Feeling a Bit Overwhelmed with Bad News? ~ By @ShelleyHendrix

I was struggling a bit one morning recently as I read the headlines and even the posts running through my social media newsfeed. There are so many needs. 

There are so many things going wrong. There is so much injustice in the world. 

Stephen and I were the recipients of some of that "injustice" recently. It reminded me of a picture my mom gave me when I was in 9th grade. I searched the pic out so that I could put it here for you to see. 

(I don't have rights to this pic below, and found it here.) 

Do you ever feel this way?

So, I took a long walk. I listened to my playlist while I walked alongside the ocean in my new home town. As Seth Condrey sang "Here I stand, arms open wide. I am Yours, and You are mine;" and as I listened and prayed and walked and listened some more, I began to feel God's peace and presence. 

Yes, there is a lot going on. Any one of us would change it all if we could. But as His child, I'm choosing once again to trust my Heavenly Father's goodness, awareness, involvement, and plans for this world and for my own life.

"I am Yours and You are Mine."

A wise woman once told me that God put us in a body for a reason: He never intended us to be in more than one place at a time. This helps me remember to engage where I am and to be present with those around me as much as possible.

My friend, Steve Mason told me, "All any one of us deal with is what God sets before us at any given moment. It is so easy to be overwhelmed by this world. When we are overwhelmed we cannot be present for the next person who needs our attention and love."

Let's continue to pray, to give of our time and resources, and to go where He leads; but as we do, it's also helpful to keep in mind that God never expected us to save the world. He has already taken care of that. 

 Shelley Hendrix is the founder of Church 4 Chicks as well as Shelley Hendrix Ministries and the co-founder of a new ministry collaboration called Team Redeemed (a ministry to those whose lives have been impacted by infidelity). 

You can find Shelley's website, social media links and more at www.ShelleyHendrix.com but you'll typically find her sipping coffee, scrounging for chocolate, and petting her dog while hovered over her laptop.

Hanging by a Thread ~ a new post by @ShelleyHendrix

Psalm 30:5b

It wasn't too many years ago now that I confided in a safe friend, "Sometimes I feel as though I'm only hanging by a thread; but when it is attached to the hem of His garment, I find that it holds!"

It seems that the majority of us have experienced seemingly endless seasons of suffering and pain. Although the details may look different, pain = pain. And the more personal the pain, the more painful is our experience.

My family has been in one of these seemingly endless seasons for quite some time now. Although there truly has been and continues to be peace in the midst of the storms, and reasons to celebrate God's goodness and faithfulness while still feeling the pelts of ice and rain that hit us, storms also have a way of wearing a person out when they come from all different directions ~ and many times when you're just getting back on your feet from the last one.

You've most likely heard the saying, "You're either in a storm, coming out of one, or heading into one." But the truth is, a lot of us have experienced all three at the same time! It can be so hard to even hang on by a thread. It's in those times we can trust that our strong and faithful Father holds onto us and we are, like our contributor Cheryl Lutz says, "Securely Held."

As Stephen, our kids, and I look at where we are today, as in right now in this moment, we're once again amazed by how our Gracious Heavenly Father has woven His redemptive threads of grace through the unsightly and unpleasant parts of the tapestry that is our lives. (To see the latest on our family's news, please click here.)

This post isn't anything deep or new or anything you haven't thought of or experienced in the past. My hope is simply that today's post will encourage you that no matter what your journey and experience looks like today, God is working--and many times, He does His best work behind the scenes! Just because we can't see the evidence of His activity in our lives it doesn't mean that there is no activity.

My Macey turns 18 in a few weeks and she has told us to just let her know what we're giving her for her special birthday. She said, "I don't like surprises; just go ahead and tell me," to which I responded, "I know you well enough to know you do like surprises, Mace; it's the waiting for them that you don't like."

How do I know this? Because I know her...and I also know me. I think most of us struggle with the waiting. But I also believe God delights in surprising us. I believe He enjoys watching us experience the joy and excitement seeing His surprises come into our view and into our personal experience. It's those times of waiting in the midst of the dark unknown seasons of our lives that test (i.e. purify) our trust in our Heavenly Father. And it's those times when the Joy breaks the darkness like that first flash of the sunrise that sends our souls soaring with the celebration of knowing that--once again--our God came through and that He has been working everything together for His good purposes and for our best interest all along.

