Fly...Eagles...Fly

On Sunday night, December 29, the Philadephia Eagles clinched the NFC East Championship by defeating the Dallas Cowboys, final score 24-22.  It was sweet bliss for Eagles fans to have their team win on the Cowboys turf.  Needless to say we bleed green at my house!  The game was exciting down to the last two minutes of play. The interception by Eagles cornerback Brandon Boykin sealed the Philadelphia win!  Almost immediately, Facebook was bombarded with posts by Eagles fans some of which included the team fight song...Fly Eagles Fly! It was sweet, truly! My husband was so pumped he couldn't go to sleep and who really wanted to sleep...a win like that you savor right! E...A...G...L...E...S! Go Eagles!

Well, not much happens in my life, not even football, without some spiritual contemplation.  Earlier, that day I had received a YouTube email alerting me that one of my favorite worship teams had posted a new video.  The title of the video..."Those Who Wait On the Lord".  Those of you familiar with scripture will know that this verse speaks about eagles mounting up! Apropo right!

Isaiah 40:31 KJV

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint."

Isaiah 40:31 Amplified

"But those who wait for the Lord (who expect, look for, and hope in Him ) shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up (close to God) as eagles (mount up to the sun); they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired."

The worship video ushered me right into the Presence of the Lord. It wasn't one of those short video clips either...almost 30 minutes.  It had a segment where the worshippers waited as Isaiah 40:31 declares. Powerful!  After all the excitement of the game, this was the perfect ending to an amazing night.  As the worship went forth, if you entered in, you began to feel the ascension.  The mounting up...the mounting up comes after the waiting...the stillness...the reverent worship of the Most High God.

Mount Up: Strong's #H5927 alah (aw-law)- to go up, ascend, climb, to meet, visit, follow, depart, withdraw retreat, to spring up, grow, shoot forth, to go up, go up over, rise, TO COME UP BEFORE GOD (my emphasis added), to excel and be superior.

Eagles are majestic creatures and have strong symbolic meaning in scripture.  Eagles, both bald and golden, are among the largest birds in world and symbolize wisdom, strength, bravery and courage.  Time does not permit me to expound on eagles in scripture but a biblical study will surely bless anyone seeking revelation.  The instinctual characteristic of the eagle to "mount up" is powerfully symbolic in Isaiah 40:31.  When we choose to wait (Strong's #H6960 wait, look, for, hope for, linger for) the Presence of Lord we can expect to be changed, renewed and strengthened.  We will mount up and draw near to God and He will draw near to us.  We will ascend into His Presence and dwell in the Secret Place of the Most High.  Communion. Fellowship. Koinonia (Strong's #G2842).  This is time well spent which results in running and walking out our faith without becoming weary, faint and tired.  This is our true spiritual inheritance, the sweet communion and fellowship with our Father. We have free access to pure Love because of the full redemption of Our Christ.

This upcoming year, I am expecting to "wait upon the Lord" and "mount up".  In a previous post I shared briefly about a powerful teaching regarding the Jewish New Year 5774 by Melissa Flores. (http://definingwords.com/2013/09/30/the-word-on-ayin-dalet/).  The Year 5774 is  Ayin Dalet.  Ayin refers to "eye" and "fountain". (check out earlier posts) Our prophetic perception will be important in this season. In scripture, eagles are symbolic of prophetic insight.  Dalet refers to "door" and can also mean "movement".  Doors in scripture often refer to spiritual movement and opportunity.

I expect the New Year of 2014 to be a year of entering into "Fullness".  I earnestly believe God desires us to experience the fullness of His Kingdom.  In John 10:9, Jesus told us that He is the door.  We will enter into the fullness of God's destiny for our lives through Christ Jesus, Our forerunner.  We will "mount up" and ascend in communion and fellowship with the Father as we wait upon the Lord and enter into His Rest.  Jesus bids us all to COME. He gives the invitation. The invitation is for whosoever will.  We will choose to wait, to rest, to mount up, to walk and to run!  Let's not neglect this GREAT SALVATION! LET'S FLY...EAGLES...FLY!!!

