STOP!

 

I don't like what I'm seeing. I don't like what I'm hearing.

I can't believe this is all happening. 

I know this is how it is right now, and hiding is not an option.

If you don't see it, I don't know what to tell you.

My heart breaks for my country everyday.

I see the Constitution treated like a memo left by an old school teacher,

so out of touch that it just doesn't apply, so it can be ignored.

The fact is, the Constitution has been relevant for over two hundred years.

All of a sudden, it doesn't apply?

Protecting our people, our country, is an afterthought?

I'm just going to say it.

What the heck was that all about?

My take on the situation - 

Is it possible there is an agenda? 

~Try to demoralize our military?

 Let the whole world know

there are traitors in this country who don't value the Republic on which we stand, nor her people?

It's a heartbreaking thought.

There are so many things that are insanely crazy right now.

I do fine, until I think about it, or hear something.

Then,

I am so frustrated by

so many agendas bent on taking freedom, destroying this country.

To all of it I say,

STOP!

I know I've been guilty of saying, there is no place to go.

This country is the last place, the only place of freedom.

We can't hide anywhere.

Then, 

I have to look at my frustrated face in the mirror and say,

    STOP!

I know. This situation is evil. 

There, I said it.

But, I have to step back.

Take a deep breath.

Close my eyes.

In my frustrated thoughts, I have to say,

STOP!

The darkness around me disappears.

I see the Lion of Judah.

I see Him stand tall, regal in all of His Majesty and Authority.

His eyes are flames of fire.

He holds a golden staff firmly in his hand.

He steps down.

    

He looks at me.

Love. Pure love.

I can feel His Words.

A sharp sword comes from His mouth.

"It's not over, until I say it's over, and it is

NOT  OVER. 

IT IS NOT TIME."

The flames in his eyes are steady, and resolute.

He takes a step and the whole earth trembles. 

Demons sneer and try to act tough.

Their cronies here on earth, ignore the Almighty,

thinking their schemes are hidden from Him.

THEY FORGET...or maybe they never knew.

HE IS THE LORD OF HOSTS.

HE IS THE GOD OF ANGEL ARMIES.

THERE IS NOTHING TOO HARD FOR HIM.

Time after time, God has proven himself.

It may look like the enemy is winning. It may look like hope is lost.

But - 

STOP!

We  serve the God of Moses! He parted the Red Sea so his people could walk through on dry land.

When His people turned to Him, He always delivered them.

Always.

The Lord our God is Mighty.

This evil is not of Him.

Right now, evil men with agendas are trying to wreck this country.

Evil men are trying to take man captive, worldwide.

There are principalities at work. But, we serve the Lord of Hosts.

Angel armies far outnumber, and are superior to the principalities of destruction.

Oh! He is Adonai, the Sovereign Lord.

He has a praying people calling out to Him.

Thousands and thousands are looking to Him.

We know He is our answer.

He is our Deliverer.

He is not a piece of clay.

He is not a thought in the wind.

He is the Maker, the Creator of all things!

He is the God of the Universe.

He moves on our behalf.

He says,

STOP!

PUT YOUR EYES ON ME.

PUT YOUR TRUST IN ME.

SPEAK MY WORD.

WALK CLOSE TO ME.

LET ME LEAD YOU.

DON'T BE TAKEN IN BY WHAT YOU SEE.

I AM GREATER.

LOOK TO ME.

~ THE LORD OF HOSTS, YWH, YESHUA, OUR MESSIAH IS HIS NAME.

HE RULES AND REIGNS.

HE HAS THE FINAL SAY.

HE SAYS, VICTORY IS OURS.

STOP!

STAND STRONG.

©Diane Homm, 2021

Out of Time Part 4

I had seen my Master. I beheld the wounds, the radiance of his being, the sound of his voice. 

 I had run through the city shouting and telling everyone I saw, about my risen Messiah.

Many looked at me like I had lost my mind. Pharisees shook their heads. Roman soldiers snickered.

