Tag: annamarie strawhand

Prayer To Cut The Cords To Release The Giant Of Revival

Prayer To Cut The Cords To Release The Giant Of Revival

On our March 14, 2025, live broadcast of Life in the Faith Lane, we had a special teaching and prayer with Author-Teacher-Intercessor Jeanette Strauss of Glorious Creations and Annamarie Strawhand.

Jeanette brought an incredible prophetic word and revelation on our next step to pray over our cities to release revival and wake up the sleepers! We joined together in a prophetic prayer over our cities and towns using bells, string and scissors. 

Watch the replay below and join in with the prayer that is typed out below. If you have a bell, string, and scissors, have them ready. You will learn how to use these along with the prayer as a prophetic act of declaration and deliverance over your city. You can also join us in Communion, so have your communion supplies ready.

 

 

Pray Out Loud

Jeanette: [Timestamp: 2:37:09] Dear heavenly Father, we’re all coming into Your courtroom in Heaven today as a class action suit with one representing and many all in agreement. Father, we humbly repent before You for any sin we may have against You, any sin that we may have performed against You or Your Word in any way. Please open the record book in each one of our lives, and go back to the very beginnings – even our forefathers. If there’s been sin there committed against You in any way, we’re asking, Lord, for you to forgive this sin and to wash our bloodlines with the blood of Jesus – the precious blood that we just partook of. We’re asking You, Lord, to forgive sin and to move us from any judgment that the enemy could use against us in the Courts of Heaven into the throne of grace and mercy. Expunge our records, Lord, of sin. Give us a new start, and, Father, remove veils off the eyes or our understanding in grace and mercy, Father, that we’ll see truth that we haven’t seen before, and we’ll embrace Your truth and walk in Your truth, Lord Jesus.

And, Father, we come back into Your courtroom with a prophetic act that we believe that You’ve told us to do, and that is to release these angelic beings that are in charge of our different cities and our nations, like Gabriel and Michael, and the hosts – they all have their own names, which we don’t need to know all of those names, Lord – but they’re in charge of the churches too in Revelation. Lord, You don’t give the angels’ names, but you do give the name of the church in each city.

So we’re lifting up all the churches represented here today on this broadcast and the angelic host to each church because the church itself was blamed for what was going on in the city. It was held accountable. Father, we’re members of these churches and we want things set straight. So, Father, we repent on behalf of any sin being committed against You in any of the cities that we live in. We’re asking for forgiveness for these sins. We’re asking for the blood of Jesus to wash over it like Daniel did for his nation. We’re asking, Lord, that You will move on our cities. We want revival to come to our cities. Lord, we know that the sin has bound the angelic hosts, those giant men, renowned of old, Father, who work for You – the heavenly hosts who work for You. 

Father, in faith, we come believing today that with the blood of Jesus and our repentance, we’re doing an act that shows that they’re being unbound. (Hold up your cord) Lord, this cord represents all those that are on this broadcast for their cities, their churches, their lives, their families, and their businesses. As we cut the cord, Lord, we’re cutting loose the cords that would bind the neck, the head, the hands, the wrists, the feet, and the ankles where that heavenly host has been delayed because of the sin like Michael was delayed to help Gabriel. We’re cutting them loose, Lord. We’re cutting them loose for revival to come in those places – in our cities, our families, etc. 

Annamarie: I’m discerning in the spirit right now for youth revival and I’m declaring that the angel of the Lord that is over the youth revival for Jesus Christ be loosed right now and released from anything that is binding or delaying this angel of the Lord of youth revival, in Jesus’ name. I’m speaking youth revival across the world starting with our own children, even our adult children, and all the children, youth, all the young people of the word. This angel of the Lord that is over youth revival has been set free to do what he needs to do and to bring forth the will and the word of God for youth revival across the world, all the nations.

Jeanette: Releasing the music of the Word of God, the music, the frequencies, Lord. Release the frequencies of Heaven into the music industry, the movie industry. Change the frequencies that our children are listening to, to the frequencies of Heaven. We know that you can do that supernaturally, Lord. 

Annmarie: Let these frequencies of Heaven resonate into our children, into their minds, bodies, souls, spirits, and into every cell of their bodies. Father God, Your Word says in Isaiah 49 that You will contend with those who contend with us, and You will save our children. Can the captives of the mighty be taken away? Yes, Father God, You do it! You say in Your Word that You will do this, and we’re asking You to do it right now, in the name of Jesus Christ. 

Jeanette: Thank You, Lord, that angels hearken to the voice of Your Word and go forth to perform it. You say that, Lord, in Habakkuk 3, so we thank You for that, that the angels are hearkening to the Word of the Lord. Isaiah 49:24 and 25 that Annamarie just decreed, and You Yourself, You will contend with those who contend against us, and You’ll save our children, You say. Thank You, Jesus. We believe You for that. We believe You for youth revival. You do it, Lord. You can do it, and we support You.

Annamarie: And every single son or daughter that has been bound by the enemy to keep them from fulfilling their divine purpose for You, Father God, that has been keeping them from fulfilling their divine purpose for You, Lord Jesus Christ, that those sons and daughters be unbound right now. And the angels of the Lord that are assigned to each child be unbound now, in the name of Jesus, to assist that child and to assist our children and our children’s children to fulfill their calling for the kingdom of Almighty God. We believe by faith that it is being done right now. As I’m even looking at my own daughter right now, call out your children’s names too. Say, “Right now, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I loose and release all tethers, ties, ropes, chains, or anything that has held my (son/daughter) bound from fulfilling (his/her) purpose for the kingdom of Almighty God, and I loose and release the angels of the Lord that have been assigned to my (son/daughter), _______, to assist (her/him).

Jeanette: We release angels that speak life to those that at this stage who are thinking of taking their lives. These young people, it’s never been so bad. They’re just so discouraged and decide this. Lord, loose Your angels of life and light to go on assignments to each of those people, each of those children and even adults who are on the verge of that, and stop them. They have a destiny to fulfill, Lord. We are embracing what you’re doing in their life to bring them life. Father, speak to them in dreams and visions. Save them, Lord. Don’t let them do things that they’re planning on doing that would stop their destinies. 

Annamarie: I hear those tethers snapping. When you were the first one to cut with your scissors, Jeanette, I could hear the scissors in the spirit, the divine scissors cutting.

Jeanette: Thank You, Lord.

Annamarie: And, Father God, You have a mighty swift and terrible sword. We believe by faith right now, Father God, that You have come with Your mighty swift and terrible sword and are cutting off all these tethers, ropes, and chains right now off of Your angels that have been held down. You are doing it right now. We believe it by faith, that these angels of revival, these angels over the cities, these angels over the states, the angels over the nations, and the angels over youth revival have been set free and released to fulfill their assignments for You, Father God, fulfilling Your perfect will in the earth. And we are so excited to see Your glory, God.

