Butterflies, A Benefit, And A Baby

It's that time of year for me. Busy--busy!  It starts with the return to school, my job in late August, confirming a date for my annual fundraiser, NephCure Kidney Int'l., and starting to plan this event, in addition to two of my ministries returning in their new season, Aspiring Writers' Forum and Coffee Break.  

What does that look like?  A lot of e-mails, texts, meetings, conversations, brain-storming, writing curriculum, attendance, posts, follow-up, "team meetings," signing on the dotted line, mailing stuff, picking stuff up,  meeting new faces, asking, some pleading and the most important...listening and praying! 

I love all of it!  Thank you Lord!  

This last week culminated (almost) with the Walk for Kidney Disease in which I am the Inland Empire Coordinator. In the push of the last two weeks before the walk, I began to feel that this year might just be the best yet. If you are my friend, and read this blog often, you know that the butterfly comes into my life often, bringing me a sign from Heaven that God is ever present, and the lifter of my head--literally. 

They flutter on wings of HOPE...(and a little excitement!)  The few days before the walk, they found me where ever I seemed to be! I posted individually on Facebook, but when you put them all together and SEE God's supernatural communication to my heart in such AFFIRMATION, well it's just so awesome. 

Thursday, October 15th: It started with a community trip with my class to the library. I didn't notice the cut-out on the chair I sat in until I got up to leave. 

Friday, October 16th: My son finds a "dead" butterfly on the sidewalk in front of our home--a specific butterfly. He picks it up and brings it inside. I wasn't home. Nervous; not sure how I am going to react, but I love the fact that he gently brought it in the house for me. I have my "considerable thoughts," but we'll leave it at that. 

Monday , October 19th: The week of the Walk, and I find my own sidewalk butterfly walking to class with tons of kids trudging along side me. I bend down to grab the glittery object, stop in awe as I gaze down at its shape and sparkle, confirming that "dead" things still have life if we see the Hope. It's missing a few of it's rhinestones...but aren't we all!  

Thursday October 21st: Another trip to the Chino Hills Library with my class, and this time I sat facing the window. Looking up, I saw them, capturing my attention and heart.  God is so good, I thought. By this time, I noticed a pattern for the last few days. Once again,  I am filled with His love and inspired. 

The Benefit, NephCure Walk, 2016
About 116 in attendance and $5000 raised so far!

Saturday, October 24th: My friend Liz came to my walk, serving me by taking photography. She greeted me with a sweet picture of a flufy butterfly and notes,  put together by her 3 young boys. They traced their hands and each wrote a personal message on the palm.  

"I hope they find a cure..."  From Jayson

"Dedicated to Timmy's Troopers, Revelation 21:4,  "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, there shall be no more death, no sorrow, no crying. there shall be no more pain, for former things have passed away."  From Andrew

"God please help the children."  From Kyle. 

Did I...have I mentioned that I serve an awesome, comforting, amazing, affirming, promise-giving, healing God?  

The Walk?  The BEST YET!  Old friends of my sons I haven't seen in years came, friends from work, friends from high school, friends from Ted's work, friends from church, neighbors, 5 other teams and their support, the weather: perfect, the donations: generous and the kids...the kids; they have my heart. 

One of my dearest friends, with so much going on in her life, made the trip out after just moving back home, relocated for 6 months because of a flood. She brought her son and youngest daughter expecting a baby in 11 days.  As you might guess by the title of this blog, a little walking around a lake on a fall morning just might start the process of birth. About 5:00 later that night, my friend gave me call that her daughter's labor had started and that she and the baby's dad were on their way to the hospital.

A beautiful little, precious-in-His-sight baby girl, Mallorie, came into the world at 6:45p.m. on October 24th!  For this baby, her mother and dad, we have prayed. God is Good. 

Butterflies, Benefits and Babies!  God is Good and I give Him praise for all He does for His children and all he leads us to, to know Him and make Him known. To God be the glory!  

Thank you for letting me share. For information about NephCure, click here. http://nephcure.org/

To make a donation to our particular Walk, click here:  http://support.nephcure.org/site/TR/Walk/General?team_id=3200&pg=team&fr_id=1531


Thoughtfully yours, Coleene  


P.S.  This morning, I clicked over to my Google + account after a reminder from the site to post a picture from the Walk. When I posted the event several weeks ago, the virtual photograph above the event was a live shot of a butterfly flapping its wings on a bush! So, just one more!   God is good.  

A Light of Surpassing Greatness

Not uncommon for me to see, hear, feel supernatural encouragement from the Holy Spirit, I believe with all my heart in the scripture that says, "If you seek Me, you will find Me when you search for Me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13).  With eyes wide open, this summer I delve into the memory, the words, the sights and sounds of my story and God is along for every sentence. Writing a memoir of the grief and healing I've experienced in God's amazing grace, He continues to reveal His unrelenting Holy Spirit of comfort and affirm all He is guiding me to be as a minister in the faith. 

 About 15,000 words in, I've reached THE "chapter"--pathway where the trees breathe promise, where my mourning dawns anew, a chapter about butterfly angels on a mercy mission. 