May we trust Him more today whether we're walking by faith or experiencing His surprises with our sight.

Shelley Hendrix is the founder of Church 4 Chicks as well as Shelley Hendrix Ministries and the co-founder of a new ministry collaboration called Team Redeemed (a ministry to those whose lives have been impacted by infidelity). 

You can find Shelley's website, social media links and more at www.ShelleyHendrix.com but you'll typically find her sipping coffee, scrounging for chocolate, and petting her dog while hovered over her laptop.

Wisdom: A Girl's Best Friend by @ShelleyHendrix

Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.

Proverbs 31:30 KJV

           

As I’ve read Proverbs 31 over the years, I can say that 99% of the time, I walked away from it with a sense of my own inadequacies as a female. I heard it said years ago that a young man was overheard saying, “I’m praying God will give me a Proverbs 31 woman to be my wife!” To which a young woman nearby said, “Yes, and I’m praying God will give me a Proverbs 1-30 man!”  There is so much written on this particular Proverb, and it seems to be a favorite for pastors to pull out on Mother’s Day. Nice. The one day out of 365 that a woman is supposed to feel blessed, and she walks out of her church with a cloak of guilt and shame hanging on her shoulders because she was, once again, reminded of how she doesn’t toe the line.

I don’t think pastors mean to do this, but it happens way too often! You can almost feel the tension in the sanctuary when he says, “Today, we’ll honor all the moms by reminding them all of the things they’re supposed to be doing, but aren’t. Maybe this year they’ll get it together!” Does he say that? No, of course he doesn’t. But for most women, this is what they (we) hear.

So, let’s get to today’s devotion. As you read the beginning verse, we are told that this particular Proverb comes from, of all people, a woman. Interesting, isn’t it? Secondly, we see that this was advice given by a mom. Most scholars agree that King Lemuel was Solomon, so his mother was none other than Bathsheba, aka the wife of Uriah the Hittite. Bathsheba was the woman David stole from another man, impregnated, and then had her husband killed. Solomon was the second child born to them, after their firstborn, conceived through their affair, died.

The fact that Bathsheba is credited with this advice is significant. To see that God would give such grace and wisdom and dignity to a woman who had been to the depths of brokenness is another proof of God’s mercy and love. No matter where you’ve been, or what has been done to you, God has a good plan and purpose for your life. You can begin today to allow Him to begin unveiling that purpose to you—throwing off your shoulders and guilt and condemnation for whatever past may still be haunting you.  I heard Beth Moore say one time that you will never be able to divorce your past from your destiny. Wise words from a woman who has experienced a heaping helping of brokenness herself, wouldn’t you agree?

The other thing I want to point out is this: in the first few verses, Bathsheba describes to her son the importance of being a person of integrity and godliness himself before she describes to him what kind of person to look for in relationship. This advice can go for all of us, no matter our age or marital status. We can receive this wonderful counsel on the importance of allowing Christ to change us, mature us, and teach us before we choose those people who will be allowed up close to us in our inner circles of friendship and even marriage.

• Wisdom can take the realities of my past (the good, the bad, and the ugly) and by God’s grace, ensure of positive and purposeful future. What does this mean for you personally?

In our key verse, we see that a woman’s charm which can include her looks, her youth, her personality, etc. can be deceitful. As a 40 year old woman, I am beginning to see how quickly the “beauty” of youth begins its downhill decline! What is lasting and permanent, though, is a woman who fears the Lord = a woman of WISDOM. That is what remains when all else fades. WISDOM remains even when the wrinkles come, the dog dies, the husband is unfaithful, the friend betrays, the bills come, the kids move out, the bathing suit gets bigger. Wisdom remains, so get wisdom!

            Finally, the verse ends with “…she shall be praised.” By whom? Those under her influence. A woman of wisdom will shine above the others who have made priorities out of passing, fleeting, external things. A woman of wisdom can face her uncertain future knowing it is held by a certain God who deeply loves her. A God who sees her, the real her, when no one else seems to see past her external self. A God who holds her tears in a bottle and remembers all her cries to Him. A God who delights to see her living out of her true self.

            For the guys who read this, I want to encourage you to “praise” your wives, your moms, your sisters. Take the time to express how much you value the women God has sovereignly placed in your life. Be a “wise guy!” and affirm the women in your life, knowing that this is a culture that battles her heart every day.