Jeanette: Thank You. We are, Lord; we are. We’re witnesses to what You’re doing, Father. Wow, thank You, Lord. 

Annamarie: I’m getting a word of knowledge too that unholy, ungodly covenants, Freemasonry and other things are part of what has caused the tethers. I’m hearing the words tethers and fetters, tethers and fetters, tethers and fetters.

Jeanette: I think in their ceremony, they bind their feet, don’t they? They bind their legs.

Annamarie: They do. Yes, they do.

Jeanette: Ooh, so everybody that’s got Freemasonry, right, in their root structure, their generational bloodline that have Freemasons, Shriners, Eastern Star, any of those secret organizations that appear to be good, but they’re bad, Lord, we cut them off. They may have been struggling with this. (Take scissors and cut cord.) No more fetters or tethers to do with that because we’ve done the repentance, and we’ve asked forgiveness. 

Annamarie: No more fetters or tethers of Freemasonry.  No more fetters or tethers of Freemasonry. 

Jeanette: Freemasonry, and we include those. Set them free. 

Annamarie: Set them free, Lord. He’s saying, “Any false imprisonment and false hangings for the KKK and other false accusations in your city. He’s reminding me in my city of Virginia there was a false accusation of a man, and he was, the man was hung, but he was falsely accused. And, Father, let every false accusation, every false imprisonment, every false hanging, let those fetters, tethers, chains, shackles, and ropes be cut now, in the name of Jesus. Father God, Your Word says whatever is loosed on earth shall be loosed in Heaven, and whatever is bound on earth shall be bound in Heaven. Everyone here and Jeanette and I are standing on that word right now. We believe by faith this is being done. 

Father, we ask You to take those ropes, chains, tethers, and fetters and bind the demons and the demonic and those unclean spirits that have been operating in these areas, that they are the ones that are now bound. This is the time of  Purim. Haman shall hang on his own gallows, divine reversal, and we are asking for divine reversal right now for those who have been set free that are servants of the Lord, from the angels to people, as we have been set free and our fetters and tethers and chains and shackles have been released, and the angel of the Lord has been released. Father, we ask You to take those tethers and fetters and chains and shackles and ropes, and bind those evil spirits and those unclean spirits and their demonic assignments, Father God. We ask this in Jesus’ name. We’re asking for divine reversal today. Thank You, Jesus.

I’m seeing an image in the spirit of “shaking it loose.” Shake off those tethers. Shake off those fetters. Shake off those chains. I see these angels of the Lord that have just been freshly released, and they’re, they’re like a, they’re shaking. They’re shaking off. They’re shaking.

Jeanette: Thank You, Lord. [2:56:43 Ending Timestamp]

Prophetic Word: The Renaissance Timing For Our Children

Prophetic Word: The Renaissance Timing For Our Children

Transcription of the word that the Holy Spirit gave to Annamarie Strawhand, which she delivered during her broadcast of Life in the Faith Lane on February 14, 2025.

 Watch the video, and then read the transcript below.

 

ANNAMARIE: All right, so, uh, today is Friday, February 14 of 2025, and the Spirit of the Lord has come upon me very strongly, very intensely, very powerfully through the heart of Father God, uh, and He’s given me a prophetic word to speak, and I am going to just, right now, just submit myself to the Holy Spirit and let this word flow to me and through me to all of you. 

Hear the word of the Lord. It is a time for a renaissance among the children. They shall say. “It is like Divincis and Beethovens and Michelangelos have arisen in the children. How can this be? No one has taught them this. How can they pick up the paintbrush and the carving tools and sit at the musical instruments and create such masterpieces if they have not learned it in the schools and in the education systems?”

The Lord says, “HA! Your education systems have failed, but I, the Lord, do not. I am raising up the anointings in the children. I am raising them up as musical geniuses, artistic geniuses, craftsmen, and it shall be that the children shall walk away from the screens of their computers and their games, and they shall pick up their musical instruments and their paint brushes and their carving tools, and they shall say, “Mother, Father, I do not want the toys and games. I want to create. Give me the wood. Give me the musical instruments. Give me the dancing floors, for I want to create what is inside of me.” 

The children will not be able to hold back this creativity. It shall flow, and the adults shall be astounded, and they will say, “Where did this come from? How can it be?” But I, the Lord, have done it. I am raising up the children, the geniuses that shall flow, and these children shall come from every walk of life, from every home. For I, the Lord, have taught them through My Holy Spirit. They have been born with these gifts – double mantles, double anointings.

“The musical teachers and the teachers of art in the schools shall rejoice. They shall say, ‘Finally, finally, finally, I am able to teach the children because they’re coming to me already hungry for the music, already hungry for the dance, already hungry for the arts, already hungry for the poetry.’ And it shall flow from these children like wells of living water. For I have given the children the upper spring and the lower spring. I have given them the hot springs, the hot springs to soothe them and bathe them and purify them like I did in the years gone by, but I shall also give them the upper springs and the lower springs, and they shall have the cool, refreshing springs. My children shall drink of the living water. They shall be refreshed in the spirit – the Divincis, the Michaelangelos, the architects, the artists, the musicians. People will be astounded. It will be the children that will teach the teachers. It will be like My Son when He sat at the temple and spoke to the elders, and they were astounded at His wisdom, so it shall be in the children. 

“These children have gone from paupers to princes. They shall carry the children and raise them up, for I have covered them with the blood of My Son and the anointing of My Holy Spirit. They are clothed in dignity and wisdom. My prophets, teachers, and evangelists shall arise through the children. The children shall stand upon the stages and in the spotlights and teach of My Word and prophesy and lay hands of healing like the world has never seen before. And they will say, “Where did these children come from? How can it be? How can they know these things?

“But it is the work of My Holy Spirit, and the children shall say to their parents, ‘Arise, Mother. Arise, Father. Do you not know that you had a gift within you from a, a young age?’ And you shall use it again. And the children shall help stir the gifts back up in their parents, and their parents will be like little children again, and they shall say, ‘Ah, I picked up the paintbrush again. I have picked up the gardening tools.’

“And the children shall build and create beside their parents, and I shall finance these things,” says the Lord. “And I shall finance the art centers, and I shall finance these programs across the Nation of America and into the world, and there will be patent leather shoes of the children that shall run to the patent offices, and the children shall have patents for inventions, and they shall have such witty ideas. It’ll be like, ‘This is a renaissance. How can this be? Only since the time of Davinci has this been,’ but the Lord has said, ‘It is ME! For the wicked one have done everything in their power to hold back the gifts of the children, but NO MORE! I, the Lord, have spoken, and those wicked ones who have prostituted our children and done everything they could to make a slavery system out of the education system, they shall be slaves themselves. THEY SHALL BE MADE FOOLS OF! THEY SHALL GROVEL IN THE STONES AND KISS THE FEET OF THE CHILDREN WHO HAVE ALL THE WISDOM! 

