The Circus Has Come to Town

The big top has been assembled the arena is filled with spectators all awaiting for the show to begin

The Circus band begins to play the famous and familiar circus theme song and the excitement now sets in

All the children squeal with sheer delight as the spot lights begin to twirl around

This is an extra special day, for the circus has come to town

Yet nothing will begin until the Master of ceremonies arrives in the center ring

The ring master dressed in tall top hat, bright red tails with gold trim and riding crop  that he swings

He alone will guide the audience through this amazing experience of this most spectacular event

With the words "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages to you I now present”

First the ballerina lady walks in balance high above on the high wire trusting with no net escape below

This act of sheer bravery and skill is a daring feat of the impossible that adds intrigue to this show 
 
Each animal that enters the rings are the “biggest", "most dangerous"  and “smartest ones” around

Just as every performer is quite uniquely talented and skilled in their area of expertise

For the circus has come to town

Next on the trapeze bar is the team of acrobats jumping from the platform and flying high in the air

Catching each other requires great deal of strength, grace, flexibility and prayer

In between each act comes a joyful sight that will tickle you and turn any frown upside down

The silly people dressed in funny costumes, makeup with a big red nose, It’s the clowns!!

Jugglers throwing many objects simultaneously, balls, hoops, clubs and knives

Tossing and performing tricks that entertain our everyday rather  boring lives

This act is very dangerous and amazing to behold with your sight

Fire breathers blowing out  flames that brighten the darkness with fiery light  

So If you close your eyes and imagine it well, filled with the most amazing sights and sounds

You will have the most phenomenal experience today

As the circus has come to town

Charmaine Hinds

Words are Powerful

Words are powerful and shape you and your destiny.

Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.

This chain of events begins with a thought but our thoughts are more than likely shaped by the words that we have heard over the course of our lives. 

We are all inter-connected in this world and are apart of the past present and future. Your today is shaped by yesterday and what happens today will shape your  tomorrow. We must remember that we are linked to people, places, events, time and words.

Words have life and creative power.  One word can change your life. It can propel you forward or hold you back, it can distract you or motivate you. Rarely do we take the time to see how words have affected us and our journey.

“Words are things. You must be careful, careful about calling people out of their names. Some day we’ll be able to measure the power of words. I think they are things. They get on the walls. They get in your wallpaper. They get in your rugs, in your upholstery, and your clothes, and finally in to you.” Maya Angelou

In my childhood there were many words that I heard loudly and for some reason the negative words seemed to be more pronounced than the positive ones. Words like skinny , tall, stubborn, dreamer, are all great words but add the thoughts and intent behind those words from the sender and it would be years before I would be able to unstick myself from the affects that they had created. I would have to put the truth of those words in a new context and say them to myself again with confidence that being tall  and thin or having perseverance and creative thought patterns was a good part of who God had made me to be and that if I changed my thoughts around those words then they would create something different in my life.

In the book of Proverbs in the Bible it is full of wisdom and knowledge about words and their power.

Proverbs 16:24   Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.

Emma was a beautiful girl but that wasn’t the word that people would use to describe her. Due to being born 3 months prematurely Emma had a very tiny frame and everyone chose to call her by what was most pronounced about her, they called her small, short, tiny, little or even petite. If Emma could have only recorded how many times people would look at her in the course of her 11 years and say in such a surprised and negative tone “ my how tiny she is” or “you haven’t  grown much” or even hurtful whispers and snickers behind her back like “ she looks like a munchkin”.  Despite this inside Emma was another force that needed to be reckoned with,  the words of her father every day telling Emma how much of a fighter she was and he would even call her “ my big girl” as a term of endearment. He was focused on her growth not just in the physical but like all good parents do, he acknowledged her growth in every area and Emma was a giant in so many ways. Due to the difficulties she faced so early on and all the love poured on her to grow , Emma was an affectionate, caring, smart individual who fought for every lost cause and championed every under dog.  One day her 5^th grade teacher asked Emma what was her secret , what kept her so positive everyday when everyone around her thought she couldn’t do much. Emma so wise beyond her years replied with this metaphor  “ I have two bags of words that I carry with me everyday . One is very heavy and weighs me down and the other is light and almost floats away if I don’t hold it carefully. Meditating on this and feeling sorry for this little girl the teacher said to Emma “ Sweetie you don’t need to carry around all those heavy negative words in that bag everyday, you can put it down”  Emma looked with the largest grin on her face and said to the older woman with such tender sensitivity “ The heavy bag isn’t the negative words, it’s the happy positive words that keep me grounded everyday” The light bag of words  is the one that I release every night when I pray to God asking Him to take them away”.

