I Am with You Always

The catalyst for the song bursting out of me was a combination of the extensive lessons at His Footstool and this blanket at our Smyrna shop.

Another “New Song” woven from Scripture

Verse 1 –Dawning Day

When the morning breaks with mercy, (Lam 3 :22–23)
And I wake to find You near, (Ps 139 :18)
I hear You at the doorway, Lord, (Rev 3 :20)
Your whisper stills my fear. (Isa 41 :10)
You say, “Knock and it shall open,” (Matt 7 :7–8)
“Seek and you will find,”
Every promise You have spoken (Josh 21 :45)
helps me guard this heart of mine. (Prov 4 :23)

I am yours. (Psalm 119:94)

I am yours.

Chorus 1 – The Promise

You say, “I AM 3x) with you always, (Matt 28 :20)
Even to the end of the age. (same verse)
I am, I am, I am with you always,
Be still and know My name. (Ps 46 :10)
Be still and know—
I am the Lord your God. (Ex 20 :2)

Verse 2 – In the Shadows

When the fear begins its whisper, (Isa 41 :13)
And my faith begins to fade, (Matt 14 :31)
You remind me of Your power, (Eph 1 :19–20)
Of the stone that rolled away. (Matt 28 :2–6)
You are nearer than my heartbeat, (Acts 17 :27–28)
You are stronger than my pain, (Ps 18 :1–2)
Every shadow must surrender (John 1 :5)
At the mention of Your name. (Phil 2 :9–10)

Chorus 2

You promise, (I AM x3) with you always,
Even to the end of the age.
I am, I am, I am with you always,
Be still and know My name.
Be still and know—
I am the Lord your God.

Bridge – The Call to Rest

Cease your striving, lay it down, (Ps 46 :10)
pour out My Spirit all around . (Isa 32 :15)
I am mercy, I am peace, (John 14 :27)
I am love that never leaves. (Rom 8 :38–39)
I am fire, yet gentle dove, (Acts 2 :3 / Matt 3 :16)
Rest, beloved, in My love.(Zeph 3 :17)

Final Chorus – The Benediction

I am, I am, I am with you always,
Even to the end of the age.
I am, I am, I am with you always,
Be still and know My name.
Be still and know—
I am. (John 8 :58)

So I put the lyrics into the computer and this chord progression was suggested.

I need to pray about what needs to be edited. For now, it is a work in progress.

(Key of G — 4/4, slow ballad ≈ 70 bpm)

Verse 1

G                  Em                 C                D

When the morning breaks with mer – cy,  I wake to find You near,

G                  Em                 C                D

I hear You at the door – way, Lord, Your whis – per stills my fear.

Em                 C                G                D

You say “Knock and it shall o – pen,”  “Seek and you will find,”

Em                 C                G                D

Every pro – mise You have spo – helps guard this heart of mine.

Chorus

G                 D                 Em                 C

I am, I am, I am with you al – ways,

G                 D                 Em                 C

E ven to the end of the age.

Am                G                 D                 C

Be still and know  My name  —  I am the Lord your God.

Thank you, Jesus, for getting Pammie Sue to send me this blanket with YOUR WORD in it. Thank you for everything! May CK have his own “KC & Sunshine Band” spirit to add .💜✝️💜

Voice your Praise!

Have you ever noticed that the words you speak or sing seem to reach Heaven differently than the words you only think or write?

For most of my life, I’ve prayed quietly — journaling, whispering, or sometimes just thinking the words. I believed He heard me, and He did. How do I know? His Word tells me God heard Hannah without a sound.

October 2023, something shifted. My husband and I were returning from Italy, delayed and running late for our flight out of JFK Terminal 4. His boarding pass had TSA pre-check; mine didn’t. Long story short, my only option was to get a new ticket with my TSA pre-check status on it. That didn’t work either. The answer when I asked the Delta employee, “what can I do?” Returned a flippant comment. She pointed to a petite Muslim lady and said, “ you can pray she can help you.”