“And the children shall be raised up on the shoulders of the parents. For I, the Lord, have contended with those who have contended with you – mothers and fathers and grandparents, aunts and uncles, and the teachers who have cried out into the midnight hour. I have contended with those who have contended with you, and I’ve saved the children. And I have put a leader at the helm and those who will come beside him who will advocate for the children. It is done. It is already written, and I, the Lord, shall be glorified in all of this for I have been there in the night. 

“I have seen and wrestled with the prayers of the weeping mothers and the weeping fathers and the weeping teachers. Yes, the teachers. I know the teachers have wanted this – the good teachers – because the mothers and the fathers and the teachers and the grandparents have wrestled with me deep into the night, says the Lord, and they have said to Me, ‘I am not letting go of you until You bless me,’ and like Jacob, I have blessed you. I am blessing the mothers and the fathers. I am blessing the grandparents and the aunts and the uncles and the teachers who have wrestled with me deep into the night. And I have said, ‘Yes, I will bless you.’ And your daughters shall be like the graceful pillars in a palace, and your sons shall be like a well-watered vine. 

“And this renaissance shall come, and there will be tabernacle choirs of children singing in every place. And the music shall rise, and it shall be like perfume to My nostrils as the musical performances shall come from the voices of the children. And, even in the schools, they shall sing the songs of great symphonies.”

And I hear in the spirit now, the children singing Isaiah. [Singing] He shall feed his flock like a shepherd. [End singing] 

“And I, the Good Shepherd, have led the children and their parents back to Me, back to My green pastures, back to My still waters, and I shall give them rest on all sides because the attacks on the children HAVE STOPPED TODAY! And now the children and the mothers and the fathers and the schools and the homeschooling, everywhere shall be schooled by My Holy Spirit and by My Son, Jesus Christ, and the children shall no lo, longer listen to the voice of the stranger. They shall listen to the voice of their Good Shepherd, MY SON, YESHUA! 

“And there shall be rejoicing and dancing in the street and great performances, and people shall be astounded at the ballerinas and the opera singers. They shall be astounded at the symphonies and the choirs of the children. They shall be astounded at the musical prodigies that have come forth. They shall be astounded at the masterpieces that these children are creating in paints and oils and watercolors, even in pencil drawings. They shall be astounded at the building that these children shall build.

“And how can this knowledge come upon the children? IT IS FROM ME,’ says the Lord. ‘For it is the children’s hour, and I shall bring the second trumpet next to the trumpet that I have raised up for this time. He is young, and he is a genius. He has wisdom beyond his years, not of this world but of mine, of my kingdom. And I’m raising up the leaders with an anointing from birth, and it is a double victory, and the parents shall be rejoicing because this is the generation that has sought My face. 

“And I’m releasing the generational bloodline promises and blessings upon this generation and the baby booms that shall come. Oh, it is glorious, and these children are being birthed in the earth FILLED WITH MY SPIRIT, and they will not be quiet. They will speak of such wisdom, and they will say, ‘How can these toddlers be speaking of such wisdom and such knowledge?’ And they will say, ‘Surely, this is God.’ [Inaudible] 

“And I, the Lord, shall be glorified in such a way like the world has never seen before, and I’m raising up five-fold ministries in these children – prophets, teachers, evangelists, healers. And they shall say, ‘Mother, Father, I must go and I must preach.’ 

“DO NO HOLD YOUR CHILDREN BACK! Nurture them in this. You nurture your children in this, there will be a crown waiting for you for I, the Lord, have already written it. It is done, and watch and see what I do to those who have held back the children. Watch and see what I will do to those who have held back the gifts of the children! They will grovel at your feet. The mothers and fathers that stayed up in the night and cried out to me, I have counted their tears. The mothers and the fathers who have said, ‘Why has my child had to go through such pain and bullying and abuse?’ For the evil ones have tried to raise up their evil villages, and they have tried to say, ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ NO! That is a lie from the pit of hell! It takes two good parents – a mother and a father, a female and a male raising up the children according to My Word, according to My promises, in the name of My Son, Yeshua, through My Holy Spirit. 

“And children who have been raised up, and even those who have gone prodigal, and those parents who have prayed in the night who have done everything they could to keep their children focused on Me, and even if their children went prodigal, even if the demonic systems have tried to turn their children away from Me, IT HAS BEEN FUTILE! IT HAS BEEN FUTILE! I’M TALKING ABOUT THE DEMONIC SYSTEMS HAVE BEEN FUTILE, SAYS THE LORD, IT HAS BEEN A WASTE OF THEIR TIME!

“But I remember the time that the parents put in doing everything they could to instill My righteousness in the children. It has not been futile! It has not gone to waste! I, the Lord, remember all of it! And now those good seeds that you have sowed into your children and your children’s children, and even those good seeds from generations before that have been sowed into the generations in the name of My Son, Yeshua, in My name, through My Holy Spirit, those seeds are coming to harvest now in your children for my church, for my ecclesia, for my kingdom. They have not gone to waste. They have not been futile, for they have been incubated for a time, and now they are blossoming and blooming and perking up through the soil. Watch and see. For, My children, I have heard.

“Prodigals are no longer prodigal. Every lie that they have tried to instill in the children’s minds are being reversed right now. The parents who have cried out to Me in the night and the grandparents, I’ve heard your prayers and all the good seeds that you have sowed into your children of righteousness are blooming and blossoming and growing and coming to harvest. It has not been in vain; it has not. I, the Lord, have remembered you.

“Rachel no longer weeps for her children. The crying in the night has been heard. For I, the Lord, have raised up your children for this time, and I call your children blessed, for your prayers have blessed Me, says the Lord. I have not forgotten you. Mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, aunt, uncle, teacher, intercessor who has prayed for the children, contending for all these years crying out to Me, coming before My throne of grace, your prayers and your offerings and your seeds have accumulated before me, says the Lord, and I remember them today. And I’m dispatching My angels now to carry these out, and prepare to see My glory in the children and in your families and in your communities. And I’m raising up leaders to nurture your children that are filled with the Holy Spirit in such a way because these desires of the teachers that have My heart are finally to be fulfilled.”

Oh, the music teachers are rejoicing. The art teachers are rejoi, joicing. The dancing teachers are rejoicing. He says there will be shop classes again. The children will be building. They will say, “We do not want these screens of our phones and our iPads and our computers. No, we want to work with wood and tools and machines and wires and create and draw.” And the plans have rolled out, and the draftsman tables have been rolled back in, and the hunger these children have for this is incredible. And the daughters picking up the needles and the embroideries and the sewing machines, and they shall say, “I will work with wool and silks and linens and cottons. What are these plastics and these fake fabrics? Your daughters will want nothing to do with those.