May God bless each and every one who reads this devotional guide, and may He bless you as you make wisdom a high priority in your life. Diamonds are not girl’s best friend! Wisdom is!

This blog post is an excerpt from "Wisdom: A Girl's Best Friend ~ 31 Days with Proverbs" available for purchase at www.church4chicks.com 

"Bare Your Scars. Share Your Story." ~ By Shelley Hendrix @ShelleyHendrix

Love mixed with faith be yours from God the Father and from the Master, 
Jesus Christ.  Pure grace and nothing but grace be with all who love our Master, Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 6:23-24 MSG

Not too long ago, while at the lake with my sister and our children, I had a moment I didn't anticipate.  As I watched my very pregnant younger sister play and interact with her four children while carrying baby #5 in her 8th month of pregnancy, her beauty took my breath away.  In fact, it was her "scars" ~ those marks left by motherhood ~ that made her look so beautiful to me.  I told Stephen about this later and said, "Why is it that I can see "scars" on another person and find them beautiful, but hate my own and wish they could be removed?" 

My family and I love it when we're able to vacation at the beach. (Sand and Sea Therapy, anyone?)  At the beach, you see a whole lotta' skin whether you want to or not.  While our society defines beauty as skin deep (young, perfect, without scars or wrinkles), I felt connection most with folks who looked like real, everyday people..,People like me.  I approached one older woman carrying her small dog, and because I love dogs, I struck up a conversation with her.  She was a bit of a mess, had unusual tattoos in unusual places, and looked a little strange how she was carrying her dog.  I found myself making a little crack about her in my head, when she said, "This dog helps me so much.  I was in a car accident and suffered brain damage.  I don't know what I would do without his help."  That confession changed my perception completely.  She shared a part of her story as I became aware of some of her scars. 

No matter how much of a story we know, we don't know the whole story. 

Your scars tell your story.  Who would be able to read a book containing only empty pages?  Even new, fresh, inexpensive journals become priceless possessions once they've been marked up a bit with our experiences and our thoughts and opinions.  And yet, our culture tells us ~ especially women ~ that our scars, wrinkles, stretch marks, and other signs of real life, make us less valuable or attractive.  Don't let culture dictate beauty for you.  Culture is a fickle judge anyways.  Your body was designed to reveal where life has happened, so bare your scars and share your story.  May God's love and pure grace give you the courage to be who you really are, to share your true self with others, and to be a safe, sacred place for others as well. 

•What scars do you tend to hide?

•How do you feel about your scars?

•How might a change of perception change your opinion about your own scars?

Bare your scars.  Share your story. 

***************************************************

This post was updated from a post previously shared at ShelleyHendrix.com 

Shelley Hendrix is the founder of Church 4 Chicks as well as Shelley Hendrix Ministries and the co-founder of a new ministry collaboration called Team Redeemed (a ministry to those whose lives have been impacted by infidelity). 

You can find Shelley's website, social media links and more at www.ShelleyHendrix.com but you'll typically find her sipping coffee, scrounging for chocolate, and petting her dog while hovered over her laptop. 

"Learning to Lead Others to the Room of Grace" by John Lynch @Truefaced

With Permission from the author, we are honored to pass along this post by John Lynch, Co-Leader of Truefaced 

*Original Post titled "The Note" can be found here.

Learning to Lead Others to the Room of Grace

“There are no together people, only those who dress better”, or as Bruce says, “…only those with brighter teeth.” Everyone needs grace all the time. Everyone needs to live out of their new identity all the time. No exceptions. There are no other types of people. But, there are different applications from hearing the message of grace, depending upon our backgrounds, exposure and upbringing.

When we speak on college campuses, after the messages, some students will always hang back, waiting until almost everyone else has left. They will then, unsuccessfully, try to get out  words, through deep sighs and sobbing. They have either never heard these truths or they are, for the first time, hearing life they way they’ve dreamt it could be and the opposite of what they’ve experienced.

But sometimes, students from really healthy, grace-filled homes encounter a message they’ve seen modeled most of their lives. Their responses are often quite different. One of those students wrote me a note last week:

“Mr. Lynch, (I like this kid)
I was raised in a healthy grace filled home. I have some of the most amazing parents on the planet, but I didn’t realize that until I began learning of the brokenness of the souls around me…I have been given the tools required to heal after getting hurt. During high-school, I knew several people who were “emotional.” I knew that there wasn’t anything wrong with emotion, but I knew that there was something wrong with their emotion. Then here at college, I learned that many of them were simply trying to play a broken instrument without the full understanding what the music sounds like from an instrument that is in complete working order.

