Am I the only one who puts

good and bad

labels on people?

My first dad’s mistakes cause pain leading to trauma. His bad label holds no good.  My second dad rescues my mom and brings order. His good label contains no bad.

Some actions of my second dad are not so good and my conscience can’t accept this.  My dreams try to work on this and reoccur every visit.

I attribute all bad dreams to my first dad, but God sets me straight. The first dream I am seven, hiding to protect myself.  My brave 19 year old self works in the second dream to protect my family.

My mom tells me every visit, “You were always Daddy’s little girl.”

God uses the dreams and my mom’s words to help me understand.

My first dad is fun and joyful until lies catch up to him. He chooses to follow the lies instead of The Grace and Truth of Jesus, leading to my pain.

My second dad doesn’t know The Grace and Truth until he is 89 so he lives with standards. When he meets Jesus he becomes loving.

The Answer: Deuteronomy 30:19b I set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you my live.

This choosing Life is often a minute by minute decision.

About 24 hours ago the house needed a good cleaning for an appraisal.

It has been a while since I have cleaned much of it. Things keep happening.

Looking at the basement stairs, muddy footprints remind of the water pouring in our basement.

Under the stairs, feathers and toys gather dust reminding me of our daughter’s cats who have moved out.

Upstairs, the warmth of summer compels our dogs to shed. Their hair combines with dirt tracked in from my shoes when I garden.

I add to the mess with piles. A learned action from having scoliosis.

We have too much stuff, and no place to put it: feeling stuck.

God gave me the ability to tackle the mess.

I was awake and busy for a whole 23 hours. The last 8 hours was spent cleaning, putting things away, boxing stuff, sweeping, moping, and vacuuming. Fitbit tracked 8000 steps from midnight to noon.

This all goes against what my doctor says, “You are NOT SUPPOSE TO help your daughter move or work in your garden! YOU HAVE SCOLIOSIS!”

GOD SAYS DIFFERENT!

God is Good! Smile!

Today our daughter brought my husband and I out for an early birthday dinner.

We pick up our daughter, check out the improvements to her house, pet the cats, and leave.

We arrive, order, and are having a wonderful time when a couple walks into the restaurant and sits down.

There is something familiar about her face.

I’m trying not to stare. Do we know each other? Finally recognition!

I get up to get a hug. It has been many years and much life has happened.

What is the chance that we happen to be at the same restaurant at the same time sitting so we can see each other?

In case you notice in the picture, they received food while I got my hug. I sat down to and empty plate. My order was forgotten. It’s my birthday!

So what are the chances that we meet? Only God could time it so perfectly!

God Is So Very Good!

I have become the person that walks in LOVE, by spending time in The Word of God Daily.

Lifting people up, and seeing the ones who feel unseen is the passion for my life.

Talking  to God every day is my favorite pastime. He is my friend in the lonely times, my protector in the dangerous times, my provider when I don’t know where the money for tomorrow is coming from, my companion, and my guide all day every day!

John 15:7-8 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you. By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.

The archaic definition for abide is Live and Dwell.

The more I abide in the Word of God, it washes my soul. Abiding for me takes reading it out loud so I hear it also!

Meditating on a passage day and night erase the negative thought patterns and chase out  darkness filling the recesses of my mind. Seldom is the darkness able to enter my thoughts.

The more I meditate on the Word the more Joy bubbles up from the inside: It is Life.

Don’t allow depression and darkness to rule.

Choose Life and Live in Love! Amen!

Knowing we are sons and daughters of the Father, will transform our lives completely!

Twenty years ago we move to Kentucky and start a new church. They ask me to lead the children’s music.

For our first Easter Service we have wonderful music that includes the adult choir and the congregation. I am leading the children, the adult choir sings, and I raise my hands asking the congregation to stand and sing.

The side my family is sitting, stands! My side sits and frowns! I try again, they grudgingly rise and sing.

It was the most confusing thing I have ever encountered in church.

 Later I get a phone call from church, “We need you to come down and talk.”

“I really don’t want to.”

“If you don’t come then you can no longer teach Sunday school.”

My world crashes!

Twenty years earlier, I am 21 attending a church with a college youth group. My accident occurs during a trip with this youth group.

After church with people surrounding us, the pastor asks, “Are you having sex with your fiance?”

“Yes.”

“Then I cannot conduct your wedding.”

“Why not?”

“If you have sex before marriage then you will have sex with the mailman or the milkman or anyone else in your life.”

Humiliation fills me, I ride my bike back across town as fast as I can, so alone.

Over time I grow in knowledge of “Whose I am!”

When I am asked to meet because of a problem. I am able to go with no fear.

Walking in the Righteousness of  Jesus makes me the daughter of the Father! He fills me with SELF WORTH.

A leader of a group calls to have me come to meet. I am able to go with NO FEAR!

Again, I am being told, I am not allowed to continue!

I am not destroyed.

      Something has happened to me!

            I AM DIFFERENT!

                   JOY FILLS ME!

                          God IS So Very Good!

“The Sound of Freedom”

Have you seen the adds for it?

It is opening on July 4, 2023, and they are wanting people to pre-order tickets to open up more screens.

It was over five years ago when I first heard about it and it caught my heart back then.

Why do I care so much? It is just a movie, right?

The difference is the truth about it. So many kids are trafficked for sex, slavery or harvesting their organs. IT will soon be the biggest evil enterprise unless we work together to change it!

I connect to it because of my life. The seven year old girl in me cries out for someone to rescue her. Never let this happen to anyone else, ever again.

IT IS NOT a victimless crime. Children are people. Society suffers when this stuff goes on. When these children survive they are very broken people who need help.

The Good thing is God is Excellent at healing broken people.

God Shines His Light In the Dark and the dark has to flee!

Help us shine a light and change the world. Google it and get tickets.

God Is Very Good!