Jesus Jiu-Jitsu

We finished watching the Joe Rogan episode with Chadd Wright this morning. It took another “three days to resurrect” the topic, as we are stupidly busy closing down one of our shops.

What a phenomenal second half of a show! I am grateful I was nudged to watch and listen with my husband. We paused the show a few times because we both had details to clarify. He now understands why I couldn’t stop picturing something holy and hilarious to me.

Jesus doing jiu-jitsu with a scarlet red belt.

Now before you laugh me off the mat, hear me out.

Despite much talk of aluminum and carbon bows, Navy Seals, two types of Land Rovers and more—-the only image of Jesus in my spirit is this one of Him preparing for jiu-jitsu.

It’s the kind of nudge that compels me to learn more about whatever topic I believe is being given by the Holy Spirit.

In jiu-jitsu, the goal isn’t to overpower your opponent with strength. In fact, the objective is to stay calm, keep your balance, use the attacker’s own momentum against him, and look for the moment to turn defense into victory.

And suddenly, I realized — that’s exactly what Jesus does with us… and for us. 💜✝️💜

The Ultimate Counter-Move

When the enemy came swinging in the wilderness (Matthew 4), Jesus didn’t meet force with force.

He met temptation with truth — quoting Scripture, redirecting every attack back toward its source until the devil had no footing left.

That’s spiritual jiu-jitsu:

The enemy lunges with pride, and Jesus answers with humility. The enemy strikes with fear, and Jesus counters with perfect love (1 John 4:18). The enemy chokes with accusation, and Jesus slips free with forgiveness (Romans 8:1).

He never panics.

He just pivots.

“Be Strong in the Lord…”

We don’t fight flesh and blood — we spar with lies, discouragement, and spiritual exhaustion. The best offense begins with a great defense. I’m not sure who said it first, but I hear it a ton from my hubby and son during football season.

The more time we spend on the mat with the Master, the more we learn His moves. The best defense is being grounded in His Word. What a precious reminder of the two-edged sword of truth.

He teaches us how to roll when life throws us down, how to breathe through the struggle, and how to come up standing again.

Turning the Enemy’s Weight

Romans 8:28 says,

That’s divine reversal — turning the enemy’s own weight into the very leverage that lifts us higher.

Every hardship, every insult, every test becomes another lesson in spiritual technique.

It’s not about aggression.

It’s about alignment — heart, spirit, and will positioned beneath His.

Training Notes from the Mat

Stay grounded — Know where your footing is (Ephesians 6:15). Breathe grace — Control your spirit before your circumstance (Proverbs 16:32). Use the Word — It’s your counter-move every single time (Matthew 4:4). Tap out pride — Strength made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). Celebrate the win — Joy is the victory stance (Philippians 4:4).

Champion in Christ

I believe the best champions are those who get knocked down and keep training with their teachers or coaches.

In the Kingdom, even a takedown becomes testimony.

Every roll on the mat of faith makes us more like Him — calm under pressure, rooted in truth, quick to forgive, impossible to defeat.

I really need to sit with all the jiu-jitsu truth that the GrandMaster Jesus is beginning to teach me on new ways.

Yessir, Master of the Universe. It makes perfect sense the red belt can represent salvation and truth for many Biblical reasons. Still, it is no coincidence that only GrandMasters in jiu-jitsu wear red belts.

I see what you did there. #ISWYDT.

I utterly adore you for holding everything together, including me. Thank you for making my phone say JOY JITSU every time I was hunting jiu-jitsu factoids. You make learning , loving and EVERYTHING joyful. I love you. 💜✝️💜

4:44

I woke up at 4:44 a.m., wide-eyed and alert, as if someone had not-so-gently touched my shoulder.

Not anxious. Not startled. Just… aware that my first response is to consider whatever 4:4 tells me in His Word.

So I did — and the pattern was unmistakable.

💧 Romans 4:4 — Grace Over Earning

“Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation.”

There it was — the reminder I didn’t know I needed.

I can’t earn the water I’ve been drawing from.

It’s not wages for obedience. It’s a gift.

Freely given, faithfully flowing.

Every time I’ve tried to prove myself worthy of the well, He’s gently said, “Just drink.”

🔥 Galatians 4:4 — The Fulness of Time

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law.”

In that perfect timing, Heaven stepped into humanity.

Grace took on skin and breathed among us.

When I woke at 4:44, I sensed that same divine timing — not random, but right on time.

God’s not late.

He’s never early.

He’s always exactly on time.

🌿 Ephesians 4:4 — One Spirit, One Hope

“There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called.”

I felt that, too — the unity in the flow.

This isn’t my well; it’s our well.

The same Spirit who woke me at 4:44 is the one stirring hearts all over the world.

One Source. One Spirit. One Hope.

What flows through me flows through the Body.