I didn't care. I had seen him! Some rejoiced with me, and for that I was glad.

It was glorious.

That night as I lay on my mat I could not sleep. This time it was not despair that kept me awake. It was knowing I had witnessed the greatest miracle in history. I had seen Jesus - the man who had been betrayed, mocked, spat on and beaten - the man who hung on the  cruel cross and cried out in agony. 

To think I had seen this man placed in the tomb, watched the stone rolled over the opening, and witnessed the guards ready to kill anyone who came near.

It was incredible that this man, Jesus, had  risen from the dead! I saw him! He knew me, and spoke to me! He had risen, just as he said!

I woke up early, to a bright sunlit day. I could hardly wait to go out, to see the others.

"They're fishing," Mary told me. 

"Fishing? What about Jesus?"

"Some saw him, others didn't. This morning some are thinking it was just a ghost. So, they went fishing."

"How about you, Mary," I asked.

"I know my Master. I know I saw him, and he is alive. Whether I see him again, it won't change anything. I know what I know. I saw my Messiah, and he spoke to me." She was radiant with peace and joy.

I stood in the doorway. "I believe. I know I saw him, too. I know it was Jesus."

"Go see them where they usually fish. They will be glad to see you."

I doubted her words, but I went. 

I could see them on shore, wrestling with a tangled net. 

It was like old days. 

They were shouting at each other.

"I told you to listen to me!"

"Why should I listen to you? We didn't catch anything throwing the net where you suggested."

I wanted to turn back, but one of them saw me. 

"Hey! Come and help! Where have you been hiding?"

John walked up to me.

I had nothing to say. How could they not be talking about Jesus? Then, I heard them.

"Why should I listen to you? Not only did we not catch any fish, but you keep saying I saw a ghost. I tell you, I saw Jesus. He talked to me."

"There is no way."

"I saw him, too."

"You saw a ghost."

I stood in silence next to John, watching them try to untangle the net as they argued.

The wind came up, and waves rocked the boat. 

"Great. Now, we will never catch anything. What are we going to do?"

"If Jesus was here, he'd know what we could do. He'd stop the wind. We'd have fish."

"But, he isn't," one of them said, as he threw down the net. He sunk down on the sand and put his head in his hands. 

The longer I stood, the more frustrated I got. I was frustrated that they weren't all rejoicing. I was frustrated at the thought that those who hadn't seen him, thought Jesus was just a ghost, upset that those who did see him were doubting themselves. Was I fooling myself in thinking I had seen him? I was sure I wasn't. And yet...."

John put his hand on my shoulder. "Let's go. Let's go help them with the net."

I wanted to ask him if he believed, but I didn't want to know. I was hanging on to my memory of the Man who radiated and knew me. He was real, wasn't he?

"It's no use," one said. "We might as well just put the net back in the boat and go back."

"We can't go back empty-handed," John said, gritting his teeth.

"The wind is blowing, the water is rough, the net is so tangled we can't find an end. We are out of time for today. The sun is setting."

"Are you having trouble?" A fisherman walked along the sand, by the boat.

"You could say that." Frustrated voices echoed.

"Maybe I can help," he said as he walked toward the boat.

"I doubt it. We've been here all day with this net. The harder we try, the more tangled it gets. Who do you think you are, a magician?"

"No, not a magician, " he said. 

He got ahold of the net and pulled one way, then another. 

He looked at each man present, and smiled.

It is hard to describe what happened next, but I can say there was no more arguing. There was no more doubt. 

A reverence came over each one of us and we fell to our knees and worshipped him.

We looked at him. 

"Rabboni." 

Copyright 2021 Diane Homm  

 

Out of Time Part 3

 I lay on my mat. 

It was no use. 

The restlessness, the hopelessness drove me to my knees. "Adonai!" I slammed my fists on the ground and screamed to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 

"My people have looked for Messiah and I was sure Jesus of Nazareth was the One!" 

