Season
This season, autumn, is a time of exploding color
Where God’s spot-light focuses on the leaves
Bright yellow and orange and red, set on mountainsides and valleys
A hearth, blazing, in the trees…
Burst forth with life; there is freshness in the air, it’s harvest time
Where pumpkins and gourds show up everywhere…
Hay-rides and pies, celebration and more…just before winter calls them to sleep…
Barns full and people meet
Canning pickles and making treats…
Vibrant, happy feet…
This season is a glorious time
Dancing to a joyous beat…
Summer passed, cycle soon complete
Winter is coming, and then earth retreats…
Until spring, then life repeats…
Where are you in the cycle of life?
Are you dancing, or, asleep?
Awaken to the brand new you…and dance under the harvest moon!
Glorious rays of golden hues…exploding with a melodious tune…
A chorus crescendo, and fireworks galore…hearts singing as never before
This season of fire, no place for gloom…walking in God’s harvest you’ll bloom
Where life and abundance completely consume…
Hearts open in the King’s living room…
Jesus is coming soon!
~Marla Shaw O’Neill September 27, 2018
Genesis 1:14 English Standard Version Anglicized (ESVUK) And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years,
Genesis 8:22 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) As long as the earth endures,
seed-time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night will not cease.”
A Place Called Solitude 5/22/18
Come my beloved, come away with me…
It will not be easy; but you will see…
The place that I’ve carved out for you
Is a place called solitude…
Lord, all you give to me, I am grateful for and I agree
That if this place you are sending me, is to be a place, where others are freed
Then Lord, I am pleased to go, to this place of solitude
Where words of life are bestowed upon your sons and daughters, and all those who,
Need your love, more than they need air to breathe
Need your strength, let your joy be conceived
Need your hope, where in the battles they bleed
Need your peace, to lay down their worries, and there succeed
Draw me to your solitude…for that is where I’ll be found in you…
God, I surrender, let all I do…
Be done to glorify you…
Solitude is a place of quiet release…a place where we meet, face to face
A place of refreshing from the human race…
Thank you God for this place, called Solitude.
~Marla Shaw O’Neill May 22, 2018
Song of Solomon 2:10 New King James Version (NKJV) My beloved spoke, and said to me: “Rise up, my love, my fair one, And come away.
Luke 5:16 Amplified Bible (AMP) But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray [in seclusion].
Matthew 14:23 New American Standard Bible (NASB) After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.
Sing Sarah Sing: The Angel Song
This song was written for a story I began writing in 2010. The book was published in 2014. Sing Sarah Sing. The song is about a man who lost everything except his faith. In the midnight hour the angels gave him this song.
The Angel Song
Though times are hard
I’m by your side
Your tears I hold within my hand
No matter what I’ll hold you close
Look to the one who understands.
Though fear may come, and tears may fall
Be still and know, that I am God
Let perfect peace restore your heart
And know my love we’ll never part
Chorus:
I walked the road of trials and torment
I sat with those who love me still
But on the cross
I felt the suffering of all the ones who love me most.
The birds they sing a nightly chorus
Of joy and peace to all they bring
So lift your voice and head toward heaven
And learn their song, their song and sing.
He gives me peace, He gives me life, the angels sing be glorified
Praise to the King our mighty King
We’re going home on angels wings.
When in the stillness now at midnight
I see the star of love so bright
I’ll never ever doubt my Savior
For He will lead me through the night
And on the breeze I hear Him whisper…
Press on my child and do not weep
For at the dawn you’ll have your answer
So close your eyes and go to sleep.
Chorus:
I walked the road of trials and torment
I sat with those who love me still
But on the cross
I felt the suffering of all the ones who loved me most.
The birds they sing a nightly chorus
Of joy and peace to all they bring
So lift your voice and head toward heaven
And learn their song, their song and sing.
He gives me peace, He gives me life, the angels sing be glorified
Praise to the King our mighty King
We’re going home on angels wings.
I wake at dawn and have my answer
His peace I sing to all who wait
And then He gives me sweet assurance
I’ll never, ever be alone
These souls I bring to heaven’s harvest
They are the ones who overcome
And now my love
You have your answer
Your journey’s only just begun!
