Ever have a Connect the Dots Coloring Books ?
I am not that good of an artist but I do sketch and I can connect the dots. Memories of fun with coloring books are good for me. I do not like to play games much. So today I want to share an ah hah moment in life with you all. Or y’all as some would say.
Let me say that keeping it simple in life has become more of a reality as I get older. I am learning not to take myself so seriously and to chill out more. How much fun do we have just sitting with children with a connect the dots coloring book ?
ABC DOT -TO – DOTS days are a great escape from our all too serious world. The one who sits above all and is all and all is in the business of connecting dots. Trusting that this story will give you more hope for some more dot connecting in your lives.
Way back in 1974 I went on a journey to Melbourne Australia with over 300 other young American teachers to help the shortage of teacher crisis and to go on an adventure. We all met at San Francisco Airport to board a plane with others we did not know. Having no idea that I would make friends that 43 years later would still remain. Donna Dyste Kapala shown in this skiing picture is one of the friends who came into my life at that time. She spent most of those 40 something years working as a teacher and school counselor. She is a giver. She is a one who loves adventure and to discover the “wonder” in life.
There was another woman who I met when we landed in Sydney and had some hours to go explore there. Her name is Shiela Hoban. At the time I had a full length cast on my leg due to a car accident I had prior to leaving for Aussie. Lets just say I was partying a bit too much and while driving my Triumph Spitfire I could have had all my dots disconnected, but I lived. Anyway Shiela was one of my new artsy friends who got assigned to a high school in Melbourne. We went to the Sydney zoo together that first day of landing in our new home. Of course we did not go too fast because I was a bit slow being with a casted leg. It was only a few months ago that Shiela laughed reminding me that she did not mind my slowness and that that was the beginning of our friendship. Here is Aunt Shiela 43 years later with her nieces and nephews. 
What I say about Shiela is that she is one of the most interesting and intelligent people I have ever met. She became an ambassador to the United States because at one point we were discriminating against women being ambassadors. So, wella, Shiela applies to become an Ambassador and connect the dots, she gets accepted. Over those years I would hear from another friend Borah Ferry about which country Shiela was living in. I loved getting those updates it seemed so exciting.
Last year we had a reunion in Vail Colorado. Georgia Pourchot who had the nickname goldie was so kind to let us all get together in her wonderful family vacation home in Vail. Shiela could not make the get together because she is too ill. Shiela lives in Tuscon Arizona. Borah Ferry lives in Virgin Islands and Colorado and Donna Kapala lives in Reno Nevada and Brigid Kardong lives in Spokane Washington and I live in Lakewood Colorado and Georgia Pourchot lives in Shawnee Oklahoma. As we took the time around a table looking at our memory lane picture books, we had to call Shiela to include her in our reunion.
I am kinda the glue that kept us together all these years. Everyone appreciated that I always wanted us to keep in touch. I kinda forgot which is not a surprise to those who know I have friends and family help me remember parts of my life. So as I spoke to Shiela about Donna, she said well you know I only met her once or twice. Donna lived in the rural part of Victoria Australia where we all had landed. We got to go to her town to see kangaroos and kuala bears and shear sheep.
ABC’s of Connect the Dots = there is a God and He connects dots
Many people call connect the dots serendipity moments. So serendipity is defined as,
“the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.
“a fortunate stroke of serendipity”
If we spoke to a hundred people in a month and asked them if they had some serendipity moments in their lives I am sure we could write a book on those stories. When I wrote my book, Lean in Closer to God because We Can, I got a word picture of how we can experience life in new ways. Here it is: How to Go Extreme Vertical in a Horizontal World.
What that means to me is that sometimes in life we gotta go beyond person to person communications. Sometimes we gotta go higher because as humans we just don’t have all that it takes to connect some dots. I do believe that dots are connected human to human that wind up producing some really cool results. Its just that i think life is really full and good to the maximum when we go vertical and horizontal . We got a soul and we also have a spirit, which is who we are.
Prayer is asking God the Father,Son and Holy Spirit for help and love. As humans we get keys in life that help and allow us to open up the good we need. But connect the big dots in life sometimes needs extreme vertical, as in the One who got the big set of keys to connect some dots. There are times in life that are time sensitive.
Our friend Shiela Hoban needs a kidney transplant. For the last five years I have spoken to Shiela on the phone and she would say that she is dealing with a prognosis that is not great. She is older and often transplants go to younger people . She was grateful when she got put on dialysis over a year ago that could take place in her home and she did not need to sit at a dialysis center all day. She was grateful to have had the forethought to purchase a plan to have full time care giving when she got older. That connected dots to allow for her now to receive the help she needs each day. I am not sure what the statistic is for those who purchase those plans but I do not think its that many people.