Thoughts of Mary his mother, ran through my mind. "He will rise again." Even though she was clearly heartbroken, she seemed to believe her words, the words he told her.

But, how? How could he raise himself from the dead? Why did he have to die? He was the Messiah. The soldiers mocked him, and said, "If you're the Messiah, why don't you save yourself!" Why didn't he? He raised Lazarus from the dead, that was true. But, to raise oneself from the dead? I did not understand how that would be possible.

I hid behind a row of bushes in my nauseated state. I was sick from grief, and  I continued to wrestle with despair. How could this be true? How could Jesus be dead?

I wandered on the path to the tomb. I had to be near him, even if it was at the tomb where he lay.

I was jolted from my thoughts when two women ran up the path, almost knocking me over. as they rushed toward me.

 They grabbed my shoulders as they shouted. "We saw him!"

They were breathless. Their faces were radiant, yet stained with tears as they continued. 

"We saw him! Jesus! He is alive!"

I held on to one of the women. I struggled to get words out. "What do you mean, you saw him?"

"We went to the tomb to anoint his body, and the stone was rolled away! We walked in and his body was gone!"

Anyone who was there knew there was no way anyone could roll the stone away.

"Are you sure you are not deluded in grief?"

"We are sure," they both shouted at the same time. "We left the tomb, heartsick. Then, we saw him! He came to us! He spoke to us!" 

"We are going to tell the others!" They ran off, as if they hadn't heard anything I said. If they did, my words didn't sway them.

I heard laughing and shouts of praise as they danced and ran down the path. 

My head was spinning as I leaned against a nearby olive tree. 

"Are you ok?" I saw the shadow of a man behind the tree.

"Yes. I am," I nodded.

"You don't seem ok," the man said.

I chuckled even though I wanted to cry, wanted to yell at him. How could he not know about Jesus?

"It is my Master. He was innocent. They killed him...my own people killed him. I don't know what I'm going to do without him." My body shook as I held back sobs.

"It was a very dark day," he said.

"Yes, it was. It was the worst day of my life. I watched. I didn't try to save him. I failed the man who loved me most. How can I go on? Time will never be the same." I shook my fist in the air. "I don't understand any of this. Then, these women came screaming up the path, saying such cruel words."

"What did they say?" The man asked. 

I snickered. "They said they saw him. Isn't it enough that he is dead? Now these women are making a mockery of my Lord, Jesus of Nazareth, who I love." 

"I see. That would seem cruel, " he said. "You are very confused."

"Yes. Yes, I am. Confused. Lost. Alone." I bent my head and tears came.

The man was silent for a minute.

He walked out from the shadow of the branches.

"It's ok. You are not lost. You are not alone. My mother spoke to you and said her son would rise again. She told you the truth."

At the sound of his voice, I looked at him.

Such splendor, and glory radiated from his whole being, that I fell to my knees and beheld my Master. 

I saw the holes where the nails had been driven just days earlier. 

"Master! Master!" Tears streamed down my face as I beheld Jesus Christ of Nazareth. 

"It is you. It is true. You are alive!"

"I AM," he said.

Nothing mattered at that moment. My guilt, shame, sorrow and defeat were gone.

My Master lives!

I've got to tell somebody!

"You must tell everybody," he said as he smiled at me.

He laughed and as I blinked, he was gone.

I ran to catch up with the women.

"He's alive! He's alive! Just as he said! My Messiah lives!"

"He is alive!"

Copyright 2021.Diane Homm

Out of Time Part 2

 

The last I remember, I was watching the followers of Jesus lead his mother away. "We will return early in the morning," they said as they leaned in close to her. As they left, I heard men arguing about the inscription above the cross. "Take it down! Change it! It should read, he CLAIMED to be the King of the Jews." A deep authoritative voice shouted back, "It shall remain as it is. It says what it says. 'Jesus of Nazareth. King of the Jews!' " 

The air was still. I looked around. I must have wandered away from the cross, and leaned back against a stone, too exhausted to go any further, and fallen asleep. I dusted myself off and walked toward the cross.

Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea held the ladder up against the cross where Jesus' lifeless body hung. There were others with them, including Mary his mother and Mary Magdalene. None of them spoke, but slowly and reverently removed the body of Jesus from the cross. 

As one last tribute, Mary asked to hold her son, one more time. I couldn't imagine the pain, the heartache she must have felt, but she did not cry. She held a piece of linen with oils, and wiped his beaten and bloodstained face. She removed the thorny crown, as only a mother could, careful not to cause any pain to her child. She cradled his head in her lap, and kissed him. As he was anointed with oil, she was there, resolved to be with her son as long as she could. He was wrapped in linen cloth, and a strip was given to her.

She bound his head with the length of linen, and that is when she wept. She sobbed and rocked the son she knew was the Savior of the world. 

The men carried the body, and Mary, Jesus' mother walked alongside Mary Magdalene. I don't know what came over me, but I ran and joined the procession.

"Mary, mother of Jesus," I said.

She looked at me with tears running down her face. 

"I love your son. I know you don't know me. But, I followed him. I know he is the Messiah. He changed my life." 

She reached out her hands and held mine in hers. "My son, the Messiah. Yes." 

She looked into my eyes. "He is the most precious son a mother could have. I shared him with many. What he said was and is true."

I couldn't stop talking as we walked to the tomb that Joseph of Arimethea was providing for Jesus' body. "I saw him at  the wedding at Cana. I had the early wine and heard when they ran out. I drank the new wine. It was a miracle! I heard all about it! I watched as Jesus interacted with the people there. He danced, he laughed and greeted people with such love."

"Yes. That is my son," Mary's eyes lit up through the tears. 

We arrived at the tomb, and I backed away. It was a sacred time for those who were closest to him.

I marveled at the strength of his mother. I marveled that I knew of such a man as Jesus of Nazareth.

"Oh, that he had not run out of time. There is so much more to do, so many more need to know him..." I covered my face. Such a good man. What would happen now?

Mary touched my arm. "I overheard you."

I looked at the light in her eyes. "He said he would rise again."

I looked at the huge stone in front of the tomb. How could it be?

She smiled. "With man it is impossible. With God, all things are possible."

I couldn't help but smile back at the tear-stained face, glowing with hope. 

"I believe," I told her. 

She turned and walked away with those who sealed the tomb.

I couldn't believe the man called Jesus of Nazareth was dead, and lay in that tomb.

My heart was broken, and yet, her words stayed with me.

He will rise again.

copyright.2021.Diane Homm

Out of Time Part 1

You! Yes, you! 

Heads turned. Some were relieved. At last, they would be free from tyranny.

Other heads turned. Who did he think he was? 

Still others, stopped and questioned. 

Roman soldiers glanced. These Jews had some strange ideas about God, and life. How they treated their own people was a mystery. But, it made the Romans' jobs easier. They shrugged their shoulders...whatever.

He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. "You! King of the Jews! All hail!" 

 He knew their hearts. He knew some wanted to crown him, some wanted him dead. 

If only they could see - if only they understood. He knew, even after all the time of teaching, and miracles, they didn't really comprehend. 

What they thought they wanted, was not why he came. 

Heads turned toward him, away from him. "You! Yes, you!" 

They found him guilty - of nothing, and everything. 

"This man has done nothing wrong! You deal with him. He is one of your own!" 

The Romans didn't want to deal with him and the Pharisees didn't want him. 

"You! Yes, you! We hate you! Away with him! Free Barabbas. We don't care what he's done.

Take Jesus of Nazareth! Crucify him!" 

A crown of thorns was placed on his head. 

He was beaten beyond human recognition. 

He was spat upon. 

The beard on his face was yanked out. 

He was yelled at and ridiculed and called every degrading name imaginable.

Yet, He spoke not a word. 

Didn't he know?

He was out of time. 

He was about to die a criminal's death. 

