Love and encouragement from an imperfect mom and her fun teen daughters. We welcome you to live life with us.
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Some people want to be imposters. While some of us sincerely love Jesus but have sins that cause us to feel like we are “bad” and thus imposters, others genuinely want to deceive others but act like they are “good” people. Since I already spoke about myself and others who feel like bad people who … Read more Those wanting to be Imposters
In last week’s post, “Not Forsaking the Fellowship,” I mentioned feeling like an imposter who did good things but felt like a bad person. This is a ploy of Satan to separate people from one another. When a person feels like a bad person, even if she is godly, she will hide her vulnerable side … Read more Like an Imposter
How heart breaking to witness someone’s suicide attempt. I was that witness, as a child, and it happened in close succession of three other attempts by children I knew. One was a close relative, another a close friend, and the third a sweet classmate. Two children survived, but one died from the suicide. All three … Read more When a Child attempts Suicide…… a child witness’s story
Long ago, I pretended to understand people who reassuringly said, “Keep your eyes on God (or on Jesus or on The Father).” But when I struggled with problems, I had no idea how I could keep my eyes on Jesus. Yes, I knew he was required to love me (I did not even understand that … Read more When Christian Phrases Seem Meaningless
Sometimes we perceive people are complaining, and we want to solve their problems or scold them. What if they actually want us to hear their pain and offer them glimpses of comfort? We need to discern whether people are mindlessly grumbling or if they are truly hurting. Even when we cannot solve their problems, if … Read more Hear Their Pain
I have yearned to pray boldly and then go witness boldly like Elijah in Scripture. But sometimes I hit resistance to this goal. During times of joy and peace, I felt powerful in the spirit and prayed for the ability to share the Gospel fearlessly, and then I actually did so! But soon after this … Read more Praying Boldly not Always Speaking Boldly
For a season, consider meditating on Scriptures based upon your pain or trouble, if you are hurting. While we need to read all Scriptures, sometimes we need Scriptures specifically tailored to our spiritual and emotional wounds (Psalm 147:3, “He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds.”) Specific Scriptures can remind us of God’s … Read more Pursuing Scripture Based upon Your Pain
Too many of us have been hurt (abused) in the church, but Jesus did not do it. Many people turn from God and blame him for what unjust, ungodly humans did. I know, because I was harmed in the church and in a Christian mission. I do not blame Jesus, because he did not condone … Read more Hurt by the Church, Not by Jesus
While last week’s post “Same Problem, Different People,” briefly explained why we repeat the same mistakes with different, difficult people, this week we can dig deeper. If we were mistreated in our youth, we may believe lies, based upon that treatment. Then we might attract, even pursue, unkind people who mistreat us, especially if we … Read more Same Problem, Different People, part 2
Patterns We Didn’t Learn From… When we find ourselves having the same problems with different people (or with God), we might be living out lies we learned in our youth. We needed love from our family of origin, and if we didn’t get it, we will struggle in our relationships with others and with God. … Read more Same Problem, Different People?