Day 138

I started Day 138 of  The Red Shoe Project bundled up in a fluffy bath robe and my warm RED socks.  At 6:30 a.m. I positioned myself in front of the garden window with a cup of tea, a juicy orange, a slice of toast and the Word of God.  As I looked down at my feet, snuggled in those handmade socks, my heart cried out, "Where are you God?  Come sit with me and chat!"  And there He was.  I talked with Him for a while.  Then He talked.  And then I did some writing.


Does it even matter what I had to say?  Not to you, maybe...  but He loves it when I talk with Him.  He loves it that I share my life with Him.  He wants me to tell Him my thoughts, my cares, my concerns.  Of course, He already knows it all... but it is erroneous to think that I don't need to share my heart with Him because of that.  Why?  Because... as a human being,  a relationship is developed through communication and experience.  Talking to one another and walking out life together in partnership is how it's done.  Sounds so easy, right?  But it has it's challenges... thus my RED shoes help me to stay focused.

As I looked out into the garden, I noticed that the wind was blowing wildly.  One moment all was calm, and the next...  Whooooosh! The trees were blowing all over the place.  It was as if they had decided to dance.  The flowers swayed in the breeze.  The grass bent down in His presence.  

Glory Hallelujah!  The day has begun!

The Lord shared two very interesting things with me this morning.

I closed my eyes and put my head down to pray.  All I saw was darkness.
Then I saw a stone wall.    
How dreary!    
How dismal!    
How depressing!   
What does it mean, Lord?

With that picture in mind, He reminded me that the World doesn't need people to fit in -- blend in -- bring to the table what's already there.
No! No!  People are looking for Life and Love!  They are looking for Light!  Those are rare commodities in many places.  But since the Holy Spirit travels with me wherever I go, I have those commodities in great abundance.

I wonder...  Can people tell?  Do they see the Light in me?  Do they sense the Love?  Is my life filled with the things that people are looking for... so much so, that they want to be around me in hope that I will share?  I am pondering those things today .  I certainly hope so.  And I so want God to show me how to be better at it, that there may be more fruitful results.  "God!  Can you hear me?   Can you grant that desire of my heart?"

I've come to realize that my way is 

to fit in and win them over to Christ.

God's way is to stick out that they 

might ask to be won to Christ.

I've tried my way for years and I can tell you, it doesn't work!  A short bit back, I finally relinquished my desire to do it "my way" and since then, I've been getting better and better at His way.  His way bears fruit.  I like that!

The second thing God talked to me about today was "The Details."

He says:

 He's a God of details!

Recently, He made a very special promise to gift me with something. And He reminded me of that this morning at breakfast. He has asked me to make a detailed list of exactly how I'd like it to look.  He says that He wants me to be as detailed as possible.  He wants to prove to me that He knows me so well that He will provide it right down to the last specification.




Details are descriptive specifications, 
requirements, guidelines, parameters, 
restrictions, conditions and stipulations 
for things that are  "made to order."





I haven't even written anything down yet.  He says that's okay, because He already knows what I will write.  I'm really writing it down for me, not Him.  LOL.  Okay.  I will spend the day writing out the details .  I'm very excited because I know the day will come when I will be reporting back to you each detail and how He filled it.  He's done this once before with me.  He says that it's been way too long since we did this challenge, and that He'd do this with me more often if I'd just ask. LOL.  The Bible does say, "Ask and you shall receive." 

This will be good.  I shall put Him to the test!

In RED shoes, 
Gail

Day 137

Is it Day 137 of  The Red Shoe Project?  

Only God knows for sure.  LOL.  I woke up at about 4 am, (British time), to use the bathroom.  

As I shuffled through the sitting room in my warm RED socks and jammies, I glanced out the large window of our cottage.  

There, directly in front of me, was the garden.  The sun was just coming up.  What a sight to see!  How lovely.  The air was peaceful and the birds were  chirping the most delightful melody. 

A new song filled the air.

The bright yellow daffodils, 
looking like trumpets, 
were proclaiming 
the day has begun!


  



And just over to the side of them
is a bed pansies.  Didn't God recently promise me a bed of pansies?

  And then I noticed it.  
A sound... 
No, a voice...  
His voice.
 He was calling to me... 

"Come, Let us meet now!"