And the sons and the daughters come beside the parents and say, “Mother, Father, let us create a garden. Let us grow the foods. Let us raise the livestock.” And I will give them land and the children and the livestock and the gardens and the families will grow. And I will walk with them in the land in the cool of the day, and they will say, “Look, Mama. Look, Papa. I see Jesus. He is walking with us in the garden. He is with us.”

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon the families and the children, and I have anointed them, and I proclaim this is a time of great favor, a renaissance of brilliance and beauty, of growth, of harvest, of singing and rejoicing like the world has never seen before. And My hand is upon it and My glory, and it is written and nothing can come against it. So be it,” says the Lord.

Thank You, Father. Thank You, Jesus. You’ve heard us. You’ve heard our prayers. You’ve heard us weeping in the night and contending and wrestling for our children. Our prayers have not been in vain. Thank You. We praise You today, and we worship you, Almighty God. You are faithful. We are in expectation of Your glory in the children. 

Father God, equip us to help these children, that Your Holy Spirit will lead us. Give us understanding of what You’re doing so that we can be obedient, Father God.

And He’s given me two scriptures – Isaiah 49 and Isaiah 61 – and Isaiah 61 is being fulfilled for our children, and Isaiah 49 is being fulfilled for our children. Because I know I’m one of those moms …

You know, it’s interesting, He kept showing me one of my mentoring students that I’ve had for some time. Her name is Anji Morgan-Thornton, and, uh, she’s a professor of music. She’s also a race car driver, and I coached and mentored her for years. But she has a child-like faith, incredible child-like faith, and her and I have been praying together for years. I mean, her and I have been together for years praying. And she has prayed and prayed and prayed and suffered, suffered as a music professor, suffered as a music teacher because the schools and the universities did everything they could to make her job difficult, did everything they could to strip her from budgets.

And many times, her and I would spend hours on the phone and on the Zoom calls praying for the children, praying for the schools and the universities, praying for these arts and music to come back for the children and to remove these evil, wicked agendas and bring back the, the, uh, the artistic, creative because that is the Father’s heart. And Anji has the Father’s heart, and I’m so excited to give her this word because this is something she’s been praying for for years. And Anji’s done everything she could to keep the, these, uh, these teachings and these gifts, uh, alive for the children. She has fought, and she will be so excited to hear this word from the Lord. Because did you hear him? He said He’s going to bring the budgets back for this. He’s going to finance it, and He’s going to help the teachers that have prayed for this for years and the children that are going to come forth into these programs. It’s going to be incredible, and it’s going to be music, the arts, all types of creative, and craftsmanship. It’s going to be beautiful, and God is doing this.

And He showed me, He showed me mothers and fathers in the spirit, like Jacob, wrestling with Him into the night, crying out, and I, I was one of those moms for years because my daughter is an artist. My daughter is a singer and a musician. My daughter is a horsewoman. 

And I remember He told me to sow a three-dollar seed. He told me to take $3.00 – 3 one dollar bills – and sow that seed to Him and name each dollar my daughter’s gift for art, my daughter’s gift for music, and my daughter’s gift for horsemanship. And He said to sow those one dollar seeds into His kingdom – and, I mean, this was back in 2014, 2015 – and put it in an envelope and write down what the seed was and sow it. 

He told me to bring it to church and put it in, in, in the offering plate and name that seed and that those gifts that He put in her would be used for His glory. And He reminded me of that seed again today.

Now, if you have sown a seed for your children, and you have named that seed for their God-given gifts to be used for the glory of God, call forth that seed to harvest right now because this is the timing we’re in. And the Lord is saying we’ve wrestled Him into the night and said, “I’m not letting go until you bless me, until You bless my children and my grandchildren,” and he said, “I’m blessing you.”

And, you know, I can remember asking my daughter to go to church and all those things, and she would, it was a struggle. It was a struggle. And the Lord is saying He’s going to reward the parents who did everything they could to instill the Word of God and righteousness into their children. Even though it was a struggle, He has not forgotten that, and those parents that have struggled with that, He said He will reward them and their children. And their children will be scholars of the Bible, of His Word, and will have five-fold ministries. He has not forgotten. 

Everything that you have tried to do with your children, it was not, it did not go to waste. It was not futile. He said, did you hear what He said? He said what was futile is the demonic brainwashing that they tried to instill in our children. That’s coming to nothing. But our efforts as parents to instill righteousness and good values in our children is what was rooted and shall blossom and grow and be fruitful. Thank You, God. 

And I saw behind the parents and the grandmothers and the grandparents when they were coming before the throne of grace for King Jesus, huge mighty angels. I saw it in the spirit that the Lord, ah, when you pray as a grandmother or a mother or as a father or a grandfather or as an intercessor and you went boldly to the throne of grace, even when you were being ridiculed, even when times were very hard, but you still went before that throne of grace, before the Father, He gave me a vision this morning. 

And He said when you did that, He immediately signed, assigned mighty angels to you and your children to protect you and your children through this time. I saw three angels per person for their children and their grandchildren – huge, massive, muscular, armored up.

So when you went before the Lord and contended and said, “I’m here for the children. I’m here for the grandchildren. Immediately, three mighty angels of the Lord were assigned to you to carry out your prayers for the children. I saw it in the spirit. That’s happening. 

Now, when He showed me the trumpet and He said, “This trumpet is President Trump, who is contending for the children, and there’s going to be a smaller, a younger trumpet that comes beside him.” Now, I don’t know if that is Barron or other younger men and women coming beside him. Now, I noticed that President Trump has assigned a lot of other younger leaders with children and a lot of young people into these places, and he’s giving them a voice. 

So I saw these double trumpets, and it’s like two horns on a freight train. You know how like the freight train is coming and it’s got the double horns on it, and nothing is going to stop this. This is the glory train. And Trump is the big trumpet, and there’s another smaller trumpet, younger one that is coming beside President Trump that is younger but it’s, it’s a, it’s a second powerful voice, and it’s for the children, and it’s a younger person.

And this younger person is going to be helping to raise up these child prodigies and these geniuses and giving them opportunities. I don’t know if this is Barron. I don’t know if this is Elon Musk. I don’t know, I’m not sure who it is. I just saw the main trumpet, President Trump, and then the second smaller trumpet. And He’s giving that person that voice. This is the Lord, and it’s going to be a, a younger person that is going to be speaking up for the children and raising up the children into places of authority because these children will be absolutely brilliant, and the demons are screaming. Too bad, they’re getting run over by the freight train, the glory train because the Lord says it’s written, it’s done. 

