Have you ever felt like your life was dealt a death blow? Have you ever felt like you’re down for the count, so to speak, and everything in you screams to just give up, just give in to the pressure on you to stay down— make it stop! Have you faced situations that made you […]
What If I Just Can’t Thank Him For The Trials?
I don’t believe Scripture teaches us to blame the bad things on God in order to then thank Him to *glorify* Him.
The Changing Status Of The Love Language
Learning to speak and interpret a love language takes time, effort and understanding.
Communication— Let’s Talk About It
God’s Will is the goal— live as peacefully as possible with others.
What’s My Purpose?
Purpose is an interesting word. Intentional. Intention. Intentionally doing something, on purpose, has consequences. Often, lasting consequences. I write on my blog, on purpose, with purpose. What is my intention, intentionally? Well, for starters, it helps me organize my thoughts. I have found, if I just leave them all jumbled up, they tend to drag […]
Be Anxious For Nothing— But How??
I feel stressed. While this isn’t a new thing, the intensity of this feeling is more than usual. So, while I know the Bible instructs me to “Be anxious for nothing…” I am struggling right now with that very issue. Circumstances far beyond my control. Worry over family and friends. Plowing a new course for […]
My Testimony
I’m stepping out of my comfort zone to share my story of what God has done, and is still accomplishing in me. I’ll be honest— I’m recognizing a deep, breath-constricting anxiety as I set out to share this here. I have family that won’t want me to talk about it, some who still don’t even […]
Change— What’s In My “Pocket” Of Life
If you could see my spirit, it might very well look a lot like this. I think mostly scars now, not so many cracks. So many scars are evidence of where God has healed me throughout my lifetime. Wounds that used to fester have been healed by His Word, His kept promises, His love. My […]
How God Changed Paul
Convinced. Paul— then called Saul— was convinced. He was right. He was righteous. I can’t help but notice the word “con” in “convinced”. It took God setting then Saul aside, taking him away from his circle of influence, blinding him, opening his true sight— and then He reopened his physical eyes. Paul was conned by […]
The Difference
There was a time when fear ruled my heart. Long ago, I worried about the reactions and opinions of the people in my world. If I stumbled, they were right there to let me know, to make it clear their disapproval and disappointment were always in front of my sight, as motivation to be more […]
Grace and Forgiveness— My Expectations of ALL Christians
The two defining trademarks of Christianity are Grace and Forgiveness.
Believers Meetings
What is the purpose of “church”? I’ve heard church described as a group of sinners. Saved by grace, yes, but emphasis on sinners. If we are people who claim to follow after Jesus, shouldn’t we instead refer to ourselves as repentant sinners saved by grace? Repentant. Having turned away from the sin that has affected […]
Simple Gospel VS Layered Expectations
God made Salvation as easy as possible for us. Mankind adds twists, turns and an abundance of complicated expectations. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one, and only, Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NIV Then mankind adds their own “twist”— you’re […]
God’s Will?? I Think Not!
Apparently there is this school of thought, some believe supported by Scripture, that being the unfortunate victim of abuse is “God’s Will”. Obviously they don’t understand how wrong of a conclusion they have come to. Nor do they get the depth abuse reaches into the spirit, the soul and the foundation of someone deeply traumatized […]
You Saw Me First
If I could describe my life as a mash-up with how God has always been there, it would go something like the following: Accidents, mishaps and hospital ER trips— Your protective Hand was covering me, keeping me safe from far worse. Deepest loneliness, hurts and deep-seated rejections— You’ve always accepted me, held me close to […]
He’s With Me Through It All
Imagine this is a picture of God’s hand— catching all of our tears (Psalm 56:8), Holding our hand (Isaiah 41:13), pouring His grace, His mercy out over us (1 Timothy 1:12-17)— within our reach, in His grasp (Acts 17:27). Imagine His hand designing every part of us, every cell’s information center, every detail from the […]
I Remember Who I Was
My life was the messiest of messes. I was being crushed against my rock-bottom. He saw me. He reached into my soul, He called my name. My name. He knew my name.
