Restoration happens here
A guest post by Bill McPherson . . .
CHAPTER ONE
I recently experienced a horrendous fall off a cliff. I live on the side of a mountain which has a pitch of about 45 degrees (no exaggeration). A construction project 2 years ago included construction of a concrete retaining wall 12 feet from the house capped with a concrete patio (with a deck 20’ above). The drop from the patio to the ground is roughly six feet. You see it coming, don’t you? Don’t get ahead. Listen.
A guest post by Cindy Caldwell . . .
I was the firstborn in my family of four children. My parents believed in God. My mother grew up going to a Baptist church. I am not sure if my dad went to church growing up. When I was a small child, they took us to a Baptist church where we heard about Jesus. God was not talked about in the home, and I don’t remember my parents praying with me or reading the Bible. The mindset in those days seemed to be that spiritual teaching came from the church. It was more of something you believed with your mind, rather than a personal relationship with God.
A guest post by Janet Eriksson . . .
Bible Verse
“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” — Psalm 42:1-2 NIV
Reflection
During a time of crisis, we are so aware of how much we need God. But we may feel it takes time and energy to build our relationship with God. And time and energy are hard to come by during a crisis.
A guest post by Karen Castleberry . . .
Bible Verse
“When you sit enthroned under the shadow of Shaddai, you are hidden in the strength of God Most High. He’s the hope that holds me and the Stronghold to shelter me, the only God for me, and my great confidence. He will rescue you from every hidden trap of the enemy, and he will protect you from false accusation and any deadly curse. His massive arms are wrapped around you, protecting you. You can run under his covering of majesty and hide. His arms of faithfulness are a shield keeping you from harm.” — Psalm 91:1-4 TPT
Reflection
Spring of 2020 will be remembered as the season of the COVID-19 pandemic. The world was filled with fear. New to this generation, the definition of global quarantine and shelter in place became a reality. Continue reading “Choices”
A guest post by Karen Castleberry . . .
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused some strange behavior. At first I couldn’t grasp the magnitude of what was coming and how our world changed seemingly overnight. On March 12, 2020, Georgia’s 83rd governor, Brian Kemp, made a request of all schools in Georgia to suspend all activities in an effort to stop the spreading of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. New words and phrases like social distancing came into existence, and schools like the one where I work ventured into distance learning. Teachers, students, and employees had to learn new technologies and techniques for practicing social distancing by working from home. Continue reading “Panic over Toilet Paper”
A guest post by Janet Eriksson . . .
Years ago, because of fear, confusion, and lack of wisdom, I made decisions that still have a profound effect on my life. I allowed myself to be a doormat, and the enemy took advantage. I’m still living with the consequences.
I’ve been through a lot of healing, repentance, forgiveness. I started on a journey to walk free of fear, and while I’m still in progress, I’ve come a long way. I have less fear, more wisdom, and I’m discovering that I don’t need to be a doormat. That’s not my true identity. It’s not who God created me to be.
But what about those consequences. Would I ever get free of those? Do I get a year of jubilee?
A guest post by Karen Castleberry . . .
The unhealed parts of our hearts do affect people around us. I didn’t really believe that statement fully until this past spring when a potential tragedy occurred at my workplace. I am an administrative assistant at a school with 400 students and 60 employees.
The bell rang to start the school day when a teacher rushed up to the front desk and said with alarm, “I smell gas, do you?” The receptionist called the Principals to the area who smelled gas too, so they immediately evacuated the building. A gas leak was discovered in the pipes in the ceiling of our building. Due to a teacher’s sense of smell, a tragedy was averted. That day helped me to realize the importance of being able to smell.
I had lost my sense of smell 24 years ago during the birth of my son. Or so I had thought.
A guest post by Susan McPherson . . .
Our eight-week grief support class has come to an end. I’m going to miss these ladies. It was such a privilege to be a small part of their grief journey.
Our grief group has been open and vulnerable about where they are in their grief journey. As we have learned (through the book Understanding Your Grief by Alan D. Wolfelt, Ph.D.), you have to feel to heal. Grief is on the inside, and mourning is grief on the outside.
We also learned some healthy ways to mourn: crying, journaling, painting, and talking about your pain and grief, sharing your story.
A guest post by Susan McPherson . . .
Several years ago, my head began shaking. When I would look down to read something, it was more pronounced. My children, family, and friends gradually began commenting, so it was getting more noticeable.
I went to a prayer ministry session during this time, and the minister saw a snake (spiritually) circling up my spine. The prayer minister knew that yoga could cause this, resulting in nervous system disorders and worse. I had been doing yoga for about two years. My situation had only gotten to head shaking. I repented of it (never to do yoga again!) and closed doors, and my head stopped shaking. So that’s how I know firsthand how dangerous this is.
I had someone contact me this week to interpret a dream. Basically, she had a dream she was in college. The next thing she heard was Leviticus 3 and 4. The highlight of these scriptures is “… sacrifice of fellowship offerings …”
What an incredibly interesting God we serve! And He never ceases to amaze me with the way He plays with words, symbolism, and His unexpected sense of humor.