“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” Ecclesiastes 3:1

Do you find yourself in a season of life that just doesn’t really make sense to you? You begin to question what this all really means, because this is a part of the journey you never imagined yourself to be on.

There are so many seasons in this journey called life and it looks a little bit different for each of us, but we all have one thing in common, the FATHER orchestrates each season of our life and He writes our stories so beautifully.

I think it’s important that we realize that although each of us are in different seasons of life and different scenarios, we must love and encourage each other. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:11

To the one who is in a season of pain and heartache, my heart goes out to you. This is a season you never really imagined you would be in, and I pray that the Father would heal the wounded pieces of your heart. He can make beauty from the ashes, and although the pain is heart wrenching, He can and will heal those wounds. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Psalms 147:3

To the one in a season of waiting, oh my friend, I know the Waiting season is wearisome and there are times you will just want to cry and give up, but I encourage you to Trust, Trust the Father. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
Proverbs 3:5

Brothers and Sisters, I know the different seasons of life are not always easy, but Don’t Give Up! Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:1‭-‬2

Keep Fighting the Good Fight, the Father loves you ❤

Thankful for Grace,

Vinny

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

If I am honest, this isn’t exactly the easiest post to write and you may understand why as you read it, however; the Father has given the words so I want to be in the pen in His hand.

Giving thanks is pretty simple, right? We thank God for our blessings, for His protection, His Love and for so many more thing, which is absolutely important. Then we get to the part of the verse which I know I have skipped over so many times. “In all Circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for You”

All circumstances, means all the time, no matter whether it feels good or not so good. I clearly remember the months and years, I spent feeling all depressed and sorry for myself, because of ” unfair and painful things” that happened to me, I also remember thinking that there is no way that I will ever be able to Thank God for anything that has happened in my life. But then the Father changed my heart and showed me so clearly that I need to thank Him for all those times in my life that were so heart-wrenching and tough, and if I am honest, my initial response was, “those seasons of my life were so painful and none of it should have never ever happened.” Yet, the very moment, I chose to thank God for those Times, something changed, something shifted! It wasn’t about me anymore, but about Giving Praise and Thanksgiving to the One who Heals the wounded, Cares for the orphan, and Loves us unconditionally.

To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord , that He may be glorified.” Isaiah 61:3

In the words of Isaiah, It describes what the Father does for us, AND THEN we have the special privilege of doing these very things for the hurting, the broken, the lost and the unlovable, as an act of worship to the King of Kings!

Brothers and Sisters, I know each of you have experienced pain, loss, and rejection in some way, and for that my heart weeps with you. I know there are things that happen to us that seem unfair, we don’t understand how anything good could ever come from any of it.

He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds. He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.
Psalms 147:3‭-‬5

Praise and Thank Him in the Storm, I know it will hurt, in fact; it may be some of the deepest pain you may felt up to this point. Friends, when the focus is off ourselves and on the Father, the flesh has to die and God can receive the Glory!

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! 1 Chronicles 16:34 

Worship Him In the Beauty of Holiness, because He is the Holy One!

Because of Him,

Vinny

{COURAGE} •the ability to do something that frightens one. •strength in the face of grief or pain

The story of Gideon, a timid young man who was beating wheat in the wine press, And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.” ~Judges 6:12 He then proceeds to tell the Lord that he is the smallest of his family, that was considered the least in their tribe.

The story of Joshua, a servant of Moses, who was sent as a spy to the land of Canaan. Later after Moses died the Lord came to Joshua saying, “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel.
Joshua 1:2. After giving Joshua specific directions for the task He had for him, the Lord said, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9

In both encounters, there was an enemy to be conquered and the Lord made sure to tell them, that He is with them, that there is no need to fear.

