Mountain Climbing.

 Stepping Out in RED Shoes!

- Day 123 -

It all looks so beautiful from afar!

Here in Colorado for my son’s wedding, it’s totally impossible not to notice the majestic mountains.  I have never seen mountains quite like these.  They are bold and beautiful!  No matter where I go, standing in the background are the most magnificent, snowcapped peaks.

As my sister and I drove along the highway today, she told me something that got me to thinking.

"The mountains look so beautiful from here" she said. 

"They beckon you to come closer, don’t they?   One time,

I did that,"   she continued .   "I followed the urge and

drove right to them.  The only thing was… when I got

real close, I couldn’t see them anymore."

Following our dreams can be like that.  God gives us a glimpse of them from afar.  Like those mountains, they fascinate us.  They are bigger than life.  They call to us to come closer.  God adds just enough anointing to draw us onto the path that will bring us there.  Then the journey begins.  

"One foot in front of the other,

 One step at a time, One day at a time --  

That’s how you make it, when the going gets rough"

The Yellow Brick Road

But when you get real close – when it’s time to climb the actual mountain, you only see what’s directly in front of you.  It’s a faith walk!  The only bold and beautiful picture you see is the one God has etched on your heart.  That’s okay though. 

If He’s called you there, He’ll get you there.

You can be sure of that!

Climbing mountains in RED shoes!

Gail

Answered Prayer!

Stepping Out in RED shoes!

- Day 123 -

A Broken Heart is Healed!

Years ago, I dated a wonderful man for several years.  He wanted to get married, but I was a mess.  At the time, I was on a lot of medication and healing from a broken marriage of twenty years.  I knew it wasn’t wise to make any major decisions.

In The Yellow Brick Road:  A Woman’s Journey to the Edge and Back, I talk about that time of my life in great detail, and how God was faithful to bring me through it.  I can’t help but recount how that man, with kindness and love, traveled life with me, protected me and encouraged me to get off all the pills doctors had prescribed me, and write my first book.  He was a hero.

As I healed, however, and came off all the medication, the real Gail began to surface again.  I was no longer broken.  I was no longer sedated.  My dreams came back in full force, and I felt the need to run after them.  God was calling!

Then, the thing that we both always knew was a possibility, happened.  I realized my future wasn’t with this man, so I chose to move on with God alone.  That said, I broke his heart. I’ve got to be honest with you,  I didn’t handle things very diplomatically.  I’ve never been very good at saying goodbye, so I just cut everything off one day and said I was leaving.  It wasn't right, but that’s how it all went down.  I was so afraid that if I talked things out with him, I’d stay for all the wrong reasons. 

I’m not exaggerating when I say he was a wonderful man.  He really was.  He just wasn’t the one God had for me.  I remember telling my best friend at the time,  “I hope I don’t regret this.  I may never find someone like this ever again.”  

Even still, I knew God’s voice, 

so I shut that door and followed 

after 

the Lord, whole-heartedly.

Going through a divorce, I can tell you firsthand, that having your heart broken totally sucks!  But I found out real fast that being the breaker of someone else’s heart is even worse!  Truth be told, I didn’t belong in any relationship.  God wanted my heart for Himself.  He wanted to heal me completely,  restore to me the joy of my salvation, and usher me back into the call of God on my life.  That's part of the reason why I've never dated again.  

Today I found out that man just got married.

It is an answer to my prayers!

I have prayed diligently, for several years now, that God would heal this man’s heart and bring someone into his life that would love him completely, and he her.

Of course you know the devil had a hay day with that!  You better believe he was right there saying… 

“See, that door is closed now.  You’ll never meet someone as good as that!  You blew it!  You gave up everything to follow God and what’s in it for you?  Nothing!”

I was expecting the devil to say that.  But here’s the interesting twist on all this.  While here in Colorado, our family was sitting around sharing stories and someone mentioned a time in which my son was about to leave everything behind to follow the call of God on his life – that included his girlfriend.  At the last moment, he called his dad, fearful that he couldn’t do it!  His dad encouraged him to follow God’s voice knowing that in the end, God’s plan would be best!  The result of his obedience, amongst other things, was that he met the woman he is about to marry.

How weird to share such a story on the night before the wedding!   Everyone knows that you don’t mention the old girlfriend.  Perhaps the person was nervous and didn’t realize what he was saying?   The conversation moved right along, and no one really took much notice, so no worries.  The next day, however, I couldn't help but mention the whole thing to God in prayer. 

“That was for you!”  God said.  

“I was speaking that to you!

 Your story is the same.  You 

left someone dear to your heart

to follow My call, and I’m going 

to do the same for you!”

