Peace Out

While many of you won’t believe we haven’t already been doing this … not for one second… I maintain the accuracy of the statements. :-)

We are moving to a medium where we can let it all hang out. Free-to-be-me kind of stuff. No checks. No worries. No couching words. No holding back on our faith and personal convictions. It will be personal. It will be intimate. It will be the nitty-gritty of life. And I hear you asking… and what do you call the posts written in Walk Wisely?

Hear me out please. In a public blog where one hopes to minister to any reader who ‘happens’ to find us, we find ourselves reserving some of our strongest convictions (I know, hard to believe) and some of our most personal moments in this ‘open’ setting.

Walk Wisely is moving. We are going private. That means you will have to be invited to read the new blog. Any regular reader is welcome; you will just have to now ask for permission to read. You only have to get permission once then you can read at anytime just like you do now. You will log in but we won't know when/if you do. Please know we aren’t trying to shut out any one in particular from participating. It’s just that in order to have complete freedom of speech and expression without the thought of lurkers from abroad, it is necessary to go private.

We have had our fun here. Some of the authors have come and gone. We have given it our best conservative, faith-based energy considering the little bit of time each author's busy schedule has to spare.

So we say good-bye to all good and loyal readers. And we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all you’ve contributed. Not one of you is taken for granted. We hope you follow us.

If you would like to move with us please don’t hesitate to ask. You can e-mail me at hoe and shovel garden @ gmail dot com. (No spaces of course). We look forward to seeing you at our new home.

AND as we stay true to our Lord… in His words… Peace I leave with you.

Thankfulness Will Change Your Outlook

It's a good time to think about all the reasons we are grateful. My heart is full today as I give glory to God for who HE IS and how He saved me so many years ago and took me off of the path of destruction I was running down. He's continued to keep me in the palm of His loving hand to deliver, to heal, to love, to make me a partaker of all His glorious goodness... always preparing me for what He has prepared for me.

The days and times we are living in might be screaming all sorts of contrary and confusing messages but I'm endeavoring to let peace be my umpire. Peace that can only come from God. One of the spiritual truths I learned very early in my walk with God is that no matter what changes occur around me, Jesus is the same. If I'll keep my thoughts and heart directed toward Him through the word and worship peace rises bigger than any situation I face.

I'm looking at the realities of heaven today. I'm setting my sights 'above' where Jesus is seated at the right hand of God in the place of honor and power. I've found out through practice that as I set my face like flint in His direction all the troubles of earth fade away into the sweet presence of God and nothing else looks as big as HE does.



Jeremy Camp - Give You Glory

So through all the hustle and bustle of the Thanksgiving week I encourage you to make sure you allow God and His immutable presence to wrap around you in all its glorious power. As you do, He will lovingly and mercifully reach into the deepest places of your being and help you sort out every trouble and every success. In the light of His mercy with a thankful heart to Him every good thing comes into view!

Then spend your days being thankful! Spend your thoughts being thankful! Spend your energy being thankful! Right in the face of disturbance and irritation if necessary.

You might be surprised how your outlook on life changes.

Aren't You Far More Valuable Than Birds?

The backbone of our financial system in America and even around the world has been a little rocky lately. Ha. Okay, if we listen to the media and the politicians who are pushing to hurry up and "fix it" --- it is on the verge of collapse.
I've already given my views of the "rescue plan" in previous posts. I'm proud of the House Republicans for holding off the vote yesterday. More work needs to be done on the bill to give us real answers. Obviously something needs to be done but it isn't the plan that was originally proposed and it isn't the one that was put on the floor for a vote yesterday.

Hubby and I are taking a nice peaceful vacation in Northeast Florida this week. We are trying very hard not to be consumed with all the news so we can enjoy some much needed rest and recuperation. With hourly changes in the stock market, announcements of failed banks and Washington's misbehavior it has taken a concerted effort on our part to go about our planned vacation without worry. It's been a challenge even to have a sense of almost feeling guilty for having fun in such grave times.

