Blue Lace Agate

Through the tender care of the Divine, I am able to speak boldly.

     The light blue and white waves within blue lace agate vary in size and shade, lighter and darker, clearer and more opaque, rolling in patterns across the stone. It is like rippling water, the light glinting on tiny, gentle waves. Water fuels all life, big and small - it fills our cells and our world. 

     Here is a story from the life of our Savior in the time He spent on earth: 

     "A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”"

John 4:7-26

     The Living Water that Jesus speaks of here is the Holy Spirit - the Spirit of the Lord that lives in our hearts. The Spirit heals, holds, nurtures, and guides God's followers in every day of our lives. 

     "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful."

Hebrews 10:22-23

     This hope that we have is our hope in Christ, that He will be faithful to us and save our souls. We have this hope, in the depths of our souls, that nothing the world does to us compares to Him.

     "And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.”

Acts 18:9-10

     “And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

Luke 12:8-12

     This blog is one way in which I speak for the Lord. Proclaiming our faith in Him boldly, drawing our strength from His Spirit and letting Him speak through us, is our offering to Him. We glorify His name as we confess our faith and share what He's done in our lives. We have nothing to fear as we do this-- God is greater than anything that humans can do to us. In fact, Jesus says that His followers who suffer because of their faith are blessed, and their reward will be great in Heaven.

     "And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets."

Luke 6:20-23

     I am confident that this blog would not exist without the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I used to write all the time, but now, all I'm able to write is the Glory of God, by the ministering of His Spirit to me. I pray that you all would also allow the Lord to speak through you.