Okay. No problem. Praying is one of my love languages and a battle cry!

There is an entire miracle story to be told about JFK Terminal 4 and me singing the bridge to Gratitude as I ran up two flights of stairs.

I am someone who has sang karaoke exactly twice, both with large groups of friends. I have one friend who loves to hear me sing “off key and often”. I had been told for 55 years I could NOT sing!

There I was in JFK Terminal 4, singing out loud— bold, breathless, free — with less than a minute to spare when I reached the gate.

By the time we arrived home, something had changed.

My voice — the one that had never been strong or clear — was suddenly different. Since that day, it’s as if the Holy Spirit Himself tuned it. What began as a song of desperation became a sound of deliverance. I call that my paraclete moment — because I didn’t need a pair of cleats. I had the Paraclete (John 14:26), the Holy Spirit running beside me.

Over the months that followed, especially beginning in November 2023, the singing came more often. In my isolation — where He always meets me — the same song would rise up, only now, it was peaceful. I could listen without wincing.

I could sense God is delighted when praise bursts forth into song.

🎵 The Breath and the Word

In Hebrew, voice is qol (קוֹל) — meaning sound, thunder, or utterance. It’s connected to ruach (רוּח) — breath, spirit, wind.

When we speak or sing, we release that breath into the atmosphere. We partner with the same creative energy that began the world:

Genesis 1:3

Every word we voice becomes vibration — moving through air, through Spirit. That’s why Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”

And Isaiah 55:11 promises

Zephaniah 3:17 shows us that He Himself sings!

The Many Ways He Hears

Whether silent like Hannah, whispered in prayer, or shouted on the stairs of an airport — God hears it all.

Some of us write our prayers. Some of us weep them. Some of us finally sing them.

The method isn’t the miracle — the obedience is.

Writing roots the Word deep.

Speaking releases it into the air.

Singing lifts it to Heaven.

Where might God want to give you a new sound — not for perfection, but for connection?

If He met you in silence today, would you trust that He could meet you in song tomorrow?

May you find courage to lift your voice, however it sounds, and discover that He already tuned it for praise. Praise is a phenomenal weapon! Armor up!

Thank you, Jesus!

The Hidden Greatness in the Smallest Letter

Have you ever felt God speak through something as simple as touch?

Last night, I placed my right hand over my husband’s heart, and in that stillness I felt the power of Heaven flow — a quiet confirmation of the sanctity and beauty of the marital bed. It wasn’t just comfort or closeness; it was communion. The same God who breathes life into dust and joins two into one flesh reminded me, in that simple act of touch, that His presence dwells where covenant love abides.

As I reflected, my thoughts returned to His Name — יהוה (YHWH) — the sacred four letters that reveal who He is. The very first letter, Yod (י), is the smallest in the Hebrew alphabet. And yet, it begins the holiest of all Names.

The Yod means hand — power, action, creation. It’s a spark, almost invisible. Still, it represents the divine hand of God reaching into human life. From that tiny point, everything begins. It’s the smallest letter for the Greatest Name, a whisper of a truth Jesus would later speak: “The least among you will be the greatest.

From there the Name unfolds:

Yod — Hand: The divine spark, the beginning of creation, the touch of God.

He — Breath: The Spirit of revelation, the breath that brings life.

Vav — Nail: The connection, the joining of heaven and earth, of God and man.

He — Breath again: The echo of grace, repeated and revealed.

The Name of God itself tells the story of divine humility, connection, and breath — the same pattern He wove into the intimacy of marriage: hand, breath, oneness, grace.

Even the smallest letter carries eternal weight. The Yod, that tiny hand of light, is the reminder that God’s greatness begins in humility, and His power is revealed in covenant love — in the still, sacred spaces where His breath fills our lives.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Thank you, Jesus, for EVERYTHING.

Have you invited His hand to rest on your heart lately — or on the heart of the one you love — and simply said, “Breathe here, Lord”?

10-10 Shalom Shalom

Last night felt like one of those evenings that God writes Himself. It would be impossible to convey the depth. It brings up my own daughter’s habit years ago of how she would “recommend” things with four word sentence structures.