Now, when we get a prophetic word like this, we pray on it. And the Lord is giving us two scriptures, and I’m going to read from, we’re going to read, uh, right now Isaiah 41 [sic – meant 61]. And the Lord reminded me that He had me take Isaiah 41[sic – meant 61] and turn it into a prayer, into a decree over the children. And I’m going to read from that, and then we’re going to go … Okay, wait a minute. He’s saying He wants Isaiah 49 first and then Isaiah 61. Okay, Lord, I will do this. [Sigh] I mean, the anointing of the Holy Spirit is very heavy on me right now. I’m doing everything I can to be obedient with this word. Okay, Is, Isaiah, Isaiah, uh, 49. He wants us to pray on that scripture. I’m going to go to the King James version. 

Heavenly Father, Father God, we thank You for Your Word in Isaiah 49. We thank You, Lord, for this prophetic word this morning. We thank You, oh, Father, You are so faithful, and we believe Your word in Isaiah 49 when You say this is what You are doing for us right now and this is what You’re doing for the children. 

1 Listen, O isles, unto me, and hearken, ye people, from far; the Lord hath called me from the womb from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. 2 And He hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand hath He his me and made me a polished shaft; in His quiver hath He hid me; 3 And said unto me, Thou art My servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified. 

And when He says, “O Israel,” He’s talking about His people – Jews and Christians.

4 Then I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain; yet surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God. 

And those of you who have labored and come before the Lord deep into the night in prayer, but hear the Word of the Lord. This is what He’s saying.

5 And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him (right, his people), though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength. 

He’s talking about His people – Jews and Christians. 

6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel. I will also give thee for a light unto the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the ends of the earth. 7 Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, kings shall see and arise, princess shall also worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee. 8 Thus saith the Lord, in an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation I have helped thee, and I will preserve thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages; 9 that thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth, to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places. 10 They shall not hunger or thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them; for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them. 11 And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted. 12 Behold, these shall come from far; and, lo, these from the north and the west; and these from the land of Sinam. 13 Sing, O heavens, and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains; for the Lord has comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted. 14 But Zion said, the Lord hath forsaken me, and my God hath forgotten me. 

Moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas, intercessors, I know you have felt that way, but the Lord is saying He hasn’t forgotten us. He hasn’t forgotten our prayers and our prayers for the children.

15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. 16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

You know, another vision He gave me this morning, He said it’s our songs and the songs of worship that have destroyed and brought down the walls of bureaucracy and the walls of the demonic fortresses. And it’s His families and His children that are building up His fortresses, His buildings.

17 They children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made the waste shall go forth of thee. 

So those that have come against the children, those that have come against us that have tried to destroy us and destroy our children. They are going to flee from us and flee from our children.

18 Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith the Lord, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride doeth. 

Now the Lord showed me the lifting up of the children, carrying the children, and He showed me the children shall be carried as if on gold pillows, gold pillows. He’s made like these gold pillows for the children, and it’s like these children are being lifted up on gold pillows, and, uh, He’s saying the fathers and the mothers are carrying the children, and the children are like, uh, when the children on our shoulders, they’ll be like a crown. When the children are in our arms, they’ll be like an ornament, and the children are once again bound back to their families and to their mothers and their fathers and to their grandparents, and no one can snatch them away from us ever again. It’s like Jesus says that He has put us in the hand of the Father, like a pearl, and nothing can snatch us out of the hand of the Father, and Jesus is doing it again. And He’s turning the hearts of the sons back to the fathers and the hearts of the fathers back to the sons. And we’re seeing it happen with the children everywhere. Children are being carried by the parents, and the Lord is saying this is His doing. This is the Isaiah 49 happening.

19 For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away. 

So what He’s going to do is those evil wicked ones that have been trying to snatch our children, the ones that have gone and snatched children, the ones that are brainwashing our children, their paths have been made so narrow they can never find their way back to our children. It’s over. It’s done. They will be put in the, those evil wicked ones that have come against us and our children, they will be put in the desolate places, and they will not be able to find a path back to the children. It’s over. They will never be able to find a pa, path back to our schools. They will never be able to find a path back to our churches. They will never be able to find a path back to us in our homes.

20 The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, the place is too straight for me, give place to me that I may dwell. 

So, in other words, if you’ve lost children, if the children, if children that have been lost, the Lord is saying, “I’m making your path straight again. I’m giving you beautiful places to dwell in. “ And you will have more children, and you will have more grandchildren. And if you’re an intercessor or an aunt or an uncle, you are going to be blessed with  your nieces and your nephews. You’re going to be blessed with the children that you’ve prayed for. You will receive blessing.

21 Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, an removing to and fro? And who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been?

I know what it was like praying for a prodigal, and you may have felt like things were lost. You don’t understand why you have prayed for your children for so many years. Your children were raised up in a godly home, and you’re blaming yourself like, “What did I do wrong? Why did my children go astray or go prodigal?” But the Lord is saying, “Do not lament anymore. Do not weep over your children, and do not weep over your adult children, for I, the Lord, am bringing your children back to you,” um hum, “and your grandchildren.” Come on.

22 Thus saith the Lord, behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people.

So the words, the Lord is going to go into those areas, those places where your children and your grandchildren were influenced by the enemy, by worldly ways, and He’s bringing your children out of the eme, enemy influence. He’s bringing your children out of those worldly influences, and He’s putting up a standard, a wall against those worldly influences. He’s putting up a wall against those demonic influences. He’s taking up your children, pulling them up out of those demonic worldly influences, and He’s bringing them back to you, and we will have our children and our grandchildren in our arms. They will be carried upon our shoulders, and they will be blessed. 

And they will be speaking the wisdom of the Lord. They will have the wisdom of the Lord and the blessing of the Lord upon them, and all that demonic influence, all that worldly influence will be completely, it’ll be like God took a wall and removed it away from your children. And they will not be able to go back to those worldly, demonic influences, ever. God will block it from your children and from your children’s children now and forevermore. And we are being rich in experiences with our children and with the Lord and with our grandchildren. Carrying them on our shoulders. Lifting them up. Lifting them up in hugs. It’s going to be so blessed with your children and grandchildren and the Lord and even the little ones and the adult children. Come on. 

22 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers, and they shall bow down to thee with their face towards the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet, and thou shall know that I am the Lord, for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

In other words, those, those leaders, right, those leaders that are called up to government, God will make it their first priority to make sure that they do what the parents say, and they will have to nurture your children and bless your children the way you want it to be done from the Lord. 

In other words, we go to school board meetings, they’ll have to do what the parents say. They’ll literally be our, they’ll, they’ll have to nurture what we do. We will say, “You’re going to do this, this, and this for the children. Bible will be back in school. Prayer will be back in school. Art and music programs back in school,” and they will have to do it. They’ll have to do it. 

22b …and lick the dust of your feet, and they will know that I am the Lord, for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

In other words, we will no longer have shame. We will no longer be shamed by these woke people. They will have to do what we say, led by the righteousness of God. They will have no choice, and if they don’t like it, they got to leave, and they won’t be able to find their way back. We pray for the fear of the Lord to come upon them and to turn from their wicked ways and fall to their knees in repentance because that’s also happening with all of this. 

