In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise
Give me Jesus Continue reading
Category Archives: Awed by His Love and Grace
Give me Jesus
He Never Promised Us A Rose Garden
I have been a prodigal. Saved at the age of 19, but without further mentoring or Bible studies, I tried to be a follower of Christ on my own.
I continued recklessly living my life, making poor choices as I had before. On a rebound from a hurtful breakup, I became pregnant at 22. The responsibility of a baby, straightened my life, but I had a ways to go.
I did not want my daughter to grow up like me, never knowing what her father looked like, so I worked at keeping a relationship with her father. Apparently, I worked too hard, I became pregnant again when she was eight months old.
We got married, but deep in my heart I knew it was a mistake. I had the naïve notion everything would work out once he saw what a good wife I could be. Immediately after our marriage, my gut feelings were confirmed. I made a horrible mistake. Continue reading
Celestial Comfort For The Broken Hearted
Though I can honestly say I rarely run out of a topics to write about, I was not sure what to write about today. I looked at my list and this story stood out.
As I have mentioned before, my life has bounced from one tragedy to another since childhood, to the point at times all I had left to hang on to has been my faith in the living God. And that, by the skin of my teeth.
What I am about to share is an odd story, perhaps some will even doubt my sanity, but as God is my witness, it is as real as I am sitting before my keyboard today.
After all, isn’t our God the God of the impossible, the unexplainable?
An Important Message
It was February of 2013, when I stepped out as a novice blogger. I was nervous to put my “stuff” out there as much of it is delicate and painful. I feared somehow it would come back to bite me in the rear. I took a risk and became a blogger and to date have never been sorry. I have “met,” laughed with, shed tears with, resonated with, and admired wonderful friends I continue to cherish. Many of them share from vulnerable places of their hearts making them even more dear to me.
This was my original post back in February. I don’t think it got much notice with it being my first. I am sharing it again today as I believe it has an important message at the end. There are countless, desperately hurting people, deeply needing and desiring help who fall under our radars. Continue reading
Is That A Megaphone I Hear?
In my post yesterday, Why, Oh Why So Much Suffering, I wrote about the pain of suffering in our imperfect world.
I don’t think I will have too many disagree with me when I say,
“Pain and suffering is the pits!”
But there are good things that come from our suffering.
We tend to be selfish and stubborn, wanting our way. We think we need no one, we can do life on our own. We are wired for relationships, especially with God. God’s desire for a relationship with us often gets put off or ignored.
In The Problem of Pain, C.S. Lewis said, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains. It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” Continue reading
Weeds In The Greenhouse
I have a hoop greenhouse. It was just set up this year so I am learning a thing or two about greenhouses. One thing I didn’t know is that if one is not careful, the warmth intended to strengthen and nourish the plants can end up overwhelming and harming them. There must be a balance between the light, the warmth and water and nourishment.
I figured having tomatoes, beets, squashes, zucchinis, bell peppers, onions and other assorted vegies in a protected environment like the greenhouse meant my plants would be protected from the elements like frost and cold. I thought I would not have to worry about pesky bugs, well not as many anyway. However, if the bees cannot get in to the greenhouse, there will be no pollination and the plants will be fruitless.
I was sure weeds would be a thing of the past. But not so! There are weeds in the garden beds, and in the walking path between the beds.
Some of the weeds were blown in as seeds by the wind. Continue reading
I Can Make A Big Mess All By Myself
Since the beginning of mankind, people have had a tendency to blame others. In Genesis 3:11-13, God confronts Adam and Eve after they eat of the forbidden fruit.
God said, “Have you eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded you that you should not eat?”
Adam said, “The woman You gave me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.”
The LORD God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?”
Eve said, “The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat…”
Adam blames Eve, indirectly blaming God, “the woman You gave me.” Eve blames the serpent. There you have it. When it comes to humanity, as Solomon said in Ecclesiastics 1:9: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.”
Providence For A Hardened Heart
It was in the mid to late 1990s that I had the worst financial struggles as a single mom raising three teenagers alone. I had no family support, and an ex who refused to pay child support. I worked multiple jobs, yet still could not fully provide for my family. One winter, the temperature dropped to the single digits. My teenage son, who normally, proudly walked around in shorts and a T-shirt in the winter, begged me for a winter jacket to replace the one he had long outgrown.
I was far behind on paying my utility bills. The credit cards I relied on to buy groceries, gas, or sometimes pay utilities were full. One evening, overwhelmed with the desperate situation, I tearfully sought out God’s help in spite of the anger I felt towards Him over our drastic situation. After several years of extreme poverty, I saw no relief in sight. I was physically exhausted, mentally spent, and spiritually tired of God’s silence. Continue reading
HIS EYE IS ON THIS SPARROW TOO Still Learning to Lean on God 