🌈 Philippians 4:4 — Rejoice in the Lord Always

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”

And there it is — the overflow.

The natural result of drawing from grace, walking in timing, and living in unity is joy.

Not surface gladness, but deep rejoicing.

That quiet kind of joy that wells up even in tears.

It’s the joy Isaiah spoke of and put into words yesterday.

#ISWYDT

It’s a divine rhythm of Grace being given, embodied, shared and rejoiced.

Hmmm.

Maybe 4:44 isn’t about time at all.

Maybe it’s Heaven’s reminder that everything He does is in perfect order —

and that His grace never stops flowing in fours: Father, Son, Spirit, and you — the vessel He chose.

Thank you, Jesus! I sure do love you!!!

Give the Garden Away

It’s early. Like, 4:30 a.m. early. I know it’s not random — I have been summoned.

It’s been a while since The Boss got me up like this.
He’s been working with me differently lately. But this morning, it was clear as a bell in my spirit:


“Give the garden away.”

Now, at first, my brain went straight to the garden — like Eden, the Fall, salvation, all of it.

Give the story away.
Give the gospel away.
Okay, got it, Lord.

But before I could even nod back off, I saw again that orchard He showed me on Sunday in church. It was so beautiful I cried right there in the pew. The kind of vision that makes you whisper, “I don’t deserve this.”
And I knew right then — this morning’s word was connected to that orchard.

Then (because He always layers His messages), I remembered the show we’d watched last night — the first episode of the new season of Watson. There was this woman with dementia and other symptoms with a son she’d given up a few years before she had her daughter, Long story short: he ends up giving her part of his liver to save her life.


But here’s the kicker — he realizes she’d been in his shop every single day saying, “Good morning, young man,” and he’d never known she was his mother.

She had loved him faithfully, quietly, consistently, just like The Boss does with us.


And when he realized it, he didn’t just give her his liver — he gave her his life. He brought his wife, his three kids, his whole world into hers.
That’s multiplication. That’s restoration. That’s what giving the garden away looks like.


“I’d give everything away anyway, Lord, without you telling me when, where and who to give.”
And I felt Him smile. Not with words, but that knowing.


Because He’s not asking me to give away what’s mine.
He’s reminding me that none of it ever was.

Every seed. Every story. Every orchard.
All His.

And the only thing special about me?
How He’s loved me.
How He keeps showing up at 4:30 a.m. to remind me:
the fruit isn’t for keeping.

It’s for giving.

And maybe that’s part of what He meant too.
Because both my Fathers appreciate attention to detail.

My earthly dad — Oszczakiewicz — taught me that details matter.
The way you sign your name, the way you show up, the way you finish something you start.
And my Heavenly Father — well, He’s been rewriting the details ever since.

It hit me this morning, sitting in that still darkness:
sixteen years my dad’s been gone from this world,
and somehow, every year since,
Jesus has drawn me in closer.
Not in loud ways — in quiet ones.
Little nudges. Little whispers.
Like this one: “Give the garden away.”

I think maybe the garden was never the point.
Maybe it’s the giving.
Maybe that’s the detail The Boss wanted me to notice.

Ellen Lives

Ellen lives, though she left this earth nearly five years ago, November 24. My daughter has a picture of one of Ellen’s poems displayed in her home. I have memories tattooed into my spirit of Ellen singing loudly and joyfully in my vehicle.

Maybe I keep cars for over a decade because they carry memories. I don’t know. Perhaps just a weird thought about how my kids were sad when I traded my White Ford Explorer. Perhaps the memories of the plethora of women in my Ford Focus, another vehicle I kept for ten years.

I digress. It happens.

I bumped into Ellen’s mom at the nail salon the other day. I suggested we get together one Tuesday or Wednesday evening when she was available. She suggested tonight.

Though I know many who have lost children , I understand we all process grief differently.

Something about the five year anniversary of her death is causing me to pause and pray about meeting her in less than two hours.

Father God, oh Abba,

As I remain in your court in perpetual Thanksgiving and praise…

Still my heart before I go.
Let my words be few,
but my presence be full of Your peace.

Give me eyes to see beyond her pain—
to the places where hope still flickers,
and to the memories that still shine with love.

Remind me that I don’t need to fix what only You can heal.
Let my listening be a refuge,
my smile a reflection of Your kindness,
and my timing in every word be guided by Your Spirit.

As the anniversary of her loss approaches,
wrap her in Your tenderness tonight.
Let her feel seen, remembered,
and somehow lighter when we part.

Use me as a quiet reminder
that she’s not alone—
that love endures,
and that You are still near.

In Jesus’ name,
Amen.

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”?

