Hello! And welcome!!
I have had it on my heart to do this for years, and if I am truly honest, decades maybe. Writing has always been therapeutic for me, a way to figure out the world, an escape, a release, a doorway into what has been, what is and what could be. I am excited to birth this dream. It has stayed inside for long enough, and one more moment and it might tear me wide open. I am hopeful, that there will be fun, and healing and joy and much, much love on these pages. And of course, a little scared, to throw open the doors and welcome whoever will come, with whatever they will bring. But hey, here we are!
Why extravagantly loved? To be honest, it was a God Whisper. One day, He seemed to give it to me, and I was like, “Oh dear! What does that even mean?” But He seemed to park there, and it was up to me to begin to discover what it was all about. I am still discovering… I made a quick search, and was shocked that the name had not been snatched up before. I sat on it for two years, until one day in May, He spoke to me again, firmly. And the name was still available. I was like, “How come no one has taken it? It seems so obviously magnificent!!” But as a dear friend said to me “Well, it is obvious to you because it is yours!!” What could I say?
When i think of the words “extravagantly loved” the picture that shines brightest in my head, is of this drawing by Charlie Macksey.
I still remember walking into a cathedral in Hammersmith, and there it was on the wall. I could not take my eyes off it. It is the story of the extravagant father in Luke 15… A father whose younger son has returned home after squandering his share of the fortune…and he runs to him, and he embraces him, and he kisses him and gives him clothes, and shoes, and his ring….and throws him a party. Never mind the dishonour, the disrespect, the shame, the dirt… “my son was lost, and he has now come back.” His older son who had stayed home and been faithfully working all the while comes home from the field and is unhappy about the party… Dad leaves the party and tells the lad, “you are always with me, and everything i have is yours….but we had to celebrate”…. His sons feel unworthy and unloved, but he has more than enough to meet them where they are at.
And while we are at it, the same artist has another painting called “The Prodigal Daughter” But that is another post for another day.
I also have a vivid picture from November 2013… In a worship gathering in Eastbourne, UK, I saw a scene that I like to call “Lord of the Dance”. And He was dancing waving a banner of extravagantly rich colours, that were dripping onto those that were gathered. It took me over a year to even link this picture to His extravagant love, but once the link was made, it could not be unmade. HE dances, HE laughs, HE spreads His love, HE is happy…joy personified.
Zephaniah 3:17 says “The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing”
My prayer is that this will be an environment where love reigns supreme. That whoever would stop by here would find a love that is everlasting, a love that comes from God, our Father. That we would truly see ourselves as He does, Beloved.
So, what can you expect to find here? Well, a little bit of everything… Because God has given each of us just so much in life. Food, love, scripture, children, marriage, prayer, cake, friends, shoes, flowers, cake, gifts, and whatever else may be on my heart. My friends will pop in and write from time to time, and yeah, let’s get going.
Big hugs.
I am glad your listened and decided to write. God knows there are many of us who need to read and hear what is happening in other people’s lives so we can have hope for our own. Very proud of you and will be following closely.