Born to be Free

The written word means a lot to me.  I have a decade's worth of letters saved and rarely delete anything but junk emails.  Friends come and go sometimes, but I like to remember that they were here and cared - at least at one point.  ;) Well, there's been a lot going on, a lot that's been pressed upon me lately and risked letting depression return (which is scary in and of itself - to say nothing of the causes.) It's hard for me to admit when I need help.  I don't like to bother people - even though I might need a voice of hope desperately. The other day I remembered a note a friend had slipped me a while back when I was going through many of the same issues. I rummaged through old books and drawers and managed to find it, re-read it a bit slower this time.  One sentence in particular snagged on a split edge of my soul. "Amidst all you're going through, He's right there loving you and carrying you through - and He always will be." It was...

My pastor has been preaching through Hebrews 11 - a couple weeks ago he spoke about Abraham. It hit me when I was walking to work - how my story (and the stories of many of my friends) are so similar to his. You have Abram living in his hometown, married to Sarai.  He's fairly young, and he's got a lot of opportunities there. Then one day, God speaks to Abram, tells him He wants him to move. Where?  He wasn't about to tell him yet. "Pack your bags and hit the road!  Yes, I know you are completely unaware of what direction to head in." So Abram sets out, trusting that God will show him where to go.  This wasn't a "please show me what dreams to pursue over the next month" sort of thing.  That is a step of faith for some. But for Abram?  This was a day-by-day thing.  Forget about tomorrow. "God, please show me where you want me to go today.  I have no idea what to do about tomorrow." I'm sure many high-school seniors have...

So here I am, back from a three week sabbatical.  I have needed a reset for awhile, some time to think and sort things out, get some fresh ideas into my brain, and give voice to more ponderings. :) ~ Most days you know what you're going to get.  Life seems pretty predictable and there's a rhythm, even if the rhythm means three people in the family working, six kids being schooled and a whole lot of people needing you to help them live their lives. Then you have one of  those  days.  One of the days when you've got a friend or a relative in the hospital; when a tire goes out on an old van and you're stuck; when you've got a friend who calls and talks for hours because they feel lost; or one of the days when you're on the other side of that phone. I knew a woman once who was so glued to her schedule that if anything went wrong, her whole week was ruined.  Whatever she had planned to do that day was no longer going to get done.  Her life was prett...

So, everybody around you?  They need somebody.  Maybe you could be that somebody? No one is impenetrable, there's a bit of broken inside each one of us - and our fears can roar like lions at night when the Devil tells us that we're just not enough. No matter our fronts, really - we're all afraid, sinking with every step. Nothing quite kills you like feeling alone - like you've got to do it all on your own. But there's this God - this Jesus Who "became a man to enable men to become sons of God". (C. S. Lewis) There's this God Who became embodied flesh, Who faced temptations at every moment - and conquered ours.  "For we do not have a priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:15) He not only healed the sick, but raised the  dead .  Every time we read it, we proclaim it - that "He is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all...

I have a part-time job as a librarian.  I see just about all kinds of novels and biographies.....and the lack of many Christian books besides those written by "Christians" such as Joyce Meyer and Joel Osteen bothers me.  But I'm here to talk of good books - not those other things, so..... Here's what I've been up to. :D "Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World" by Bob Goff In this book, Goff strives to tell us - "My little children, let us not love in word or in talk, but in deed and in truth." (1 John 3:18)  We say we love one another, but thoughts and feelings are not enough.  To love one's neighbor is to make conscious effort both in mind and in spirit to show by our words and especially our actions our love for the people around us.  This is the point central to Goff's book.  A quote for you - " 'You know what it is about someone that makes them a friend?  A friend doesn't just sa...

It's so easy to run. When the dark is closing and hopeful voices quiet - what then?  Wouldn't it just be easier to turn away, walk away from the fight than to have to stay and face your fears? But dear reader, "Don't pray for the hard thing to go away, but pray for the bravery to come that is bigger than the hard thing." You've heard it - how "F.E.A.R." has two meanings. You've got a choice - Forget Everything And Run - or Face Everything And Rise. Proverbs 28:1 - "The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion." Don't you know?  "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." (Galatians 5:1) Your bravery?  It inspires countless others to fight their own battles. Maybe someday they'll tell you - how your endurance really ended up winning their battles too - "because I saw you still fighting, I knew I couldn't...

Last year I chose a word. My word was "trust" - and I was going to live by it. That five-letter-word took me on a crazy journey of learning to be open to change, open to accepting that I can't see the "why" of everything. So, this January I chose another word.  A small word.  A hard word..... Yes. And so here I am, not even mid-year - struggling to really grasp the depth of that word. Yes to whatever God asks - however hard, crazy, or out of my comfort zone it may seem. I want to live this dare.  I want to own it. But here I am - rushing, rushing, rushing........never remembering to stop and slow and just begin again. I need to start each day with a new perspective - His perspective - because mine doesn't work so well. That horrendous Friday, long, long ago? God's kingdom is an upside-down kingdom.  That day - He took it and crafted something beautiful from it. Now we call it a good Friday. Because this is our God - He makes b...