This story reminds us that we have the power over the words that come at us. We get to decide and choose what affect they will have on us.

Words can be spoken or written, words can teach you, reach you communicate feeling and emotion, words can build or break down , cause life or death, words can bring you closer or farther from your desired goal,  words can be conversational,  words can be directional, they can be inspiring or cause confusion, words are powerful.

So please let your words be few and intentional- choose your words that you say wisely. Think about what you are about to say and don’t let your words escape from your mouth. Not every thought that we have should be given life by breathing them into the atmosphere for all to hear and for the creative force of the universe to direct.

excerpt from Live Move and Be  by Charmaine Hinds

My Tongue Is the Pen Of A Ready Writer Psalm 45:1

My tongue is the pen of a ready writer

Vibrating with energy to create words that are powerful and have meaning

Deeper than thoughts, now able to bounce off walls and floors and ceilings

The voice that has heard these thoughts so revealing

Now loosed in the atmosphere forever to never return … but for all to learn and to discern

My tongue is the pen of a ready writer

To speak with intention at the mere mention of wrong becoming right, my soul in the middle of a night

Yearning for dark to become bright and the hidden to release the light

Words and energy fields rippling outward to undo and become undone

My tongue is the pen of a ready writer

Able to connect and attract and direct and attack 

To decree and agree and build and set free

My tongue is the pen of a ready writer

Never running dry of ink or lead or hand to hold or paper weight that flies away

My sounds of heaven released to stay envisioning the dawning of a brand new day

This is the pen that has been given to me, my destiny

For my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

There is nothing heavier or any lighter than a guard on my mouth that keeps me silent

Bound in chains because they refuse to hear   

The truth for fear

Liberation is here

For you were set free long ago, don’t you know?  

On a tree blowing in the breeze unlocked by the key

So hold your pain a little tighter, shine your light a little brighter  

Get ready for my future

For my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

 

Charmaine Hinds

She Loves Her High Heels

As a young girl a strange phenomena called puberty caused me to be tall at a young age and relatively beautiful as well. With these two features I stood out among the crowd, in school, at home, in photos and especially around the boys. So imagine when I decided it was time for me to begin to wear high heels.  This caused me to stand out even more as people cranked their necks to look up at me and many times I had to slouch down to make people feel more comfortable.

Soon I no longer felt comfortable wearing heels and made a conscious decision and choice to wear flats instead. But I never forgot the feeling I got when I would dress up and slip my feet into a pair of fancy high heels. I felt tall, beautiful, regal, sexy and female.

Just recently after going through a midlife change I reclaimed my identity again and one of the changes that came forth was that I decided I was no longer going to let my height in heels and how it may or may not make others feel stop me from dawning my favourite pair of stilettos, platforms, wedges or pumps. So I went shopping!

I was created tall and my shrinking to be small does not serve the world well. I plan to stand up straight in my high heels and throw my head back and walk proud. Cause I love my high heels!

She Loves Her High Heels

They lift her up to a place of height that match her inner depth

Heels that go clickety- clack as they walk on the hard floors of life, yet keeping time and step

Many think of strength like Superman, the man of strength and steel

But nothing is as powerful as a woman walking tall… in a shiny, red bottom pump with silver heel

In her identity finding beauty, comfort and value no matter what her size, is the measure of her life

Always in motion moving from a daughter to a woman, from a sister to a mother, from a friend to a wife

Her heels speak of the long journey she has walked always proud of her feminine side

Never wanting to lose her true self in the struggle to maintain her confident womanly pride

The platforms they create lift her up to a status that is far above the ground

Her heels agree with her that no matter what the situation, she will not be brought down