Paul Versus Hollywood
I enjoy watching classics. In many ways, tv, movies— Hollywood really— played a role in “raising” me. I learned more from seeing actors pretend in relationships than I did from my own day-to-day experiences. I assumed I was watching how people actually interacted in their own families. I’ve learned since that I wasn’t. The reason […]
Repost— Mom 139: New Parent’s Translation
They have searched for me, my kids,
they know me well.
They know when I sit down, and when I get up to clean;
They perceive my need for time alone from afar…
Our Changing Worldview
1 Cor 13:11a “When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; When I was a child, my whole entire view was about me. My immediate surroundings, how big everything seemed, my interactions with family members, wanting to be liked and approved-of by everyone […]
Puppet Strings— Opinions Of Others
We are all His creation, made carefully, delicately, lovingly— by His hand, nurtured and protected by His hand, watered by His Spirit, cleansed by the blood of Jesus that sin can never corrupt. Ever.
Cycle of Frustration
The human ability to adapt to most situations and changes, is astounding. Even more-so is the ability to overcome— to beat, win, conquer overwhelming circumstances. There are an infinite number of human-interest stories about people who beat the odds— and often God is credited for a person’s ability to do what our minds consider to […]
In The Way
I was often told I was “in the way” by people who’s opinion mattered deeply to me, for a significant portion of my life. I had no reason to not believe them. So, I did all I could to move out of the way, whether physically or otherwise. I assumed everyone thought this about me. […]
Giving God What’s Broken
In our culture of Christianity, it’s become easy to sing our promises and confessions of faith. Do we follow through? When the service is over, do we reflect on the weighty words we’ve sung in praise, adoration and promise to our God? I can’t say, with a clear conscience, that I have. When I sing […]
Focal Point
Have you ever felt invisible? Have you ever been the sounding-board for someone who doesn’t really see you while they are talking? Has there ever been an expectation of you to be available to fit into someone else’s schedule? Have you ever just wanted to not— just for a little while— be available when it’s […]
Fear and Trembling
Imagine yourself, standing (if you can) before God— just you, no spouse, family, friends or pastor— and having Him confront you with these questions. How do you think you might answer— if you can?
God help us to not need to be brought to brokenness in order to receive truth and the healing Salvation He freely offers to each one of us.
Forgive Them? Why??
This is a recurring theme in my life, it seems. And not just little things— really big, hard issues. When things start to finally relax, suddenly it becomes necessary to exercise my forgiveness muscles again. I have lifted some of the heaviest issues with these muscles. I don’t see a need to flex them for […]
Back To My First Love
Lately my time, one-on-one with God has been a spontaneous thing, which becomes steered by intention. Something within me has changed. My perspective, or I guess my realization of the reliability— the consistent stability— of God with me. I never question His willingness to make sure I am taken care of. He has never wavered— […]
Inward Brokenness
“…that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.” Eph 4:22-24 NASB
Disadvantaged And Broken
The shock is wearing off now. The sting of the jolt that rocked me is beginning to fade. Numbness that covered me fully, almost like a protective layer of clothing from the elements of harsh weather, is beginning to peel away now. Ow! It’s tempting to pull back from some of the most intense, penetrating […]
Used By God?
The Voice of the Martyrs Facebook Timeline headline says– “LAOS Pray that new believers facing angry relatives will not waiver in their faith.” How many times has the Devil weaponized family and friends against believers? The Devil has come to kill, steal and destroy– by any means necessary. Jesus said, ” “They will be divided, […]
Vlogging- Venting Blog
So– I know this will be shocking, but– I have a pet peeve. Actually, I have a few. But the one I am being pounced on by right now is– well– I’ll call it flabbergasted. I am biting my proverbial tongue pretty hard right now, in all honesty. The ignorant gall of some people brings […]
The Forgiveness of God
How many times have you heard someone say, “I will never forgive them.” How many times have we all felt someone has done or said something that is beyond the scope? It’s crossed that unmentioned line we all tend to instictivlely draw in our personal belief system? I can tell you I had my own […]
Heart Strings
I love rainbows. Besides being beautiful, they fascinate me. The origin and history are intriguing. Besides the colorful streams that invoke a feeling of warmth, to me they are one of the many wonders of our world. Rainbows and I also have a history. My very first memory in our shared history is seeing one […]
Words Matter– Spoken and Unspoken
Tearing down is for strongholds, not for people. Not ever for people.
