Open doors, closed doors...Travelling from one country to the next I go through many doors. If I find a door that is closed I'll often try the handle to see if it will open. It's part of my curiosity but sometimes it's part of my faith."Knock and the door will be opened"The past 2 or 3 years there has been a recurring theme in prophetic words spoken over me. "God will open new doors for you"My initial reaction was - "I already have too many doors open to me, I don't need any more!" But I realize now that many of the "doors" I was holding open myself. When I let go of the handles, the doors closed. And now I'm learning to wait for the Holy Spirit to open them or to nudge me to open them. When those doors are open, stuff happens. Big stuff like release from bondage, anointing, healing, impacting lives, salvation.Those are the doors I want to see open. Writing from Minneapolis where I've a little time to reflect.Blessings, Belinda
Christmas greetings!Arrived in Minneapolis some 12 hours ago amid snow flurries. Ah, the promise of a white Christmas!Managed to stay awake and fairly coherent until 8p.m. (3 a.m. Dutch time) and then collapsed into my bed.Since then I've been up 3 times - not with jet lag, but because mom has woken up crying from the pain in her arthritic hands. I get a taste of my younger sister's daily and nocturnal routine as I respond to mom's cries. I wrap hot cloths around her hands and then position myself behind her back so I can support and cradle her as she cries. Slowly rocking back and forth I pray for her and then begin softly singing Christmas carols. Her tears and sobbing subside as she leans heavier and heavier into me like a small trusting child. The pains retreat into their dark caves and mom wants to try to sleep again. I unwrap myself from around her and help her lay down, adjusting her pillow and blanket. With a kiss on her forehead she slips into sleep for another 45 minutes, and we repeat it all again. I've just turned out her light for the 3rd time. It's 4 a.m. I'm awake and wonder if I should try to sleep some more.I'm so glad to be home for Christmas!
Yes, yes... it's been a good while since I've blogged here. That comes from not travelling as much as "usual"... because, as you will remember, this blog is for my travels.So, I'm here in Northern Ireland... the weather is really nasty - kind of like the clouds have a horrible flu and you just want to stay inside to avoid the wet sneezes. Okay - that's far too descriptive, but it really is what it feels like out there.This photo here is not of Eire, it's the beautiful beech trees of the nearby forest in Holland. They're grand old guardians of the forest and emit such a peace that you can very nearly imagine you've taken a turn into a fairy tale.Back to the emerald isle... I'm teaching in the YWAM DTS here in Closkelt. I'm teaching on Spiritual Warfare and Intercession to 24 wonderful, hungry young Christians. Just love it!The internet connection is not too stable so I've got to go for now.Thanks for checking in to see if I'm still alive and writing anything.Blessings,Belinda