This brings me to where I was sitting at lunch, listening to your discussion. The whole time I was thinking about my roommate. The guy doesn’t know who God is. He doesn’t know what a Christian is. He thinks he does. He was raised in the church. I don’t have to tell you what he thinks of the church because you are already aware of how ignorant and self-righteous we make ourselves look.

I want my roommate to know Christ. I want him to know who God is. With my background, it’s hard for me to articulate grace because it’s something that was instilled and not taught. Sitting and listening to you articulate grace has helped me a great deal. I have been able to relate grace to my roommate through lifestyle, but I haven’t felt capable of explaining it to him, and your talk has helped me to order some thoughts in my head.

…I’m not there yet. It’s going to take me a long time to deliver this message fully to my roommate. I’m not just going to sit down with him and explain it in an hour and then have him completely turn his life around during a whirlwind of emotion and epiphany. It’s a lesson he’s going to learn slowly and I have to “teach” it day-by-day. I would appreciate your prayer as I make my way through this last semester with him, before I graduate in May.

Thank you.”

We never get “past” needing to hear the message of grace and identity for ourselves. But sometimes, we get to see the message through the eyes of others and their desperate need for these truths. In fact, once experienced it’s the first response we often have: “Everyone I know needs this! I must begin to learn to not just bask in having experienced it, I must learn how to articulate this way of life.” Those are the words of someone entering a pretty incredible journey of watching God release the captives.

John Lynch

As many of you know, John Lynch's voice is one of the strongest and most trusted in my life when it comes to the message of the Gospel, Grace, Identity and Living Out of Who God Says I Am. I am so humbled that he allows us to share his voice and his words with you, our awesome C4C Family! 

Make sure to check out www.Truefaced.com and his other books, see picture to the left for those. 

(And, forgive my shameless plug...it just means so much to have his approval and endorsement of my work.)

With Love,

Shelley

When Your Life Doesn't Look Like You Imagined... by @ShelleyHendrix

Sharing a little update on C4C, our history, where we are today, and how none of it looks like I wanted it to look. ~ Shelley

Debra Courtney,
1st Director of C4C

I clearly remember the first time the idea of a community-wide, cross-denominational ministry for women entered my mind. I was sitting at Atlanta Bread Company with my friend, Debra. Debra was the first person God laid on my heart to invite into the ministry I was already leading. We met to talk about life, ministry, and where we sensed God may be taking us. We discussed the different events we had been a part of it and the local study we were leading at our home church. This was August of 2007. She asked me something along these lines at one point in the conversation, and like a hinge on a door, when this question was posed, the direction of my life changed, and it never went back to what it was before. She said, "Shelley, if you could do anything, what would you do?" And the answer surprised me. 

You see, I had already been speaking at various events around the US, mostly in the SE where I live. I had written a book and was considering writing another one. At the time, I was leading a conference series with a friend of mine, and I thought I knew the direction I was heading. So when I told her what I told her, I knew it was a desire and a dream that God was placing in me. It both scared me and excited me at the same time!

C4C Fall 2009

I said, "What if we could take the best of both worlds and put them into one ministry opportunity for women? I mean, what if we could take the elements of events, like a weekend retreat, a Ladies' Night Out, or conference and have the energy and excitement of this type of experience and combine it with the best of what we see in a weekly Bible Study or class: the friendships built, the relationships nurtured, and hearts and lives discipled? And what if we could do this as a seasonal ministry for women from all over the community so that no one has to think she has to belong to a certain church or denomination to attend? What if we could create a place of grace where we can nurture a woman's heart and teach her who she is (in Christ) instead of giving her yet another list of things to accomplish to make yet another person in her life happy?" Or something to that affect. This was almost five years ago.

A lot happened in my own life personally, in my family, and in the lives of others who joined with us to create this kind of place. I surrendered to follow God's path, and then the wolves showed up in full force. It was one of the biggest challenges of my life.  The details would take far too long for a blog post to comfortably contain. So,"yada, yada, yada" (ha ha), we began meeting officially in September of 2008.

