A Covenant of Grace

Double Rainbow, City Silt

Colorado, USA

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This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you,
and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign
of the covenant between Me and the earth.
It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth,
that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud;
and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you
and every living creature of all flesh;
 the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.

- Genesis 9:12-15

At one point in my life, the rainbow came to have a very special meaning.

The rainbow is a symbol of promise, also commonly believed to be a bridge between heaven and earth.

For me, the rainbow serves as a reminder of God's favor in my life.

In the recent deaths of my two dear friends Marivic and Joan, and my beloved pet dachshund Patches that have confronted me face to face these past weeks, the rainbow has once again served to remind me of a beautiful place of promise.

I am aware that New Age proponents use the rainbow as a symbol of peace and freedom, and the gay movement has the colors of the rainbow on their flag.

But the rainbow first appeared in the sky after the great flood that wiped out the entire world and God wanted to start afresh with Noah and his family.

Several times in my life, times when I needed an encouragement from God, I had looked up and seen a rainbow in the sky.

I have often dreamed of rainbows and my spirit has understood the spiritual message implied in the dream.

Understandably, the song Somewhere Over the Rainbow is one of my favorites. It was played at Joan's funeral upon her request.


Such a timely reminder of beautiful things to come!

The pain in my heart at having lost my 9 year old pet dog eased just after a few days after her death.

That week, I noticed that Sammy, my other pet, a dachshund-Basset hound mix breed, was also showing the same symptoms as Patches. Naturally I was worried and wanted to do what I could to make sure her condition would not worsen.

I gave her lots of freshly made bone broth, and added kefir and virgin coconut oil to her daily diet.

On the evening of February 14, I appealed to Abba Father to do a miracle healing in my dog's life.

That weekend, Sammy's condition improved. At the same time, God opened my spiritual eyes to view the recent events in my life from a different perspective.

In God's economy, pets are an important part of His creation, but I sensed Him saying that my spiritual energy was to be focused more on the eternal destiny of my family. He was reminding me not to be remiss in my prophetic intercession for them.

Of course I knew this all along, but the timely reminder was much needed. The truth hit me... and at that point I made a fresh resolve to once more assume my role as gatekeeper and prophet, priest, and king in my family.

Praise God for the covenant of grace that He has entered into with His creation.

So I take back the rainbow from those who would want to give it a different meaning.

The message of the rainbow is that God is a promise keeper...

I can fully trust Him with my life... and that of my loved ones. He is a God of mercy and grace.

He gives, not as this world gives... but infinitely, exceedingly beyond what I ask or imagine!

Here's a beautiful rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow and What a Wonderful World medley by Hawaiaan singer Israel Kamakawiwo'Ole. The video also show amazing photos of rainbows from all over the world!

Seeking Comfort

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My beloved pet dachshund Patches passed away Monday night, at about 7:15 p.m.

She gave us love, gentleness, and loyalty for 9 years.

She was such a sweet, gentle, and loving dog. 

Uncomplaining, undemanding, unassuming.

All the adjectives that I can think of to describe her still do not come close to what she really was.

I will really miss her. The pain of separation, even from losing a pet dog, is deep. And in this kind of pain, I turn to my Abba Father for solace.

No comfort has come as yet.

Maybe it is because I have not been able to shed tears yet. 

I started feeling the pain of loss two weeks ago, from the moment I realized that she could die anytime soon. There was a deep feeling of sadness -- a lump in my throat, a knot in my stomach, a heaviness in my heart kind of feeling -- that came in.

I know that there may be many more important matters that people have to deal with. But I hope that no one will ever think or say, "It is only a dog." 

Because that devalues and demeans what I am going through at this time.

A dear friend Nening said, "We grieve, but only for a time. God allows grief to our lives that He may comfort."

How very true. Her words somehow brought a ray of understanding...

The thought of heaven gives so much comfort.  I truly believe that in heaven, my dear Patches and I will be reunited.

But for now, I will not look for external means to deal with my grief.

Rather than force the sadness to go away,  I will embrace the pain, let this season of loss do a deep cleansing work in me... thank God for the emotional release, for the ability to feel.

Yes, thank God even for the sadness.

Legitimate sadness is not a bad thing. It is a normal part of life in this side of eternity, just as wounds are an inevitable part of being human.

As long as the emotions are kept clean, and wounds are not infected...  growth and new life are sure to follow.

It just amazes me how a human being can receive love from an animal. Even more amazing is how an animal can give love and devotion and joy.

How creative our God is in making such meaningful relationships possible.

Surely emotions will be a beautiful part of our heavenly experience.

Isn't it amazing how the thought of heaven can bring so much hope and promise? 

John in Revelation says it is the place where there is no death. And I pause to think, what was Eden like before death entered the picture?