Well if that didn’t shut the door right in the devil’s face!   Bravo, LORD!  How funny that I was so oblivious to what was happening.  God certainly got my attention.  What do I always say?  "God works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform." 

 He confirmed He has a very specific

 plan, purpose and person for me.

Stepping out in RED shoes, isn’t always easy.  When God beckons you to leave people, places and dreams  you love behind, and move in a different direction with Him,  you’ve got to trust that His plan is better than yours.  The devil will try to get you to focus on what you’ll lose.  You’ve got to believe that God’s got a bigger win in store for you.  You won’t be disappointed!

In RED shoes,

Gail

Lost Luggage

Stepping Out in RED Shoes!

 - Day 122 -

Stay Calm, Cool and Collected!
God is in control.

After only three and half hours of sleep, I was up and out the door in my RED shoes, headed for Tampa airport.  Time to fly to Colorado for my son's wedding!  Everything went smooth as silk.  Got to the airport no trouble.  Parking was simple.  Checked my bags with ease.  Security was a breeze.  They didn't even make me take my shoes off!  Then, it started to rain.  Every plane was grounded indefinitely, including mine.

No worries!  I had prayed all the way to the airport in the car.  I was floating on cloud nine.  Because I do so much of my work remotely, the airport was just a new and exciting place to plug-in.  I had my chai beside me and Hillsong singing to me through the ear buds.  It would be sometime before I'd been boarding, so out came my laptop -- time to blog -- that was until I heard my name over the intercom.  They were calling me!

Apparently, I was going to miss my connecting flight, so they changed planes on me.  Assured that my luggage would get to Colorado, I followed their instruction and moved to another gate.  Even still, I had to wait another two hours before take off.  What to do?  I decided to start an electronic prayer line, right there in the airport, to pray for people -- remotely -- during this unexpected interlude.

I did finally arrive at Denver airport, but you guessed it, my luggage didn't.  They were sure it would be on the next flight, so I hung around a couple more hours, only for that not to happen.  Then they told me it  "might"  be on the next flight, in two more hours.  It was quite interesting because all of
the  attendants were telling  me completely different stories, and when I called them on the phone number I was given, no one answered.  I must admit, my glee turned to weariness, and by the early evening I was getting a bit perturbed.

Then she said it!  

"Please... there's no reason to raise your voice." 

Yikes!  Okay, maybe I was a little more than a "bit" perturbed.  The good news is that I didn't  lose it.  I didn't make a scene.  I didn't say anything I shouldn't have.  I just raised my voice a little, and when she said that, I took a breath and lowered it.

Here I was getting ready for my son's wedding 

and my dress was in a bag, somewhere, 

but no one knew if we'd ever see it again.

What was I to do?  I could feel the concern rising within me, but I also knew that there wasn't a thing that I could do, regardless.   I left the airport with the hope that my bag would be delivered to my hotel before I woke up in the morning.

Just yesterday, I was reading a book a friend gave me, and for whatever reason, I was struggling to get through it.  I'd read three chapters, and only one thing jumped out at me.  Not only that, it seemed to be such a small, random thought that the author made.  She found herself in an unfortunate situation that wasn't going the way she anticipated it would.  It struck me that she was so confident that God would come through for her.  She stood on Deuteronomy 31:6 --  "I will never leave you nor forsake you."   

She knew, without a doubt, that God was 
with her and that if it didn't happen 

the way she thought it would, 

God had to have a better plan.

Sometime around 1:00 in the morning, my cell phone rang.  The front desk was calling to tell me that my luggage had in fact arrived.  Ahhhhhhh!  Now I could relax.  I turned to reposition myself and go back to sleep when the LORD nudged me.  He wanted to talk.

"Don't you remember how I sent you to that one specific store for your dress.  Remember how I told you it would be there?  When you entered the store, you  looked up, and there hanging on the display was the dress.  You pointed at it and said, "I'll try that on!"  It fit and you bought it.  It was a done deal!  You praised me all day for that miracle!  Why would you ever think I would do all that, and then allow it to get lost?  You didn't need to raise your voice.  Just like the author of that book, you need to stand on my Word and trust that I'll always come through."  

He wasn't angry.  He was actually very gentle 

and loving in His correction and instruction.

Oh how I yearn to do this right!  To walk confidently all the time -- especially when everything isn't working!  I don't want to read other people's stories of doing that.  I want it to be MY story!  One day it will be!

Stepping out in RED shoes isn't just about where you go,
it's how you act as you go.

Gail

Prophesy...

Stepping Out in RED Shoes!

- Day 121 -

What is it, really?