I am amazed that I have already discovered God in this place, so very far from home.  And just what is this place?  It reminds me of the movie, The Secret Garden. 
Thinking about that, I am reminded that the little, crippled boy, in that movie, miraculously walks in that Secret Garden.  His life forever changed!


I never did go back to bed.  
I plopped myself in front of that window, and spent the wee hours of the morning with Christ.
Amen.

Gail

Day 136

It's Day 136 of  The Red Shoe Project.  Here I am in Heathrow Airport, sporting RED shoes, as I wait to board yet another plane that will bring me to Scotland.  I did manage to get an hour or so of sleep on last night's RED eye from Boston to London.

Upon arrival, an aunt and uncle met up with me to take me on a little adventure for a few hours, just outside the city.  What a lovely time I had!  They whisked me off to their beautiful English home, fed me the most wonderful English brunch in their sun room,  and delighted me with the sweetest of conversations.  My head is still spinning, for I haven't quite fully adjusted to this driving on the other side of the road yet.  And now?

Well, now my belly is full, the clock is ticking, and I've run out of fuel.  Jet lag has hit!  Just what time is it?  I haven't a clue.  I'm guessing, noon-ish Thursday?

So I must admit, as I boarded last night's plane, I wondered what could possibly take place between the hours of  7 pm and 2 am that would qualify for Red Shoe Project material.  I was about to be boxed in like a sardine, on an air-bus, flying at 30,000 feet, for the next six hours.  My choices:  read, watch a movie or sleep.  

I dozed off for about half an hour at the beginning of the flight.  Next thing I knew, they were feeding me dinner, and quickly turning the lights out, signaling it was time to settle down.  I chose a movie… and then another.  By the time midnight rolled around, I was spent!  

It was during this midnight hour that the strangest thing happened. 

It whipped around from behind and struck me, quite unexpectedly... FEAR!!!  

False Evidence Appearing Real.  

The cabin of the plane was quiet, except for the light snore of the man sitting across the isle from me.   My mind instantly became a court room and there he was, Satan, himself, the Accuser of the Brethren, pointing right at me, and downloading a story that had me squirming in my seat.  What did I do to deserve this onslaught, this attack, this unexpected accusation?  Nothing, but I was over-tired, and you and I both know that presents a premium opportunity for spiritual attack. 

So it’s been thirty-seven years since I’ve been to Scotland.  I was just a young girl back then.  It was a dark time for me.  With that said, when I left, I shut the door behind me and decided I would never go back.  Over the years, God has done great works of healing in my life. So for me, this visit is a very big step 

of proclaiming victory, to myself, that all is well with my soul.

Here, in the darkness of the sleeping cabin, tears began to roll down my cheeks, as the devil projected an old movie of his, on the screen of my mind. The tension built within, as he presented his case.  My heart was heavy in my chest and I gasped ever so quietly for a breath. I felt so alone, so abandoned, so vulnerable. 

Then Jesus stepped in - My Advocate!  Right there, on the spot, He poured into my mind the most  incredible collage of people, prayers, scriptures and stories taken right from the last 136 days of my life.  In the blink of an eye, I saw my life flash in front of me:  The Red Shoes being worn every day;  my friend Ziva holding me by the shoulders, looking right into my eyes and profesying God's assignment into my spirit;  the ladies surrounding me in prayer;  the word studies on undergirding, confirmations, and reinforcements;  the gardenia bush;  the tears of those around me getting wrecked by God.  And yes, there it was - The Waterfall.  If I could just hold onto that happy thought.

I was so aware of what the devil was trying to do, but more 

importantly, I was witnessing Jesus' plea on my behalf.  

The waterfall quickly reminded me of the angel that stands behind it.  A smile appeared on my face. I remembered an art class with Carolyn, where I sensed the powerful presence of my own angel.  I named him Theodore. He kept showing up, several days in a row.   I never actually saw what Theodore looked like.  I just sensed his powerful presence.  He was like a strong, magnificent tower continually guarding me from behind.  And there in that plane, in the aisle, directly over my right shoulder he stood again.  "How funny,"  I thought, " that such a large angel could fit into such a tight place,"   But there he was.

More pictures continued to download. I heard specific words of encouragement that had been spoken over me these last days.  Powerful proclamations from my mentors, my daughter and from The Holy Spirit, Himself.   I closed my eyes, pushed aside the lies of the devil, and began to pray silently in a heavenly language that only God could interpret.