By: Marla Shaw O’Neill 2014
Family in the Land of Um
Lum-Lum is a three-year old little boy who has a baby sister named Yum-Yum.
Lum-Lum loves Yum-Yum and asks Mum-Mum if he can feed Yum-Yum.
Mum-Mum holds Yum-Yum and lets Lum-Lum give his baby sister a bottle each day. Then Lum-Lum tells Mum-Mum his tum-tum is hungry too. So after they feed Yum-Yum, Mum-Mum feeds Lum-Lum. After lunch Mum-Mum gives Lum-Lum his num-num so he can take a nap.
While Lum-Lum sleeps, Mum-Mum makes a phone call to Dum-Dum, her husband, and tells him to bring some milk and cookies home after work.
Dum-Dum says alright and tells Mum-Mum to give Lum-Lum and Yum-Yum a kiss for him.
After Lum-Lum wakes up from his nap he goes to see if Yum-Yum is awake. Mum-Mum was putting Yum-Yum in her swing in the family room. So Lum-Lum went over and gave Mum-Mum and Yum-Yum a kiss.
Dum-Dum came in from work and he brought the milk and cookies home for his sweet little children. “After supper you may have some of these delicious chocolate-chip cookies with milk, Lum-Lum.”
Lum-Lum gave him a great big smile, he was very happy about that.
Mum-Mum and Dum-Dum began to talk about Dum-Dum’s brother, Bum-Bum who wouldn’t get a job and was always Ho-Hum. Now Uncle Bum-Bum wants to come for a visit.
Mum-Mum was extremely annoyed by this but didn’t say anything to Dum-Dum about it.
Later that night Mum-Mum called her sister Chum-Chum and told her all about Bum-Bum wanting to come to visit.
Chum-Chum listened patiently and finally said, “Mum-Mum, if Dum-Dum says it’s OK for Bum-Bum, to visit, then don’t be a ho-hum, like Bum-Bum, it just might be the best thing you’ve ever done. “And besides that, what would Gum-Gum say? She’d say, if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”
Looking pum-pum, Mum-Mum says, “Well it’s all Wum-Wum’s fault if he had disciplined Bum-Bum when he was a child, Bum-Bum would have turned out a lot better.”
“Mum-Mum, that’s water under the zum-zum. Wum-Wum did the best he could. Bum-Bum has a good heart and Lum-Lum and Yum-Yum love him dearly.” said Chum-Chum.
“Remember that little song we used to hum when we were kids? “Be careful little mouth what you say…be careful little mouth what you say…for the father up above is looking down with love, so be careful little mouth what you say.” Lum-Lum and Yum-Yum are listening to everything you say about Bum-Bum.
“Oh, alright Chum-Chum you are right. I’ll be kind to Bum-Bum.” Mum-Mum sighs and pets the dog, Rum-Rum.
“Good night, Chum-Chum, I’ll let you know how it all turns out.” Mum-Mum says as she hangs up the phone.
Now if you live in the land of Um and you have a Lum-Lum and a Yum-Yum and a Dum-Dum and a Bum-Bum and you have a Rum-Rum and a Chum-Chum and a Gum-Gum and a Wum-Wum…You are happy and blessed. Family is everything. How you treat others is how you will be treated. Gum-Gum would say, “Only one life will soon be passed only what’s done for Christ will last.”
So have some milk and cookies for your tum-tum. Turn out the lights and say, good night!
~Marla Shaw O’Neill December 6, 2016
Matthew 7:2 New Living Translation (NLT) For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.
Matthew 7:2-5 The Message (MSG) A Simple Guide for Behavior “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.
Praise the Lord Anyhow
Years ago in the Christian community there was a saying, “Praise the Lord anyhow!”
Psalm 103 Praise the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, Praise His holy name.
Not to sound “churchy” or cliché, but some of those “old sayings” made a lot of sense.
We are to Praise the Lord, IN ALL things…and in Psalm 23:4 it says…yea though I walk THROUGH the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear NO EVIL for thou art with me (KJV)
Did you get that? Walk Through…we don’t stop and camp out in our valley of despair…even though at times it seems as if we are all alone…as God’s children he never leaves us and he never will. The enemy is the one who hisses in our thoughts and says… “I’m alone, no one cares, no one calls, and no one is here to help.” I’m blowing a trumpet here…HE IS A LIAR!!