VIDEO EXTRA: Animal lovers and activists PLEASE DO NOT BASH MY BLOG.  This eagle flying doesn't seem to be abused and I thought it was simply cool! Fly Eagles Fly .
Here is another YouTube link if your conscious allows you to view it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3QrhdfLCO8


WORSHIP VIDEO:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3qojwQywrk Bethel Church: Jeremy Riddle "Those Who Wait on The Lord".

LAST THOUGHT: Interesting webpage about eagles and the molting process...
http://eaglez4worth.tripod.com/id89.html

This New Year, 2014, may you be filled with the fullness of God (Eph. 3:19). May the Kingdom of God, His righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit be your reality (Romans 14:17). May grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Our Lord. (2 Peter 1:2).

My, My, My...Gifts, gifts and more gifts!!!

Merry Christmas! This is the season that we enjoy giving and receiving.  We will all give to and receive from those who are most important in our lives.  The old adage...it is more "blessed" to GIVE than to "receive"...I believe holds true. However, it can get a little tricky with the gift giving.  As our family and friends get older and our culture changes...the gift giving can get a little challenging. What do you get the 13 year-old who has the latest cell phone, tablet and game console? I hope someone understands what I am saying! We are so blessed...we have so much!!!

I don't know about you but I still love the personalized gifts.  I like my techie gifts but the gifts that make me tear up and want to just bask in the joy of giving are the ones that show creativity, thought and a personal touch.  I still have homemade Christmas ornaments on our special mini tree and presents from the school Christmas table (dollar maximum) because they have the heart of the giver at the center.  These are the gifts that remind you of the blessing of giving. We ALL have a few gifts that are treasures because of the giver!

Recently I discovered some gifts that "The Reason for the Season" gives...Jesus gives us some gifts that are personal!  Gifts that He knows we need; gifts that He knows we can't live  without...PERFECT gifts with His personal touch.

Gift: MY PEACE..In John 14:27 Jesus says..."Peace I leave with you, MY PEACE I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." KJV

The New Living Translation reads "I am leaving you a gift-peace of mind and heart.."

RECEIVE IT!

Gift: MY LOVE..In John 15:10 Jesus says..."If you keep my commandments,you will ABIDE in MY LOVE; even as I have kept my Father's commandments and ABIDE in HIS LOVE." KJV

ABIDE!

Gift: MY JOY..In John 15:11 Jesus says.."These things have I spoken to you that MY JOY might remain in you and that your JOY might be FULL." KJV

FULL JOY!

Jesus gives us some very personal gifts...HIS PEACE, HIS LOVE and HIS JOY.  We must receive them. He TOLD us so that we would know.  He gives them because He knows what we have need before we ask...WE RECEIVE because WE BELIEVE!


MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Well...See...

Well...see...for a person who loves words or a wordsmith, there is more than one way to skin a cat.  Words are complex and can communicate effectively in an assortment of ways.  The meanings for words vary according to context:antonyms, synonyms, homonyms...the wonderful world of words.    For some of us, we like their complexity and can get lost on a seeker's trail but we also have this peculiar reverence for them.  The seeking and the reverence are catalyst for us to examine and expound until it becomes almost compulsive...but the rewards, the nuggets of truth that can be excavated are simply remarkable.  Here's my last word trail.

After the first blog, I began thinking about the word 'kelbey' and it's meaning; farmhouse by the spring.  As I mentioned earlier, it is very fitting for this wordsmith...blogger newbie...aspiring author because every serious writer needs a place to get lost just to find the words. The necessity of water seems pretty obvious but for me creativity is spiritual and so "Living Water" is the true necessity.  All of these random thoughts got me to thinking about women and water.   In ancient cultures, including biblical times, women were responsible for drawing water for their family.  This piqued my interest! I could see such a correlation between women, water and my own creative need for this spiritual outlet...images of women from all cultures with water jugs on their shoulders came to mind.  Women are responsible for their family's well being and knowing how to draw living water is imperative. (Selah. Pause and think about that!) There is one biblical account that of course came to mind...the Samaritan woman and  Jesus at the well.  That account is rich with truth but let's just say...well...see...the trail took a sharp left.