24 Shall the prey be taken from the captive or the lawful captive delivered?

What does that mean? There has been demonic strongholds that have been coming against our children, the mighty, demonic strongholds, right? In the spirit realm, Jesus called them the strongman, and the strongman has all these demons. And a lot of times when kids go prodigal, there’s that stronghold that’s on them, right? Guess what? The strongman is defeated. God is saying it’s over for our children that have been in captivity, whether they’ve been prodigal or even those children that are actually being brought out of actual captivity, coming out of trafficking, and the children that are being held captive by a woke agenda, you know, I call it a demonic agenda, the Lord is saying right here….shall the prey be taken from the mighty or the lawful captive delivered? God is saying, “I’m getting your children out, and it, it might look like those evil wicked people have had power and those demons have had power, it’s nothing for God, nothing, easy. He’s bringing our children up out of captivity, whether they be prodigal – and even our adult children – and even children that are coming out of actual captivity, children that are actually coming out of trafficking. They’re all being brought out, and the demons are going to scream about their laws, but it’s over!! God’s law rules and reigns, and He’s saving our children. But sa …

25 But thus saith the Lord, even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered, for I, the Lord, will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.

It’s happening.

26 And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh, and they shall be drunken with their own blood as with sweet wine. And all the flesh shall know that I, the Lord, am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob. 

Watch and see what happens to these demonic people, led by the demonic. They’re going to be screeching and screaming, but, guess what? It’s only going to be against themselves. They will begin to devour each other. The wicked will begin to devour the wicked until there is none. They will fall down like they are drunk. They will not even be able to speak. It’ll be nothing but gibberish coming out of their mouths. 

It’s over for these wicked people who have come against our children and have tried to make slaves of God’s people. You’re going to see these wicked politicians and these wicked leaders, and, yes, it’ll even be people in the Church, they’ll be falling down. They’ll be like gibberish, like they won’t even be able to speak, um hmm. They’ll begin to devour each other, um hmm, because it’s over for them. 

And they’re going to know who God is because the fear of the Lord is not just coming on America. It’s coming across the world right now, and I pray that everyone comes to their knees in repentance, no matter who it is, and turns from their wicked ways and says, “Lord, I will obey you. I’m sorry for my sins.” And they will come forth and they will reveal the evil wickedness that they have done, and they will reveal where these children are. And they will expose their devices. 

And God is bringing justice. He’s bringing justice for the mothers and the fathers and the grandfathers and the grandmothers. He’s bringing justice for the generations of those who have prayed for the children. He’s bringing justice for the intercessors, and He’s bringing justice for us because the Spirit of the Lord God is coming upon the earth right now. Jesus is saying it’s done, and He is anointing us and anointing the children to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And this will be children right out of the womb proclaiming the time of the Lord’s favor. They will say it is like a renaissance, but what it really is is revival. 

And I’m going to read Isaiah 61. And this is the timing we’re in, my friends. And I’m going to be obedient to release this word, no matter how long it takes. And, everybody, just pray this along with me:

1 And the spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath appointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek. He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all that mourn; 3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. 4 And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, and the desolations of many generations. 5 And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers. 6 But ye shall be named priests of the Lord; men shall call you the ministers of our God; ye shall eat the riches of the gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.

7 For your shame, you shall have THE DOUBLE, and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore, in their land, they shall possess THE DOUBLE! Everlasting joy shall be unto them. 8 For I, the Lord, love judgment. I hate robbery for burnt offering, and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. 9 And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles and their offspring among the people. All that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed. 10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord. My soul shall be joyful in my God, for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation. He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness. As a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with jewels, 11 For as the earth bringeth forth her bud and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. 

My friends, I had to bring that word in obedience this morning. Um, wow. So pray on this word. Keep believing on this word. Keep speaking on this word. Decree Isaiah 49 and Is, Isaiah 61 over the children, over your household, over your children and your children’s children. And today, being the 14th, that’s very, very prophetic. Fourteen means generational promises of God fulfilled. There is 14 generations between King David and King Jesus, and the more I think about it, think about 14 generations in your family. Who prayed? Who sowed seeds into the generations to come? Your grandparents, your great grandparents and those before them. 

The Lord is saying those seeds are coming to a goodly harvest for you and your family – generational promises and blessings coming upon you and your children like you’ve never seen before. This is the timing. The enemy did everything he could to hold it back, but he can’t. It’s going to come bursting forth like rivers of living water, like, like Niagra Falls. Nothing will be able to hold it back. This is God! Don’t look to man at all. This is God doing this, and God is saying, “I remember. It has come as a remembrance before me.” All the prayers and the offerings of your ancestors and you, that is going to pour out now upon you and your children.

I am just in awe of God right now. I am in awe of God. Thank You, Father. You have not forgotten us. You are so faithful. We are in expectation of Your glory in our lives and the lives of our children and our children’s children. 

So I want to thank my team and all of you for praying along with me. My team is going to put that word together in its own video along with the scriptures, and I’m going to ask my, uh, my scribe, Gynti Goose Gynpin, to transcribe the word and get it on my site. This is a treasure from Father right from His heart. What incredible times we are living in, my friends, incredible times. 

And, you know, I’m one of those people, and I know many of you, one of those moms, and I know there’s dads and there’s grandparents and intercessors that have gotten up in the night watch on their knees, on their faces, praying, contending at the feet of God for your children, your grandchildren, your adult children, for your families, for the children in the schools, for the children that have been put into trafficking – so many of you. And God is saying today He’s fulfilling out prayers, and it’s going to be greater than we ever asked or thought of. Oh, wow! My heart. 

And we finished that word at 12:12:16. Twelve is the perfect government of God manifested in the earth. The twelve tribes of Israel government with the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ government coming together as one with Jesus Christ at the head. And, um, number 16 means the reckless love of God for us. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He sent His only Son ….” Come on. And I’m just in awe of God right now. I mean, the anointing is still on my very, very strong. I’m catching my breath here, and, um, I obediently released the word, and I pray you all received it and touch and agree and pray, um, on this and have great hope.

My friends, I had to bring that word in obedience this morning, um, wow, so pray on this word. Keep believing on this word. Keep speaking on this word. 