Satan is the father of lies…John 8:44 and he knows if he can get us to thinking on ourselves and keep us in the pit of self-pity he’s got us…we become our own God…putting ourselves before God and opening ourselves to defeat, sickness, isolation, turning our hearts inward to see our own needs and wants and soon we block the Holy Spirit’s voice and all we hear is SELF talking!!
But I’m here to tell you to… “Praise the Lord anyhow!”
Praise him until you no longer see yourself and your own circumstances…Praise him until you no longer hear Satan hiss…Praise him until your eyes are lifted towards heaven and all you see is Victory…Hope…Love…Help…Peace and Truth…for our help comes from the Lord the maker of heaven and earth…
Look UP! See Jesus…he is no longer on the cross…he is no longer suffering for us…He is High and lifted UP and His train Fills the Temple…
See that word FILLS? When we are filled up with Him…there is NO room for depression, oppression, defeat, death, lies, want, complaining, distraction, sickness, loneliness…because the ROOM is filled with HIS GLORY!!! Amen
PRAISE THE LORD ANYHOW (PTLA) In every situation…
Car won’t start…PTLA
Bills passed due…PTLA
Stress from work…PTLA
ALL by yourself…PTLA
Kids out of control…PTLA
People giving you a hard time…PTLA
House won’t sell…PTLA
Got bad news…PTLA
Tree fell on your house…PTLA
Storm coming…PTLA
Marriage falling apart…PTLA
Depressed…PTLA
Sick…PTLA
Want a spouse…PTLA
Want kids…PTLA
Life falling apart…PTLA
Whatever the challenge you are facing right now, is, just PRAISE THE LORD ANYHOW…and watch the enemy run…and God turn everything around for your GOOD…why because you are praising the Lord anyhow…
When Job’s life was turned totally and completely upside down he lost everything he had. He lost his home, his kids, his health, his friends, his position…everything…
What did Job say? “Though God slay me, yet will I TRUST HIM.” Job 13:15 He knew who He served and that God was faithful…
After he had suffered a long time…God saw Job’s heart and it proved to the enemy just how faithful Job was to God…and because of Job’s love for God…he was given back double the blessing…Job 42:12
I don’t know what your story will be…but I know that when we BLESS God…and give him our heart totally and Praise him no matter what…God is true to His word and he will turn the tide so that His children are blessed beyond measure…
All He asks is that we Praise The Lord Anyhow!!
Praise him in, the Valley of the Shadow of Death…and let God’s blessing follow you all the days of your life with Goodness and Mercy.
And remember to also Praise Him when everything is going great…IN ALL THINGS Praise the Lord anyhow!!
~Marla Shaw O’Neill September 18, 2018
Psalm 103 New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 103
Of David.
Praise the Lord, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
The life of mortals is like grass,
they flourish like a flower of the field;
the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
But from everlasting to everlasting
the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children—
with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.
The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.
Praise the Lord, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.
Praise the Lord, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the Lord, my soul.
Heart-Tunes
Heart-Tunes are flowing
Straight to the surrendered heart,
Waiting and knowing
For God’s gentle caring voice to impart
Life and peace, it is our choice
Lean in close; hear His whispers; and then rejoice…
These are notes of a supernatural kind
Eyes see; they are not blind
Ears hear; they are not deaf
My song is not only heard, it is felt
Bowing before the Lord, my heart melts
Lean in close, Heart-Tunes are being dealt
To each seeking, longing soul
His Words within us are like hot burning coals…
Heart-Tunes roll…
Can you hear them? Are you listening?
Be still. Quiet your mind
La, la-la-la, la-la-la, la-la, la-la;
Songs of deliverance
Songs of hope
Songs of rescue…
Resounding ripples, vibrate to heal
Open your heart, give Him your will
Heart tunes…my love-song to you reveal
Life is a journey, a test in time…
Come sing along, you who are mine!
Heart-Tunes are flowing;
It’s His love divine…
Invisible to the human eye,
God’s love, is of, the supernatural, kind! Selah
Marla Shaw O’Neill 9/11/19
Psalm 32:7 New King James Version (NKJV) You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah
God Help
I have to share this with you. Yesterday I wrote “God Language” in my blog. It is regarding God speaking to us and sometimes he seems to be silent and we can’t hear him and we can’t see him.