He was not criminal.

I know this. I followed from afar. 

I know he knew I was there, but he never said anything.

I was at the wedding when he turned the water into wine. 

I saw how he treated the little children, the elderly, the lost. 

I listened to him in synagogue and heard the words that pierced my soul.

"This day, these words have come to pass in your midst," he said. There were gasps and threats that day. But, I knew. I believed.

I could hardly bare to watch as he carried the cross on the road to Golgatha. 

Covered with blood, flesh torn, his face dripping with blood, he could barely see. Yet, they continued to beat him, and berate him as he struggled.

"You! Yes you! You don't look so brave, now. Where are your followers! They should carry your cross for you!" They laughed. They mocked. The words stung. It was true. They were nowhere close to him.

But, neither was I. 

I ran ahead, but stood behind the crowd already gathered at Golgotha Hill. 

Why didn't he do something? I wanted him to show those who mocked him, who he really was.

But, did I know myself?

I covered my ears when I heard the screams of searing pain when the soldiers thrust the spikes into his wrists and continued to pound them into the beams, not seeming to care that this was a human being.

I could barely stand it as I watched through tears as they raised the cross of the most loving man I had ever seen. 

They thrust the cross into the ground as screams of agony rang through hollow air.

I fell to the ground, sobbing, wishing it to stop, wishing for him to make it stop.

But, he didn't.

He cried out. "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" (My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?) 

Soldiers were shouting. Others were sobbing. 

I saw him mother as she reached out to her son, the agony in her voice was unbearable.

I wanted to run, look away. But, I couldn't. I was stuck where I knelt. 

Never, had I witnessed such horror.

I looked upon the shreds of flesh and blood hanging on the cross. 

How could anyone so kind, be so hated?

For just a second there was complete silence. 

"It is finished." I don't know how he could have uttered the words, but he did.

As the second passed, the earth quaked, and the sky turned black.

More screams, and wild hysteria filled the air.

I remained. My head down, deep guttural sounds filled my lungs till I felt that I would die along with him. 

I don't know how long I was there, lost in my own despair, but when I looked up, there were only a few people left. 

His mother was surrounded by his followers, They wept.

I looked up.

I saw his broken body, suspended on the cruel cross.

This was it. 

He had run out of time.

All the good he had done, was over. 

Then, I noticed what I hadn't seen before.

The sign above the head of this man I loved.

It read - 

"The King of the Jews."

copyright 2021. Diane Homm

Good bye 2020 Hello 2021

 I say to you 2020 -  Good bye. 

As I look back I think of this excerpt from Tale of Two Cities - It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of   foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way..... (Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens)

Oh, how the world turned in 2020 - wanting to maneuver our every mood, our every step. There were some things we could control, others - we could not.

2020 - A crazy person pulled a gun on my husband. Thankfully, God (and Caleb) intervened, and my husband wasn't shot in the chest at close range, where the assailant aimed. It was a trying and difficult time on our lives, in our marriage, but through it all, we remain steadfast, and have grown closer to each other and in our Lord.  2020...your evil schemes and lies didn't and won't win. 2020 - I am so blessed that my husband is still here. 

2020 my best buddy Griz moved to heaven to be with Caleb. I hated that he got sick. But, I was glad he could be home.  Griz passed in his sleep across the room from where we were sitting. I know he would have loved having me home 24/7 and I would have loved it, too. I didn't like that he had to pass, but 2020...he was too good for you.

We were blessed to receive Caleb's Honor and Remember Flag in a ceremony by the Earps, in our home. Erik Loyd and his mom and grandmother (from California!) were able to be here during the presentation. It was perfect.

We were able to attend the Run for the Fallen in Colorado Springs - Fort Carson and the Air Force Academy. Hearing Caleb's name being spoken along with so many others was so special. Being able to visit with some Gold Star Families was great. 

2020 was definitely unprecedented. It was different, trying and frustrating at times. Through it all, there is One who remained steadfast - One who maintained a constant Truth in life. Jesus - the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. 