The Tomato (marriage) Story – True Love Is Who Gets To Pick the First Garden Tomato…

The Tomato (marriage) Story – True Love Is Who Gets To Pick the First Garden Tomato…

The Tomato (marriage) Story – True Love Is Who Gets To Pick the First Garden Tomato…

My husband Michael loves a good fresh home grown tomato sandwich. It brings him back to the days of his childhood. Those balmy summer days in the early 1960’s in the back country of southern Virginia, helping his Granny and Papaw at the old Murphy’s Store at Creeds Corners. In the summers while helping his grandparents at the old store, Little Mikey would run out to the garden between the store and his granny’s house to pick a fresh ripe garden tomato, walking through the garden with just a salt shaker. His bare feet running through the warm freshly raked up soil, shading his eyes with one hand, scanning for red popping through green leaves. Then reaching in to pick a ripe tomato right off the vine. He could barely wait to bite into its warm juicy goodness. Once and a while he would find an over-ripe ‘mater’ (that’s southern for tomato) that fell to the ground and starting to rot – and he would pick those up and throw them in the barn paddock out back because Granny could not sell those. The goats and Billy Boy the pony would eat them right up. He would bring a few other ripe for slicing tomatoes into the store and Granny would make him a sandwich with fresh bologna cut from the store’s little meat counter. He would pair that with a cold coca cola in the glass bottle with a pack of salted peanuts poured in. These were some of the best memories a boy could ever have!

Murphy’s Store at Creeds Virginia – Michael’s Granny and Papaw, Helen and Floyd Murphy ran the store for 50 years.

When we were first dating in the 1990’s, Michael took me out to Creeds to meet his Granny and Papaw. They had retired from the running the old country store and Granny was still making him fresh garden tomato sandwiches. She made me one too. I loved those times of visiting them there at their house in Creeds, Virginia, (which is now our home today). To say that these first fresh home grown tomatoes on a sandwich are Mikey’s favorite in the whole wide world is an understatement. Mikey LOVES home grown ‘maters, especially that FIRST ONE of the season.

 

Michael and I on our wedding day, we were married on April 22, 2000 in Iron Station, NC

 

When Michael and I were married in the year 2000, we lived in North Carolina, in a small town north of Charlotte called Iron Station. We had a little rental house on a three acre lot. Now all grown up Big Mikey wanted to plant his very own first garden and grow fresh tomatoes like his Granny. The soil in North Carolina is a hard red clay, but Big Mikey was strong and determined to get tomato plants to grow. That spring Michael worked and worked a plot of red clay for days. He was like an Ox to the plow – breaking up the hard soil, digging, hoeing, raking, adding lime and fertilizer until he felt it was ready to plant. Then he carefully picked out his tomato plants and a few cucumber and peppers, and also some squash and zucchini plants for me at a local home improvement store. As newlyweds we proceeded to plant this beautifully prepared garden in hopeful expectation of our first harvest.

At that time early in our marriage, Michael was working in his own plumbing business and I was working at home doing some marketing consulting for NASCAR and helping Michael with his business office work. We were also trying to have our first baby. I had gotten off the road of traveling the NASCAR circuit to stay home and work by phone and email and in those days ‘Faximile’ ….. while Michael was building his plumbing business. I would be in the house busy with my work when Michael would pull in the driveway every evening. I would hear our two Chesapeake Bay Retriever dogs bark when he came home and sometimes he would throw the ball around for them for a while, so I did not realize he was actually walking over to the garden to deeply inspect it before he came in the house. What he was inspecting each and every day when he came home from work, was a teeny tiny first tomato that was beginning to grow on one of his plants.

Now as newlyweds everything is so peachy you know, huggy-kissy lovey-dovey when your husband comes home from work and you want to be a good wife. I was not much of a cook back then but I did the best I could. We were trying to pay the bills and a part of me was distracted as we both were working hard to keep money coming in – because my job was at home my phone was always ringing and many times I would make a meal at lunch time and have some ready to have for Big Mikey when he came in hungry that evening. This was our early marriage life. We were starting out life together and we thought we could finish each other’s sentences, read each other’s minds or we assumed so! Michael never mentioned to me about the tomato growing in the garden that he was so intently watching. I never even thought to ask about it.

As the summer weeks went by, every evening as soon as he pulled in the driveway Michael would get out of his pickup truck and immediately repeat his inspection of the garden, and every day that tomato would get a little bigger. He was intently waiting for it to come to full fruition, how long before it would be ready to pick, he wanted to make sure it was picked at the perfect time – and he was expectant to be the one to do it. Big Mikey could not wait for that moment, that he could come home from work and that would be the day he could pick his very first home-grown tomato, that he grew himself, and proudly bring it in the house and make his very first sandwich with it. That night the tomato was now big and turning red, looking perfect, almost ready to pick. It would just be a matter of days Mikey thought to himself and he could do the honors of picking, slicing and eating his first tomato. Oh the excitement, oh the expectation!

Again, lil ‘ol wifey (me) in the house was still completely oblivious to my beloved husband’s intentions for this very special first tomato…

That next afternoon while Michael was at work, I was busy at home with my own work and very hungry at lunchtime. I glanced out the window and wondered if there was anything in the garden I could pick for a quick lunch. I walked out back and looked around. Zucchinis were still too small, squash was small too and the peppers and cucumbers were still in the flowering stage. I walked around the garden and something caught my eye, one red, ripe tomato.

“Yes!” I said to myself. “This is perfect. I can have a tomato sandwich and save the rest for Big Mikey when he gets home.”

First Ripe Tomato
First Ripe Tomato

I quickly plucked the tomato, yes THE TOMATO, the one Mikey was intently checking and waiting on each and every day. It was nice, ripe and warm in my hand and I trotted happily back into the house with my two chessie dogs in tow. It was a very hot day and they needed to come in and get cool. However, the day was about to get hotter, and I don’t mean degrees, LOL.

I happily brought the tomato into my kitchen, washed it up and put it on a plate to slice it. I sliced half and made myself a sandwich and set the other half aside for Michael to have when he got home.

I thought to myself: “Michael will be so excited to see there is a tomato ready for him to eat from our garden and make a sandwich with tonight.”

I ate my sandwich and went back to work. As the sun began to set, I knew Mikey would be home soon and I let our chessie dogs, Ginny and Herschel back outside to wait for their dad to come home.

I went back to my work of faxes and calls in my little home office and heard the dogs barking – announcing Michael was home from work and in the driveway. “Still some daylight,” I thought. “He will throw the ball for the dogs for a bit before he came in for a sandwich.”

Well, that was not the case. Mikey did exactly like he had been doing for the last two months when he came home from work. Jumping out of his pickup truck and immediately walking over to the garden to inspect his harvest, particularly his tomato.

He began to walk closer to the garden, he did not see the red peeking through the green to greet him as he had the last two days before. Something was not right. He walked closer, went directly to the plant were the ripening tomato had been. There were other green tomatoes, but his first red and ripening tomato, the one he had been watching every single day…. IT WAS GONE.

Michael stopped in his tracks, looked all around the garden, then around the property. “Could a racoon or somethin’ come sneakin’ in here and stole his tomato?” He pondered.

He stopped and knelt down to look under the plants, maybe it had fell off and rolled. Nope.

Now, what could have happened to his precious first tomato?