At the time, the only other community style ministry that came even close to what I could picture was a little Bible Study out in Houston, TX that you may have heard of. *Wink* But I sensed God was up to something different here. Not better. Just different. As we've met seasonally now for the past 4 years, my understanding of the purpose and mission of C4C has changed quite a bit. And, you know what, I'm perfectly fine with that. I've watched way too many people wait, and wait, and wait some more to get perfect clarity on something they sense God calling them to do before they'll take even the slightest risk before taking a step. Although in some cases we do need to look before we leap, in other cases, God calls us to take a big leap because He has already seen where it is we're heading and He is already there!

C4C is a place of grace for
women of ALL ages!

I had no idea in the fall of 2008 that the official name of the ministry would be something as cute and fun as "Church 4 Chicks." I was trying to be all deep and spiritual with a different name. 

I had no idea how many teens, tweens, and elementary age girls would connect with the messages and the mission of C4C. It has been such a neat surprise! I LOVE watching the generations connect in authentic relationships with one another, doing life together, and ministering to a community arm-in-arm. It's been incredible!

And, I definitely had no idea the Father would use someone like me to start a ministry that would not only touch a handful of people here in my own community, but that He would choose to use me to reach women all over the world--maybe not thousands like others He chooses to use in that way--but women and girls from all walks of life in various parts of the world, with the message of His immeasurable grace and the new identity He offers each and every person. It's overwhelming to be even a small part of what my Heavenly Father is up to in my generation. 

C4C Fall 2010

And, today, I think about the women and girls who have shared how much C4C's mission and message means to them. I think about the women and girls who are getting it: getting it that God really does love them and really does have an incredible purpose for their lives. I think about women and girls who have never served others through ministry before, but are discovering the many gifts and talents within them that have remained dormant up 'til now. 

I'm also beginning to think more and more about those women out there who know God has also called them to something specific in their generation. I find myself wanting to be their biggest advocate and biggest cheerleader. I want to tell them that no mountain is too big for their God. Whether that mountain is formed by painful memories and experiences in their past; issues they view as disabilities; financial challenges; educational setbacks; WHATEVER! God is NOT waiting for us to remove the mountain so that we can get to work for Him. God is waiting for us to surrender to the Mountain Mover so He can do a work in and through us!

I want to tell them that there will ALWAYS be voices of negativity and condemnation and misunderstanding and judgment out there, but to PRESS ON as they PRESS INto their Heavenly Father. I want to tell them that this world is big enough for every single believer to be FULLY engaged in her purpose without it taking away from anyone else, so don't let petty jealousy of others keep them from going full on with their life's mission. 

I want to tell them that, although a purpose-filled life is going to be HARD at times, it sure beats living a life without purpose! I want to tell them to exchange regret for new dreams. 

Beloved with Kim of Queens, Kim Gravel 2009

I want to tell them to look for others to encourage along the way, too. To not be a voice of negativity to others. To realize God will never take from them to give to someone else, so to send envy packing when it rears its ugly head in her life. I want to tell her that her Heavenly Father is slap-happy crazy about her and that He will catch her when she falls and will redeem the mistakes she is going to make along the way. 

Church 4 Chicks doesn't look like what I thought it would. But it looks so much better than I ever imagined! And you know what else looks different? ME. It's true that God is more about the journey than He is about the destination. And I'm so thankful He is. I'm not where I want to be, but thank God, I'm also a long, long way away from where He found me. 

Friend Me Conference 2013

If you're interested in learning more about C4C, please feel free to visit our website at www.church4chicks.com All of our Social Media Links are here and on our main home online.

When "Princess" Is an Insult ~ by @ShelleyHendrix

Property of Church 4 Chicks
All Rights Reserved

"What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are." 

I John 3:1a 

The Message

I don't know about you, but for most of my life I resisted the term "Princess" when used as a label or description of me as a person.  To me, "Princess" was connotative to:

• Spoiled
• Entitled
• Lazy
• Weak
• Arrogant
• Out of touch with real people with real issues

So of course I didn't want to be thought of as Princess Shelley. 

Yuck!

I gravitated much more to warriors - people who knew that life is a battle and that bad things happen to even the best people.  I connected more with survivors - those who had experienced the worst things life could throw at them and still take another step and breathe in and out for another day.  It might surprise you to know that I also detested the color pink. 