As I observed the birds on a very quiet and almost deserted beach yesterday, I heard the Holy Spirit urging me to a place of comfort with scriptures softly speaking to my heart. Familiar scriptures. Nothing earth shattering about them. Nevertheless, God has whispered them to me in so many situations and seasons of my life, I know them well. Through them, I know Him well. They speak so profoundly of what Jesus knew to be true of His heavenly Father. They are powerful words that I have held onto in so many times of restlessness and toil over the years. Each time I read them and soak in the power of them, they minister peace to my anxious heart.

I share them today to remind myself and to remind every reader where our help comes from. God is my supply. He is more than enough. He knows what we have need of and is willing to ... and through His sacrifice has already provided.

I have a feeling everything we believe about God and scripture is getting ready to be tested in ways we might never have imagined to be possible in this great country we live in.

I pray I'm ready.

" Look at the birds.

They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?
Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing,
yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.
And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won't he more surely care for you? You have so little faith.
So don’t worry about having enough food or drink or clothing.
Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about these things? Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs,
and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdome of God your primary concern.
So Don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today. "

Jesus, Matthew 6: 26-34 NLT

Images of Tranquility

Getting away from the ordinary hub-bub of everyday life can be a really good way to focus on some things we tend to neglect in the rush and responsiblities of our usual surroundings.



With the idea of celebrating a very special lady's birthday in a way that gives tribute and honor to her beauty and strength of character some of the girls in our family are taking a mini vacation in the North Georgia Blue Ridge Mountains.


Happy birthday to my mom and all my love and appreciation for always showing me mercy and unconditional love through every one of my "seasons in life"... the good, the bad, and the ugly. But more importantly for the Christian heritage she started in our family when she determined to love the Lord our God with all her heart, mind and strength. Our lineage has been forever altered due to her turn toward our Lord, the Savior of the world.



So we chose a cabin with the name Tranquility. The mere word, tranquility, spoken aloud or heard in our ears conjures up images to each individual as diverse as the ways to acheive it. What comes to your mind on first mention of tranquility?

tranquility–noun
quality or state of being tranquil; calmness; peacefulness; quiet; serenity.
1. a disposition free from stress or emotion
2. an untroubled state; free from disturbances
3. a state of peace and quiet




Sitting by this outdoor fireplace in a rocking chair with a cool breeze blowing and God's creation at my fingertips is my current image.

And taking a mountain hike with my camera in hand to help me notice even the minutest details of life forms along the way certainly induces my senses to enjoy some tranquility.
There's just something about being in the center of God's majesty and perfection of which is displayed in nature that calls to the deepest part of my soul.

Sitting alone on the porch this morning with this view before me and my heart and mind wrapped in the love and wonders of God and His glory I couldn't help but reflect on the treasure it is to possess a peace that passes all understanding.


It is peace that can't be bought and can't be obtained by beautiful surroundings. Even though I highly recommend making the world we live in a place that exudes tranquility ... without peace that starts from the inside out, there's really no outward situation that can last long enough or reach far enough to substitute for the peace Jesus said in His own words He gives to us. It is a quiet confidence and assurance that He has us in the palm of His hand and He will never, no never, forsake us.

Do you have some favorite places that help you return to the places in your soul most precious?

Words We Can Trust

Sitting on my back lanai one morning recently as I am at this moment, I watched the birds come and go at the feeders. My Bible was open and my coffee cup full of the ‘juice’ that greets me in the mornings.

To say my thoughts were a little on the anxious side specifically about the recent presidential candidate announcements and our current options for the November elections would be an understatement. It’s discouraging, to say the least, to think how my beloved country has fallen for the dishonest easy-speak of one candidate who has absolutely no qualifications for becoming head of any state. Not to mention he is more liberal (by his own statements and voting record) than even what we have considered the “most liberal” of Senators now occupying those seats. The other candidate will be supported but would not be my choice if lined up with a more conservative candidate. Essentially the greatest nation on the face of the earth has narrowed the presidential field to two men, neither of which I would ultimately choose for President if given better choices.

