"If You Fall"

If You Fall-- JJ Heller

"Even if my heart turns black and blue, I will love you!"

I will never give up. I will keep on loving. =)

This is exactly what God does for each of us.

Lord, forgive me when I do not understand how to do this everyday.

Book review: The Daniel Cure

This is the first book review that I have done about any type of fast, diet, or physical way of living. I wanted to branch out and review other books as a way of not getting stuck in a rut.

The Daniel Cure by Susan Gregory and Richard J. Bloomer, is most likely a good book for those desiring to truly change to a healthier way of living. It is not a book for those who already have been living a healthy lifestyle. Much of the emphasis is on dieting, although the authors would say that the Daniel cure is not a diet but a lifestyle change. I would agree with them there, but there were moments when I felt like the writing was conveyed in a way to put guilt trips on those reading it as a way to force individuals to live the "Daniel Fast Way". My frustration with this is that this is only a partial fast. If you want to begin fasting for spiritual renewal and to grow deeper with the Lord, you do not need to read this book.

If on the other hand you want to grow deeper with the Lord by also changing your lifestyle this may be an excellent book to help you. After all, our bodies represent the Temple of God and we must care for it. With this in mind, the book offers a 21-day devotional to begin the 21-day fast to jump-start "the Daniel Cure", which is altering the way that you eat. They have over 75 recipes to help with this change in lifestyle and give medical and educational information for those who have health issues or want to prevent them from happening.

All in all, if you want to change your lifestyle, this book may be a good choice for you. But if you are already eating healthy and want to do your own fast, this book is not for you. You do not need a book like this to help you get closer to God. You have your Bible, and the Holy Spirit to guide you. Just make sure that you are listening very carefully to His voice and that you surround yourself with others who will support you and help guide you. 

I received this book from booksneeze.com. These opinions are my own.

The Cleft of the Rock

I have been pondering over a rather remarkable statement made in a Beth Moore Bible study series called, "A Woman's Heart: God's Dwelling Place". Together with the amazing group of ladies that I get to meet with each week, we heard Beth ask,

"Are you in a cleft of a rock when it seems darkness has overtaken you? Perhaps, God has covered your face so that you can see His glory as you see His back."

This is in reference to Exodus 33:21-22 when God put Moses in the cleft of the rock and covered his face (Moses was not to see the face of God), so that he could see God's glory. Often times, when life gets dark and troubles and pain come our way, we tend to look at it in a negative way. This message spoke volumes to me about my dark moments. I can look back over the past 3 years and see now how God revealed himself to me.

What I find rather interesting about this stage in my life and in the lives of family, is that although this is a new grief for some, it is not knew to me. I have slowly had to let go of some very important people in my life. Because I have gone through my own form of grief with some I hold very dear, this grief and letting go process has been something I have already been going through. Does it add to the ache? Yes it certainly does. Does it sometimes feel dark? Yes, some days feel darker than others. But with this in mind, I think that I can honestly say that it is God's hand over my face. Soon, I will get to see His glory through all the darkness and heartache.

Dear one, if you feel as if you are in a dark place. Do not despair. Perhaps God has placed you in the cleft of the rock, and He is shielding your face. Wait for God to reveal His glory through this time. It is worth it because He loves you. He wants to take you into His glory so that your intimacy with Him will grow.

The Merciful Scar- Rebecca St James and Nancy Rue

 


















 

This fictional book, The Merciful Scar, by Rebecca St. James and Nancy Rue, is filled with a message of hope. The characters have depth, and their stories are much like our own. Filled with pain and heartache, you will be caught up in the desperation the characters feel when life gets dark. But healing begins with a decision to be brave enough to face the darkness head on. Read, The Merciful Scar, and see how one individual’s road to healing brings together others who are also struggling.

For me, this story hits close to home, as traumatic experiences are not a far away thought for me. I was able to relate to many of the characters and found myself caught up in the story of their lives late into the night. Even though my story is drastically different, the common theme of struggling to work through pain towards forgiveness and healing is something that I have dealt with myself. It is something that all of us have in common. 

