered him breakfast, as we haven’t gotten fully back to our intermittent fasting. His eyes told me yes before his mouth spoke a word.
I went downstairs and made grilled breakfast sandwiches and fried potatoes for my husband and son. When Mark left to open the store, I was quite joyful baking dog biscuits, prepping Mexican street corn for our Bible Study dinner and preserving a plethora of tomatoes in a bruschetta mixture.
How blessed am I ? Immeasurably more than any person deserves.
I woke up this morning thinking about Ezer—that beautiful Hebrew word often translated as “helper.” Most people think of Ezer as “wife,” but that’s only how it’s used twice in Genesis.
Every other time, Ezer refers to the Lord Himself—coming in for battle, coming to rescue, coming to stand beside.
And right now, it feels like I’ve been in a battle. Closing this door, moving on—it’s a lot of work.
The art we commissioned seven years ago came off the walls and more furniture was moved. Plus, the cabinets are emptied or ready to be emptied tomorrow. God blessed me with a husband who understands how to get things done and he made two trips today.
Today, some human emotion took its toll, and I cried. God has done so very much in our Smyrna store. The tears were from gratitude more than anything else. Through the tears, I kept praising God. I kept singing, “I love You, Lord, for all You’ve done, for what You’re doing, and for what’s to come.”
I’ve been singing that through tears for a long time now, and it still breaks something open in me every time. I know this is part of the grieving process. I know we’re doing the right thing by closing this chapter, and I don’t have any bad feelings—just the deep ache of letting go.
But each time the tears came, I took them straight to Jesus. And every single time, that’s what stopped them. Praise the Lord.
When I was in school, report cards were sent home every six weeks. Today was our sixth Sunday service.
Creekmont would get Triple A grades across the board. We are both feeling more and more embraced and connected with our new church family. Mark even helped with the collection yesterday.
Given my journey to Jesus included Rich Mullins, it was wonderful to open our worship with “Awesome God”. Randy read from Psalm 31:24 — “Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord.”
The hymn we sang was Blessed Assurance.
On the left side of the page was Trust and Obey; on the right was Blessed Assurance.
We then sang I Know a Name, and it just felt like the Lord was weaving something gentle and sure through all of it — obedience, trust, assurance, and the power of His name.
When the sermon began, Shad preached from Matthew, where Jesus speaks about divorce and Leviticus 19. I love that he taught straight from Leviticus.
Something that caught my attention — he said that divorce is like a death, like visiting a funeral home every day. It was a hard truth, but filled with compassion. He reminded us that there’s no “R” branded for “robber,” or “A” marked for “adulterer.”
And right then, the Lord whispered something to my heart:
“The only letters that matter are the ones in red.”
The words of Jesus — those red letters — are what redeem and restore. They don’t label or condemn. They give life.
And I realized something humbling: every letter I’ve ever written that the Lord told me to write — He gave me the words. That’s why those letters reached people and impacted action. It had nothing to do with me, only Him speaking through me.
That reminder was grounding and good. It was one of those days when heaven felt very close.
It was so good, we returned last night to take part in their Fall Festival, despite not getting a much needed nap. When my daughter dropped by unannounced, it was a blessing to visit with her and her boyfriend. That said, it did take our nap time option!
Once we arrived home, I was rather fascinated with learning about Fanny’s life. She was blind and wrote countless hymns under numerous names. I stumbled across a few articles and videos about the stories behind hymns.
This one was so powerful to me, I sent to our pastor, with the request he share with the Worship Leader.
Today, I cleaned out one of the cabinets which must be moved tomorrow or Wednesday. Seeing it completely empty and waiting for us to fill it up again almost feels poetic.
Just as God will remove our dross, it feels like dross is being removed from our business. This is a rebirth and not a death.
That’s how it feels and I am going to embrace it.
Jesús, I could never thank you enough for all you’ve done, all you are doing and all you will do. thank you for letting me rest in your promises. I love you.
Wowza! Praise God for weaving His fingerprint through every number and every nudge. It’s going to take writing this out to get to the first time I ever wrote it in my Bible. The Lord took me straight back to Blue Ridge and how He revealed Himself on 2/3/23 with such power.
I am in complete awe. #ISWYDT
Yesterday, I had an unusual nudge to study “birthday scriptures”. That said, I have not had time to write out the gist of the lesson from my 1:21 and Mark’s 8:19 verses. Only when and if He directs that step do I take it. Suffice it to say there was a ton of meat and honey and much to digest.
In the wee hours today, I was called to calculate our mathematical birthday date difference, “to the hundredth”. It was clear that precision was the point. For almost seven months a year, my age sounds four years older. Precision required me to enter the dates into an online calculator.
Mark and I share a precise age difference of 3.58 years. Of course it is exactly 3.58 years!