Let’s be honest, there’s an enemy around us and there are days where we need to be reminded to: “Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the Lord God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished.
1 Chronicles 28:20

No matter how scary the task before you, do not Fear, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind”
II Timothy 1:7

Perhaps the journey is extra difficult in this very moment and the road looks so lonely and hard. My friend, may these words be a great comfort to you. For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”
Isaiah 41:13

Brothers and Sisters, just as Gideon did, I urge you to take Courage, because the FATHER is with you. May He be your source of strength and courage.

Because of Him,

Vinny

We all have things that we have been praying about, things we really desire to see change, but are we willing to wait up on the Father, who will bring it all into existence in His perfect timing?

For many weeks you have waited, for months you have prayed, you have wept tears, and you have struggled. You begin to wonder if something is wrong, does God not hear, does He not care? Will this prayer never be answered, will that dream never be a reality?

And during this time of waiting, you see your friends receive something you have been praying about for so long and once again you wonder, will God never answer? You want to rejoice with them, yet it hurts so much as you continue to wait.

My friend, let’s be honest, Waiting is

•Difficult

•Painful

•Stretching

and looking at it from an earthly perspective, it would appear that the Waiting season seems to only cause more heartache, more doubt and tears in our lives, but really is that just because we aren’t getting what we want?

I invite you to join me, as we look at the Waiting season from a Spiritual standpoint. The Waiting period allows us to:

•Draw closer to God

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. James 4:8

•Surrender our will to the Father

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord . For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:8‭-‬9

•Trust God More Fully

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Proverbs 3:5‭-‬6

•Be Refined and made more into the Image of Christ

So that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:7

So my friend, wherever you find yourself at this very moment, in the Waiting or maybe in the Valley. I encourage you with these words:

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31

I pray that God would give you much Grace as you seek Him and from Him alone, comes perfect Peace and Rest. Surrender it to Him🙌

Thankful for Grace

Vinny

When Jesus spoke these words that are recorded in the eleventh chapter of Matthew, I believe He knew that us frail humans would attempt to do life on our own Strength at times, that we would run to Him as our last resort, rather then Him be the first place we run in times of trouble. Just listen to what He says:

• To the one who is weary, He bids come

•To the one who is burdened, He bids come

He doesn’t say when you have it all together, you can come, or once you are perfect, you can come. No, He makes it very clear, “come unto Me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”

We sleep at night to rest our weary bodies, but that’s not the rest He is talking about here. He’s talking about a rest that only He can give, when we give Him everything, our burdens, our cares, and our mistakes. When we give everything to Him, He is then in control of it all and we can rest in Him, because He is now in control of it.

Just listen to what else He says in verses 29 and 30 of Matthew 11.

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

He wants us to take His yoke upon us and learn from Him, and how can we do that? It’s only when we come to Him with our everything that we can learn from Him, because if we don’t come to Him, our focus tends to be more on the problems and burdens we are currently dealing with.

He speaks of Him being gentle and lowly, which describes our Father so well. He is the creator of the Universe, yet He wants to have an intimate relationship with me. He is also the Gentle Shepherd who desires to heal all the broken pieces and wants me to live with complete abandon for Him.

The yoke He speaks of is another loving attribute of the Father. He doesn’t want us to worry about or carry anything. He wants to do that for us. The question is, will I allow Him to do that?

My friend, if you find yourself burdened and overwhelmed, please run to the Father, He is waiting with open arms to carry everything for you.

Thankful for Him,

Vinny

• “Why God?”
• “Why this path?”
• “Why this heartache?”
• “Why this loss?”
• “Why this Struggle?”

I think we have all thought or perhaps even verbalized one or all of these questions on our journey through this life.The beautiful thing is, every single one of us have a story, each one is different, yet we have all experienced similar things in life; heartache, loss, pain and etc.

Let’s be honest, these things all affect us deeply, and the Father wants us to turn to Him at all times, yet when trials come it’s quite easy to feel like we are all alone and no one cares, because that’s what the enemy wants us to believe. We know only the Father speaks truth, so we need to root His word with in our hearts.

