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.

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.

Nine is Divine

In recent weeks, I have written about Daniel, Cyrus, Esther and more. This morning, my husband flipped my Bible to 2 Chronicles 35 The study notes grabbed my attention. Thank you, Father God.

The Bible is full of moments when God’s voice breaks through in unexpected places—not just through prophets and priests, but through kings, pagans, even enemies. Over and over, He reminds us that His sovereignty is not bound by human categories.

Pharaoh Neco warned Josiah not to meddle, and the chronicler tells us his words were “from the mouth of God” (2 Chronicles 35:20–24). Josiah refused, and it cost him his life. Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon received dreams of empires and of his own humbling (Daniel 2; Daniel 4), showing God’s rule over all nations. Abimelech, a Philistine king, was warned in a dream to protect Sarah, convicting Abraham himself (Genesis 20). Balaam, a pagan diviner, opened his mouth to curse but could only bless (Numbers 22–24). Cyrus of Persia was stirred to send Israel home and rebuild the temple (Isaiah 45:1; Ezra 1:1–4), though he never knew Yahweh personally.

God also spoke through Pharaoh’s dreams of famine, leading to Joseph’s rise (Genesis 41). At Christ’s trial, Pilate’s wife was disturbed in a dream about “that righteous man” (Matthew 27:19). Wise men from the East followed a star and bowed before the newborn King (Matthew 2:1–12). Even Haman’s own household in Esther saw the writing on the wall: to oppose God’s people is to fall (Esther 6:13).

These stories differ in time and place, but together they form a striking pattern: God can and will use anyone. Kings and peasants, men and women, believers and unbelievers alike—none are beyond His reach. His purposes move through dreams, warnings, foreign decrees, even reluctant lips.

The question is not whether God can speak through outsiders. The question is: will we have the humility to recognize His voice, no matter the source?

Loving Enemies

There is a Jesus Calling devotional in our Master Closet and the long form tabletop version of Jesus Calling is in our kitchen.

I failed to read either at home today, as Mark and I were enjoying an in-depth chat about Psalm 143 and blessing our perceived enemies with prayer. I needed to get cleaned up and get to work

Much of what my husband said is in our Smyrna shop devotional Today’s message in One Minute with God 💜✝️💜.

Today, we was like an extra sweet hug from Jesus to read this devotional.

Rather than give life to a negative thought, I praise God for giving me the answer four days ago to stand on His Word this morning. Praise, praise and more praise!

I posted about Judas yesterday. This was a second post on my Facebook page :

I woke to this response and a heavy heart as a result.

It continued with my exact response from four days ago. Reading it now, again, I am convicted He gave me the answer in advance. What else could I have said other than what He clearly gave me?

Nathalie Anne , it’s okay if we disagree as humans. Please understand I am always going to defer to the example of our Savior, Jesus. We are all broken and all need a savior. Jesus was interceding for ALL of humanity on that cross.

Reading your prayer, I had no choice except to speak up for those you seemed to exclude. I didn’t realize just how intentional the exclusion until your response. Jesus is our eternal intercessor according to Romans 8:34 and Hebrews 7:25.

Reading your comment this morning, there isn’t a better, shorter or different response. I have no scales of bad or good people. I am grateful to know The One who owns the scales of justice. He is clear to pray for our enemies, too.

Nathalie, bad fathers are not going to begin their “good arc” without God. So, yes, I will continue to pray for ALL parents to be compelled to know better, do better and be better. I will also pray for all single people the same. I will pray for addicts to meet Jesus and to be delivered from addiction in all its forms. The list is endless and always inclusive.

Praying for all who love Jesus to reveal that love in truth and action. 💜✝️💜

I love you, too.

Thank you, Father God, for the comfort and peace today. Thank you for reminding me of big truths in small ways, too. I love seeking you in everything.