Shiela Needs a Donor – I have learned a lot being in friendship with Shiela about hoping to even get on a donor list. She would share about trips from Tuscon to Mayo Clinic in Phoenix to get the Green Light to get on the transplant list.
GO EXTREME VERTICAL = Ask God
When we get to a place in life where we really need a miracle or we might be leaving planet earth, we often get more serious about praying to God. When I had cancer in 2001, I had 1000’s of people all over the USA asking God to spare my life. Shiela accepted when I asked her if it would be OK for me to ask God for this miracle. She said, “Oh Yes, please ask God for me. “
I sent several texts to our Aussie teacher group telling them what was going on with Shiela and many sent her cards and we sent her a gift glass mug with all our our signatures on this hand crafted beauty.
Finally we are getting to the major point of big connect the dots beginning moments. I shared with Donna on the phone about Shiela needing a transplant donor. Now remember they do not even know each other that well. Donna says well maybe I could be a donor for her. I was shocked. There was a possibilty that a family member might be a donor for Shiela, but oh my gosh what kind of person is so giving and so kind as to make this choice to help someone ?
Horizontal connect the dots moments to me are this: we are made in the image and likeness of God. The fancy term for this is imagio dei. God made us to be like Him and to do things that look like God. Jesus said what does it mean to love someone in the fullest way, to die for someone or to lay down your life for others. Connect the dots. Oh yeah. This was summer 2016 and it is Fall 2017.
A few months ago I spoke to Shiela when she was sorta sharing about how her body was holding up. She does not really tell you the whole deal of how much she is suffering, but I could read between the lines if you know what I mean. I said, well you just need a miracle to get on that transplant list.
Fast forward to November 21 2017 and Donna Kapala is getting the application to be a donor for the transplant for Shiela. I am hoping that I can fly to Phoenix to Mayo clinic to be there. Will you join us in prayer for the remaining dots to be connected for our friend Shiela to live and not die.
So serendipity is nice. It is just too impersonal for me to have something I put all my trust and hope in not to have arms to hug me and hold me. God has arms and hugs and His presence is amazing. Who else says they have “loving kindness’ every morning and night for us.
Harvest Mountain Ministries is about helping people around the globe get up close and personal with the One who is holy and who is love. We pray that if you have never thought to look up and say this year, well if you are out there will you please make yourself real clear and let me know your real and that you love me. When you know that God is real and that He really loves you, the part about saying sorry for our not letting God be our Lord and Savior comes naturally from our hearts and lips. “If you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead you will be saved” Romans 10:9. God is near to you and choosing to allow yourself to be fully loved is the best surrender we can ever choose.
Let all your vertical and horizontal dots in life bring you to a life as a happy child of God.
Gentleness
I was thinking this morning that I really want to BE more gentle in my life with others. I find places in my heart during the day that feel hard. I think the medicine I need is gentleness.
Thirty one years ago I lived out one day in February one of the most amazing realities of gentleness. Her name is Kaitlin Jennie . It is funny looking back but she was so gentle I was really worried about not being gentle enough to even rest her on my breast.
The man I married is an exemplary gentle man. His gentleness is what brought me to love him and fall in love. One day when I had only known him for months we were with his daughter Sarah who was only five. She is the dearest little tender heart . I had never seen a man act so gentle with his daughter before. They decided it would be fun to lay in the grass together and look up at the sky and see what the clouds looked like. I was shocked by their gentleness together. 
So lets go on a journey together to explore the realities of gentleness around us and in us ? Why not. Its coming upon the Christmas or holiday season of life here in the USA. Lets intentionally explore together gentleness. Barbara B Moore November 9 2017 7:19 am MST
We came upon a child of God – gotta get back to the garden !!
Emotions and adventure fill the pages of this true story. A true story about Barbara Moore’s life as a full time organic farmer in Metro Denver, along with many other local food advocates in Colorado front range. From ranchers, to top chefs you will see some reality about what it takes to serve up local foods.
Rebecca Greenwood Christian Harvest International live on air 9:30 Saturday am MST
GOING DEEPER WITH GOD RADIO BROADCAST is pleased to announce that Rebecca Greenwood will be airing on our show on Going Deeper with God @ www.1220.kldc.com .
Do Christians need deliverance ? What are the ways in which the enemy gains entrance into our soul ? How does someone begin the process of freedom ? What are three things to look for in a good deliverance ministry ?
Join us on GOING DEEPER WITH GOD Saturday March 4 and March 11 at 9:30 am and Midnight MST around the world to learn from Rebecca Greenwood.