Caught In The Middle
I just caught a live sermon from Elevation Worship about transitioning. As I listened, it hit me– that’s what I’m going through! I’m in such a weird place right now. I don’t mean physically, or emotionally. Not really mentally– just in life in general. I’m not young anymore, but not old. In my heart I […]
Challenging Narratives
We look at what others do and we jump to some pretty strong conclusions about them and the condition of their soul, because of their choices that we don’t agree with.
We judge the container of their soul and think we’re in the right.
Loved Of God, Called By God
It’s evidence of God reaching out for me– to me– because I’m not in the way of His plans and purposes– I am a part of them.
Relationship Versus Wrongs
What do you focus on with your best friend? How about with your spouse or significant other? Your family? Do you concentrate on what you have in common? Do you remember how they have wronged you? Are you confident in how good things are, or are your thoughts consumed with how they just don’t measure […]
My Shoes
Nobody says, “I wonder what it would be like to walk in their shoes?” about abused children. No one daydreams about being yelled at, called names– or worse. No one envies the child with the broken spirit, no one celebrates their choice to fight to survive. One of the strongest memories of my dad was […]
Tapestry
One strand One life Interwoven With other lives Intersecting with strangers New strands Intervening Interceding To the eye it looks random Like a bunch of tangled, messy strings Being brought to order Composing a theme One step at a time One stitch purposely sewn A picture emerges The goal’s being shown As it progresses The […]
Wound’s Protector— The Scar
I’ve mentioned a few times that I have scars on my scalp from a “friendly” domesticated adolescent cougar “playing” with my head as his chew toy. I’m thinking about that today because they hurt. Kinda bad. So that got me to thinking– if my physical scars hurt so badly at times, what about those deep […]
Don’t Forsake The Assembling Of ‘Ourselves’ Together
Hebrews 10:25. How many times I’ve heard that– especially when I’ve missed a service at some churches. I’ve lost count! I’ve exhausted and frustrated myself trying to jump through those hoops that lead to acceptance. What about when the assembly forsakes it’s own members? Like me. When my health started to betray me, and I […]
Unavailable
Usually I make myself available for others to talk with, to help with their online businesses, to help their friends with their online businesses… It’s rarely convenient for me. But I value people and sincerely want to help others succeed. I’m seeing how little that is actually valued beyond the moment it happens, so I’m […]
My Open Letter To Pastors Everywhere– You Need To Get This
Dear Pastors, Over the past 20 years I have been moved from place to place, sometimes by God, sometimes for personal reasons. That is why I’m writing this. I am no one special. I have no title, no grand purpose or calling. I am like many within your flock, under your care– part of your […]
The Spiritual Damage Of Anorexia
Fasting is an important part of our growing relationship with God. When we fast unto God, we deny our flesh to set aside our physical wants and needs temporarily to focus on seeking God.
Why My Defensiveness Is A Reflex Reaction For Me With Some
Last night, I had the most wonderful time having dinner, talking, then just listening to a dear friend. I learned so much about her, things I never would have guessed! It’s even easier to see why she is such a beautiful, loving, sincerely kind woman of God. As is the usual case with me, […]
United We Stand
God has sure been stirring up a lot of things in my heart and thoughts lately. One of the recurring issues I deal with is that I am still missing out on a father figure for my life. I understand that Scripture teaches us that God is our Heavenly Father, and He has never disappointed […]
When I Say “Food”, You Say…
It’s hard to stop pre-thinking about what I am about to read, as I blog-hop. So, let’s all just take a moment to close our eyes, and clear the thoughts ready to pounce as the words here are read. I’ve been thinking about food today, and medical problems, and possible connections between them. I’ve had […]
To Know Me Is To ______ Me
1Corinthians 13:12 “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.” (NASB) I have a jumble of thoughts built up. Hopefully I can get them all out and place them in good […]
Jemtree's Heart 