Ezekiel 3

Ezekiel 3:1–3 (NKJV)

Hebrew Word Study should be joyful, as doing anything unto the Lord ought to be. I get especially giddy when I get to deep dive and find so much treasure. How fun to look back to other posts about Ezekiel and see how He grows us from the inside out.

The Hebrew words in this passage add depth to what Ezekiel was truly experiencing:

Eat — אָכַל (’akal) Means to consume, to internalize, to take into oneself completely.

God wasn’t asking Ezekiel to sample His Word but to become one with it — to let it fill his entire being until it was inseparable from who he was.

Scroll — מְגִלָּה (megillah) Rooted in גלל (galal) meaning “to roll up” or “to unfold.”

A megillah holds hidden revelation waiting to be unrolled. When Ezekiel eats it, it symbolizes the unveiling of divine mysteries — revelation that must be digested before it can be declared.

Honey — דְּבַשׁ (debash) Symbol of sweetness, delight, and the richness of divine truth.

God’s Word can confront, correct, and refine — yet in its essence, it is always sweet to those who love truth.

Belly/Stomach — מֵעֶה (me‘eh) Refers to the inner parts, the seat of emotion and compassion.

God’s command to “fill your stomach” means: Let My Word reach your deepest self — the place where feelings, faith, and discernment reside.

God’s Word is not meant to rest on our lips; it is meant to live in our gut. Maybe, just maybe, scripture should always be more than something we quote — it’s something we digest.

Oh, how I have always been drawn to Ezekiel!

There’s always been something about Ezekiel — my buddy Zeke — that pulls on my spirit. Maybe it’s because he didn’t just hear God’s Word; he ate it. He let it become part of him, shaping not only his message but his metabolism of truth.

Three years ago, I should have died falling down twelve stairs in our home. But instead of taking me home, God took hold of me. He began a holy detox — peeling away layer by layer of what had been dulling my spirit.

First, He silenced the noise — the news, the politics, the music that wasn’t feeding my soul. Then He began healing my body: no more fake sugars, no more processed foods. He taught me to consider the source — even down to something as simple as an egg. Farm fresh, real, whole — as He intended.

With that obedience came transformation.

Through intermittent fasting and His wisdom, I’ve lost over ninety-five pounds — but more than that, I’ve lost the heaviness that once separated me from His presence.

Now, as I digest His Word daily, I can feel life rising within me — literally, physically, emotionally, spiritually.

Like Ezekiel, I’ve tasted the scroll. It is sweet as honey in my mouth, filling me with truth that brings wholeness and peace. And though sometimes His correction can taste bitter at first, it always becomes nourishment for my soul.

When you let God feed you, you begin to crave only what’s real.

And in that sacred hunger, healing begins.

The Word becomes health to all your flesh and honey to your heart.

Oh, sweet Jesus! I just had “bee lessons” and “past buzzing” come to heart. #ISWYDT. Honey! How could I ever thank you enough? Excited to see how you help me set the table and invite others to feast on The Word together.

A Divine Touch

There’s something holy about human touch. From the beginning, God chose to make Himself known through nearness — not from afar, but through contact. He formed Adam from the dust and breathed life into him. He touched Isaiah’s lips with a coal and made him clean. And when Jesus walked this earth, His healing flowed not through distance, but through touch.

The Hebrew word for touch — נָגַע (nāgaʿ) — means “to reach, to come near, to connect.” It can mean to brush against, to strike, or to cling to. It’s the same word used when God touched Jacob’s hip and changed his walk forever (Genesis 32:25), and when the angel touched Isaiah’s lips and said, “Your guilt is taken away” (Isaiah 6:7).

A single touch from Heaven transforms what it touches.

In the Greek, the word is ἅπτομαι (haptomai), meaning “to fasten oneself to.” That’s the word used when the woman pressed through the crowd to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment (Matthew 9:20–22). Her touch wasn’t casual — it was desperate, believing that one contact with Him would be enough. And it was.

Touch is how Heaven meets earth — how the unseen becomes felt.

It’s why Jesus touched the leper and made him whole (Luke 5:13), took children in His arms and blessed them (Mark 10:16), and touched His trembling disciples saying, “Do not be afraid” (Matthew 17:7).

We were made for connection — for community, for covenant, for communion. Marriage is one reflection of this holy design — the physical expression of becoming one flesh, where touch is sacred, not casual. But even beyond marriage, the human touch of compassion, prayer, and presence carries the warmth of divine love.

Sometimes, when someone hugs us at the right moment, holds our hand, or prays with us, it’s not just them — it’s Heaven reaching through human hands.

So when you touch another with kindness, when you reach out to pray, comfort, or heal — remember:

You are echoing His heart.

You are embodying His Word.

You are carrying His love in flesh and bone.

Thank you, Jesus, for giving me such a grounding in your WORD before I even left for work today. Your Word is life, power, healing and everything GOOD.

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.