#ISWYDT Much words. Many feelings. 💜✝️💜

10 / 10. Father God, forgive me that “perfect tens” bring me back to old memories of Nadia at the Olympics. The only perfection on earth comes from you. Still, I see the parallels between balancing, vaulting and dancing for YOU versus the world.

John 10 : 10 and Revelation 10 : 10 work together beautifully. Those are the 10/10’s you used to stick a perfect landing in my heart. It may never look perfect to the world and that is the point. 💜✝️💜

Two verses—both ten ten—speaking the same rhythm: life received, word consumed, peace realized.

Like any married couple, we have a routine each evening. The last thirty minutes of our evening , we are typically snuggled up in bed watching something on TV. I curl up on my left side and rest in the nook of his right arm. I have always called it The Nook. 😇

Perhaps because I had been in the WORD all day, I was extra sensitive. I don’t claim to know HOW God moves. I only know He moved me to turn my eyes away from the TV last night and let it fade to background noise.

I placed my right hand over his heart and it felt like I melted into my husband.

I began to pray instead of watch.

I pictured the Name of Yahweh written in the palm of my hand—just as Scripture says His name is written on ours—and I whispered His breath-name with each inhale and exhale.

Yah (in) … Weh (out).

Gratitude poured out of me—thankfulness for this man, our marriage, for all the ways God has used him to protect us and our business. The kind of utterly raw gratitude born from being so in love with Jesus that I am feasting on His Word. Feeling so full of Him and thanking Him for all the truths He is revealing to me.

Thank you, Jesus, for all the treasures you have planted in my heart!

Breathe in. Breathe out. Then came deeper breathing and silently singing, “ Sanctify us by your truth. Your word is truth.” I have been hearing that scripture as a new song in my heart. It was a prime evening and the song was inspired directly by the doubly primed John 17:17.

God uses numbers, music and people in my life in extraordinary ways. It’s important to clarify I do NOT ascribe any power to verses based on man’s numbering of verses. God alone gets all the glory for how He powerfully connects scripture to grow me.

I love, love LOVE how He connected John and Revelation 10:10’s for me. It helps my brain when He gives me “bookends”. He really is a Good, Good Father. He knows exactly how he wired my brain.

Last night was so much more than a wife silently singing, praising God and praying over her husband. For the past few months, the sanctity of our marital bed has been a dominant theme. It felt like our entire marital covenant was renewed without a single word being spoken between us.

I realized it was more than peace; it was perfect peace — shalom shalom. Certainly the closest to perfect peace I have experienced in nearly 58 years.

I felt something so deep and was exhausted beyond exhausted.

The still small voice is more than powerful and gave me strength when I was nudged to look deeper into what shalom really means. I studied it extensively over the past year, but I was so tired my brain was struggling to retrieve the heart of the word.

“Let the last words you hear tonight help you truly rest. Shalom is MY WORD, hear it “. That was the gist of the nudge.

So I asked the question via the internet and I read aloud to my husband the fullness of that word:

Shalom means not just calmness but wholeness, completeness, the harmony of body, soul, and spirit; how its root, shalem, means to be made whole; how true shalom shalom is peace stacked upon peace—heaven’s wholeness touching earth’s heart.

10 / 10 in every way.

The date of abundant life.

The verse of the sweet scroll.

Being in My Nook and realizing deeply it is His Nook. I felt both the embrace of my husband on earth and the embrace of the Father in heaven.

The evening of shalom shalom—perfect peace, twice spoken, fully lived.

Perfection, twice over.

Wowza. Another double portion. Thank you, Jesus.

PS. As a proverbial cherry on top of the heavenly sundae …this day is the anniversary of meeting Miss Roxanne in Montepulciano! Oh, how I love her!

My God Pillow

Somewhere in MyGodRoom, I have written about my “arm cover” and pray to find it. There was something attached that I am meant to revisit today. That link had Jeremiah 33:3 at the bottom. *Chills*. Multiple searches on key words and I can not find it.