In the quiet and in the midst of near sadness that early morning a scripture in Matthew 6 came to my heart. Jesus is in the middle of an extended church service teaching crowds of folks and He’s answering some everyday life-questions. I imagine him meeting the gaze of those dear people right in the eyes, lowering his deep, manly voice in a calming manner and gently speaking, “Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not.” Right before those words he was watching the birds, too. (I’m sure that’s why I like birds so much, it’s my spiritual side, you know… me and Jesus.) He said, “Look at the birds. They don’t need to plant or harvest or put food in barns because your heavenly Father feeds them. AND YOU ARE FAR MORE VALUABLE TO HIM THAN THEY ARE.” Ahhhh… now that’s comforting, that’s reassuring, and the mere breath of those words spoken to me brought peace to my soul once again.

So, can any of my worries change a single thing about the impending elections? (For that matter can my worries change any situation that has me bothered?) Worries and sadness cannot. But one thing is true, I can rest assured that no matter the outcome my Heavenly Father will take care of me… and you! It is God who has promised to watch over us no matter the state of our government or any other circumstance in our lives. In the meantime, I am resolved to pray.

Prayer opens the way for God to do His will in the earth. Rather than worry and “talk” about the poor selection we will face in November, we can pray that every Christian would seek God to know His choice for the next president and then they will exercise their right to vote. God can move through ungodly leaders when Christians pray. He did it throughout the Bible for the sake of His children. We MUST keep our eyes and heart on Him and not on the man in office.

Which Way Are You Running? Part I

Nathan Talbot is a welcomed guest blogger on Walk Wisely. Today's post is another contribution from him and we say a great big thank you for his wise words.

4) I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. 5) Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. 6) This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; He saved him out of all his troubles. 7) The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and He delivers them. 8) Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. Ps. 34: 4-8 (NIV)

Are you dealing with a tough situation in your life? Are you suffering patiently through something that is very painful, something you don’t understand, something you didn’t deserve? God wants to rescue you. He wants to be there for you in your time of need. He wants to give you peace, and comfort. He is willing, He is able, but we have to take the first step. We have to run to Him. Which way are you running?

I know in my own life that when painful things have come up I have run in all sorts of directions and failed to run in the one direction I should. There are many reasons for this. Sometimes I think I am big enough, or smart enough, to handle it on my own. Sometimes I think I can just overcome it with busyness, or with the right attitude. To be honest when the most painful things I have had to deal with have come up, I have thought to myself, “How can God give me a peace right now, this hurts too much? I just don’t see how He can do anything for me in this exact moment and time.”

I am here to tell you that each and every time I fully surrendered to Him and entered into His presence he has been right there to lift me up. Isiah 26:3 tells us that He will give perfect peace to those who trust in Him. God wants us to run to Him and trust Him. He doesn’t want us to deal with these things on our own. Jesus laid down His life that we might have a RELATIONSHIP with Him. When I remind myself of this I realize just how much He cares for me. He has shed His blood for me and offered Himself as a sacrifice for me. He is pursuing me with a love I can not humanly comprehend. He wants me to run to Him with every need and certainly when I am in pain.

It is not always easy to stop dwelling on the hurt long enough to truly surrender to Him and enter into His presence with a heart of thanksgiving and an attitude of trust, but if you are willing to take that first step He will honor His word and will bring comfort in the midst of any storm you may be facing. I encourage you to get off the treadmill of your own strength, and run to Him. He is waiting to lift you up, to wrap his arms around you and cover you in His love.

Which One Will You Be?

Often during my morning jog the praise songs from my i-pod move me along and the time I spend exercising becomes a time of my prayer and worship. What could be better? Exercising physically on a beautiful Florida morning while communing with God is hard to beat.

My spirit many times will latch on to words from a particular song and it is as if the Holy Spirit takes a highlighter to the words to speak something to me. Monday morning was like that. As I listened to the song Two Sets of Joneses by Big Tent Revival my heart leapt and my mind was full of thoughts about the two kinds of houses (life) one can choose to build as taught by Jesus in Matthew 7. In the Philips translation it is stated this way, everyone who hears and practices these words of mine is like a sensible man who builds his house on the rock.

