Sharing the Journey

Sometimes we know that we are full of purpose yet we feel stuck. We know we’re on a journey, but we don’t know which way to go. I began “Sharing the Journey” so that others like myself could come and see that as we traverse the path of life, we are not alone. We journey together, maybe on different paths, but together in desired destination. My desired destination is my home. Earth is not my home; it’s but a temporary residence. I have a home in glory where there will be no more sickness, no more pain, no more sorrow, just joy unspeakable – full of glory. But unlike some, I don’t want to just make it in. And there will be those who enter by the skin of their teeth. If that’s all I can get, I’ll accept it. But it’s not my desire. I once shared with a Bible Study group that when I see Jesus face to face and He welcomes me home, I don’t want to hear Him say, “Whew, Dutchess. You made it!” I want to hear Him say, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”    My well done will not b

Dealing with disappointment is not easy and definitely not fun, but we have to deal with them because they are as much a part of life as breathing. Jesus tells us very plainly in John 16:33 (NIV) “In this world you will have trouble…” Are disappointments not a form of trouble? But if we continue reading that same verse we’ll see that Jesus goes on to say, “take heart!” Now how are we supposed to take heart when we have trouble? Again, in John 16:33 Jesus tells us, “I have overcome the world.” Please note, when Jesus spoke these words He was not speaking to everyone. The conversation recorded in John 16 actually begins in John 13 during the “last supper.”  Jesus begins by washing His disciples’ feet and explaining to them the things that are about to take place – His arrest, “trial” and crucifixion. It is during this discourse that Judas Iscariot leaves to betray Jesus. When we come to chapter 16, they have finished the meal and have left the room. (See the end of John 14:31)

As I came before the Lord in the early hours of the day, the Holy Spirit reminded me what a privilege and honor such a time was. I thought of the excitement I felt when introduced to men and women of greatness and authority – men and women of power and distinction. I have not met a president of this (or any) great country, but what an honor that would be. How much more the honor of coming – invited – into the presence of not just a great and mighty god, but the only true God, creator and sustainer of all that is. I am His and He is mine and He loves me with a never-ending love. Spending the opening hours of the day with Him is not a chore or an item to be checked off my to-do list. It is not something I have to do, but something I get to do and I pray I never take that privilege or my God for granted. Precious Father so holy and wise, what am I to your all seeing eyes? When you look down upon my humbled form what makes you cover me and keep me from harm? What

If you have read any of my previous posts as I have shared this Christian journey, you know I have had a bit of struggle along the way.  I didn’t feel as if I was doing anything wrong. If fact, I felt I was doing fairly well. I was reading my Bible; I was praying; I wasn’t doing any of the things of the world God had delivered me from. I could not figure out what I was doing wrong, yet I knew something was not right because I felt stuck or in a holding pattern. In short, I didn’t feel God’s presence as I once did. I knew He was there, but something in the relationship was stagnant. Last night I went to a worship service and came forward when the call went out for prayer. The woman of God told me that on THIS NIGHT, you are delivered. It wasn’t an instantaneous thing. In fact, I couldn’t really feel the hand of God until the woman of God removed her hand. But when He came... I cannot fully describe what it’s like to KNOW you are in the very presence of God. I heard someone on

This post was taken from my book "From The Shepherd's Heart - A Devotional" (available on dutchesshorton.com, Amazon, and BarnesandNoble.com)  It's become an important part of my journey as my desire grows stronger for the presence of God and less for the presents of God. It keeps my passion for Christ flamed and I hope it flames up a passion in you as well. ~Dutchess            In the 1980’s a gospel recording group called the Truthettes released a song about a little boy whose soul was blessed during church service. The young man, unable to fully express what it was he was feeling, came home from the worship service and told his mother, “I’m so hungry.”   The mother, not realizing just what her son was trying to convey, had him follow her into the kitchen so that she could make him a sandwich.   It was at this point in the song that the boy declared, “I don’t want no peanut butter and jelly.   I want my soul to be saved.” 2             Sunday after Sunday

