My body struggles to identify what time or day it is. My appetite has done much the same.

But despite a lack of sleep and not fully comprehending the day of the week, my soul is overjoyed—

I have travelled to the birth place of my Lord.

Few things in life have enticed me, heart and soul, as the relationship I have with my Lord.

So what does that mean really?

A religious experience is the last thing I may be interested in.

What has always drawn my gaze and advanced my stare is the ability to connect deep.

Have you ever heard a great speaker? It doesn’t matter who it is, where it is, or the depth of their vernacular. What I consider attention worthy is their ability to connect deeply with their audience. How they think...what they see. It will always come through even if you are just waiting in line together in the market. It could be revealed in something as small as one word. It’s how the word is used that gets a person stirred.

To really make a lasting impact you’ve got to stir. You’ve got to dive in. You’ve got to agitate in the healthiest ways to distress common thought patterns so that they might change. But you’ve also got to impart a level of love and care that is a bit like fishing. You’ve got to feed the soul what it longs for or needs.

Not everyone will hear the message.

Just a I know not everyone will catch my message.

Not everyone will catch it’s deeper fruit.

Just as I know not everyone who subscribes to this blog will read this in their inbox.

Not everyone will see it.

Not everyone will see you.

But God knows who will and who won’t. So it doesn’t matter how many are in the audience. It only matters who. And The Who isn’t up to the one speaking to decide. But it is exclusively up to the Spirit of Christ.

“Deep calls to deep

in the roar of your waterfalls;

all your waves and breakers

have swept over me.”

Psalm 42:7

My Savior has done all of this for me and more. He dove in and went deep right from the start. Because He knew my heart, my mind, and what does or doesn’t impress me. So He nose-plunged right in and got my serious attention. All the while causing my heart to smile with how His Spirit was able to unfold unbridled joy in me.

All of these words I pen at I have no idea what time in the AM, have been stirred by the recipe of what I was able to see yesterday.

I spent time yesterday visiting ancient ruins in Caesarea, Israel. The wind ripped through the sky and nearly knocked me over several times, and the Mediterranean Sea was such a sight to see. The waves bellowed and howled and launched themselves up toward the clouds then crashed against the rock near the beach. The color was such a rich blend of greens and blues. It was worth every ounce of physical discomfort the weather brought.

Here’s another thought...

Though the Sea magnificent all on its own—it was the excitement of the waves that left my heart yearning for more. This too could be true for your storm.

Without the storm the sea may never learn what it truly could be. Without the storm it may never find out how high how wide or how deep it can be stirred. The storm alone aids its ability to discover its capacity. This to is true for you and every trial or storm of life you ever face. So give yourself some grace. You may not understand what you face or why your in the storm at all. But you’ll overcome, the victory won, as long as you are willing to break free from whatever is causing you to hold back from diving head long into the Deep.

Bye~Bye safe and secure shores.

Here’s to those who want more—

I’m going in deep.

~Nicole

Word of God Speak...