UNSHACKLED By: Julie Souza Bradley Lilly “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.” – Acts‬ ‭16:25-26‬ ‭NIV‬‬ Miracles happen in prison.  They happen every day. There is no place on earth beyond His reach to save; no shackles so strong that He cannot loose them. We all have those we pray for who find themselves imprisoned—whether a physical prison or one constructed of fear, addiction, bitterness or unbelief.  Even we ourselves are not beyond erecting prisons of our own, where we are enslaved to destructive behaviors, defeated thoughts and unrealized futures.  The walls restrain us from walking in freedom and separate us from the embrace of those beyond our walls who pray. Does your heart weep for a loved one who is impri...

 THE REWARDS OF THE CLIMB By:  Julie Souza Bradley Lilly “I will not cause pain without allowing something new to be born, says the Lord” - Isaiah 66:9 NCV Have you ever climbed a mountain?  I haven’t, but I have friends who think about climbing like going to Disneyland.  No doubt the scenery is spectacular, but because I am out of shape, the exertion sounds exhausting to me. My climbing friends endure regular gym workouts by keeping the joy of these trips in mind.  They say that workouts were initially brutal, but with time, their strength and endurance increased, making exercise easier, even enjoyable. So it is with life.  This season has been a serious exercise of my faith.  It has been tiring, but I am grateful for the strength and endurance previous workouts of my faith have given me.  Walking with God has provided new perspective of the valleys below, and breathless revelations of beauty I would have never known, had I not started o...

 TRIUMPH & TROUBLE By:  Julie Souza Bradley Lilly “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” –  1 Peter 1:6-7 We all go through seasons of difficulty in life—times of disappointment, grief and pain. I’ve been through a season of my own of late. Living on six acres, I like to pull my weight around the property. I don’t want it to be said of me that I am lazy or a slacker. As a result, for the previous six years, I had taken it upon myself to be the primary person responsible to do the mowing. A while back I injured my back doing precisely that. Mowing rough terrain at odd angles became too much.  My lower back decided it had had enough, and it told me so in no uncertain terms. My MRI had...

   AM I DISQUALIFIED? By:  Julie Souza Bradley Lilly ‬Do you feel too broken to be used by God?  Do you believe that your mistakes, circumstances or disabilities disqualify you from realizing your God-given dreams, or from accomplishing something meaningful, even powerful? The truth is that most of us struggle with insecurity— things that whisper that we aren’t good enough, or that we are disqualified or too broken to be of use.  If you read the Bible and examine the characters God used to accomplish extraordinary things, you will see that NOTHING could be further from the truth. Consider this partial list: Moses stuttered and was a murderer. David had an affair, was a murderer by proxy and struggled with depression. Abraham was old and twisted the truth. Noah drank too much. Thomas was a doubter. Martha was anxious and resentful. Jacob was a manipulator. Jonah was a coward. Peter had anger issues. Paul had a disability and was a murderer. ...

 TREASURES IN HEAVEN By:  Julie Souza Bradly Lilly “The Lord knows the days of the upright and blameless, and their heritage will abide forever.” - Psalm 37:18 AMP). A precious friend was laid to rest a while back.  This morning I was contemplating her life and the legacy she left behind.  I am inspired by how she invested in people.  She was an encourager and a faithful signpost pointing to Jesus for any and all who would care to look. She left a godly deposit in those she came in contact with, and invested her life in things of lasting value.  It cost her nothing of great financial consequence —just a bit of compassion, time and willingness to be used of God to meet needs. What she gave translated to treasure to those she shared with. Then God performed another miracle.  He took her gifts of time, a few dollars and kindness and made a deposit for her “in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.” - M...

AN INVITATION FOR THOSE WHO WAIT By:  Julie Souza Bradley Lilly "But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles. They run and don’t get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind." - Isaiah 40:31 MSG I don't know how many times I have read this verse over the years, but each time I have always looked at it the same way.  I imagine a poor soul at the DMV, drumming their fingers, WAITING to hear the words, "Now serving G-17 at window number nine." Today I see it in a fresh light.  The Word of God is like a precious jewel.  Each facet reveals a different aspect of His beauty, character and nature.  Today as I was considering this verse, I saw a new facet of truth. I read, “Those who WAIT UPON the Lord...“  “WAIT UPON.”  Hmm.  I used to work in the restaurant industry.  When I waited on someone I wasn’t just biding my time until something happened, I was SERVING them!  It was a lightbulb m...

  A LESSON FROM THE TREES By:  Julie Souza Bradley Lilly “As holy people whom God has chosen and loved, be sympathetic, kind, humble, gentle, and patient. Put up with each other, and forgive each other if anyone has a complaint. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” - Colossians 3:12-13  The leaves on the trees along the banks of our pond are changing colors.  Soon they will be released from the trees and will gracefully dance their way down onto the surface of the water to float like tiny boats.   It’s a beautiful thing to watch autumn coming in like a slow wave of color that laps up over the rolling hills.  In preparation for winter, the healthy, deciduous trees know to release their leaves.  Deep within them the Lord placed an awareness of the change of season, and a knowing as to when it is time to let them go. The Lord, in His wisdom designed them to release their leaves in fall, because with the pressure of winter’s rain, snow and winds, the large br...