Creekmont Visit

This morning I stepped into Creekmont Baptist Church for the very first time. My former long term hairdresser, Becky, invited us to join them for worship when I got my hair cut on Tuesday. For a few years, I went elsewhere. I see His Hand in that timing, too. We first met before Mark and I were married!

Her husband, Shad, was asked to fill in as pastor a little over a year ago, and now he serves there permanently. We just learned today it was a customer of hers that asked him to step in, temporarily.

Wowza. Five days.

Today has been a day of many fives.

We pulled in the parking lot and we both voiced prayers before going inside. From the moment we walked through the doors, we were greeted by multiple smiling faces. The warmth could be compared to walking into a loving family gathering. The building itself carried a simplicity that reminded me of churches from the 1970s — plain, clean, without distraction — but alive with heart and spirit.

The music was from an electronic piano and carried a sincere vibe of the late 70’s or early 80’s, a style my husband grew up loving. They opened with Everlasting God, and by the closing stanza, liquid was traveling from my eyes, down my cheeks. The words settled into me deeply, “strength will rise as we wait upon The Lord…you do not faint, You won’t grow weary.”

No, sir, you do not grow weary. #ISWYDT

During the offering, the children collected the coins as they played an old tune through the speakers. “I may never march in the infantry, ride in the cavalry, shoot the artillery. I may never fly o’er the enemy. But, I’m in the Lords Army! Yes, Sir!”

What a joyful moment — innocence and faith braided together. For “YESSIR” to be a lyric was extra special for me.

Godwink moment- Mark thought Holy, Holy, Holy would be the first hymn in the hymnal. It was number 55. He said something about 5 by 5 being “loud and clear”. Yes. To the right was “Love Divine”. The most powerful lessons to be were in Matt 5, Mark 5 and Thess 5.

An older gentleman gave the welcome, opening with 1 Peter 5:7 — “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” His words were clear testimony and biblical truth.

I typically would not be aware during worship, but I saw tears in my husband’s eyes as we sang Amazing Grace. He said it felt like a church from his youth. To me, this was confirmation we were in the right place.

Pastor Shad preached from Matthew 5 while weaving in John 7, Mark 5, 1 Thessalonians 5, and even 2 Thess.

Shad is a gifted teacher. Notably, he began by reading most of Matthew 5. The message itself was rich: he spoke about the Beatitudes as a kind of moral inventory — behavior as it should be for those who belong to Christ. You must live out Matthew 5:1–12 before you can truly be salty and filled with light.

Then he asked: What would you give up for two weeks — salt or light? Most of us would struggle either way. His point was clear: both are essential.

What struck me the deepest was how the Holy Spirit used Shad’s extended reading of Mark 5 to deepen my understanding. We are now home and I am heartbroken how Mark five concludes with Jesus being asked to leave. Treasuring pigs over people, I pray His Children came home. The point is the Holy Spirit used Shad to bring the demon-possessed man into vivid focus for me

I digress. I must document the heart of this first visit for reasons I don’t fully understand.

There was something pure in the feeling of the church today — no flash, no pretense, just warmth, worship, and the Word. It is a place where you sense that light still shines, that salt still preserves, and that children of God are called to live as children of the light.

We will definitely be going back. Today marks the beginning of our Creekmont story.

After the service, we attempted and failed to eat at GG’s and Metro Diner. We quickly succeeded at the new Italian place , Penne Pazze. We shared a pizza, gnocchi and a salad. It is most authentic food we have enjoyed since being in Italy two years ago! I am already looking forward to the leftovers.

No shocker the table number we were guided to for seating. Thank you, Lord! 💜✝️💜

Knowing, Guarding & Forgiving

Last night I was compelled to post John 17:17 — “Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.”

This morning I opened my Bible and landed on Matthew 18, and immediately my mind went back to my friend Julie’s post and the comment section.

God is weaving things together for me in a new way. The ultimate and absolute Dream Weaver is Father God. I am convinced Gary Wright knows how God directs our dreams based on the stories behind his song.