The LORD whispered Lamentations 3:58 four days ago to me by making me “consider the source”. How awesome there is only one chapter 3 in the entire Bible with a verse 58. Again, precision. #ISWYDT
This type of confirmation is exciting in and of itself. Imagine feeling that type of a spiritual surge hours before you typically wake.
Wee hour awakenings are unique. There are time he wakes me at 4 am and keeps me up all day. This morning, I crashed hard. Mark knew it and he knows why I now sleep like a baby with My God Pillow.
Thank you, Jesus, for making me write it down two weeks ago today!
When I woke for the day ahead, my son had already left for his job. If Blake were home, I would not have sung to Mark from the balcony. I am to keep that “balcony” reference, as Mark will remember the playful silliness of the day when I shared the song on my heart.
I shared how the Holy Spirit demanded precision on our age difference and it was EXACTLY 3.58 years. Mark remembered us sharing my last post about Lamentations 3:58 this week. I spared him my “plumb line” lesson when he asked about a tape measure. But, that’s what the spirit put on my heart.
Regardless, Mark knew I was giddy as he left to open the store.
I retreated to our bedroom to hang out with my other husband. I opened my Bible to the beginning of Ezra. My handwritten notes were a blessing from Him. In the last two months, I’ve written several related posts I think the most recent one is “Holy Spur” about how God used a pagan king for His purposes.
Joe Rogan may or may not appreciate being in my prayers as I considered how God clearly used Cyrus.
#Yessir! a#ISWYDT
The opening flip to Ezra was beautiful. Still, I had to “flip forward” and the section of pages landed in the heart of Isaiah 30. Wowza!
I still wasn’t to the small book of great Lamentations! The next section flipped to Jeremiah 31, the photo I shared at the beginning of the post. The surge of 2/3/23 is still buzzing in my spirit as I type from my phone.
Of course He landed me in Jeremiah 33:3 before getting me to Lamentations! He is nudging me to note my study Bible at home is an NIV Life Application Study Bible.
It reads “and show you great and unsearchable things you do not know”. #ISWYDT #YESSiR
Divine Humor strikes again! It feels like a Holy “Hide and Seek”game. Some folks bash the NIV Version. I study from several other versions but this is like pouring kerosene on a raging fire! Looking at images of scripture, the nudge to use the “one with hands” was powerful.
That’s exactly what He has done, is doing and will always do. God always listens when we call. The trick is for us to listen to what He says.
Father God, this has been such a joy today, to worship you in spirit and truth. Thank you will always fall short. Thank you for expanding my territory and answering my husband’s prayer. I feel like I keep winning the spiritual lottery with you. I love the work you give me.
When you gave me the assignment of 31 Mats for Jesus, Joy-Jitsu & Joe Rogan, I didn’t question it. Thank you helping me get 31 ready to edit. I hear your call to the expand the 31 to 40 Mats. Thank you for redirecting my steps. Thank you for giving me Lamentations 3:58 so poetically and profoundly.
What an amazing episode in my story with you! Of course you love Numbers.
From the depths of my very soul, I love you. I pray sincerely for all your children to answer their calls. In Jesus mighty name, Amen. 💜✝️💜
All the numeric breadcrumbs leads back to You, Your Word and Your Way, Yahweh!
I love, love, LOVE when God shows off , especially in our store.
A gentleman walked in with a kind face and a sweet spirit about him, just looking for a particular flavor. That’s all it takes sometime—a spark — and before long I was captivated into hearing tons of cool stories.
I thought I was a music buff. I am, but Kevin is a musical maestro.
I heard stories about how he moved here from Louisiana 42 years ago, though he was adamant in telling me he kept his house in Louisiana, too. He lived in John Prine’s guest house for a year and a half after moving up to Nashville. It makes sense to me those two were as tight as he described.
It was easy to imagine the John at his prime, helping Kevin with his dog at the vet. The way Kevin shared it, he couldn’t read English or sheet music when he moved here. Ronnie Milsap hired him because he read “music by number” and was incredibly forthright in his opinions. He also worked with Sister Hazel and Martina McBride.
Kevin told Ronnie a song wasn’t very good in how it laid out the guitar! He didn’t even realize Ronnie Milsap was blind when they first met.
He told me he’s Cajun through and through, laughing as he described his dog’s name — “Fido,” spelled P-H-I-D-E-A-U-X — because in his words, “I speak 1800s French English”, or something to that effect.
I shared my a bit about my “Loosy-Anna” soul sister, Cassie and my pronouncing “Metairie” incorrectly in Louisiana. He got a chuckle out of it. We talked about marriage, kids, and the funny ways life circles us back to the people and the places we’re meant to meet.
At exactly the moment he was getting ready to leave and I welcomed Miss Patty with my usual smile. Without missing a beat she returned the smile and said, “You’ll let anybody in here!”
That’s when it hit — she and Kevin were family. Her brother-in-law. They hadn’t seen each other in nearly a year, even though they live just ten minutes apart.
