3-27-18 thru 3-29-18 The Cork Road Movin’ On Up

3.27.18 Cork

The Little Boy met his friends at the gate and told them everything that the hiring man had said. “I’m going to have a swing set! And a bike! My Dad’s going to have a company car and the house we’re moving to already has everything in it that we’re going to need, the man said!”

The other little boys were saying “awesome”! “Wow”!

The Stranger smiled. The Little Boy said to The Stranger “I’m really glad you’re here! Nice things, good things have been happening to my family since you came here.”

“I’m glad to hear that”, said The Stranger. “Is everyone ready to walk to school? We need to get going or you will be late.”

“Yes! Yes!” Was a chorus of young voices. I saw The Little Girl standing halfway up the street waiting for us. So The Little Boy started skipping. Up the rocky road. They had removed some of the rocks that were right in front of their houses early on. However for the boys that didn’t live on the Cork Road, it was still too rocky for them to skip.

“Look!” called out one of the boys. “Look how well I’m walking on these rocks”! The Little Boy stopped skipping and looked over. He looked at all the boys, and they weren’t moaning and groaning anymore and they were walking on the road a lot better. Their legs were sturdier and their legs weren’t shaking anymore.

“Wow”!  said The Little Boy. “That’s awesome! Look at your legs! They’ve got muscles”! The town boys looked down at their legs and they saw muscles in their calves and in their thighs.

The Stranger said, “that’s because you have been working at getting strong in doing this. Whenever you work at something, whenever you practice, whenever you try your very best, to learn to do something, you generally can do it. It will be how you do it. Not another. Do not compare yourself to others. Do not compare yourself, like – ‘am I doing it as good as they are?’ Because what you see with your eyes is not always what actually is.”

Some of the boys stopped and said “huh?”

The Stranger replied, “if you want to learn how to do it as well as someone else, ask them if they will teach you. If you cannot do that, read a book, go to school, learn all you can from others. If you apply what you learn to what you are doing, then you will do well at whatever it is. But if you look at someone and you say to yourself, ‘oh they’re better than me’ and you get discouraged and you stop, or if you feel bad about yourself, or bad about your house, or bad that your bike maybe isn’t as shiny as someone else’s bike, then that’s comparing in a bad way and you mustn’t do that.

Comparing yourself to another person always makes you depressed, or negative about yourself, or negative about what you have.  There’s always negativity attached to comparing yourself with someone else. That’s how you know how you are looking at someone or some thing else. If you’re looking at how well someone does something and want to learn to be better, that’s fine. However if you are comparing yourself to what others have and wishing you had it, that’s comparing. Many, many times, what you think you see is not actually what is.”

One of the boys piped up and said, “oh, like when one of the kids at school had a bike and it had fancy streamers on the handlebars. I wanted something like that and because I didn’t have any I was sad.”

The Stranger said, “exactly! Very, very good thinking on your part. That’s what comparing yourself to someone else is. You cannot do that because I don’t want my children sad.”

“Your children”? One of the boys asked. The Stranger laughed, and said “I think of all children as my children. I love everyone.” That answer seemed to satisfy everyone.

They had picked The Little Girl up at her house and they were almost at the place where the Cork Road meets the rocky road.

The boys had an idea, one of them said, “You know Stranger? If our parents and our friends walked on the rocky road, they would get stronger too and they would learn better things. I know that the cork is soft, but it seems like they’re always afraid of everything. They don’t ever go anywhere outside of town because there’s no Cork Road out there. So maybe we could pull up the cork?”

The Stranger asked the other boys, “what do you think? Do you think that’s a good idea?” The other boys said “yeah I think it is.” The Stranger asked, “why do you all think it’s a good idea?”

The little girl said, “because just like he said, everybody is so afraid and they’re mean sometimes too and they don’t understand what it’s like to get hurt or anything. And if they walked on the rocky road they could come out here and have picnics and stuff. It’s really nice in the forest.”

The Stranger said, “do what you think is best. It’s going to take some time to pull up all the cork. However, if you all got together after school you can have this done in a week.”

The town boy asked, “stranger? Do you think we’ll get in trouble”? The Stranger smiled and said, “yes I do think there will be many adults that will get very angry at you. And you will have to pay the consequences for what you’re going to do. However, helping someone to be better and to understand things is always a great reason to do something.”

So all the children made a pact right there, after school they were all going to spend an hour, longer if they could, pulling up the cork. There were five roads in town, five exits. There were just seven of them. So they decided to start where The Little Boy’s Rocky Road met the Cork Road. Right there they all reached down and together they lifted off a piece of cork. They were whooping and hollering and celebrating the first step they all took together, to do something better for the people of the town.