She has mastered the difficulty of walking in balance, head held high as her feet are turning

Walking into homes, places of business, entertainment, social engagements and educational buildings of learning

Its not the cost of the shoe, the designer we knew, the color or material we choose

Its about the way that she feels, so strong, confident and real, so beautiful as she glides in her high heels

But at the end of the day there is an awesome picture in view, so special and so grand

A woman laughing as she takes off her heels, running barefoot through a flower field, holding her high heels in her hands

Charmaine Hinds
  

My Little Pink Pony

So I was in Texas and the year was 2003, I had come there for a major worship conference and the speaker for the session was Jeff Lewis. I remember his name because what he said during that session in the next 45 minutes would change me and my life forever. I was about to have a pivotal moment. What he would share in his short message would become a reality for me in a way that I never imagined.

He began to talk about getting focus in your life and he shared this story about his little daughter. Now Jeff had a 5 year old daughter who he had to get off to school every afternoon right after her lunch. They had a large family and a very large dining room table. She was seated at the end of the table with her lunch in front of her and her special toy which Jeff had purchased for her, a pink My Little Pony. Each time Jeff would come into the room his daughter would be playing and laughing with her pony and not eating her peanut butter sandwich for  lunch. Time was moving along quickly and yet she still had not made a dent in her meal which was untouched in front of her. Jeff would tell her to put the pony down and to please eat her lunch as they would need to get in the car and get to school in a short while. He would come into the room two more times to witness the same scenario happening and repeat the same words again but he was not getting any different response from this 5 year old that was captivated that by her favourite toy. She was galloping the toy along the edge of the table and was not mindful about her lunch or the fact that she would need to get to school soon. So Jeff decided to take a drastic action. He took the little pony and placed it at the far end of the table and told his daughter in a stern voice that when and only when she had finished her lunch could she have her pony back. Well needless to say she quickly became focused and gobbled her lunch down in record time and swiftly grabbed her pony from the far end of the table and skipped to the car in time to arrive to school right before the bell would ring.

He went on to share how so many of us have great difficulty focusing on what is of need and real importance because we are too preoccupied with the pink ponies in our lives. We need to put some distance between us and these ponies to focus our energy and efforts on the things that are of importance and requiring our immediate attention. It was the Fathers pleasure to not only provide pink ponies for us to play with but He had also allotted a special time for this after we have accomplished the assignment or task in front of us.

Wow ! This resonated with every fibre of my being and I began to vibrate this truth into existence. I was a person of great vision and also a multi-tasker with many different things going on all at once. This was my life, not to mention that I was often easily distracted and sometimes would get sidetracked with the latest thing and forget the assignment that was immediate or that had the highest priority. I knew I had to purpose in my heart to change this moving forward to be able to get to my destiny.  My Father had all the pleasures in the world awaiting me at the other end of the table but He had moments in time scheduled for me and I would not be on time if I continued with my play and not stay focused on my assignments.

 Well it would have been a great story if it had just ended there, but God had some more. I arrived home the following week from Texas and a friend had dropped off a bag of items that she had borrowed from me while I had been gone and while I was rummaging through the contents, there in the bottom of the bag  to my utter surprise was a pink My Little Pony. I was stunned, shocked and thought to myself that God just wanted to give me a reminder of the message. I called my girlfriend as I thought she had maybe put the toy in the bag by accident and that it belonged to one of her children and to my surprise after sharing my amazing connection story with her she had no clue about a Pink Pony and said that her children have never owned a Pink Pony. Now I was intrigued. The question became not how did the Pony get in the bag, but why did God want me to have this Pink Pony? Was it to be a reminder to me to stay focused and not to allow distractions to get me off focus? Or was it that I needed to put those pink My Little Ponies in perspective- He enjoyed giving me pleasures as well as keeping me in timing with His plans.

Well for ten years I have had this My Little Pony as my reminder and every time I have looked at it I realign my priorities and get refocused again. So two nights ago I was in a store and there on the shelf in front of me were five My Little Ponies (pink ones) for sale. Needless to say I bought all five as I felt that with the time and season I am entering into, that I needed to place a few more reminders that there is a time and a season for everything. There is a time to play and a time to focus on your assignment. I had to keep my eyes on the prize.