Rebecca travels around the world ministering freedom and prophetically and has been on TBN and It’s Supernatural with Sid Roth. Her family resides in Colorado Springs Colorado . Her husband Greg partners with her in this ministry. Enjoy Rebecca and Barbara as they unpack these important issues regarding deliverance ministry for believers. Contact the ministry @
www.christianharvestintl.org
Christian Harvest International is a prophetic intercessory ministry called to impact our nation and the nations of the world. We are to equip the Body of Christ into a dynamic personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Teaching and ministering across generations with the purpose of empowering for transformation. Our heart is to impact families, churches, communities, cities, and nations. Awakening believers to their divine destiny of God in every area of life.
Christian Harvest International – Our Faith-Based Programs
We disciple and train in prayer, spiritual warfare, deliverance, spiritual mapping, prophecy, our inheritance in the kingdom of God, leadership and how to live a life of purpose and destiny. We are committed to teach on the necessity and promise of living a life of personal freedom and victory and equip in deliverance ministry on how to achieve this. God does not desire for us to live a life bound by darkness!
We Partner with the Church
It is our desire to see all churches functioning with an effective, vibrant prayer life as we believe and teach on the necessity of prayer and its function in welcoming the Kingdom of God in a region.
If you need to find a good deliverance ministry, Rebecca highly recommends the International Society of Deliverance Ministers. In Colorado Springs are Righteous Acts Ministry and Cleansing Streams is another trustworthy recommendation.
Rebecca also leads SPAN – Strategic Prayer Action Network and has led prayer journeys to 34 countries. She has published 8 books.
Totes for Hope Weekend Food for students – Harvest Mountain is now a program provider
Lynch Kentucky has been transformed top to bottom -key is to love your neighbor
lets go mountain climbing
Weekend Food Needs for our school Children met through – Totes for Hope
For half a year, we have been having meetings to help develop a program and volunteer team and funding for weekend food needs for the students at Eiber Elementary that are food insecure. That is a fancy term for HUNGRY. The public school system has a federal nutrition program and Title One schools who have a majority of students on free and reduced lunch meet part of the food security needs of these school children.
Children can have a school breakfast, a school lunch, an after school snack and summer food service, but weekends are not covered under any government program by the federal agencies.
Reaching children during out of school times in regards to nutrition needs do not fit into the on site model of being at school.
I like to keep a heart mind set of not blaming but hoping that together one by one we can as community members get to help one another.
Totes of Hope®
Totes of Hope® was created in 2006 to assist children with nutritious, kid-friendly food to sustain them over the weekend when school is not in session. Every Friday, children take home a tote filled with 8-9 pounds of nutritious food items to feed them and their families. For many of these children, the totes are their main source of food on Saturday and Sunday. There is no fee assessed to the member agency for participation in this program.
Here are some statistics:
When a child does not have access to regular meals and is uncertain of when they may eat again they are experiencing the epidemic known as “chronic childhood hunger.” Families that cannot afford food or do not have regular access to food are considered “food insecure.”
The number of children living in households that were food insecure at some point during the year has grown 61 percent in Colorado since 2001-2003, to approximately 234,000 children by 2006- 2008, or 20 percent of all Colorado kids. This percentage has recently surpassed the national rate of 19 percent.Kids experiencing chronic hunger may not only suffer from poor health, they can also be denied the opportunity to reach their academic, athletic and social potential. Chronically hungry students may have the following issues in the classroom:
- Lack of concentration
- Lethargy or general fatigue
- Stomachaches
- Headaches
- Irritability or mood swings
- Disciplinary problems
- Increased aggression
Recent studies from the American Academy of Pediatrics have shown that the effects of chronic childhood hunger can last a lifetime. Not knowing when they may have another meal can cause both anxiety and depression.
Hunger and Poverty in our Community
Hunger and poverty go hand in hand, which is why it is useful to use poverty statistics as a base for hunger statistics.
Chronic childhood hunger exists both above and below the poverty line, as the Federal guidelines for poverty are considered out of date.
- To be considered 100% of poverty, a family of four must earn less than $23,050 per year.
- To be eligible for reduced lunch, a family must be at 130% of the federal poverty line or earn less than $40,793 per year.
- To be eligible for free lunch, a family must earn less than 185% of the federal poverty line or $28,665 per year.
In Colorado, 17% of kids live in poverty
The number of children in poverty has more than doubled since 2000 and the number of children living in extreme poverty (approximately $11,000 for a family of four) has increased 150 percent.
While the childhood poverty rate in Colorado currently remains below the national average, between 2000 and 2009 the number of children living in poverty in Colorado more than doubled, rising faster than any other state in the nation.
School Meal Programs
In Colorado, there has been a steady increase in the number of children participating in the School Breakfast Program. The U.S. increased four percent in the number of children served by the free breakfast program since 2008, while the number of Colorado children increased more than twice as fast with a nine percent increase over the same period.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, more than 54,000 additional children participated in the National School Lunch Program in Colorado in 2009 than in 2005.