Was it seconds?  or minutes?  I do not know.  But when the prayer stopped,  it was as if time frooze.  I slowly turned my head to the left, took in a slow deep breath and gently opened my eyes.  There it was:   Daybreak.  

Looking outside the little oval window of the plane, I saw the most magnificent painting of God.  It was a brilliant rainbow,  resting horizontally,  on top of a floor of clouds.  In near disbelief, I went through the colors -  Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet.  They were all there.  

It was the entire spectrum 

boldly proclaiming that 

God is in charge!

in my life, 

in my heart, 

in my mind 

and right there 

in the clouds as well.  

He is a Mighty God and the Painter of the Sky! Victory had come!  I would walk off that plane, my head lifted upward, knowing who I was in Christ!

Okay... so wasn't I just questioning, a few hours ago, what I could possibly find in an airplane that I could write into the log of The Red Shoe Project?   God just loves those challenges!  And did He ever deliver!  I'm still in awe, myself, trying to hold onto that life-impacting moment.  The moment where courage was fully released into my spirit.

You see... amazing things happen at 30,000 feet
when you are wearing RED shoes!

Gail

Day 135

Today is Day 135 of  The Red Shoe Project.  I spent last night at my sisters, and fly out from Boston this evening.  My RED suede flats are on my feet, and the rest of my RUBY REDS  have been packed and checked with my bags.  U.K. here I come!

I had the luxury of sleeping in today, but I still made it a point to have my morning time with Him.  Already,  this has become a vital part of my day.  Although it's only fifteen minutes, its a time to recognize the One I love, center myself on God's purpose for the day and make sure I'm fully connected. The trip hasn't really even begun yet, and I am already realizing the need to PLUG IN continuously.  It's amazing how we form routines at home that keep us in check.  But now, all the schedules and daily routines are out the window.  It's a little like jumping out of a plane. Total freedom, but a little intimidating.  We'll see how I fare.  My priority each day is to plug in with Him spiritually, and with You, on the internet - keeping you informed of my encounters with God.  I have no doubts that my RED shoes will continue to provoke me to look for Him in this far away country.

Do bear with me. With the time change, posts will be at a different hour, and I'm believing there will be no problems technically.  Most importantly, keep me in your prayers.  That is greatly appreciated!

There's been a scripture that keeps going over and over in my mind today.  It's found in Romans and says,

"While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

The reason I've been pondering this lately is because I meet a lot of women who are worried about their children... especially their adult children who are not living for God.  As parents, we can tend to not want our children to have to go through things. You know... learn the hard way.  Why?  Because we know the ugliness of that... because we've been there.  It can be a very dark place in life.  We know the sin involved.  We hope that our "lessons learned" are enough of a payment for our kids to avoid that whole course entirely.  That  sounds good, but rarely does it work.  Like everything else, most people don't appreciate things handed to them on a silver platter... at least not the way they do when they've personally worked through it.  And rarely do people develop a PASSION for something that they haven't lived through, worked through, wrestled through.

We must be careful 

of not robbing our kids

 of the opportunities that 

will give them their very

 own personal testimony 

of The Living God.

This scripture I've been thinking about,  reminds me of the fact that God loved me and accepted me, long before my life was "fixed up".  In fact, it was a total mess!  Yet even still, God woo-ed me right into the fold.  So why do we think our kids need to be perfect for Christ to woo them?  They don't.

I know that the last thing any of us desires is that our kids will slide into Heaven on the coat tails of Mommy and Daddy.  Yet, overprotecting them will move them in that direction. We want kids that are on FIRE for God!  We want them to have a PASSION for Christ!  We want them to know, in a very personal way, The Living God.  With that, it's time to release our kids into His Hands and TRUST Him to bring them to that place of salvation in Him.  Let's trust Him together.

Father, we come to you right now, in Jesus name.  We release each of our children into your care, believing that You will bring them to salvation.  Help us to back off and allow you to do your work in them.  Place in us a hunger to pray for them continuously that You will have Your way in their lives.   In Jesus Name, Amen.  

I've popped my RED flats back on my feet.  It's time to sign off.  Ten minutes to boarding.

The next time you hear from me, I'll be in Scotland looking for God!

Gail