They are strategically placed in places in the home and office where I can visible see them and believe there is a deep message here not just for me but for others that will read this that are birthing a vision or a dream. Stay focused and keep your eyes on your lunch in front of you and there will be plenty of time for you to play with your pony and get to your destination on time.

Charmaine Hinds  December 2012©

My Camels Are Coming! My Camels Are Here!

In recent days I have heard the saying “The camels are coming, the camels are here” I even have visions of them coming my way. There is an excitement growing on my insides as I begin to unfold and understand what God is saying to me and my spirit is responding to.

I was recently in Texas at a conference and they were teaching about the Jewish calendar year we are in of 5773- Ayin Gimel (73). Gimel is the third letter of the Hebrew alphabet as well as the number 3, and originally pictured a camel. The name camel comes from the Arabic ǧml meaning "beauty".

While there we visited Glory of Zion Church, they have an altar display with camels laden down with treasure, spices, anointing oil and jewels.( see picture)

A few days a go I was reading my bible study and came upon Isaiah 60 and as I read verse 1-2 this is what it said.

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you.

This part was familiar to me and it wasn’t until I read verse 5-6 that the full verse spoke loudly to me.
     Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy;
the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come.
Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah.
And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord


I was so excited as I read how when we begin to arise and shine for God and let his glory rise upon us that something amazing happens- the riches of the nations will come to us laden on the backs of these beasts of burden.

Caravans were sent in different ways. Sometimes they would send some of the camel caravan ahead of the journey so when they would arrive at their appointed destination all of their provision would be there waiting. This is symbolical of our faith walk when God has given us a vision. Many of us wait for the resources to arrive before we will begin the journey but God has sent the provision ahead of you and when you arrive at the place that you have a need then it will be there waiting for you. You would gladly say my camels are here.

If you are traveling a journey along with camels they are going to be able to bring you to places of refreshing where you can fill up.  In their native lands, camels feel by far the presence of a fountain or river. They never forget the place where they have found water. This makes them awesome animals to travel in terrain that may be unfamiliar to you.         

Now if you were apart of a group that began the travel with the camel train and somehow arrived ahead of the caravan, or if you were living in a remote place and needed supplies or resources, then you would be waiting for the camels to arrive with the needed treasures. How excited you would become once you sighted the camels coming in the distance. Camels were known as desert ships as they carried heavy cargo of goods, spices, gold, riches and people, through sand storms, variation of temperatures differences, for many days and long distances. Throughout scripture donkeys and camels were used as symbols of transportation for riches and treasures.

An excellent example of camels carrying provision can be found in Genesis 24:10
Then the servant left, taking with him ten of his master’s camels loaded with all kinds of good things from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim and made his way to the town of Nahor.

This unnamed servant was sent on a precious journey with a caravan of ten camels with the task of getting a bride for his master’s son. These unusual creatures were used on this long arduous journey through the desert to carry the riches that would pay the brides price.  It is noted that Rebekah the bride that would be chosen watered the ten camels at the well and her family even fed and made room for the camels to bed for the night and the servant would unload the riches off their backs that he carried to use as a dowry, jewellery of silver, jewellery of gold, and clothing that he gave to Rebekah and her family.
With no delay the next day Rebekah mounted one of the camels and set out to travel to her tomorrow and her new future. Now the camels were carrying another treasure as Abrahams servant headed back from his journey of truth to bring back the bride of the Lords choosing.

Moving along in  Genesis 24:63  we see Isaac awaiting His future.
He went out to the field one evening to meditate, and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching.

Here was the camels coming with Rebekah, a bride for Isaac and she gladly dismounts off the camel to meet her bridegroom.  God is bringing your provision to you, this can come in many ways, sometimes it will be a person that has the key for your future, or financial provision or the spiritual riches that you need to begin to walk in your destiny.  Look up, your camels are approaching.