With this said, I hope that if you too have been (or still are) resistant to being called a "Princess" (or "Prince" for the guys) you'll give me just another minute to share with you what Scripture is actually describing when referring to us in this way.

God's Children are Royalty

As children of God, deeply loved by our Heavenly Father, our adoption/new birth into His family also brings with it all the benefits of being in such a family as His. 

"For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we really are God’s children. And since we are his children, we will share his treasures—for all God gives to his Son Jesus is now ours too." -Romans 8:16-17a TLB

As the King James Bible says, we are now "joint heirs with Christ".  What belongs to the Son of God belongs to the Daughters of God as well. 

God's Children are Equipped

You have been given everything you need today to do what God has called you to do today. 

Think about that:  Everything you need to please God you have right now as you trust God.  He doesn't call or require of us anything that He is not willing to also do in and through us. 

"Dear friends, God the Father chose you long ago and knew you would become his children.  And the Holy Spirit has been at work in your hearts, cleansing you with the blood of Jesus Christ and making you to please him.  May God bless you richly and grant you increasing freedom from all anxiety and fear.  All honor to God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; for it is his boundless mercy that has given us the privilege of being born again so that we are now members of God’s own family." - I Peter 3:2-3a TLB

"For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [[a]full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue)." - II Peter 1:3 AMP

God's Children are Overcomers

You do not become an overcomer by overcoming.  In other words, God is not waiting impatiently (or even patiently waiting) for you to finally get victory over some stronghold in your life.  He is patiently waiting for you to believe He has already made you an overcomer when He placed His Spirit within you.  This same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, y'all, now resides within every single person who has embraced Christ by placing his/her trust in Him.  It's simple, but it gets so confusing, doesn't it?  Bottom line is this:  You're an overcomer, and as you trust that this is true of your new nature, you'll find yourself overcoming. 

"Little children, you are of God [you belong to Him] and have [already] defeated and overcome... because He Who lives in you is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world." - I John 4:4 AMP

"My dear children, you come from God and belong to God.  You have already won a big victory ... for the Spirit in you is far stronger than anything in the world." (Same verse, The Message)

•  Spoiled?  No, but well-loved and cared for by God, my Father.
• Entitled?  Yes.  Entitled to live out of my new nature of royalty with humility.
• Lazy?  No.  Intentional.  Focused.  Free to prioritize as God leads and not as pressure demands.
• Weak?  Left to myself?  Totally, but His strength within me is rock solid and secure!
• Arrogant?  Hardly.  Humble people simply know who they are without trying to pretend to be anything more...or less!
• Out of touch with real people with real issues? ~ More in touch than ever before because of Christ in me.  Able to engage with people where they are without pressuring them to be anything other than who they are.  Able to trust the Spirit of Christ to lead me in ministering to others in their real issues as I am learning to trust Him in my own. 

With Great Love,Princess Shelley

Give and Take by Melissa Driggers ~ @infieldsofgrace

Creative Commons

I was reminded recently of a powerful short story that I read a few years back. In preparing to write this post, I tried to find it but to no avail. The details I remember are this: a young girl and her mother were living in a poor and war-torn area, and the only Bible they had was badly ripped and damaged. They were at home one night, and the little girl came running to her mother, joyfully shouting “Mama, Mama, look at this…” She showed her Mama one of the badly torn pages, with only the first few words remaining from John 3:16, the rest having been torn out.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave…”  

The little girl was joyful, her eyes beaming and smiling brightly. “Mama do you see that? God loved us so much that He gave!”  

“Gave what?”, her mother asked.  

The little girl replied, “It doesn’t matter what He gave, Mama. Isn’t it just great that God loved us so much that He gave something to us!”

Oh, how I wish I had the heart of that little girl, in its unjaded, uncompromised ability to receive the powerful simplicity of ultimate truth.

Recently talking with a woman going through an emotional time of loss, she was crying out to understand why God takes away things (or people) that we love so deeply. Her loss was new and fresh, and even as a strong woman of faith, she was trying to find His perspective in it all. She knew and had always claimed the promise of Romans 8:28:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (NIV)

Her dilemma was in trying to understand how He could have dangled something in front of her that she loved so much, only to take it away from her.

I’ve been there before, too. Have you?

Just as a loving parent gives his/her child gifts, so, too, is the act of love of taking away something that will harm his child.