This morning I found myself in the midst of a most interesting dream.  A friend of mine was sitting down at a table in front of me, holding a couple of smooth stones in her hands, asking me to tell her  what God's will was for her life.  At that very moment, God spoke to me...

"People often think of prophesy 

as some sort of divine fortune-telling.

That's incorrect!"

Suddenly, I opened my eyes, and He continued to speak...

"Prophesy is meant to be

a  complement,  a  confirmation,  or a  consideration

and that's all."

Prophesy is a complement.   A complement is something that is  "in addition to"   something else.  The main course or main conversation is supposed to be with God, Himself.  He expects us to come to Him directly -- not through others.  He made provision for that when Jesus died on the cross.  At that time,  the curtain of the tabernacle was torn from top to bottom giving mankind direct access to God.  No longer was a priest needed to be "the middle man." 

God emphasized to me, over and over again...  

"The main course is My Word."

"My sheep listen to My voice;

I know them and they follow Me."

John 10:27

People sometimes run around looking for a prophetic word because they have nothing on their own.  A prophetic word is not meant to be the Main Course.  It's an accompaniment to what God has said to you. 

• It adds detail.  
• It brings clarity.  
• It provides a fuller picture.

Prophesy is a confirmation.  A confirmation is 

a verification or endorsement of what you already know to be true.  It's when God says something directly to you though His Word or prayer, and then someone -- who knows nothing about your situation --  comes along and delivers a message that says the exact same thing.  Sometimes we wonder if God really spoke this or that to us, and the prophetic word is a way of Him saying... 

"Yes, I did say that!"

Prophesy is a consideration.  That means it's something for you to think about,  reflect on,  examine  and  discuss.  It's God's way of throwing an idea or thought at you.  You toss it around for a while and then you discuss it with Him in prayer.  I like to think of it as a  divine conversation starter.

Back in the days of Moses, God's initial intention was to speak directly to His people.  The Israelites feared the LORD and requested that Moses be a mediator between them and God.  Later on God's people requested a king.  God never intended for them to have a king.  He wanted to guide and direct them, Himself.  

In some ways, I guess things haven't changed much.  Personally, I believe it's because conversations create relationships and relationships take time.  People would rather follow rules -- it's easier.  But rules breed religiosity.  How could we ever trade a relationship with the living God for that?  I don't know, but it happens all the time.  

Don't get me wrong, I love prophesy.  It's a complement, a confirmation, and a consideration to God's Word.

It's just not a substitute 

for talking to God, directly. 

Stepping out in RED shoes is about Divine Partnership and Divine Partnership comes from a Relationship with God, and nothing less.  

Gail

  

Top Priority

Stepping Out in RED Shoes!

- Day 120 -

We all say that God is #1,

but does our life actually reflect that?

Way back in my Sunday School days, I learned that it was important to always keep God first.  I was told that if I wanted to live in JOY I needed to keep my priorities in their proper order.

J  -- Jesus First

O -- Others Second

Y --  Yourself  Third

Later, the lesson came to me a little differently:

1.  God First

2.  Spouse Second

3.  Children Third

4.  Ministry Fourth

Perhaps you've got a list of your own?

No matter what list you're using, 

everyone seems to agree that God's spot is #1.

 In case you're wondering where that came from, it's found in Exodus 20: 1-3.  It's the FIRST of The Ten Commandments God gave to Moses for the Israelites.  

And God spoke all these words...

"I am the LORD your God, 

who brought you out of Egypt, 

out of the land of slavery.

You shall have no other gods before me."

That's His way of saying, He expects us to keep Him FIRST in our lives.  Here's the thing...  when I look at the definition of  "TOP PRIORITY"  it doesn't quite measure up,  if you know what I mean.

Top Priority

The most important thing!

In business, your Top Priority  is what's most important.  You give your first and foremost attention to it.  Before you do anything else, you work on your Top Priority.  You give it all the time it needs, before you give anything else -- of lesser importance -- your time.  

Is God the FIRST person you speak to each day?

Do you stay with Him until all your business with Him is done?

If not, according to the definition, He's not really your Top Priority.  Saying something and actually doing it are two different things.  Perhaps it's time for a readjustment?  Just something to think about.

In RED shoes, 

Gail

You'll grow into it!

Stepping Out in RED Shoes!

- DAY 119 -

For now...  

"LIVE YOUR LIFE!"

It had to be over twenty years ago!  I can still remember who I was with, and where I was when it happened.  I was visiting my friend Laura Freeman at her home in Buttonwoods and we were out taking a walk in the neighborhood.  I clearly remember that it was a season of being overwhelmed with the gifts and call of God on my life.