I know in our home, priorities have changed. Things that were thought of as important, no longer matter. Funny, that it was during the 'shutdown' that we stopped watching tv (well, when I think about it, it makes sense considering what was on!) 

Oh, 2020, you came in and shook everything up all around the world. There was a hush that brought us to our knees. Our normal way of living was interrupted. Schedules and lifestyles and calendars were lost in confusion of the unknown.

But, in all of this, Jesus is still Lord. There is nothing that can separate us from His love. Forces of darkness and confusion can try to come, but He is the Light that overcame the darkness over 2000 years ago when He died on the cross and rose again on the third day. 

Lord, You are Who is most important. You impressed on my heart over and over - II Chronicles 7:14. Humility. Repentance. Turning to You with all our hearts. KNOWING that You would hear, forgive, restore and heal. 

Here we are. 

2020. Your chapter is over. 

Welcome 2021. We are prepared.  We continue to pray.  There is a trumpet call. A call for prayer and repentance around the world that continues to sound. 

2021. A new beginning. A new era. We know the best is yet to come. 

2021. Stay humble before the Lord Jesus. Seek His face daily. Walk in His Truth. Wait on Him and be still before Him. Praise Him for every blessing. Be not weary, but be diligent. Armor up everyday. Look to Him in all things and lean not to your own, or man's understanding!

Live each the moment. 

We are here for such a time as this.

I leave you with these thoughts - 

In 2021 may you see angels dancing across your ceiling, praising God for His victorious, living Word in your life- and may you witness warring angels airing on your behalf in the difficult areas of life. In 2021, may the sun shine brighter on difficult days, may hope reign in your heart o matter how things may look. In 2021, may that child way deep inside you, come out to play more often, and may childlike faith rise up in your heart. In 2021 may you think happy thoughts so you can fly above the things that try to keep you down. In 2021, may you recognize the beauty that is always around you, and in you. Be blessed.  @dianehomm.2021

The Future is ours Forever

A few days after Caleb went to heaven I remember this ....

The thought that my son wasn't here anymore was more than I could handle.
Tears streamed down my face.
Sobs escaped through the tightness in my throat.
My heart was crushed.
My son would not be coming home.
I wouldn't be able to see him.

Our lifetime together flashed through my mind.
I could see his face as he laughed and lit up any room.
I could hear his laughter, and his stories.
A blur of memories of my little baby, my busy little boy  who was always on an adventure, flashed through any mind.
Visions of my son who grew to be a fine young man
who loved his Savior, Jesus, who loved his family and his country,
was gone.
How could this be?
How was I going to go on?
It was more than I could bear.

While pictures of my dear son continued to flash through my thoughts,
a small voice whispered in my heart.
Even though I was still crushed.
Even though I continued to cry,
the words I heard
gave me comfort.

I spoke the words aloud.
I wrote them on my message board.

"Caleb is not in my past. He is in my future."

Caleb is not a memory in my past.
He is in the memories, yes.
He is in the memories with all my children.

But, he is not a memory.
He is real.
He may not be here in this world where I can touch him,
see him or talk to him,
but he is very real - just like my other children who do live on this earth.
He is gone from here, but
not for long.
Oh, it seems long to me - make no mistake about that.
But, in the scheme of things, in the light of eternity,
the 'now', is not forever.hat
"This present suffering is nothing compared to the glory that is set before us." ( Romans 8:18)


He is in my future.
I will see him again.
I look forward to that.
It is my certain hope.



The message I wrote on my message board is still there.
It has faded with time,
but I cannot/will not erase it.
It was my lifeline.
Every time I see that message, I remember
that moment.
A heavenly light shone in the darkness.
A whisper from heaven lifted my broken heart and gave me
the hope I needed to take the next breath.

Caleb is not in my past,
he is in my future.

I have hope.
Eternity is ours.

I love you Caleb.
I will see you again -
one fine day.


©DianeHomm.July 2020