We all need healing. As it says in The Merciful Scar, "you were strong enough to survive the real trauma. You're strong enough to let God bring you through the healing too." Be brave enough to allow God to help you heal from your own experiences. Know that even though this book is fictional, there are many out there with similar stories and you are not alone. There is always joy and hope waiting for you.

I received this book for free from Booksneeze.com. These opinions are my own.

 

Contemplating an "insurmountable" task

There has been something heavy on my mind. It stares me in the face at night. Like a towering giant, it stands tall, with a sly smile on its face, as if taunting me. Up to this point, it has never truly been a bother.

But lately, the task at hand looks dark, grueling, and insurmountable. So many questions and doubts arise amidst my growing yet obviously weak faith. I am struggling to look through my human eyes and see this through the eyes of God.

For years, my voice had been manipulated. For years, I thought that my voice had been tossed into a void of darkness. But several years ago, God helped me to take back my voice from the enemy.

Now, with this task before me, I am struggling to understand all of the reasons for having to go through this at this time. Why now? Will it even matter? Will my voice be heard? And if my voice is heard, will people even believe me?

All these questions cloud my thinking and press heavy into my chest making it harder to breath. This task, this burden was never meant to be my own. It was a stunt pulled by the enemy over 23 years ago.

Despite the task; despite the doubts; despite the timing, my hope is that my weak faith will give me enough strength to come before the giant. And with only my sling and some stones, I will speak forth the truth and slay what was never supposed to have any authority over me anyway.

An “insurmountable” task is what it looks like.

A powerful testimony waiting to be told after Love wins is what it really is!

For Someone who will always have a place in my heart...

 

Come Back To Me- JJ Heller

For someone who will always have a place in my heart.
                   
                                                  You are worth the wait.

                                                                      I love you!
             

Getting out of the puddles to swim in the ocean

I know that it has been a while since I have last written. A lot has occurred since my last post. A lot has changed in me as well. Through it all Gods love and grace have carried me through!

Most recently I have been learning what it means to truly know who I am in Christ. I have also been learning what it means to be content with those who do not know me for me.

This can be exceptionally difficult when others are bent on their one idea of whom you are without actually getting to know you. I understand that much of our perspectives of each other are bent towards what we have heard from others. This can be either beneficial or more of a hindrance depending on whether the words spoken about you were formed from truthful or lying lips. Most of those who spend time with you, know you,  and they are going to be able to decipher between a truth and a lie about you.

I have experienced both as have the rest of us. What is most interesting to me is how often we do this towards God as well. We hear this or that happening. God did this. God did that. Depending on how often we spend time with Him will determine greatly how we perceive what we believe about what others are saying about Him. If we are rarely praying, rarely reading the Bible, and only spending time with Him at church, I can guarantee you that doubts can set in about His character because you do not know Him that well. I also guarantee you that when you have a shallow relationship with God, the Truth and Love from God dwindles out of your life slowly, and one does not even realize that instead of swimming in an ocean of His Love and Truth, you are only stepping in puddles of what is left.

Many years ago, I remember standing in puddles. I did not like what I saw. I felt lonely, sad, and weak. The reason for the way that I felt came from the fact that I did not know God on an intimate level. Instead of talking to Him everyday, sacrificing my time to spend with only Him, and giving up my own life to obey Him, I was being selfish and stubborn (I was also believing lies about Him and lies about myself). In that selfish, stubborn, confused state, I did not realize how I was robbing myself of the joy, freedom, peace, and love that God wanted me to live in every day.

Now that I am swimming in this ocean, I have found that living life is worth every second. There is no time to lose and no talent that should be left hidden for the Lord. He is ready and willing to take you in. He wants to show you His heart full of Love for you. There is no depth, nor height that can separate you from His Love!

 Romans 8:38-39 states:

³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
  ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (ESV)

So... even if you believe lies about God or someone else, or live stubbornly in puddles rather than in the ocean of His love, He is pursuing you. You cannot run fast enough, hide in a dark enough hole, or do anything so bad that He would ever stop loving you. No, whenever you are ready to jump into the ocean out of the puddles He is waiting, arms and heart open just for you.