My Matthew 18 pages are filled with tons of notes and notations. Today, I was nudged to write “Julie Mauck 9/20/25” . I was not nudged to put “Luke 17:2”, likely because there is a printed corresponding scripture beginning Luke 17:1.

Dated notes from October 2017, January and February 2023, May 8, 2024, July 13, 2025 and today. Three key notes struck me hard. The notes about being His Child, honoring is greater than wallowing and “confirmation is Biblical (Matt 18:16) stood out to me.

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As I sat with it, I realized how John 17 and Matthew 18 fit together. Well, my John 17 pages are all kinds of noted, as well, with a big YADA YADA. Divine Humor, once again! 💜✝️💜

In Matthew 18, Jesus calls us to humility like children and warns us not to cause “little ones” to stumble. Jesus says it would be better to wear a millstone around our necks than to mislead them and the millstone takes me back to Hebrew dreams last winter. He goes on to show that forgiveness must flow endlessly — seventy times seven.

In John 17, Jesus defines eternal life: “that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (v.3). The Hebrew word yada — to know — means deep, intimate relationship, not casual acquaintance. I had even scribbled in my margin a reminder that yada yada (so often a throwaway phrase in our culture) actually calls me back to the seriousness of truly knowing God and His Son.

No big shocker. I just wrote about Daniel 9 and seventies and sevens the other day. Every single detail is intricately woven to another.

Put side by side, the message is clear:

To truly know God and Jesus (John 17) is to live in humility, to guard the vulnerable, and to walk in radical forgiveness (Matthew 18). His prayer for unity in John 17 comes alive only when we practice the hard, daily work of forgiveness in Matthew 18.

And I’m reminded — unity in the Body isn’t a theory; it’s built every time I choose to forgive, every time I guard someone’s faith instead of wounding it, every time I walk humbly like a child

So today, I’m holding these together:

Intimacy with God (John 17)

Protection of the vulnerable (Matthew 18:6)

Unity through forgiveness (Matthew 18:21–35)

That’s the kind of community Jesus prayed for. That’s the kind of life I want to live.

Oh, and I used technology to make Julie and all Biblical Warriors an accurate hoodie. Thank you, Jesus, for all good inspiration ! 😇

9:19 Scriptures

I have written about Rich Mullins many times. He was killed 28 years ago on September 19. Leaving home to go to work, I have a sixteen minute video talking and singing both The Color Green and Creed. To be clear, you can hear my car giving safety alerts, clearly hear my iTunes playing and hear me singing.

I know what The Holy Spirit was saying to me. He has been singing over me for over three months. Here is just the last minute.

The Lord clearly used Rich Mullins and his music in my faith journey. Today, I want to honor my Father in Heaven and thank him, again, for how He used Rich to grow my faith.

When we pause to look at chapter 9, verse 19 across the Scriptures, we find a chorus of voices crying out to God — for justice, for mercy, for guidance, and for strength. These verses together form a testimony of His sovereignty and our dependence.

Psalm 9:19

“Arise, O Lord; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight.”

➡ A call for God to rise up against human arrogance and establish His justice.

Jeremiah 9:19

“For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, How are we spoiled! we are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the land, because our dwellings have cast us out.”

➡ A lament of deep sorrow, acknowledging the consequences of forsaking God.

Nehemiah 9:19

“Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.”

➡ A testimony of God’s unfailing mercy and guidance, even when His people strayed.

Daniel 9:19

“O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.”

➡ A bold intercession, pleading with God to act quickly for the sake of His name and His people.

Job 9:19

“If I speak of strength, lo, he is strong: and if of judgment, who shall set me a time to plead?”

➡ A confession that God alone holds ultimate power and authority in strength and justice.

✨ Reflection

Taken together, the 9:19 Scriptures give us a pattern:

Psalm calls for God’s justice. Jeremiah mourns the cost of disobedience. Nehemiah remembers God’s mercy. Daniel pleads for God’s swift action. Job acknowledges God’s supreme strength.