He marched into the house, I was working in my office and jumped up to greet him with a hug and a kiss. No hug, no kiss…. I looked at his face – it was red and he was looking at me with his furrowed brow.

“What’s wrong Honey?” I asked.

“What happened to my tomato?” He announced shortly.

I looked at him blankly. “Your tomato?”

“Yes! My tomato! Did you pick my tomato? Did you?” His 6’5″ frame glared over my 5’3″ as I looked up at him wide eyed. I had a feeling I was in a pickle here.

“Ummm, well I did go out to the garden today at lunch to see if anything had ripened and I found a ripe tomato so I picked it and sliced it up for us, I made a sandwich and there is half of the tomato all sliced up and ready for you.” I explained sweetly.

Flashes of the “I Love Lucy” show came into my mind of how Lucy felt when her husband Ricky Riccardo would come home and she had some “splainin’ to do!

Big Mikey did not find this humorous or nostaligic and Ethel was not going to come in the door and help me in taking part of the blame here. I looked at our two Chessie dogs wagging their tails waiting for dad to pet them and they were not much help in this situation, Big Mikey was looking at me for what seemed like an hour just glaring, ignoring the dogs vyying for his attention. (Remind me next time I get two dogs to name them Fred and Ethel, or maybe Betty and Barney, or maybe Perry Mason and Della Reese I might have needed a good lawyer here. Ha.)

Then he threw up his hands. “You ruined it!”

I ruined it? I could not understand all the fuss over a tomato.

“Yep!” He exclaimed. “You ruined the whole thing. I don’t want no dang sliced up tomato!”

I was perplexed. I could not say a word. I just stood there. I had never seen my husband so upset.

He paced the room in front of the door, I wanted to go into the kitchen and take the plate of the sliced tomato and try to state my case that my intentions were good for him, but he was not having it.

“You don’t understand….” He had a sadness in his voice. “I waited all these years to plant my first garden. I wanted to have that first tomato because it reminded me of when I was a kid, happy times in my granny’s garden. I worked so hard and wanted to make that first tomato special. I was so proud of growing that tomato. I wanted to make that very moment of picking my first home grown tomato, and taking it into the house myself and making that first slice and sandwich – now it’s all ruined.”

My lip started to tremble and tears welled up in my eyes. My heart sank. I felt horrible. How could I have not known this? My big sweet Hubby with his big sweet heart! This was not about the tomato. This was about ‘who’ he was as a person. It was his nostalgia. Memories of his childhood were connected to that one tomato. It was more than a tomato, it was a legacy he was trying to continue and wanted that moment of victory. He looked at it as his ‘Victory Garden” and that first tomato was the prize!

“Oh Honey, I am so sorry! Please forgive me!” I reached out to hug him.

He leaned up against the door jam, shaking his head at the ceiling and with a groan, he hugged me back, I could smell the sweat and dirt on him from working at his plumbing on the construction sites all day. I loved that smell of my hard working man. He deserved to be blessed by his first tomato. I realized in that moment, I needed to be a better wife, and more than that a better friend. I needed to really ‘get to know’ the true heart of my husband. “I forgive ya.” He said with a slight huff. “But don’t ever do that again, ask me about these things, first allright?” “Allright.” I replied, and hugged him tighter.

Maybe I could have got angry back at him, maybe I could have got defensive and said to him; “Well you should have told me how you felt about the garden and the tomato when you planted it! You should have communicated better! I did not know, don’t get mad at me for picking the tomato when you should have explained all this to me before.”

But I did not say all that in that moment.

Shoulda coulda woulda….. God was teaching us something about marriage.

I would realize later it was one of the most important lessons we ever had.

Who is your husband? Who is your wife? What shaped them into who they are today. What is precious to them? Do you understand why certain things are important to them. These were questions I had to research and get understanding about the man I married. I did not realize how important this was until this very moment.

Marriage is not about working jobs, saving money and making sure food is on the table and hoping you will have a good retirement some day then you can talk and rest on the front porch or in a condo in Florida.

Marriage is a Victory Garden to be lovingly tended to daily. Jesus said that God looks at Marriage as His Masterpiece. God wanted to walk in the Garden with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day and talk with them. It was their set aside time that God, Adam and Eve and God looked forward to every day. We enter God’s rest in His presence. We should be at rest in our marriage, because it’s our happy place to be in each other’s presence, fellowshipping.

The first garden for Michael and I should have been our treasure together. We should have been going out to that garden together every day in expectation of the first tomato together. Not just Michael. This works both ways in a marriage, as Michael did the same for me with the things that were important to me.

I realized then that was a lesson also preparing us to be good parents to our child that we had been praying for our first year of marriage. We had to treasure our child together, dote on her together, share in the care, share in the expectation of growth and victories in her life. Both of us.

Marriage is loving each other’s legacy and making it your own. It’s not what is mine and what is his – it’s what is ours. Then your hope is to love the other person’s heart so much you never want to hurt it. That means getting your head out of your own stuff and taking the time to ‘walk in the garden’ with the ones you love. God made it that way. That’s how true relationships flourish, that’s how abundant harvests come for marriages and families. Great blessings come from great relationships.

Recently I was telling the “Tomato Story” at a family dinner with Me, Big Mikey and our now 18 year old daughter and her sweet boyfriend, Cory. We were all laughing at the story, even Big Mikey. I was glad we could laugh at it, now!

I was glad I had this lesson to teach our own daughter, for her own marriage. This is wisdom that must be passed on to the next generation.

Fixin a 'mater sandwich
Mike fixing his sandwich with the first tomato from his garden.

Now 20+ years into marriage, Big Mikey planted another garden. He planted tomatoes of course. Together we walk out to the garden and check the plants. We both get excited to watch the first tomato turn red. I cheer on Mikey and his tomato!

Out of tradition now, Michael picks the first tomato, brings it into the house, and I take a picture of him proudly slicing his first tomato. Our love is stronger than ever, but only strengthened by these important lessons along the way!

Big Mikey (my hubby) now living in Creeds, Virginia (we inherited Granny and Papaw’s house in 2008) Happily slicing his first home grown garden tomato. “Fixin’ to make that first tomato sandwich!” July 2020.

This story shared with love to all of you! I hope it blessed you! Here is a picture of Big Mikey, slicing his first garden tomato of the year 2020 – here in his granny’s old kitchen, now our kitchen. God is GOOD and so was this tomato – Mikey had him a big ‘ol tomato sandwich with Miracle whip of course – them I got the other half of the tomato with Dukes Mayo on mine (well you have to have some things that make you different from each other – that’s what brings the fun!)

Love you all and remember to LIVE LIFE LARGE,

– Annamarie Strawhand, Big Mikey’s Best Friend and Tomato Watcher (not picker) Watcher. Hee hee.

“Get yer paws off that first ‘mater!” – Michael Strawhand