The Stranger said, “okay kids, we’ve got to get going to school. I’m going to tell you about the hearts today. All of a sudden all the kids looked at The Stranger, and their faces lit up, and they said, “oh we forgot about the hearts! Let’s go! let’s go”! and they all ran to school.

3.28.18

I was praying that I don’t lose this closeness with Jesus as I grow up and mature. And I cried.

“Nini, Nini, look up”! Said Jesus.

I did. “Yes Lord”?

“Oh Nini, don’t cry. I know your heart, I know what I need to do, I know how long it’ll take and how long it won’t take. Your times are in my hands little one. All things will work out together for good okay? I love you babygirl.”

“Ok”.

“Come here sweetheart, come, take my hand.”

So I went over and took his hand. And we started flying.

“OH! JESUS! LOOK!”

We were flying high in the sky. We were looking down and there were cities down there. And all this green grass, really lush, green grass. And brooks, and blue sky, it was just beautiful.

“JESUS! WE’RE FLYING”!!!

Jesus laughed and the wind blew his hair back. “Yes, indeed! We are flying! Do you like it Nini?”

“Oh yes! It’s fun! But I’m really glad that you got my hand. I think I would be afraid to do it by myself.”

“That’s why I am flying with you right now. To let you know how fun it is. Pretty soon you’ll be flying on your own.”

“I will?”

“Yes you will. Because that’s how you will go from one place to another. Did you know you could do that Nini?”

“I’ve heard Janine talk about it. And other things that she’s read and stuff, but I didn’t know. Can Janine do it to?”

“Yes she can, not right this moment but she’ll be able to in a little bit. We have to get you all healed up and taught first.”

“Am I sick Jesus?”

“No little one, you’re not sick. You just didn’t have the right kind of teaching. And I wanted to teach you things myself. So that you have a good foundation under you and when new things come along your path in the future, you’ll know how to handle them when you’re grown-up. Does that make sense to you?”

“I think so Daddy. I know you have told me a lot of things in this story and you’ve taught me a lot of things and I know that I’m better now than I was before we started the story. And I know that Janine is better, and I feel better right now. So I kind of understand.”

“Good, so when Janine starts flying and comes up here on her own – which she will – I want you to help her to remember this time with me will you do that?”

“Oh yes Daddy! I like to help her.”

“I know. Because you’re the helper.”

“Really? I help Janine?”

“Yes you help Janine and you also help other people. You have a very good heart. You want to help people and love on people and do things for people. However you were never taught how to hold back and when to not do things for others. So we’re going to learn those lessons okay?”

“Don’t you know them Jesus?”

Jesus laughed and said, “yes I know them honey, that’s a saying, that “we” are doing it together.”

“Oh, ok.”

“Jesus? Can we do loop-de-loos?”

“Sure if you want to.”

“Jesus? Will I get sick?”

Jesus chuckled, “no honey, you won’t get sick”.

WHEEEEEE! I was flying all over the sky and doing all kinds of upside down things and sideways.

“Jesus? Can I let go of your hand? Will I be okay?”

Jesus smiled and said, “yes, to both questions.”

So I looked at him with wide eyes, and I slid my hand out from his till just my fingertips were touching his palm. And then I. Let. Go. I felt free! I wasn’t scared! I was flying all by myself!

“Jesus? Is this what you meant when you told Janine that you want her to soar with you?”

“YES! This and so much more. For when you fly with me in the spirit, when you let go of what is holding you on this earth, which is generally fear – fear of the unknown, fear you will get lost, fear you will get hurt, fear that something’s going to happen – when you let go of that fear, that’s when you move further in me.

That’s when all kinds of things will happen. You will see all kinds of things! You will learn more and you will just love it. It’s what other people call the glory. It’s when I bring you to a place in me where you can see things others don’t see. You have to turn loose of the fear. Everyone does. You have to trust me. You have to step out. Take the first step in unknown territory. And trust me. I have your times in my hand Janine. I have your times in my hand babygirl.

You are never never out of my sight, you are never far away from me. I always, always see you, I know where you are and know what’s going on with you, always. You cannot get lost. Because my eye is always on you.”

“Wow.”

“The enemy has so many people bound up in fear. Fear they will fail, fear they will fall, fear they will go too far and get lost. Instead of trusting me, putting their hand in my hand and trusting me and looking at me, they don’t do that. People look at fear instead of looking at me. And that gives fear more strength to grow bigger. You and Janine need to stop looking at fear, and look at me.”

“How Jesus?”

“By setting your eyes on things above. By thinking on the good things. Think on positive things, think on things that are lovely, think on things that are good. When you focus on good and positive, then that will bring it up out of your spirit and out of your heart and out of your soul. That will then come out of your mouth. Speak good things, think good thoughts. You wrote a song about that. Janine did. Go get the words.”

“Yes Daddy. I’ve got them Daddy. What do you want me to do with them?”