~View to Heaven~

I am just finishing the chapter when the hard-working man comes home, ready to set himself up to view another world on a not so flat screen and sit for the evening in a worn, so worn and tired love seat. 

The blinds need adjusting; a filter to move the rays where they need to be, so we can see. He makes that move, ready to settle in. 

Are we blind to what needs to be seen? 

...And I am finishing up the chapter in the lowered light of the summer day, on the dining room table where the bread is served, where the cup is filled. 

I'm back there, back to those days of the unrelenting heaves of grief. I'm back to the worn tennis shoes, the overplayed music and the dark park with its illuminated spider webs and shadowy trees in the pre-sun, star fading mourning of mornings. 

The words finish up and I know this miracle once again, so wanting to capture the Truth of His Love, the end story that never ends. My heart is full and it feels glorious. 

The living room is quiet as the hard-working man showers off the day's labor and I stretch up to saunter into life in the evening with him. Looking up, I see into the living space, the light filtering in a perspective unseen before. 

I call out to the hard-working man, "come take a look at what is happening...hurry, before it changes."

The light is streaming in and hitting the wall across the room, the wall where a shelf holds the earthen vessel of ashes of our first born, the shelf that holds the sanctuary of his life. 

The light dances, filtered through the jasmine vines outside and the blinds. 

But I am not blind, for I see the trees, I see the butterflies, the sunflowers, the hummingbirds...

I see and know the Cross, where we can see the Light and Eternity coming together to make Perfect Sense. 

I've seen the dead, and I've seen lives arise from the dead and live with a new found purpose. 

I watch as the light shifts and paints on the canvas of my shelf-holding wall of love and I grab my cell phone. 

I capture the lit up heart, a heart-light. 

and wings of angels...


II Corinthians 3:6-7 the Apostle Paul tells us, "For God, who said, 'Light shall shine out of darkness,' is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves."

I am moved to tears of gratitude, of worship in that very moment. 

The hard-working man comes down the stairs one painful step at a time and he sees my excitement over...light and shadows and walls,  ...and says, "cool!"

The light, still moving, turns the corner and pierces the space where my thoughts come to rest , where my head bows frequently. It spills onto the chair I sit and read His Word, basking in His inspiration and promises throughout my day, where hearts in friendship bonded for eternity. 

 The light brings Love, an affirmation, for the Holy Spirit whispers to me that God is the Light of this moment, and He is the light for all moments. 

What do we see in His light?  A revelation of His eternal love for us, as unworthy as we are, He came to be our Light and remove all of our darkness. 

Amen. 

I saw the Light, I accepted it into my own darkness and I know the Light is Good. 

II Corinthians 4:18 ...While we look not at things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 

The sun set, yet the Light in my soul, in my son's soul shines for eternity, of that I am sure without any shifting shadow of doubt. 

The hard-working man calls me the next day and wants to talk about the light,  --and the wall and the shelf, as he is thinking about it in his hard-working days upon days.  

God stirs up a heart to want more of Him and again I am warmed by a new sunrise. 

My memoir continues...and I am in awe of His goodness to me, overwhelmed by the Light. 

Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? 

John 8:12  Again therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life." 

Amen. 

"Blissings"

BLISSINGS

Butterflies bounce on wind whispered wings,

Lilting loveliness in a delightful dance.

Painted preachers of the Hope of Heaven;

The evidence elicits worshipful wonder.

Gratitude attitude.

  

Laughter, it lightens the anxiety atmosphere,

Ballooning bubbles of boisterous brevity.

Forgotten filters set forth and fun frolics freely

Through jaunts of jokes, oh silly-selfs!

Belly busters.

Inspiration ignites a spark, spurring speech

Wisdom words, written like sporadic sprays from a sprinkler,

Drench the soul, deliver the Message.

Incubated imagination, released to restore.

Purposed prose.

Sisters sojourn in backyards and bedrooms.

Travel tear trails in twining timelines.

Branches bend, yet rooted in remembrance.

Friendship fraternity, a bloodline break, yet bonded.

Heartbeat harmony.

Savior, Sovereign Salvation Sender.

Grace Giver, Truth Teller, Love Lavisher.

Forgiving Father, Sacrificed Son, Indweller Intercessor,

Provider of Peace, Healer of Heart.

Bountiful Bliss.

And so it is, my bliss moments in five letters, yet I could name a whole alphabet. In His bliss I find Thanksgiving. In bliss, I find joy and unity with God and with one another. “Bliss”—how similar it is to the word “bless,” almost interchangeable, really. So that is why I named the poem “Blissings.” There are moments in life that define our connection to God, our connection to true Thanksgiving. Treasures.  They are buried close to our heart, reflecting their brilliance both within and out of our hearts, a reflection of the goodness of the Lord. In a world so self-absorbed, blissful blessings are not just for a moment, but an intentional love gift presented to me, to be who I am meant to be in Christ.  God is intent on blessing us. He wafts in the bliss breezes that touch my face and warm my soul. (Are you as intent to receive it?)  He turns my head towards the eternal perspective where Hope reigns. Bliss is everlasting in Blessings eternal; and for that, I give thanks. Amen.

 In blissful thought, 

Coleene VanTilburg