What is it like to live a life of unending bliss and joy?

No disappointments? No pain of separation or loss?

To be honest, I cannot imagine what that kind of life is like, where sorrow and disappointment do not exist.

Yet the Bible says that there is such a place. Where there is no sorrow... no tears.

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes;

there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.

There shall be no more pain,

for the former things have passed away.

-Revelation 21:4

No death... only life.

It is the presence of God that gives life to heaven. He is Life. 

The tree of life is there... right in the middle of the river of life... and it has twelve kinds of fruit, one for each month... and the leaves are for the healing of the nations.

I have also often wondered what that tree will look like. It must be awesome to behold! 

And the fruit... twelve kinds of fruit in one tree? And leaves that can heal nations?

These words go beyond my human comprehension...

And yet it does me good to meditate on God's words. To soak myself in His presence. 

In His presence, words are not needed... because there are times when words only get in the way. Human words, that is.

When I read, or listen to, God's words, I understand that words are needed, like handles, to enable us to grasp what He wants to convey. But the true meaning of the words being used go much, much deeper. The full "concept" of the reality that those words stand for is something my finite mind can never fathom, while we exist here on earth.

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; 

now I know in part, but then I know fully 

just as I also have been fully known. 

- I Corinthians 13:12

Full comprehension will come in heaven. But there is a sense in which a continued reading of His word brings light and opens up my understanding.

The entrance of Your words gives light,

It gives understanding to the simple.

-Psalm 119:130

I will soak myself in my Abba Father's presence. And there, where no words need to be spoken, I will allow my tears to fall...

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The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,

which shines ever brighter until the full light of day.

- Proverbs 4:18

Understanding the Bridal Paradigm

The Bride Awaiting Her Bridegroom, Jesus

The Transformative Power of a Divine Relationship

Understanding the bridal paradigm (i.e., the spotless bride) found in the Bible is not so hard to understand once you see this connection to the healing power of a relationship with God. This reflects the purpose of the name of this blog… to heal and transform wounded hearts of disunity, pride, and immaturity through greater intimacy with Christ.

The authors of the Bible always emphasized that we are to have a deeply intimate relationship with God. Just look at the intimate language used in the Bible to refer to this relationship between God and Man. Jesus referred to us as His children, brothers, and friends, and He referred to God as our Father. The apostles referred to the Church as Christ’s Bride! Similarly, before Jesus came to earth, God also referred to the people of Israel as His children and the nation of Israel as His bride.

Why refer to the Church as the Bride of Christ?

There are multiple reasons for the bridal paradigm found throughout Scripture. For one, it helps human beings understand that God isn’t simply interested in just being a distant god on a throne for everyone to fear and obey. He created us to have a deeply personal and loving relationship with Him! It is in our intimacy with Him that we are healed and transformed into true a reflection of Christ.

The imagery that is to be created by a bride dressed in white is one of purity. Why is this significant? Major problems develop when Christians are not able to grasp God’s transforming Love or His Grace deep within their wounded hearts. Our wounds have left most of us with impure soil in our hearts. It is full of the rocks and weeds of bitterness, injustice, insecurity, and wrong thinking patterns. As a result, some people will use religion as a cover up like a mask or to prop their self-esteems on… making them self-righteous and judgmental, all the while keeping them in bondage to vices and other sins.

When we can relinquish control to our heart’s Gardener and learn to trust Him, our hearts can be weeded and cultivated as we learn to be washed in the cleansing waters of His Word. But we cannot stop there. It is while we meet face to face with Him in the garden during the cool of the day that we are changed from glory to glory (1 Corinthians 3:18).

It is as we flow in the River of His Glorious Presence that our oil lamps are filled (Matthew 25). And had you ever noticed? Oil is what is able to help keep gears and wheels of a machine turning? Think of those wheels and gears as the other members of Christ’s Body (and Bride) working together to bring healing to the nations. But if we don’t spend time in God’s intimate Presence getting filled back up, we will soon place all of our focus upon precepts and doctrine and lose sight of loving God’s children. Pretty soon, we will start to resemble the only people Jesus ever openly rebuked, those stiff-necked religious leaders who ended up killing Him and His followers (Matthew 23)!

Since the time is soon approaching for the Wedding Supper of the Lamb, the Father is releasing revelation to us that will prepare for His Son a pure Bride. It is in greater intimacy with Him that our hearts and lives will finally be able to grasp the righteousness already given to each of us by Christ’s loving sacrifice. Hence, the name for this blog is The Spotless Bride. It is in our intimacy with Him that we will be transformed and made pure so we may produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit (love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, see Galatians 5:22).

Read more at:

Motivation (The Spotless Bride blog)