They remind us that in every season — lament, wandering, intercession, or confession — God’s sovereignty and mercy remain steadfast.

Oh, Father God, your loving kindness makes my heart sing.

Daniel 9 is Divine

Last night, we met with our small group of nearly a decade to study Daniel 9. I am giddy. I thought we started late May, but we began on April 30. I had forgotten about a week skipped over the summer and one skipped while we were on vacation. We only meet twice each month.

The timing of the study and how impactful it has been since May 8 are undeniable. I shared a nudge with my husband as we were drifting off to sleep. I woke with the inherent need to document the intensity of the nudge and to attempt to document what He is teaching me.

I flipped to Ezra. Again. Then nudged to connect 2 Chronicles to Daniel and Ezra. All the while, I have the SHIN of Jerusalem tattooed on my heart from Daniel 9 last night.

Here is a lovely post that does a good job of connecting much of my heart here:

https://www.minimannamoments.com/i-will-put-my-name-part-2/

To me, Daniel 9 is Divine. Yes, the entire Bible is infallible and from God. Still, there was extra powerful revelation last night which means I must notate it accordingly. The way He works with me, I am to acknowledge Daniel 9 is Divine for both its prayer and prophecy, as well as the power forged through the spirit. No doubt, this entire lesson was necessary. Thank you, Lord!

Daniel’s prayer of repentance, followed by Gabriel’s prophecy of the seventy “sevens,” is unlike anything else — both a cry of the heart and a roadmap laid out with mathematical precision.

God answered with mercy — and a plan far greater than Daniel could see. Soon after, Cyrus fulfilled Jeremiah’s words (2 Chronicles 36 / Ezra 1), sending God’s people home. But Gabriel also revealed a deeper timeline pointing to the coming Messiah.

That layered fulfillment has opened my eyes. God is faithful in the immediate, and He is faithful in the eternal. What He promised through Jeremiah, answered in Daniel, fulfilled in Ezra, and completed in Christ — He is still doing in my life today.

Daniel had been reading Jeremiah’s prophecy about 70 years of exile. He knew the time was nearly complete, and so he pleaded for mercy: for forgiveness, restoration, and for God’s name to be honored again in Jerusalem. God’s answer came in two layers: yes, the 70 years of exile were ending — but His plan reached far beyond, stretching into the coming of the Messiah.

Praise God! 💜✝️💜

That’s exactly where 2 Chronicles 36:22–23 and Ezra 1:1–3 pick up. The last words of Chronicles and the opening words of Ezra declare the fulfillment: “In the first year of Cyrus… the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation…” The exiles returned, the Temple was rebuilt, Jeremiah’s prophecy was fulfilled. That was the immediate answer to Daniel’s prayer.

But Daniel had also been shown something greater — a second countdown. The seventy “sevens” would ultimately point to Christ, the true Anointed One, who would be “cut off” not for His own sins but for ours, bringing “everlasting righteousness” (Daniel 9:24).

For me, seeing this layered fulfillment has been profound. It reminds me that God’s Word works on more than one level: the historical, the spiritual, and the deeply personal. What Daniel prayed for, Ezra recorded and Jesus fulfilled is the same story the Holy Spirit is writing in my life.

Just as He brought Israel out of exile, He has been bringing me out of old ways of thinking and into a deeper closeness with Him.

Sometimes you don’t realize how far you’ve grown until the Lord opens your eyes. Last night, through Daniel’s prayer and prophecy, He opened my eyes to deeper truths.

Next, we will talk about how God can use anyone, even a Persian King, to fulfill his purposes.

Father God, thank you for all you’ve done since the beginning of time. I am beyond grateful for all you are currently doing in our lives. I am excited to see your plans unfold for our future. I shared “your song” with Mark last night. Thank you for his sweet response and for giving me a faithful husband who loves me and the kids so well.

All I need , you know. Whatever your will may be, I submit. I love you. Please keep refining me and removing the dross. In Jesus powerful and precious name, Amen.