This text was to L’Tonya on August 9. Her name pulled up that blog, with Zephaniah 3:17, not the pillow or sleeping situation. 💜✝️💜

Shortly after the spirit moved me on May 8, 2025, I began to sleep on my stomach instead of my side. I sleep with my face turned on the mattress and my arms are over my head, underneath the pillow.

I didn’t used to sleep this way. In fact, I used to guard my heart even in the night – folded, tense, half-ready to rise again.

But since the spring, something in me has softened. Now I lie face down, arms stretched overhead, hands meeting beneath the pillow, forearms hidden like roots under gentle soil.

And somehow, even in sleep, I feel Him there —not above me, not distant —but around me, under me, within the quiet rise of breath.

Sometimes the pillow feels like His hand, the soft weight of mercy pressing out the day’s noise. Other times it’s like the cloud that hid Moses —a covering where He whispers peace.

I can’t even rest on top of the pillow anymore. I essentially burrow beneath it, like a child hiding in light.

It’s as if my spirit knows that He is between the world and the wounds I used to carry.

And while I sleep, He speaks.

Not always in words — sometimes in warmth, sometimes in pictures that feel like home. Dreams where the edges of fear dissolve, and the sound of His laughter becomes the rhythm of my breathing. I love the dreams where I wake up giggling a pinch.

I’m learning to let Him be the pillow, the wing, the breath beneath my arms. Really trying to relearn everything to the point He is My Everything.

I’m learning that childlike trust is not regression —it’s an internal resurrection. I love this verse from Isaiah as a double dose of Shalom. This exact repetition, “shalom shalom,” occurs twice in Scripture

Isaiah 26 : 3 and Isaiah 57 : 19 form beautiful bookends. Chapter 26 is more about a personal, inner wholeness and Chapter 57 a more communal, reconciling wholeness.

The 13-year-old heart I thought was long gone is just learning how to sleep again. It only took 44 years to feel TRULY safe, covered, and spoken to by Love Himself.

Thank you, Jesus.

I was Here

I was here today.

Actually, I have been so many places in scripture, It would be impossible to document everything the Holy Spirit has been teaching me.

Still, I need to document the gist of the adventure. It’s been a doozy.

I started in Genesis, tracing the moment God covered Adam and Eve. I looked up the Hebrew — kaphar, to cover, to atone — and then I saw how the word for skin (‘or’) was almost the same as light (or).

That stopped me. It felt like He whispered, “You were once clothed in My light, and I’m still covering you.”

I didn’t just read it — I felt it.

Then I followed the thread of 3:16–17 — the curse, the promise, the Savior, the song.

From “Cursed is the ground for your sake” to “For God so loved the world” to “The Lord your God will rejoice over you with singing.”

It was as if the whole Bible bent around those verses,and I saw how the curse became the chorus — how grace sang louder than grief.

Next came the 2:22s —He spoke to me about relationship, union, and belonging. It may be an odd way for others, but the nudge was clear to dig deeper into the power of twos. Every since May 2024, double portions have been drowning me.

Full disclosure, I was directed to use the tools at my disposal I let the computer make the images.

From the rib to the Bride, from the garden to the Church,

He keeps forming family out of dust and breath.

I thought about how He covers me differently now. He’s drawn me toward modesty, reverence, and holy covering.

It’s ironic, really. He has literally circumcised my flesh from a size 18-20 to an 8-10. Every step in the process, “less was more”. Less weight externally carried a different weight internally for me…More Jesus and Less Carol.

It’s not shame to dress modestly. It’s sacred.

And then — 33:3.

“Call to Me, and I will answer you.”

That verse hit me like a flood.

Because I have been calling,

and today it felt like He answered — not with thunder, but with threads.

Every word wove into the next until it felt like He was saying,

“See? I’ve been here in every chapter, every number, every tear.”

I am crying now, but these tears are watering something good.

I don’t know what will grow from them yet,

but I know He planted something precious today.