I sat down before my computer today and prepared to write my second book. I prayed, I got all of my study materials together, and I put my hands on the keyboard. Nothing. Not one single solitary word. In my Charlie Brown voice – “UGGHHHHH!” I prepared a cup of coffee and returned to my computer. Still nothing. I turned on some inspirational music. Nada. I prayed some more. What could possibly be wrong with me? I know I’m supposed to write this book. I know what’s supposed to be in it and the direction it’s to go. I know how to do this – I want to do this. But I wasn’t doing a thing, except maybe giving myself a tension headache. I could hear a little squeaky voice quote to me James 4:17, “ If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. ” God had given me a work to do and instead of doing it, I was doing nothing – another day wasted. The devil is a liar! Yes, the devil will quote scripture to you also. He did it to Jesus during the te

Growing up in a ridiculously small town in Eastern North Carolina, my family didn’t have very much. Of course as a child I didn’t realize it or if I did, I didn’t think much of it. I do know that we didn’t waste very much. If clothes ripped, they could be patched. If someone outgrew something, it could be altered or even better, passed down to someone else. If the toast got burnt, as it often did since we didn’t have a toaster but put bread in the oven on broil, we just scraped off the burnt and added jelly or butter or even both, and you couldn’t tell the difference – it was still edible and still good. Thinking of that, I was reminded of how my heavenly Father doesn’t waste anyone. Every life has redeemable qualities, IF they are submitted to the Master’s hands. Just looking at my own life is proof of this. Many were prepared to toss me away. Many more said I wasn’t nothing and won’t never gone be nothing. (Poor grammar, yet this is how it was said.)  But God. The Mast

This morning marks the beginning of a new day, a new work week, and for me, a brand new attitude. I awoke early this morning after having dreamed again. And that won’t make sense to most people, in some ways not even me. So let me try to explain. I have dreams that play like movies. Often times I’m not even in them, just an observer. They are always entertaining but nothing deep or spiritual. In fact, many of these “movies” would not qualify as something I would even chose to watch. The significance of these dreams – to me – is they only come when I’m in close communication with my Heavenly Father. So if you go back and read the 2 nd sentence of that first paragraph you should be able to deduce that I had fallen out of close communication with my Father. Sure I spoke to Him daily, throughout the day even. But it was not the kind of communication you’d have with someone with whom you shared a close and intimate relationship. I’d grown discouraged and even apathetic in my relatio

Anyone who knows me well knows that I am a terrible procrastinator.  I don’t know why I do it but I put everything off until the last possible moment. Sometimes that works – like when I’m writing because I don’t have time to second guess myself. Other times it’s awful – like when I’ve invited 30 people to my house for brunch and I wait until the night before to start cleaning SO I can cook. Yeah, that didn’t go quite as I’d planned. But God knows I’m trying. I keep confessing that I’m a reformed procrastinator. But… Well now I’m tired of procrastinating. It’s hurting me; it’s hurting my family; it’s hurting those God has called me to minister to. There are things I’m supposed to do, to be, to have. But there are prerequisites for all of it. So here I am – working on my prerequisites. Starting with something one of the ladies at my church told me, I’m going to write my modified life plan. Starting backwards or at the end, what I want ultimately from life is to get to the end an

2 January 2015 Is it just me or do you become easily distracted when that still small voice begins to speak to you? I can go all day totally focused and on point until I feel that little nudge and then bam! everything needs my attention and needs it now! I can go all day (well a good part of the day) and not even think of food. But then the Holy Spirit will begin to whisper my name and suddenly I’m ravenous. Or I will remember that I was supposed to pay a bill or make a phone call -anything to keep me from answering that voice. Oh and now at the beginning of the year it’s at its worse. Of course we’ve all committed to doing better and being better – to being more available to God. Not just to do stuff for Him, but to just spend time with Him (I hope we have committed to that.) But of course you’re also committed to exercising more and getting more done on your never-shrinking to-do list and maybe even writing more. And no matter how difficult it’s been to get the other things