Last night I went to our leaders meeting for the new ladies, Bible study, Seamless, we will be doing, beginning on September 25 at Journey Church in Lake Worth, FL.
At the meeting one of our Pastor’s spoke ( Pastor Shane) his title was ‘Having A Listening Ear’ it was amazing because I had no idea that He would be speaking on that subject and it went right along with what God had given me that morning. But wait it gets even more amazing…
He proceeded to tell us about a movie he had seen years ago called, Ray. The Ray Charles story, then he played a small part of the film for us.
(Ray Charles was born in Georgia and moved to Florida as a child. At the age of 5 he began losing his sight gradually, and by age 7 is completely blind. Florida, he studied at St. Augustine deaf and blind, where he first learned to play the piano. He then moved to Seattle, where he began to be published as a musician.)
As I watched I immediately knew what was happening…it seemed cruel that his mama saw him fall and wouldn’t help him…that he cried out for her help but she just stood and watched her son beg for her… “Mama, help!” “Mama I need you!”
I was struck with such awareness, that this had been me, that very morning…crying out to my Papa God… “God where are you, I need you, I can’t hear you.” But like Ray’s mama, he was standing there, watching me knowing I had to learn on my own to hear Him in a different way.
God always hears us…and like Pastor Shane said, “Never mistake God’s silence as being absent.”
God wants us to grow and thrive and hear and to really listen to what’s around us so that we can be alert and aware of the dangers the enemy throws at us, to see the beauty of his creation, like hearing a cricket, and to be able to reach out to others who are hurting.
All I can say is that our Papa God never ever leaves us, and when we learn the lesson He is right there to give us a great BIG HUG! He hugged me by allowing me to see this message last night. I could hardly sit in my seat…tears rolled down my face because I knew God was showing me how to listen in a new way. He used a movie clip of a little blind boy who learned to see and hear and feel in a new a different way.
God’s language is all around us…and he is always watching and always in the room with us…but we have to be still, stop crying and be willing to LISTEN!
~Marla Shaw O’Neill September 12, 2018
Matthew 11:15 New King James Version (NKJV) He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
God’s Language
Recently I’ve been kind of silent. Then I realized I wasn’t hearing God’s whisper and it began to bother me. Had I sinned and didn’t realize it? Had I grieved the Holy Spirit in some way? “Where are you God? I can’t hear your voice.” Yesterday that was my cry. Then I heard him gently whisper…
I am speaking to you child. I speak to you probably more than I do to anyone because you listen. Open your heart. Surrender. Heart tunes are flowing~
WOW I love that…and think about it… “Heart Tunes are flowing” God speaks to our heart…He looks at our heart and it’s our heart where He dwells…music; tunes; I’ve heard it said that music soothes the savage beast…and when we want to learn to memorize something…music is the best way to do that…God is singing tunes to our heart. They flow from His heart to ours.
Last night I received a call from my dear sweet friend Sharon D. and she told me that she had, had a conversation with the Holy Spirit that day and that she had been praying for me. Also she had a similar experience about hearing God’s voice yesterday. And the Holy Spirit spoke to her too. Thank you Sharon for listening to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and for sharing your heart with me.
The point is…
God doesn’t only speak to us through whispers using words
He speaks to us through many avenues we just have to be attentive, sensitive to His language, and he speaks many languages. Word to the wise though…always check out what you’re hearing and see if it measures up with the holy scriptures…to double check what you are hearing…God’s word never lies…
There is sign language. Language, language-words spoken or written or word pictures, paintings…
He speaks through music with words, or notes sung, or played by instruments…
He speaks through nature; trees, flowers, bugs, animals, the oceans, sky and stars, sun and moon. He speaks through media and through our thoughts.
God is talking all the time but He is not intrusive, He won’t force himself on anyone.
He is a gentle soul, he is light and good. He created protocol and He has excellent manners. If you’ve read his Book, and you know him at all, you’ll know he is kind and generous and funny and is very articulate. He spoke through prophets, men and women, and the apostles…he spoke through a donkey and through a fleece, and a burning bush…He spoke through earth quakes, through rain and through fire…He speaks through history and He is past, present and future…
He knows words I’ve never heard, after all He created language.