SHARP LEFT: Hagar: Egyptian slave given in marriage to Abram at his wife Sarai's request in order to have a child. Genesis 16:7 reads, "And the Angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness on the road to Shur." (Amplified Bible).  Well upon reading this my jaw was almost on the floor!! The Angel of the LORD in the Old Testament is THE visible form of GOD just as Jesus Christ is in the New Testament.  The Strong's #H3068  yeh-ho-vaw...Jehovah... is the proper name of the ONE TRUE God.  Now I am almost totally undone, unwound and unzipped!  The True and Living God appeared to an Egyptian slave woman as she was trying to escape from her mistress!  Doesn't that just kick over your ideology about the OT God of anger and judgement? It gets more interesting...still on the trail..

Continuing to examine this account, I looked at fountain, since women and water were really what started this whole search anyway. Well...see... this is what I discovered...Strong's #5869 (or #5871a in another reference) is translated as two words: 1) ayin (a Hebrew letter) eye  2) spring or fountain.  WHAT!!!!  Remember what I mentioned earlier, which may seem like many moons ago, about words context and meaning.  This is getting so good.  The Hebrew letter ayin is eye and is directly related to seeing, perception and insight.  This Jewish Year is 5774 which is ayin dalet. I am no Hebrew scholar but at this point I am pretty sure that this is no coincidence.  I am not going to go into the significance of all that...my humble advice...start your own word trail. (Or check out this post by Melissa Flores..http://definingwords.com/2013/09/02/the-year-5774-ayin-dalet/).

Trying to bring it to a close.  The Angel of the LORD spoke to Hagar by that spring, by that fountain.  She was changed.  If you go and read the account you will see she is given a promise, a covenant.  Genesis 16:13-14 reads, "So she called the name of the Lord Who spoke to her, You are the God of seeing, for she said, Have I not even here in the wilderness looked upon Him Who sees me and lived? Or have I here also seen the future purposes or designs of Him Who Sees Me? Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi [ A well to the Living One Who sees me]; it is between Kadesh and Bered." (Amplified Bible). The Hebrew word for well is 'beer'.  Wells were very significant in the Bible.  There are many other biblical accounts about wells but this is the first!

Hagar met the "Living Water"in a wilderness by a spring long before the Samaritan woman. The Angel of the LORD,  Jehovah, revealed Himself to this slave woman, gave her a promise and kept His Word. (see Genesis 21:19 for the conclusion...really look it up). This is the first well mentioned in the Bible. It has divine revelatory significance.  (There is so much more that can be discovered on this trail but time doesn't really permit it).   I came away from this trail truly in awe of a loving God, Living Water and a simple woman by a spring. El Roi...the God (Living One) who Sees Me! Since this word trail started, I have had a few life situations to show me in tangible ways that the Living One does see me and not only me, but also those I am concerned about and love! Spiritual note: sitting by a spring isn't too shabby of a place to be seen!

So if you happen to be in a wilderness, don't despair.  If you are thirsty and looking for water...keep searching...you will find it (look at Genesis 21:19).  If you think that no one knows or even has a clue. WRONG. If somehow life has tricked you into believing there isn't Someone out there who REALLY KNOWS and SEES. WRONG AGAIN!! Be encouraged...nothing can be further from the truth. Ask and it shall be given, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened! Well...See...He IS God and the One Who Sees! Happy trails.

Do You See What I See?

