Walking His Call

In Ezekiel 36 the Lord tells His people that He will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. A heart of stone is impenetrable; you can't hurt it... its hard and cold, protected, cynical and unfeeling. A heart of flesh is sensitive and susceptible to hurt and harm, and can feel ALL OF THE FEELINGS. Hurt and harm doesn't sound fun; feelings are ok, as long as they are the good kind. So why is it so important that this take place in the hearts of the people of God?  A little self-protection is ok, right? It is important to note here that there is a difference between self-protection and wisdom.  We all need God-given wisdom as we walk through life, but I challenge, on some level, the concept of self-protection. (I know, shocker... right??? You guys are used to me saying things like this by now, I'm sure.) Since I was a little girl (and most likely since I was conceived) I have had a sensitive heart. I know things, feel things and have the abil...

This is a tough one for us in the western world - especially America.  I was raised in the Deep South where God and Country went hand-in-hand. The teaching from early on was, "Stand up for your rights because if you don't they will be stripped away!".  There is truth in that, but are God and country supposed to go hand in hand? Are my rights supposed to be as important to me as following Jesus. I don't think so. (I can already hear the groans, but please stick with me.) As a Christ-follower, I'm supposed to look like Him. Jesus didn't "stand up for His rights" He stood up for the kingdom - that involved laying everything down. My husband and I had a conversation on this recently, and it rings in my head every time my rights demand a say in what is going on. The nutshell version of the conversation went something like this, "If you are going to follow Christ, sometimes you are going to be a doormat."  I know, I know... being a doormat is...

Friends, It's with a heavy heart that I'm writing this today. I usually wait until I'm on the other side of things to write about them, but in this case I feel I need to write now. My momma's heart is sore.  I've known for a very long time that God gifted me with a very sensitive heart. I have to guard it well, because things impact it that don't impact other people. In guarding it though, I also have to keep it from repelling the pain that comes with sensitivity.  No easy task.  I have to make myself feel all of the things so I don't become hard-hearted. Having a sensitive heart IS a gift, but it is also a burden sometimes. I feel all of the joy and happiness and sorrow and pain - deeply. Over the years I have learned how to steward my heart well, but it can still be a bit of a challenge sometimes.  So why is my heart so sore right now?  My oldest is getting ready for his 3rd deployment, and that is always a challenge for my heart. This time when you ...

Friends - this world's gone crazy. I stopped watching the news a while ago because it's almost never good, and, with my oldest in the military, it's just best I don't know. There are wars and threats of wars, there are wildfires and floods and earthquakes, there is violence everywhere. Yep!  This world has gone crazy. "Well thanks for the downer, Jacqui!"  I can hear you saying that now, and it makes me smile. There is a lot of bad in this world BUT there is also HOPE! Matthew 24 talks a lot about things like this, but it also says:  Such things must happen... All these are the beginning of birth pains... Matthew 24 is a bit of a downer of a chapter, but I would challenge that it is also full of the hope we all desperately want and need today. Yes, things are bad today, but today we are one step closer to our eternity with Him - Jesus - if we walk in relationship with Him. We are so much closer to all of the wars and famines an...

Hi Friends, UPDATE: I've removed the chapters of the book and just left you the Introduction and Epilogue. :-D The rest will remain a mystery until its published. Hugs!  The last few months have been rough - a whirlwind, a roller coaster ride - not too much fun at all. But in the midst of it all He (my Father) has been there cheering me on, guiding my steps and bringing me beautiful, grace-filled encounters. He continually brings me reasons to stand in awe of Him, and the story He gave me to write (over the last few weeks) is one of those reasons. I'm working on getting it illustrated (think Max Lucado's "Crippled Lamb" meets Pilgrims Progress) - then published, but I wanted to go ahead and share it with you here. It's not been edited yet, so my apologies to my grammar loving friends. I'd love to hear your thoughts. My Once Upon A Time By Jacquiline D Lochridge INTRODUCTION Jasmine: a very fragrant flower, a symbol of elegance and grace,...

I broke down into tears at the doctor's office yesterday.  Poor guy.  All he did was recommend I see a podiatrist for my foot (I slammed 2 toes into a chair and they now longer point in the direction the rest do), but I couldn't take ONE MORE THING. This appointment (I hope so earnestly) finds me and mine on the tail end of a very long and difficult last few weeks. Let me take you on a bit of a journey. It's not to whine or feel sorry for us, but to give you a glimpse into why my poor doctor got a weeping bundle of mess this week. To save some time I'm going to quickly and (hopefully) succinctly give you the run down of the last little bit of our lives.  - My husband (we hope) is wrapping up a 15+ month journey to get a CPAP machine for Sleep Apnea. He stops breathing every four minutes, and therefore hasn't had a good night's sleep in well over a year. Can you imagine??? We FINALLY received the machine a few weeks ago, and began the process of finding the ma...

Throughout my adult life (I've officially been an adult for 29 years!) I have been given MANY opportunities to "take the high road" in situations. I've been told "take the high road there's no one up there - no traffic". Taking the high road means you've made a choice to be a "full grown adult" about something. It means that your integrity is in the front seat, not the back. It means that you have character running out your nose. Do I sound a little jaded about it? Maybe. You see, taking the high road always comes at a price - always - and you have to decide if it's a price you are willing to pay. More often then not it is a high one. The question you have to ask yourself is: Are you willing to damage or sacrifice completely a relationship for a moment of being on the low road in a situation? What's being on the low road? It's letting your emotions get the better of you. It's choosing to turn left when you should tur...