And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord , have not forsaken those who seek you. Psalms 9:10

To the one who is questioning “Why” My friend, my heart goes out to you, I know it’s just so difficult to understand why things have to be this way. I pray that you would be comforted by the Father’s Love, that His Grace would sustain you in this time, and that He would give you Strength to Faithfully continue on, even if you don’t understand.

To the one who is facing “Heartache and Loss”, my heart weeps with you. What you have experienced is really hard, the pain is real and even today you may have had to face a new “first” and that pain and reality is harsh. I pray that the Father would sustain you with His Grace and that His loving arms would hold you ever close as He heals the broken pieces of your heart.

To the one who is Struggling, may I encourage you with the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Some say, “Time Heals” and to an extent that may be true, but the Father is the only One who ultimately heals and restores! May He speak to you today!

Thankful for Grace❤

Vinny

Amongst the crowd of people there was a soul that was sad, her heart so lonely and so empty, pasting a smile upon her face, she ventured into the crowd attempting to blend in and hoping no one would notice the struggle that was so real, the burden that seemed almost too heavy to carry.

Deep down, she truly did want someone to ask how she was doing, this longing to be loved was real, so real it hurt and affected every part of her being. Her heart ached at the sight of families sitting together, she wanted to feel like she belonged to something or someone.

With out even realizing it, she nurtured the orphan wound within her heart, time and again when she compared herself to others, ones who had the “perfect” life, talent, or family. Why couldn’t she have one thing right in her life? And each time the wound grew a lil bigger, it festered just a wee bit more.

One day, something changed, the walls in her heart were broken down as she experienced for the first time, the Pure Love of the Father. A sense of belonging was felt in her Spirit, she knew she was now a daughter of the King and that her Heavenly Daddy would Love her unconditionally❤

My friend, if you can identify with this true story, may I encourage you to find a friend to confide in, someone who will point you to Jesus, so you may experience the Pure Love of the Father, who loves you so very much.

We all hear that Jesus loves us, but do we live like we believe it? Have we truly experienced it? Or are we still living as orphans, nurturing that wound within our Heart and Spirit?

Thankful for Grace,

Vinny

While they were traveling, He entered a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. Luke 10:38

So go with me for a little bit if you will, what if you knew Jesus was coming to your house, He was going to come in and perhaps have a meal with you, so all day or maybe all week you scurried around cleaning and prepping everything for that day when Jesus arrived at your house.

Everything was put in order, not a speck of dust in sight,the floor so shiny clean that you could have ate off it, and the food was prepared with the utmost care. It was seldom you had guests so you really outdid yourself on this one.

Then the moment came, Jesus entered their village and then came into their House, entering through the front door, greeted by you and your sister. Now you and your sister get along great most of the time, I mean y’all live in the same house so you should see eye to eye on most things, but every once in awhile there are things that she does that irk you a little.

So Jesus comes in and immediately you both scurry around to make sure the Honored Guest is made comfortable, of course the food is cooking but you need to make sure every thing is just perfect. And while you are scurrying around trying to perfect Everything, your sister sits at Jesus feet, worshiping Him and learning from Him.

She had a sister named Mary, who also sat at the Lord’s feet and was listening to what He said. Luke 10:39

Finally, you have to say something because Jesus doesn’t like lazy people, like there’s even scripture to back that one up. But when you say something about her not helping you, Jesus lovingly says that sister Mary has chosen and is doing the right thing. Whoa, (Mic Drop🎤moment), here you thought you were doing the right thing and Jesus tells you, that your sister has/is doing the right thing.

The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42

My dear friends please hear my heart in this, but how often are we the “Martha” in the situations we face in our day to day lives? Too busy with a mile long to-do list, too staunch with a “non flexible” schedule, or too caught up in just “things” that may be good, but not necessary in building the Kingdom of Heaven?

To-do lists, schedules and those “things” have their time and place…

But what about the hurting Brother or Sister sitting next to you in the pew on Sunday morning, is your Sunday lunch or afternoon nap so important that you don’t have time to listen, let them know you care, perhaps praying with them or speaking life into them?

