Table of Grace with Pastor Dreama

Today I was enjoying one of my favorite pastimes: walking in the rain (my husband considers this odd but I since I don’t consider golf the epiphany of normal, I guess we are even).   As I moseyed around the house, I enjoyed the last blooming flowers of the season:  one perfect pink rose, two pansies snuggled against a thorny stem and a line of black-eyed Susans in various stages of survival. Getting soaked from above as my flip-flops slipped on the wet grass, I understood why John thinks his wife is a little weird.  Anyway, as I soaked up the beauty of these flowers, I was reminded that everything living develops, thrives, and withers in its own time in its own way.  I captured this picture of a pink rose with a cute green worm snuggled inside the petals.  It reminded me of how easily we let seemingly harmless things into our lives that, nibble by nibble, devour us. I believe the Bible calls these “little foxes” (Song of Solomon, 2:15. NIV).  ...

So last month I started a daily prayer routine - I went into my office at the same time and "met God there".  There were a few days, I'll admit, that I did not follow the routine but I prayed and sought God regularly.  The result? Well, to be honest, there were some breakthroughs but then I got to thinking about my intentions. Was I trying to manipulate God?  Were those prayers sincere?  Yes and no. I thought that if I did what was expected of me, that the results would be the same as if I was praying and meeting with God because I wanted to.   There is a huge difference in methods. When I met with God because I wanted to, I was excited about leaving my house and going into my office.  When I went in and flopped down on the coach out of obligation, I watched the clock a little closer. Maybe not the results anyone wanted to read, but the truth of the matter is that serving God is to be a pleasant experience, one of joy, anticipation, and excitement. ...

As I sit here with hurt feelings because, in all reality, I was put in my place and I'm just feeling sorry for myself, I prayed "Okay God, so where am I supposed to be and in the meantime, what am I supposed to be doing here, what is the purpose"? His reply hurt my feelings even more when I felt the Holy Spirit say: " Pray ". Really? What is all I get? Pray? "No, seriously God, what am I supposed to be doing here?  Am I here wasting precious hours of my life just to bring in a paycheck or is there a purpose for all this"? SILENCE - I got silence. At my age, shouldn't I have figured out God's will for my life by now? Or...perhaps I make too much of seeking His will and desire something big and great and showy as an answer.  Maybe I am doing it wrong and am seeking signs instead of simply seeking Him for guidance, peace, and contentment.  Does that make sense?  To be perfectly honestly, I want to coach full time, to help others out of the...

I was sitting in my West Virginia mountaintop home watching rain pelt down in wind-driven sheets across the pasture.  As I watched the rain move forward, I noticed how the ewes and lambs continued to munch on the fresh grass, seemingly oblivious to the driving spring rain.  As I continued to watch the scene unfold before me, God spoke to my heart regarding the storms of life and how frequently we fail to turn to Him for shelter. Like those sheep, we often fail to "come in out of the rain".  Perhaps we feel unworthy or that God does not care, or worse yet, perhaps we feel that for whatever reason, we deserve to be pelted. As the rain continued to fall, the sheep just stood there absorbing the blows and carrying the extra weight of their rain soaked wool.  Then, as if just for my benefit, the sun broke through from behind, bathing the field in golden light.  And then I realized it:  the simplicity of life.  If we move quickly, slowly, or not at all, th...