Deriving Joy

Sometimes insight sort of lands in your lap.

This summer, I am a nanny for two adorable children.

Perhaps, it was as I cleaned their playroom and the four year old said to me, "Now this is clean enough for Justin Bieber to arrive," and I couldn't help but laugh! Or when I took her to the park and she quickly found a new friend whom she aptly named, "Shark Boy." Then it occurred to me:

Blessed are the pure in heart. What joy is mine, if my perspective is refined. I remembered a prophesy I had received when I was 14 years old, that I would become a "child bride." Unashamedly childlike!

"Life gets more exciting with every passing day."

Isn't it the truth? How blessed are we, to dance through the trials of life as the beloved children of God. Playfulness and joy at our core, love as our treasure. Ministers of reconciliation in a strange generation. "If we are among the very young at heart."

"If I live to be 105, look at ALL I WILL HAVE DERIVED, OUT OF BEING ALIVE...if I am among the very young at heart."

Life givers. HERE WE ARE. Deriving Joy!

"Young at Heart" Frank Sinatra

Fairy tales can come true
It could happen to you if you're young at heart
For it's hard, you will find
To be narrow of mind if you're young at heart

You can go to extremes with impossible schemes
You can laugh while your dreams fall apart at the seams
And life gets more exciting with each passing day
And love is either in your heart or it's on it's way

Don't you know that it's worth
Every treasure on earth to be young at heart
For as rich as you are
It's much better by far to be young at heart

And if you should survive to a hundred and five
Look at all you'll derive out of being alive
And here is the best part, you have a head start
If you are among the very young at heart

Godliness with Contentment.

"Now godliness with contentment is great gain." - 1 Timothy 6:6

I am a trophy of mercy for the glory of a King.

My heart turns to Him, and He is ravished. My reach; He sees.

Hearts bear scars, just like bodies. But scars tell stories. They become testimony in eternity, for the fame of One slain. My reach, He sees. My love, a fragrance burning memorials for a King.

"Love is God and God is Love." -Jaeson Ma

That One, I will love. I will love Him to the end. I will overcome. He will help me. I boast in Him.

Love, Melissa

Please enjoy reading this article, "Humble Confidence" by Jean C. J. D'Elbere.

http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0860.htm

Not with Pen & Ink.

"We are not human doings, we are human beings."-Jaeson Ma

There is a rhythm beating over our existence, with every breath we take. Every morning when we rise, if only we had EARS to HEAR! This is what the Ruach says, "Be with Me. Be WITH Me. BE with me. Together. Yahweh. God and Man. What a good idea. Come close. Closer still. Be with me where I am. For I AM He that endures." -(Melissa Haskin)

"As for me, I will continue BEHOLDING YOUR FACE in righteousness; I shall be FULLY satisfied, when I awake [to find myself] beholding Your form [and having sweet communion with You." Psalm 17:15

F A C E to F A C E

F A C E to F A C E

F A C E to F A C E

"I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face."- 3 John v.13-14

Face to face. This is my cry.

To behold and then live in adoration of the Holy.

Dear Jesus... fill me with the knowledge of the Holy. The Love within the Trinity. Put it in me. In this little beating heart. Let the breath of the Living One put oxygen in my soul. To LOVE YOU. This is my prayer. -Melissa

"For the LORD is righteous,
he loves justice;
the upright will see His face."-Psalm 11:7

It all fades in the light of His Beautiful Face. Hallelujah to the Lamb who was slain. "Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; let Your good Spirit lead me on..." Psalm 143:10

lovesickness. love abounding more and more and more and more.

Jerusalem. City of the Great King. Alive in my heart!

"And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light." Rev. 21:23

My prayer...Abba. Let me live this way, here on earth. Let the Lamb be my exceeding great reward in this human life. We are strangers here. Your love is more real. Amen.

F A C E to F A C E

Bold like Lions.

A sonnet for the lionhearts. The hopeful hearts who are buoyant and unafraid.

The righteous; they are so bold. Even as lions.

The righteous, then? Who ARE they? The righteous: the Redeemed?

"As for the saints who are in the earth, they are the majestic ones, in whom is all My delight." -Psalm 16:3

What is the definition of a whole-hearted love? What does it mean to live out loud, in living color? To live for the challenge. Or as Mother Theresa says, "To Love Anyways?" What will it take for a generation to awaken fully, to love; and cry, "Come, Lord Jesus, Come!"

What fierceness of love defies even the grave? Love that walks through the flame? The love that lays down its life for another? The kind that Jesus gave.

What does love look like on full blast?

In this world, we will struggle. Yet...

Unafraid.

To the men and women of UNDERSTANDING, who found the treasure hidden in the field, a distant song beckons on the tethers of the heart.

For the Bible says...

"The wicked flee when no one pursues them, but the RIGHTEOUS ARE AS BOLD AS A LION."-Proverbs 28:1

For the flower fades. This life is but a vapor. Fleeting...

But I am determined. To live with my heart set upon a pilgrimage. To live unafraid. In love. In love. In love. Out loud. Out loud. In color. Grateful.

Raise up the BRIGHT AND SHINING LAMPS.

Let His praise be found always, upon these lips.