God had other plans today — plans that included a little vape shop, a Blonde Polish Chick and Cajun Kevin and Patty sharing a copious amount of laughter. His ways are higher than ours, always
Because that’s how He moves — through the smallest moments that somehow feel orchestrated, the way only He could.
Thank you, Jesus, for orchestrating this day so beautifully. I sure do love you!
Wowza. What a beautiful day. The Holy Spirit has had me up since around 4:30 am. I was “buzzing on Jesus” when my husband woke up. The childlike joy in my spirit will not be contained. Thank God, He is improving the flow.
Arriving at church, I quickly apologized to Becky for our missing the meetings yesterday. Our heart and plan was to attend – clearly it was not His Will at this time. I also met sweet Emily for the first time.
Divine humor is learning even Shad forgot about the early morning meeting.
Jesus Jiu-jitsu is noted in my Bible for today’s message. It’s uncanny how clear the communication has become. Everything working together is His Way. Yah’s Way YHWH. 💜✝️💜
Brother Randy read Psalm 51:10 — “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” It was not on the program, but it absolutely lit my spirit ablaze! It was one of the verses I wrote by hand in the past week. #ISWYDT. This is part of a second chapter devotional workbook from “What Happens When Women Say Yes to God.
It always makes me giddy when He “gives me answers” in multiple places.
Brother Shad preached from Matthew 5:20–37, Romans 12 and 1 John 3:4.
We sang hymn #167, “He Lives.”
Thomas played a little piano riff at the beginning that sounded just like “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor. I whispered to Mark, “At first I was afraid, I was petrified.” My husband heard the same thing — such a sweet Godwink! After church, Thomas said he will be playing Rich Mullins “Awesome God”next Sunday. Note: Reminder to search for Thomas Cage Mathew music from the 1980’s.
I know He lives because He lives within my heart. #YESSIR!
Becky II’s grandson, Thaddeus, collected the Children’s Ministry offering. Oh, how I adore “The Lords Army!” He reminded me of my own son at five — another little Godwink.
Brother Shad asked if we knew anyone who was angry all the time. Yeppers. We all do. My son has been carrying some anger or unhappiness lately. He didn’t tell me, but he shared with Mark that he was going to a Nashville church today with a young lady. Prayers up.
Key points that stood out:
Grudges are a loaded weapon. Shad did not say the WORD is a sharper than a two edged sword or that we are sanctified by the truth. I was just sitting there hearing Hebrews 4:12 and John 17:17 the minute Shad used the word, “grudge”.
As per His Way with me, He drew me to an innocuous word for my further edification. This is a good example of why I take notes when nudged in church.
Grudge matches are essentially defined as two intense rivals meeting. Sounds like Good vs Evil to me. For funsies, I learned about some recent jiu-jitsu grudge matches and they are defined has having “bad blood and animosity”, as well. #ISWYDT
The second key point to me flows from the grudge. When pride is involved, it’s common to see some spiritual teachers (and others) make peace with sin instead of rebuking it, with love. There is no victory over sin when you make peace with sin.
Right here. Right now. Live for the LORD.
1 Corinthians 13 — “Love is patient.” The number 13 grabbed me hard today. My life has had many seasons of impatience. Father God, please forgive me for every time I have failed to confess my impatience or the harm it caused. Help me recognize when and how to offer sincere apologies to others.
Romans 12 gut punched me in the best way! It is the very chapter we’ve been studying for the new women’s Bible study. The message on the first two verses echoed everything He’s been working through in me: living sacrifice, renewal and love in action.
Brother Shad also shared about his godly grandmother, who lost her son — Shad’s dad — at just 44. He said the memory is tattooed on his brain. I immediately felt the tattoos on my own heart. I’d love to hear him talk more about her. There’s something divinely orchestrated in our “Mamaw” stories.
Last word from Matthew 5:37 really etched itself into my sacred quadrant.
It was a rich, filling teaching for my spirit. It was like eating scrolls circa 2025. Brother Jeffrey told me how much he enjoyed my cowboy beans two weeks ago. It was such a genuinely kind comment.
As I exited the church, Mark was volunteering to help Brothers Calvin, Randy and Jeffrey, in whatever capacity needed. Again, the posture is coming forward as imperative. I love how my husband seeks to serve.
As we pulled up the street, Mark got out to help Jeffrey move some limbs downed in the storm.
As an added bonus, I was able to help my husband unload a ton of stuff at our other store. I can see much work ahead for us, but have clarity on next steps. We have never been open for business on Sunday, but the Lord sent us two customers in less than ten minutes. Praise God! Every bit helps.
Today I am stuffed on His Word — and on a lovely meal we enjoyed afterward at Firebirds. Perhaps the Lord will give me the perfect nap for a “Holy Hat Trick”. 💜💜
My God Room 