I actually didn't read MLM's Monday post until Wednesday morning. When I saw she posted on this subject I got giddy thinking about how the Holy Spirit works in hearts. Since this message has been stirring in me since Monday I am going ahead with it here -- hopefully it will layer on top of MLM's post to speak to someone.

We can be certain the winds and the storms are going to come as long as we live on this earth. Whatever our beliefs, our thinking, our character, our opinions, our values, our insecurities, our strengths and weaknesses we've been practicing will be revealed when the storms of life rock our world.

I once had a house built on my own ideas, my own philosophies, my own understanding, and lots of mixed up doctrines and justifications. Sandy soil at best. What a night and day difference my life is now that I depend on my heavenly Father's word, wisdom and love to lift me out of the storms of life as I trust Him and know Him better and better all the time. It's vital to know Him and His perfect character of goodness and love toward us in order to trust Him. Trust is not automatic. Trust grows as we step out in faith on God's word and we experience the beauty of a life filled with joy, peace and blessing.

Rest is Better

Would you consider yourself a worrier? If we are familiar with God’s commands, we don’t like to admit it because we know He has said to us over and over, “Fret NOT.” We could say fretting and worry is one of the BIG “Don’ts” in the Bible.

How does one ever get to that peaceful and contented place of NOT worrying? I dare say it doesn’t just happen because we need it to happen.

For me? I was a born worrier. Maybe because I naturally like to control my environment and take command of what goes on around me? I tend towards schedules and plans and organization. These particular personality traits typically give over to trying to figure everything out, wanting to “fix” all my problems (and everyone elses), a need to know how everything will turn out… if I can’t then I worry... or if something or someone throws a curve ball into the mix, oh my… then what?

Actually that was more me a lot of years ago. After years of being overcome with anxiety, fears and worry and the effects of these showing up in many unwanted ways in my physical and emotional state, I made the determination to be free through the power of the gospel.

God sent His word and healed us . I literally looked up scriptures about trusting Him, and every passage I could find about peace and rest and the fathomless, unfailing love of God and ate them like medicine until I believed they were true for me. Because my mind was changed to a whole new belief system, anxiety and fear no longer had a strangle-hold on me. With this new way of thinking, I had a choice about the way I responded to whatever life happened to bring my way. In the process my relationship with the Savior of my soul was forever altered as well.

Oswald Chambers in My Utmost for His Highest says this about worry:
“Resting in the Lord does not depend on external circumstances at all,

but on your relationship to God Himself.
…We imagine that a little anxiety and worry are an indication of how really wise we are; it is much more an indication of how really wicked we are. Fretting springs from a determination to get our own way. Our Lord never worried and He was never anxious, because He was not "out" to realize His own ideas; He was "out" to realize God's ideas. Fretting is wicked if you are a child of God. … All our fret and worry is caused by calculating without God.”

Ouch! Glad he said that and not me. But doesn't it ring true?

When I’m tempted to worry I still return to the same course the Spirit of God so lovingly taught me all those years ago. It was a gradual thing learning (and I’m still learning) to rest in God’s great love and concern for me. At first, I had to believe before I saw any change but then as a result of believing differently, I began to see changes in my life. It’s hard to describe but the way I felt physically and emotionally actually changed. Resting instead of worrying is something that happens in the deepest part of our being. Trusting God ‘feels’ completely opposite of worry and fear which makes me jittery, upset, angry, stirred up, anxious. I would describe “the feeling” of resting in God this way: it’s a smooth, cozy, comfy, cushy place way in the pit of my soul that knows and trusts God to be God. He is my Lord, He is my Savior, my refuge, my safety, my Healer, my Deliverer… He gave His Son to die for ME… He will take care of me and everything that concerns me. I rest in Him, I lean on Him, I run to Him, I hide in Him… great is my peace.