And I was here.

I was fully here — in His Word, in His presence, in His story.

Rising and Shining

I thought I would be writing about Psalm 118 today.

Instead, I was pulled rather firmly back to Isaiah.

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.” — Isaiah 60:1

There’s something sacred about that first word — arise.

It’s not whispered. It’s a call to stand up. To lift your head when everything around you feels heavy. To step out of the ashes, the waiting, or the weariness you’ve been sitting in. The Hebrew word means to be established — to take your rightful place. It’s resurrection language. It’s God saying, “Get up, my child. I’m doing something new.”

And then comes shine.

Not perform. Not prove. Just shine. The light isn’t something you have to generate — it’s something you reflect. Like the moon catches the sun, you simply mirror the glory that’s already rising on you. The glory of the Lord doesn’t demand effort — it simply asks for availability. When His presence fills you, you can’t help but radiate Him.

And then — this line that always stills my heart — “For your light has come.” Not will come. Not might come someday when you’ve finally got it all together.

It’s already here. The dawn has already broken. The Light has come — His name is Jesus — and His presence in you is proof that the darkness doesn’t get the final word.

Isaiah wrote those words to a people coming out of devastation — exiles returning to ruins. It was God saying, My presence is returning. My favor hasn’t forgotten you. My glory still chooses you. And it still speaks today.

Because when His glory rises upon you, it changes everything. The Hebrew word for “glory” — kabod — means weight, substance, presence. This isn’t just a glow; it’s His very being resting on you. And when that happens, you can’t stay in the same place. You can’t stay silent. You can’t stay small.

And then Isaiah 60:2–3 continues, “Darkness shall cover the earth… but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. Nations will come to your light.”

That’s the part that wrecks me every time.

Because your rising isn’t just for you. It’s for someone else’s breakthrough.

When you get up, someone else finds their way.

When you shine, someone else sees hope again.

When you let His glory rest on you, the world around you starts to believe light is still possible.

So if you’re tired, if the weight of the world has kept you low — hear it again with your spirit:

Arise. Shine. Your light has already come.

The glory of the Lord is resting on you right now.

Thank you, Jesus. 💜✝️💜

Singing Savior

Wowza! Our Savior singing in Matthew 26:30 — “And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”

It hit me like I’d never seen it before. After sharing the Passover meal — breaking bread, offering the cup, and speaking words of covenant love — Jesus sang a hymn with His disciples:

When I dug deeper, I realized that hymn would have been the Hallel Psalms (115–118) — songs of praise and deliverance. That means, on the very night He was betrayed, He was singing, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and “This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”

That just rocks my world tonight — to imagine Jesus singing Psalms 115-118 before walking to Gethsemane. I pray you think about Jesus singing the next time you are reading those Psalms. 💜✝️💜

Psalm 115 – He gives glory to the Father.

Psalm 116 – He accepts the cup of suffering.

Psalm 117 – He looks to the nations who will be saved.

Psalm 118 – He declares resurrection victory and cornerstone destiny.

He sang His own prophecy before walking to the cross. Every verse a step toward Calvary — every word an offering of trust. What love the Father has for us to send his only son to die for our sin.

I am really stuck on all kinds of hymns recently. I should not be surprised Father God gave me another “new song” today.

Meet Me in The Water

Five days ago, I posted something about being most appropriately wooed by the Holy Spirit. Sunday was glorious and running into Eva after church was a blessing in more ways than one. She shared that she was attending this Kayla Gabbard Meet Me in the Water event with a friend and sent me the info.

When I came home from work on Monday, two books were waiting for me — sent by author Pam Bacani. Inside one of them, she had written these words:

May He woo you to Himself and hold you close.”

And He has. He’s been wooing me all week. I had literally just written in detail how He woos me and draws me closer. Woo Hoo, indeed!

He looks a lot like our dog #ISWYDT

You see, I messaged Pam privately after she posted about her baptism three months ago. The way she described her faith journey resonated with mine in many ways. She did not see the message for over two months!! In His Time, she saw it about two weeks ago, and responded by sending me two of her books. His timing is always so much better!