"LORD, I feel like Dorothy 
with those Ruby Slippers."
I remarked.

"They're so powerful, but I don't 
have a clue how they work."

At the time, I was a young Christian and a young mother of three.  I knew I had a call of God on my life and was well aware that God had given me some pretty powerful gifts.  I was already in full time ministry, co-pastoring a small pioneer work, just outside the city.  Even so, I was overwhelmed.  At times I felt like a little girl wearing Mommy's high heals, trying to walk in sophisticated fashion -- only I was falling all over the place.  

Those shoes didn't fit my feet 

and those gifts didn't fit my life.

What I didn't know then, was that in time, 

God would grow me into those gifts
 and those shoes!

Something else was happening during those trying days.  God kept saying the strangest thing to me...

"Live Your Life!"

He spoke it to me in prayer, continually.  He spoke it to me in worship.  Everywhere I turned, I would see that phrase.  I even remember being fascinated at the time, with a television show in which a man was continually given divine information about events that would take place, before they did.  Everyday he'd wake up and go out into the world, attempting to prevent those tragedies he'd been warned about.  One entire episode had him searching for divine answers and ended with him finding a a little box.  I was eager to know its contents.   Surely it contained something valuable and important about this man's divine mission.  Inside was a piece of paper folded up into a tiny square.  Quickly opening it up, he noted these words of wisdom: "Live your life!"

 I was dumbfounded.  How could God do that? 

 We're talking about a t.v. show here.
Somehow, God made sure I saw it

to confirm, once again, the importance 

of what He was trying to tell me.

I just wanted to figure it all out.  

The dream in my heart was bursting in my chest!  I was ready and eager to take off for God -- win the world to Christ -- be the next missionary to anywhere -- you name it, sign me up!  But in reality, I was still pretty inexperienced in the things of God -- in the things of life, for that matter.  What was I missing?  Where was the instruction book that explained this  "call of God?" -- this intense yearning in my heart?  -- these bold tongues and interpretations that were pouring from my lips, causing those around me to shake and tremble?  

It's not unusual for God to give you a vision of your future -- a glimpse of  His Plan  for you!   That's what gets us moving on The Yellow Brick Road.  With it, we know where we're headed.  We have an idea of God's destiny for us.  

Then, you have to grow up 
and grow into that destiny.  

You have to go out and live life.

As far as the call of God on your life and all the gifts God has given you... you start out by getting involved at the ground level.  You show up for church, on time, and every time the doors are open.  You submit yourself to the leadership of the church and you ask them how you can get involved. No one's going to say to you on day one... "Hey, why don't you preach this Sunday!"  LOL  You start off cleaning the church on Saturdays, helping out in the nursery, cooking hot dogs for the church fellowship, and sitting under mentors that know what they're doing.   You discipline yourself to study the Bible, pray and then you apply those truths to your life.  While you're doing all that, God will teach you.

John 14:26 says...

"The Holy Spirit will teach you all things 

and will remind you of everything I have said to you."

It's been a long time, but the shoes fit now.  I don't understand everything, but I understand a lot of things.  I've got 31 years of walking with Him under my belt.

We know each other.  

That's important when it comes to Divine Partnership. 

Perhaps you're wondering how God's Plan for you will all come together.  Maybe you sense that powerful tugging on your heart.  You might even be wondering why things aren't happening faster.   Doesn't everybody know that God wants to use you?  Be patient, my friend.  Be about the business God has put in front of you.  Instead of trying to open doors that are obviously locked, delight yourself in Him.  Live your life!  Those doors will open at the appointed time.  You can count on it.  Be assured that He has not forgotten you.  On the contrary...  As you live your life, He is preparing you in more ways than you can imagine. 

Each day, as we step out in our RED shoes, we are one day closer to fulfilling our destiny in Him.

Gail

The Invitation.

Stepping Out in RED Shoes!
- Day 118 -

Bad Company

Early this morning,  I got an invitation to sit down and have a cup of tea.

Note:  Not all invitations should be accepted!

I had barely opened my eyes, from a long night's sleep, when suddenly I heard a voice knocking on the door of my mind, asking permission to come in.  Although it was soft and quiet, it was not the voice of The One  who normally greets me.  It had a different sound to it -- a different tone -- something wasn't quite right.

"My sheep listen to My voice;

I know them, and they follow Me."

John 10:27

Immediately I became aware of who it was that was vying for my ear.  Prophetically, I sensed a tsunami of doubt provoking negativity heading my way.    

"Don't sit down!"   

I heard the LORD whisper with urgency.

With that, I turned quickly and headed off,  in another direction, with the Holy Spirit.

In RED shoes, 

Gail