“I want you to put the words down here.”

11-25-17

What do you do when you’re lonely,                                                                       Where do you let your mind go?

What do you do when you feel low

Wondering where you should go?

Movies are safe for short while

Walking the dog plays a part

Out with the old, in with the new, what do you do with your heart?

It matters oh yes it matters.

Where you let your mind go

“THAT! Right there! ‘It matters where you let your mind go.’”

These are good words Nini, keep writing them down.”

‘If you look out instead of in,

You’ll find that there is hope

It matters, oh yes it matters

What you say in your head

The words you think,

Become what you speak

Speak life to yourself instead.’

“Read that again Nini, that is exactly what I was just telling you. ‘Speak life to yourself instead.’

Very good babygirl. This is a very good lesson. I know you cannot reach the whole world Janine. But you can reach those people you reach. And they can reach others and it just goes on and on.”

“Daddy? Are you talking to me or Janine?”

“I’m talking to you both.”

“Whoa that was a little stern wasn’t it?”

“Yes, this is a very important and close to my heart area.”

“Okay Jesus, can we go sit down now?”

“Yes babygirl, whatever you like.”

“Well Jesus, I think it’s too late to do the Cork Road. I need to go to bed.”

“Yes babygirl you do. So we will do it tomorrow. Let’s do it earlier than night time okay?”

“Yes Daddy I agree. Lord? I pray that the tile guy won’t be here all day.”

“He won’t be honey.”

3.29.18 Cork lessons on fear

I was thinking of trying to go to the table. Spiritually. Jesus and I were talking. Which means no words were said. Jesus said, “you don’t need to go to the table anymore do you?”

“No.”

“you’re so used to it, you can just come up here and play!”

Jesus asked me out loud, “do you want to come see the well? Do you want to look down in it? Do you want to go down it?”

I just shrugged.

“Why so downcast Nini? Give me a smile.”

So I smiled and it went away quickly. He said “what’s the matter?”

I shrugged again, shaking my head.

“You’re letting Janine color your world. You’re thinking more like Janine and things that an older person would think. You need to let that go and you need to just be Nini with me.”

“Ok, I’ll try.”

“That’s my girl. Nini come here.”

So I went over to where Jesus was.

I sit back and I smile, because I’m in heaven. I see Jesus has hot chocolate for me. I love hot chocolate. There’s horses from a merry-go-round and I sit on one and it’s super, super soft.

It doesn’t go around it goes up and down. So I’m sitting on a stool that looks like a horse, that is soft like a marshmallow and it goes up to the top and then it comes back down. When it goes up to the top it squirts whipped cream in my hot chocolate if I need some more. I laughed in delight.

It’s very slow rising up, it gives you time to drink some hot chocolate and eat some of whipped cream before you get to the top.

Jesus said, “I love hearing you laugh Nini. That’s my girl! That’s my girl that I made full of joy. Full of life! Full of love! Bringing joy to others, yes that’s my girl” he said proudly.

I feel so utterly, absolutely loved by Jesus. No one has ever said they’re proud of me or acted or sounded like it. It’s a nice feeling.

There were really fluffy, what looked like clouds in the sky, but they were right next to me when I was at the top of this ride. Jesus had me bounce over to one of them. He laughed and I laughed.

“Jesus? How do I do that all by myself?”

“Just think it baby, you can also go like this,” he made a motion like he was straightening up in his chair. Or raising his head like the flying nun. LOL

I started bouncing from one to the other to the next to the next. But kind of slowly, I didn’t want to fall or get sick.

Jesus stretched out his left hand, “Nini come here.”

“How do I Daddy?”

I was pretty far away from him on a cloud. “How do I Jesus?”

“You see my hand outstretched?”

“Yes.”

“Keep your eyes on me. Don’t look down, just keep your eyes focused on me and just step out.”

“Oh Jesus! I can’t do that!! There’s no road here!”

“You can Babygirl. I would not let you step out somewhere where you would fall. I love you. Do you know that?”

“Yes Daddy, yes Jesus.”

“Do you know that I will not let you fall?”

“I know you say that.”

“Babygirl close your eyes.”

I closed my eyes. Jesus said “what do you see?”

“I see green grass, I see the meadow where we first had all our tea parties.”

“You see the ground right?”

“Yes Lord. Jesus I just called you Lord. Is that me growing up? I don’t want to yet.”

“That’s okay honey, that was just a part of your grown-up self. It’s alright sweetheart don’t worry about it. Okay now you remember all the tea parties, and the well, remember you were so afraid to go down that well?”

“Yes Daddy I remember.”

“That took you a few days to get over the fear didn’t it?”

“Yes Daddy it did.”

I felt bad and Jesus could tell.