In Jefferson County, there are over 27,000 children who are eligible for free and or reduced lunch programs. Here in Golden, there are over 1,100 children eligible.
+Data compiled from the Kids Count Colorado 2011 Report
about FOOD WASTE
Farmer in Chief a NY Times article by Michael Pollan
American Wasteland by Jonathan Bloom
In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto by Michael Pollan
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver
WASTE: Uncovering the Global Food Scandal by Tristram Stuart
The Lorax by Dr. Suess
Approach God to Listen and not to speak in 2017 – 15 minute teaching -airs five times this week
Approaching God to listen and not speak as an act of obedience and a discipline will shift you more into the presence of God. Over the years, I have helped hundreds of people come closer with God to the greatest joy of their lives.
Approaching God to listen and not speak is what Jesus was telling those grumpy Pharisees when they said hey Jesus what is the greatest commandment. Jesus said boldly…to be in love with me …
Approaching God to listen and not speak will help you along in consenting to receive the fullness of Gods love for you and your family.
Like the dawn of a new morning we will begin to realize that God really does want to spend time with us. Time as his son or daughter or friend. Time to BE together not to talk about doing stuff.
Better than our best friend is the one who wants us to dwell with God, to abide with God to be still with God…to tarry with God… lets decide to obediently declare to God that with your grace I decide to lean in closer to you because I can. To go deeper in my relationship with you. To learn to approach you not like an orphan but like royalty… after all God you did tell us we are a royal priesthood… priestly people love to dwell in the smoke of Gods glory…
Does this sound scary or impossible ? Are you suffering from unbelief and hope deferred in the love relationship you have with God… take some baby steps or a few bold obedient steps this month.
Carve out in your calendar time for the one who deeply desires You. Learn to approach God and say I no longer want to live ALONE… I am sick and tired of feeling alone…
I watched a show on the history channel with my daughter Kaitlin and her husband Jeff a few days ago and it is a survivor show called ALONE… they drop one person in one place and drop about 15 single people in a semi artic place in south America to survive…of course there is a 500 k prize…. The one guy we saw lasted two days…. He was going crazy being alone because his mind would not shut off from worrying about his wife and three children they were going to soon adopt…he was so ashamed he could not handle being alone…. Of course I thought right away…how sad he was not alone he just thought he was alone…he got air lifted or boat lifted from the aloneness…
We can approach God and learn while being silent and listening why we are not alone and who we get to spend time with who loves us much more than anyone knows…love just waiting for us…so how we approach God is :
- How do you see yourself ? we will look at in the coming weeks the battlefield of our mind. The power of words we speak about ourselves…those hidden almost subconscious beliefs about ourselves that block out at this threshold or throne of grace what God is saying to us and to be able to see who we truly are. Silence before God to listen and not speak with unlock and unearth the truth of our very self our very identity that has often been stolen
- Practice and obedience must come into play to receive this new fresh relationship with God. Coming to God to listen will manifest Gods very presence…on you and to you and in you…yes you
- Gods presence manifests or arises in silence. You will become comfortable with hearing nothing because actually silence has sounds… the tangible presence of God has substance… God can speak to our spirit with His presence… we all must must must learn this and live this to mature and flourish
Some books that can help you in this adventure or spiritual journey with God will be listed on our website… good counsel can be to find a friend to walk this out with or even a counselor…
When rebuilding the community and wall in time of Nehemiah they were busy building but they got restored big time in Nehemiah 8:5-6 when the very presence of God caused them all to fall at Gods feet on their face. Face time with God still works and is highly transforming and healing.
In my book lean in closer with God I share about my journey to Hear God speak to me and my journey of being literally FAINT WITH LOVE with God. Jesus and the Holy Spirit came so close that every cell in my being was pulsing with the love of God… it is hard to explain but true…it is biblical
Lets look at a book I have taught from and used in my maturing and for my character development and life with God
Listening Prayer by Leanne Payne. Baker books is publisher. Lets see what Dallas Willard had to say about this resource:
Approaching God for communion with Him instead of a begging or defeated experience will raise us from the dead. Is the bible true… and we all said YES IT IS…so it is true and true right now that the promise of John 17:22-23a is ours. We must be obedient and take it by faith which has a substance.
You get to take this promise from where the throne of grace not the throne of rejection of a busy signal or throne of ignore me because I have been bad
Please here what I am going to say right now …hear this with your spirit not your brain…the whole point of pondering our approach to God is this:
Intellectual blocks and spiritual blocks will dissolve in this listening posture and life with God
When we begin to very intentionally and obedientiary chose to PRACTICE THE PRESENCE OF GOD we enter into the place we belong…we get back to the garden….