Three other examples of camels spoke to me

I have always loved the story of Joseph, a caravan of camels came and took him down to Egypt when his brothers decided to sell him because of their jealousy. At the beginning of this scripture we might think that the camels were apart of the bad thing that happened to Joseph. Genesis 37:25
As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.    But it would be that same group of camels that in actuality carried Joseph to his destiny and he would later declare that what the enemy meant for evil God had changed to good.  Where ever your camels take you just trust in the plans of God. He has a good plan for a hope and a future for you. Embrace the camels coming towards you.

Camels were also mentioned in regards to Queen of Sheba when she came to visit King Solomon.    

1 Kings 10:2, 2 Chronicles 9:1
Arriving at Jerusalem with a very great caravan—with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones—she came to Solomon and talked with him about all that she had on her mind.

The wisdom and favour of God will cause people of influence to travel to reason with you.  To share what is on their hearts and to bless you with their resources.

1 Kings 10:10 Then she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, spices in great quantity, and precious stones. There never again came such abundance of spices as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon

My last story and one of the most impactful for me is the Magi (The wise men) who travelled a far distance from the East following the star to visit Jesus. They were most likely travelling by way of camels and had their provision and treasures of gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh 

Matthew 2:11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

These three gifts were presented to Jesus and had great significance. The gold a precious metal the standard gift for a King, it represented royalty and provision. The Frankincense was an incense and perfume for worship, this represented His ministry here on earth as the High Priest. And Myrrh, an anointing oil was used to embalm bodies of those who died, it would symbolize the way He would live and die and one of the main reasons He was here on the earth to be the sacrificially lamb that would take away the sins of the world.

These camels would carry on their backs to Jesus the Savior of the world the kings that would bear gifts of great symbolism of His ministry here on the earth, reminders of the reason for His true birth. Your camels that are here are bringing you gifts that are declaring to you of the destiny and purpose of who you are and the position you hold in Christ and the provision needed for your kingdom ministry

With all of this I hear very loudly… My camels are coming! The camels are here!

Charmaine Hinds November 2012 ©

Feast of Joy

Blessings Beloved,
We are going on a Joy Feast for the next 30 days and we want to invite you to please join us.

What is a Joy Feast you ask? Well it is not a fast but the exact opposite- everyday we will feast and be filled with the love, joy and peace of God. We will begin each day with a smile that makes your cheeks hurt, laugh every chance we get even in the face of adversity and circumstances that don't necessarily look good to us. We will find opportunities to make someone else laugh, tell a joke, tickle a friend and just be joyful and full of joy.

We will remember that the “Joy of the Lord” is our strength as we memorize and repeat as often as we can the scriptures on Joy! We will devour one scripture every day. We will repeat these scriptures as often as we can for the day. The great thing about this is that you can't have too much because it is a feast and not a fast.

But the twist is that as we fill ourselves up everyday there will be no room for pity, selfishness, sorrow, depression, over indulgence in worldly things, we will lose the craving for lust and want and greed, we will vomit up every word of gossip and slander. Forgiveness will begin to flow like a fountain until even bitterness will make us sick to your stomach. You must agree though to fast envy, strife, anger, malice, and anything else that steals your peace of mind and heart.
You will so overflow with His joy that it will touch you, your family, your neighbours, church members, co-workers, friends and loved ones. Now don’t even worry if there will be enough provision of His joy because just when you feel like your supply is running low- We will pray with you and send you some more for it is an never ending reservoir that flows deep.
If you have been in a season of grieving, mourning or sorrow, this feast is also for you. It will remove some of the ache you have in the pit of your stomach. Know this that He longs to feed you every nutrient you need so you would not be weak, but full of life and joy.

So if your ready to feast with us for 30 days, then come to the banquet. We are giving you 5 days to prepare yourself take this time to empty your pockets, cupboards, closets and storage units of any stashed away unhealthy substances you have been feeding off of, that you may have hidden away. Clean house and prepare to laugh uncontrollably in the face of the enemy, to enjoy the beautiful life you have been given, to be thankful for your many daily provisions and blessings.

Alright get ready to come to His table, the tablecloth has been laid, your place mat is ready and the menu has been prepared. Get your fork and spoon in hand - come hungry and prepare to Feast on Joy!!  www.thejoyfeast.wordpress.com