"Caught up, Caught up, with You, My JESUS. In love, in love, with You, My Jesus."-Meredith Andrews

"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." -John 16:33

Sweet Epiphany

"The highs and lows. We call this: LIVING." -The Afters

Oh, sweet epiphanies!

Thank goodness for mercy which whispers hope: JUST IN TIME.

I recently discovered the glorious morning light of the 6am sunrise, sitting on the crest of the golf course I live on. I lay staring up at perfect cobalt sky, the dew on the endless grass sparkling like a million diamonds; just for me. Silence. Until the orange of the sun, broke through the horizon, thus turning the vast, simple beauty; into a rainbow of mercy.

That morning, it was a "lay all the cards on the table" sort of moment, with God. Either a Rhema sword of truth would come that instant and penetrate my heart, or I was at the dangerous precipice, unsure of what was next. This was my fear: That the autopilot numbness would lure me in to apathy again. The accusations were deafening. But even thicker was the silence.

But as sure as the dawn. As sure as the sun WILL RISE.

Let faith and hope also rise!

I heard My Parakletos, My Best Friend, the Spirit of Love... He whispered this Truth:

"Yet their voice [in evidence] goes out through all the earth, their sayings to the end of the world. Of the heavens, has God made a tent for the sun, which is as a BRIDEGROOM COMING OUT OF HIS CHAMBER; and it rejoices as a strong man to run His course. Its going forth is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the ends of it; and nothing [yes, no one] is hidden from the heat of it." Psalm 19:4-6

Every delicious sunrise shouts to us about the Son of Man's soon coming return! It shouts to us of the One we love! It shouts to my feeble heart of His Jealous Love for me.

Come, Lord Jesus, Come!

Here is the revelation... the worth of Christ. PEOPLE!! He is worth it all. Every trial. Every pain.

His love is an ocean wide.

This is what He said to me that day: "Your life is a perfect success, because you have chosen to spend time with Me. This can never be taken from you. Every drop you wasted at My feet is fragrance for eternity. I call your life: BEAUTY. Now you must think the same."

"The war is already waged for my destiny. I've got a couple dents in my fender, a couple rips in my jeans. But I'm free to be; Me." Francesca Battiscelli

And then there is the reminiscing of 9/11. The capture of Bin Laden. The end of a 10 year Page. Good God, it is really about the "HOUR IN WHICH WE LIVE." Sons of Ischaar, take your place.

I see the big picture. It is worth everything.

"You light up the sky to show me, YOU ARE WITH ME. Can't deny that You are with me. You opened my eyes, so I can see you are all around me. YOU ARE WITH ME."-The Afters

Unlikely Inspirations

In the mundane, we look for inspiration. I am training my heart to have wings; always! Here are some recent elevations of the the heart:

Intercession for Others: There is remarkable renewal to the inner man as we begin to gaze higher and partner with God in prayer for others, beyond ourselves.

"First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God, our Savior." -1 Timothy 2:1-3

What joy to partner with the heart of the King of Kings, concerning the kings of the earth. It is His will, that we should always pray for them.

Hazel McCallion, Mayor of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. She is 90 years old! She has held her position as mayor of her city, for 33 years, since 1978. She is now known for the legacy of her leadership; leading a DEBT-FREE city! Truly, this is to be respected! Her comments upon these matters:

They want to know why a city of our size and age is debt free, when many cities in the United States are going bankrupt." She said, saying the answer to their problems would be "to manage it well, and that's what we've been doing."

This seems reminiscent of the values of previous generations, gone before us. Wouldn't we do well to learn from this example?

Tornado Survivors of the Southern USA: In the aftermath of the monster tornadoes, which have torn through the southern US states, this April, (with over 320+ deaths,) one newscaster commented on his surprise of the positive trend of the reaction of the survivors, who lived and lost through the storm:

"I'm just thankful to be alive! I'm seriously blessed," many survivors said.

What might we learn from this statement? Perhaps a re prioritizing and a thankfulness, which would simplify and amplify our existence to a more nobler place? Life is short. It is actually the very "will of the Father" that we should live: Thankful.

Insight from the Royal Wedding in England: It is also worth mentioning, a few beautiful insights gleaned from the recent royal wedding of Catherine Middleton and Prince William, in England, on April 29, 2011.

• Everyone loves a royal wedding! Over 2 billion people (almost 1/3 of those alive upon Planet Earth,) watched this wedding. It was an occasion of "great rejoicing," and "transformation for even those who viewed it." I could not help but think of the coming "Great Celebration" of the Marriage of the Lamb! (Jesus and His Bride.) What an incredible day that will be! The Day of the Gladness of His Heart.
• Here is a quote from the actual ceremony of the royal wedding, which particularly struck my heart:

"Be who God meant you to be, and you will set the world on fire! so said St. Catherine of Sienna," says the bishop who officiated the royal wedding, who goes on to say, "Marriage is intended to be a way in which man and woman help each other to become what God meant each one to be; their deepest and truest selves."

Truly inspiring!

Lastly, I leave you with this thought, which continues to strike me on so many levels:

"To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury; and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable; and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart, to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasion, hurry never, in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony." -William Ellery Channing