What about the young mother that looks weary, would you take time to speak life and blessing to her, letting her know you care. Remember she is teaching the next generation and it’s no easy task.

Or how about the young soul that recently gave their heart to the Lord? They have so many questions because now everything is so very different, would you take the time to bless them and let them know you are praying for them?

In a Martha world, May I challenge you to be a Mary, taking the time for the ones around you. Whether it be in the grocery store, your place of worship on Sunday mornings, your work place, or just in your day to day life. Are you willing to take the time to sit, listen and then speak as God directs you?

May we be true instruments of Grace and Love to each Soul around us ❤

The Hurt is deep, the pain is real and the pilgrim with his head bowed low, struggles to stay upright, the path upon which he trods is rugged and ever so narrow. As he attempts to put one foot in front of the other, He hears something, it sounds like someone is calling him, he stops, he listens and then the most gentle of voices beckons him:

“Come my child, just come and bring me everything; the pain, the hurt you are carrying, is a burden and I long to bear it for you.”

●Cast your burden on the Lord , and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved● ~ Psalms 55:22

The pilgrim lifts his weary head and looks upward, straight into the face of the Father, who lovingly reaches out His hand and invites the weary pilgrim to come and with just a couple steps He is safe in the arms of the Father, who lavishes much Love upon the weary pilgrim’s spirit and body. Then once again the Father speaks:

“Child, I long to heal the hurt that you feel, I know you see ashes, but there is beauty that I am desiring to show you, but my child, will you trust me? In my Holy word I have said, what I start I will also bring to full completion. Will you Trust me with it all?”

The pilgrim begins to weep, He knows that He has tried to carry on in the journey on His own Strength, he’s tried to ease the hurt with carnal things, He looks to the Father now and nods, as the burden is passed over and suddenly the mountain looks very small, because now The Father is in control and His strength will sustain the Pilgrim in His continued Journey.

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. ~ Philippians 1:6

My friend, you and I are the pilgrim. We have Hurts and Pain that is so very real, many things we don’t understand. Will we just listen to the Father’s Loving call and run to Him? The pain can be healed by the Loving Father’s touch, and out of the Ashes Beauty will Rise.

Where there is Pain, there is also a Healer that can heal, the most broken parts of our Spirit. Will you Trust Him?

Because of Him,

❤ Vinny

A lil girl stands at the window, and by her actions it is easy to tell she is eagerly awaiting, watching and waiting for someone to appear, and suddenly she dashes down the steps and out the door, she doesn’t stop until she is in the arms of the one whom she watched and waited for, Her daddy. With her eyes fixed upon the familiar face, she begins to tell of her day and all the adventures she embarked upon that day.

Have you seen the above story unfold? Friends, let me tell you it is a beautiful thing to see, and it brings tears to my eyes every time I see it. The moment that Lil girl sees her Daddy, Nothing will stop her until she is in her Hero’s arms, safe and secure.

Do you know? Do you believe that the Heavenly Father does the exact same for you? He awaits daily in eager anticipation with arms open wide, just patiently waiting, but the choice is yours, will you run to Him with complete abandon? Will you run and not stop until you are safely in His arms, where you know you will be safe and secure?

▪See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are▪ ~ 1 John 3:1

Do you hear him beckoning you? Asking you to come to Him, to be in communion with Him, He so desires an intimate relationship with you.

▪My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me▪ ~John 10:27

My friend, just as the little girl did, I encourage to run to The Heavenly Father with complete abandon and allow Him to hold you in His loving arms and share with you the plans He has for you.

And even though your earthly daddy may not have nurtured and cared for your heart like He should have, The Father will, I promise He absolutely will care for you and your heart in the most loving way, He will heal the wounds, the pain, and brokenness. Will you allow Him to? Will you Trust Him?

You are written on the Palm of His hand, and He will always be with you.

Thankful to be a daughter of the King!

❤ Vinny