I did not feel called to be baptized today. I did feel called to come — to pray for those volunteering , all attending and for ALL who need to meet Jesus. I brought a journal to write and the 55 Day Devotional which Pam blessed me with on Monday evening.

No shocker, today was “Day Five” in that new devotional. When I opened to the fifth day and saw Zephaniah 3:17, it was confirmation to be still and listen to His Melody. Being here with some of His Children for nearly five hours has been a bigger blessing than words can describe. Zeph 3:17 was given to me in August and they way it keeps popping up in various places is sich a huge Godwink for me.

I could listen and linger in beautiful Godversations all day, but it is time to safely make my way home. Overwhelmed with the goodness of God is the best way to be overwhelmed.

I pray YOU know Jesus💜✝️💜

Lois and Lecrae

I posted this to my Facebook around noon today:

Lecrae was not on my bingo card of new music. I learned who he was maybe two weeks ago because I heard HillSong’s acoustic version of “This is Living” on the radio. Searching for the version I heard, I noticed he was on the 2015 release. I am in a season where I prefer the acoustic version, but I knew his name.

Low and behold, my friend, Lois Tverberg, posted a fun story about meeting Lecrae last night. I learned Lecrae’s latest, “My Story” has a great shout out to her and Marty Solomon, the gentleman in this video with Lecrae. He pronounces her name PERFECTLY in a rap song! 💕

Rather than share Lois’ post, I was nudged to see if there were any videos with Lecrae talking to either Marty or Lois. I found this from six months ago and it blew me away how they discussed deconstruction as a tool for reconstruction. Marty explains CHIASMS used in writing scriptures in a digestible mannner. Exciting stuff, really!

Wherever YOU may be in your own faith journey, there is great wisdom and insight shared in this video. I love, love LOVE Marty’s metaphor about Eastern/Western scripture understanding and piano playing. The chords are crucial, but the melody is necessary, too. May it bless you, should you choose to listen. 💜✝️💜

The video I linked was this one:

Lecrae and Marty Solomon

The whole truth is far bigger than what I posted to the world on Facebook. You see, a little over one week ago, that song came on the radio as I was driving to work. Specifically, Tuesday, September 23 at 9:48 am, according the date and time stamp. I was nudged to wait for the song name and only now hear it was not in the lyrics recorded

First time hearing the song

When I opened the shop, I remember searching for the song and learning Lecrae was on the original release a decade ago. I enjoyed his rapping in that version, but the electrónica dance vibe of the song, as a whole, just isn’t my spiritual jam. The acoustic version which moved me on the way to work is the one I downloaded.

The thing which speaks loudest to me in the above video is my sideways cross. The entire story of how I came to have two very different crosses replays in my heart as I type this from my phone. I was shocked I could even switch out my necklaces without my husband’s help last week.

I must praise Him for His glorious nudges to me. The one last week was intense. So intense, I had to at least attempt to put the “right necklace” on . 💜✝️💜

I had dinner with Joyce that Tuesday evening. We shared wonderful Godversation, as we always do. The following morning, as I was driving to work, I was nudged equally as hard to talk to Jesus. So, I turned my radio off, as one does. My phone was not connected to my car.

There was no music playing, yet “This is Living” is quite loud to my ears today. I say something about hearing an old song “ in my ear” and I can catch something about my spirit being disrupted.

Well, here’s the deal. I hear a lot of music “in my ear” that no one else hears. It’s important to clarify that for me, disrupted spirit isn’t a “bad” thing. When He “disrupts” me, it’s always for my edification. I love, love LOVE all the ways God gives me lessons. I do have a special affinity for how He gives me my spiritual soundtrack.

Ultimately, part of me desperately wants to know every word He had me speak. Good heavens, it’s about seven minutes in total length.

However, I am sharing a shorter clip, as it conveys what I believe He meant for it to convey. Thank you, Jesus, for mysteries which all point back to you.