Tis' the season, right?...A few weeks ago, shortly after Black Friday if my memory serves me correctly, I posted a Christmas flashmob youtube video.  The song of the flashmob was the Christmas carol...Do You Hear What I Hear? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihJ5GDBc_BA&feature=share I know you have woken up with a song on your heart.  Well that particular day, I woke up with this song and I thought this particular youtube was a pretty good depiction of what I was feeling.  (This video is sponsored by an organization for which I don't personally advocate, so don't misunderstand my sharing the link, simply sharing).  But that day I was particularly saddened by what I had been seeing on the nightly news concerning shoppers and this season. Greed is probably the best word to describe what I saw. Unfortunately, some shoppers' actions escalated to even violence.
As I confessed on my Facebook page, I have always shopped on Black Friday. I enjoyed getting up crazy early, the coffee stop and even the long lines just to get that bargain.  However, when Black Friday starting creeping into Thursday and Thanksgiving, I wanted to put on the brakes!  Stores starting their hour deals before my dessert was even fully digested!!! My thoughts were, honestly, we can't even give thanks before we start creeping for the next thing we don't really need.  Notice, I said we. I am as guilty as the next shopper.
We fill our lives with all of this stuff that ultimately means relatively nothing in the whole scheme of life.  Our deal ends up being something else to clean, re-gift or throw away in a year or two when it doesn't sell at our summer yard sale.  So this season, my Black Friday perspective was shaken. Perspective is important.  A former Pastor of mine would tell us frequently, how you see life is how you are going to live it.
So that day the song "Do You Hear What I Hear"...spoke to me about seeing and perspective.  What is our life focused on from day to day?  If you check out the lyrics...the night wind spoke to the lil lamb, the lil lamb spoke to the shepherd boy, the shepherd boy spoke to the mighty king.  First, the wind's perspective was shaken and changed...the wind saw the star.  The lil lamb heard and it's focus was changed...Are you getting the idea?  Seeing affects, hearing...hearing affects knowing and knowing affects what is proclaimed.  The king said, "listen to what I say...".
Our day to day life, both spiritual and natural, is about seeing, hearing, knowing and proclaiming. The wind, lamb, shepherd and king were about their daily lives when one of them changed perspective and saw! This started a chain reaction and they all witnessed the miraculous.  We all have the capacity to see more clearly, hear more accurately, know more intimately and finally proclaim with authority.  Immanuel, God with Us, makes that possible. So with only about nine days left in this "shopping" season...may His Goodness and His Light shine upon you...overtake you...draw you in..so that you see, hear, know and proclaim the Truth of this season! Start a chain reaction...

Kelbey... Say What ???

First things first...if you know me then you know my name is not "Kelbey".  In the spirit of full disclosure, I only know one person with this name and it's not their first name. Say what??? What's the deal?  Here it is plain and simple. When you honor and value words like I do and a word or phrase penetrates your thoughts and mind...you go with it.  So here it is...introducing Kelbey Chronicles.  I am not really sure what this blog will ultimately be but it's beginning today.

A little history: Kelbey (Kelby, Kelbee) is an Old English name...not too popular but it means "farmhouse by the spring".  If my life was perfect and all things were wonderful, I would probably live in a remote location near some water! History teaches that every civilization needs a source of water.  Here's some more history...I am married to a carpenter and living a life in a love relationship with a Jewish Carpenter a.k.a the Messiah.  That being said this blog will contain what I will refer to as "living water".  My intention will never be religiosity, religion doesn't change me or anybody else I know.  This is not about having a soapbox although I have been guilty of owning one...Seriously, my intention is to blog about life...and all things that pertain to it...from my humble perspective with a splash here and there.

Last bit of history: Chronicle...you can look that up on your dictionary app if you don't know the definition but the word fits my life. I value words.  I believe in journals and having a written history. I enjoy history period.  So it is a natural thing for me to chronicle...so this is about that too. A written recounting of my stream of consciousness from day to day...and maybe every once in a while something posted here might encourage you...my words may let you know that sometimes you feel like a nut and sometimes you don't...either way,  it's OK. "All will be well"...in the words of Julian Norwich- Revelations of Divine Love.

Hopefully, you are getting a picture of what is forming. I am taking this one day at a time.  This journey will contain words about life (the good, the bad and the ugly)...laughs because joy is so important...Love...it's the only thing eternal and Living Water...my source of life!

Last important note...special thanks to Minister and blogger Melissa Flores definingwords.com who sowed a tremendous eternal seed of encouragement.