“Honey you don’t have to be ashamed. You don’t have to feel bad. I want you to see that you did overcome your fear. You did not let it keep you in one place where you were. Even if it took you a few days that’s okay, do not expect too much out of yourself Janine.”

“You did it again Daddy. You called me Janine instead of babygirl or Nini.”

“That’s because I was talking to both of you. You need to get used to this Nini. When I call you Janine, then I’m talking to both of you.”

“Yes sir.”

“Honey, I wasn’t admonishing you, you’re not in trouble. You’re not in trouble.”

“Ok.”

“So you decided that you were going to go down that well and have an adventure right?”

“Yes Jesus.”

“Well honey, this is the same thing. I stretch out my hand to you to bring you to a new place. But you have to make that first step honey. Do you remember when Janine tried to belie over that mountain face?”

“Yeah Daddy, she was scared to death.”

“Yes she was, she took one step, but couldn’t finish, she didn’t get past that fear. So she never got down the mountain the way some of the others did. That fear is a paralyzing fear. You are my daughter and you do not have to fear. Fear is not of me honey. Fear comes from the enemy.

When you allow fear to stop you from doing something. Then you are not living your life with having all the fun that I want you to have!”

“But Daddy!”

Jesus interrupted and said “honey you have got to get past your fear. So I want you to come to me. Trust me honey, trust me.”

“Jesus it’s hard to trust you because there’s nothing but dark down there between you and me!”

“I know Janine, but babygirl, if you keep your eyes on me, you’re not going to see that dark down there. You just keep your eyes up here where I am. Up here where the Word is. When you put scriptures around your house, you put them at eye level or above, because that is looking up. All right?”

“Yes Daddy.”

I’m breathing heavy. Because I know he wants me to do this and I’m so scared.

I’m crying at this point, “Jesus, I know that Janine gets real scared about going to the doctor, and getting shots, and stuff like that. And it scares me too. Because she’s scared. And I don’t want to be controlled by fear, I’m trying Jesus.”

“I know you are babygirl. If it helps you, then just close your eyes and step out.”

“Are you kidding me God????”

Wow! Janine came up with great force. This is completely real for me right now. I am breathing heavy, I am crying and I am absolutely fearful.

“Daddy? I know I took several days to get over my fear about going down in the well. And I don’t want to take several days again. And I know that with this flower essence stuff that you told Janine to do, I know she was really, really scared. I know she pushed through the fear. I know she didn’t walk around it. I know she did it in spite of her fear. I want to be like that Jesus I don’t want to be a scaredy-cat all the time.”

Jesus is just looking at me with love and a smile on his face.

“Well Jesus, I know I’m your daughter, and I know that you love me. And I know that if I fall, I guess I know, that that would be your will. I don’t know how that thinking goes God. I’m really confused on that.”

“I know you are honey. We’ll tackle that later.”

“But Jesus I don’t want to live in fear and I don’t want to take days to get over something. And Jesus? When I think I’m going to fall then I’m being fearful?”

“Yes honey you are.”

“And that’s not trusting is it?”

“You’re getting very good at this Nini. No, that’s not trusting honey.”

“Well then what, Jesus? Am I just not supposed to think?”

“In a way, that is correct.”

“Okay Jesus, I’m just going to close my eyes and step out okay?”

Jesus said, “that’s fine.”

“Jesus? That’s almost scarier than having my eyes open! I think it is. So I’m just going to leave my eyes open okay?”

“That’s fine honey.”

Several minutes pass. “Jesus? What if I take a step and it’s in the wrong direction? What if it’s – I’m not going in the right way?”

“I will correct your steps. I will guide you.”

“Jesus? What if I can’t hear you? What if I’m afraid and the fear is so loud that I can’t hear you?”

“Well then, we’ll have to deal with that won’t we? We will take however long it takes to deal with and talk through the reasons you’re afraid and we will take care of it together okay?”

“Okay Jesus.”

“Come babygirl.”

“Yes Jesus.”

The first step was rock solid. And I gained confidence. The second step was like a barrel on water. And I got scared. But I was still standing upright. Jesus had to steady me. I reached out my hand. And all of a sudden there’s an angel on either side of me!

Jesus laughed at the expression on my face. “Yes Nini! Yes babygirl! When you put your trust in me. There are always angels around you to help you, to steady your feet when you’re walking on uneven ground, to help you, to guide you, they’re always there. With you. When you say my Word, when you say my name and you speak my Word, then they are really happy and they will run and do what the Word says. Sometimes Nini, they have to fight their way through. They’re never afraid, but they have to fight with the devil sometimes and they have to push through all the obstacles and the things that are trying to stop them, just like you and Janine have to push through the fear. So you keep saying my Word and that will give the angels strength to push through. Can you do that for me?”

“Oh yes Daddy! I’ll have to learn more scriptures!”

Jesus laughed, “yes”!