Remember the little girl in the story…”God gave!”

God, how do I find and share the heart of this little girl, the content and utter joy of simply knowing and believing that God gives? What is this beautiful mystery of how You give to us sometimes through taking away that which can harm us?

Friends, in the quiet, listening prayer, this is what He speaks to my heart:

“It is because I gave so much, that I can take away.”

He gives bread so that He can take away our hunger.

He gives water so that He can take away our thirst.

He gives light so that He can take away the darkness.

He gives peace so that He can take away our fears.

He gives comfort so that He can take away our pain.

He gives rest so that He can take away our weariness.

He gives love so that He can take away our loneliness.

He gave His only son so that He could take away our sin.

God gave. God gives. 

Melissa is an itinerant speaker/teacher, blogger and author residing in the South.  She is single (although she prefers the term “unclaimed treasure”) and lives with her two children, Henry and Hannah, who are “technically” canine (ssshhhh… they don’t know they aren’t human).  Her vision and passion for ministry is to shepherd others to the grace, hope, healing, and restoration found only in Jesus Christ!  Through her own life journey, God has transformed her heart, and she has experienced the true meaning of “beauty from ashes”.

You can connect with Melissa through her web site, at www.infieldsofgrace.com  

VIDEO:  

Not Marked - by @lori_kennedy

I recently had the opportunity to connect with prolific author, Mary DeMuth about her newest book “Not Marked” which tells about her journey through recovery from childhood sexual abuse which many of you know is near and dear to my heart as I am also a survivor of sexual abuse from those in authority over me outside of my family of origin.  I was honored to help support this book as Mary self published it through a Indiegogo crowdfunding platform since many of the mainstream publishers shied away from it.  I have not yet read it but cannot wait to read it and see what God does in and through Mary with this project.

How did Not Marked come about and why did you decide to write it?

I wrote a post last spring on Deeper Story that went crazy. You can read it here. The comments OVERWHELMED me. So many people shared my story of sexual abuse, and it still affected them today. So I sat down and wrote Not Marked as a gift for them. When I pitched the book to publishers, they said no. Just too risky. And yet I knew it was a message that needed to be out there. So I wrote it anyway, crowdfunded it on Indiegogo, and am publishing it myself.

What's the significance of the title NOT MARKED?

I always felt I had this indelible mark on me after the initial year of sexual abuse when I was five. (You can learn the whole story here. Other predators seemed to see that mark and tried to steal from me again. Thankfully, I learned how to run away. But now I’ve experienced significant healing. So much so, that I no longer feel marked. It’s possible. I’m proof. (as are many others).

When you wrote the book, did you have to walk through further stress, reliving some of the past?

Unfortunately, yes. It’s been 41 years since the sexual abuse. I figured I’d sit down and write the book and be done with it. But as I wrote it, my husband started noticing my downward emotional spiral. That’s when we set a deadline of one week to write the book. I just couldn’t revisit the book for weeks and weeks.

Why did you choose to include your husband’s insights as you wrote the book?

Sexual abuse hurts more than just the victim. My husband suffered for what those boys stole from me. It wasn’t fair—both to me and to him. We have had to have some very frank discussions about uncomfortable things. Initially when we were first married, I could not bring those things up. Eventually I did, and we began to heal together.

He responded to each chapter with a few paragraphs, sharing the perspective of a survivor’s friend or spouse. I know there are many people out there who love a sexual abuse victim but don’t know how to love and support them through the healing. Having Patrick’s voice will help those folks know they’re not alone.

What are some scars you still have? How has your story been redeemed?

I still startle easily. I catastrophize my thinking. (If one bad thing happens, I think the whole world is ending). I still struggle with disconnection during sex. All these things are getting better, but I don’t consider myself fully healed. Heaven brings that.

The transformation has been a decades-long process. I can confidently say that God has done some amazing healing in me. I’m farther than I was five years ago. Today I have a boldness to speak about this issue that can only come from God.

For more information on Not Marked: http://www.notmarked.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/notmarked 

His daughter, your sister,

Lori Kennedy

ALPHA OMEGA MINISTRIES

www.lorikennedy.com

678.725.6362

Facebook - lori.d.kennedy

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Zephaniah 3:17, "The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save.  He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love.  He will rejoice over you with singing."

www.lorikennedy.com