God speaks in riddles at times. He wants us to figure things out for ourselves sometimes. That’s what great teachers do.
He’s subtle in His approach to us, and He does things in unimaginable ways; big, huge ways. It may start out as a ripple but can grow into a tsunami. He spoke, “Let there be light” and that light has never stopped it is still reaching far beyond what we can comprehend.
He may start with a nobody, that will listen to Him, causing them to end up being a New York Best Seller book, that touches lives, that would never have been touched otherwise.
God talks to street people and transforms their lives. He uses them to touch Kings and Ambassadors, Presidents, Rock stars, people who are in a position to reach millions and out of those He raises up Pastors and Teachers and Evangelists who will love Him and follow Him to accomplish His plans…He speaks to the ones, no one, ever sees, or is ever recognized, but they listened and God is glorified.
God uses every communication, that He put in minds to create, so that He could reach His creation…and He does it in ways we can’t begin to understand. We think it’s our own design but it is God’s design manifesting in us.
God is humble but magnificent~
His quiet, subdued way of speaking creates worlds, shakes mountains, raises the dead, divides lands from oceans, turns water into wine, comes in the form of a baby and changes lives. He walks through-out generations wooing men and women and children to hear His still small voice…He opens their hearts and as they ask Him to come into their hearts His Holy, Sacred Gentle Spirit enters and begins to change us from the inside out. He rejoices over us, He sings over us, He cries over us, He prays over us, and He never ever gives up on anyone. He whispers in the language we will understand.
God is not obnoxious~ He is confident and speaks with all authority. The reason He hasn’t torched this place, is because He has a love for us that will never fail nor end.
God has given us every opportunity to come close to Him. He wants us. He doesn’t push us away. We push Him away. Oh if you could only draw near to Him and see Him the way He is, not the way the enemy has portrayed Him…God is NOT IN RELIGION! He is not a set of rules or rituals…He is the, I AM!
Could a mean, hateful God put beautiful, sweet, tender music in the birds? Could He paint awesome sunsets and change seasons with a million, vibrant, amazing colors; seasons we call, summer, winter, spring and fall?
God did not give us sicknesses or diseases. He did not create wars and destruction. God is not a God of chaos. He is a God of order and peace. Words like Love; Joy; Peace; Faith; Hope; these are words God speaks, to help us , not to hurt us.
Open your heart, open your eyes and ears, pay attention to the language of God all around you. Don’t put your trust in man-made structures…don’t allow your family to be in harm’s way by shutting out the only one who truly loves you and wants to help you. God’s language does not speak fear, anger, and death.
God is life!!!
He came in the flesh of a man, the man Jesus Christ, to restore us to Himself, to restore life and relationship, to walk with us in His garden. Lies and deceit robbed God by robbing us of a relationship with the Father.
He did not want us to die~
He didn’t want us to suffer~
He still doesn’t…
He wants us to live.
Hear Him speaking to you today.
Come to me. Come with me. I want to show you a better way to live. I want to give you a good life. I want you to be happy and free from anxiety, free from debt, free from addictions, free from insecurity, free from worry and doubt. But you have to surrender your life to have life. I’m not asking you to stop being you. I’m asking you to let me make you a better you. Just as I told Adam and Eve not to eat of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil or they would die, they ate and they died…I’m telling you, if you will accept my Son and believe that He is my son and let Him come into your heart and live in you, you will live and not die. Death entered the garden that day…but life entered through my son the day He died on that cross and ascended back to me. I’m speaking right now through the words on this page. I love you. I will not hurt you. Come on~
Love heals
Love gives
Love serves
My Love never ends…
~Papa God
God is not predictable…He loves to switch things up. Just when you think He will speak to you the same way all the time…He gives you a mystery…He gets quiet and He says….”You were looking for my whisper of words, but I want you to know I speak in many different ways and I have an untold number of languages…it gets your attention doesn’t it?”
Marla Shaw O’Neill 9/11/18
1 Samuel 3:7-11 New International Version (NIV) Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.
A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”
Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Living Bible (TLB) Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong. It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out. If you love someone, you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him.
The Horns of the Altar
