It’s short, bullet form and exactly as surgically clear/simple as a person in pain needs.

This is in excellent article that will literally move you! May it be so for us, our families, friends, schools, clients, and world. I encourage you to consult New American Standard, The Message, and Strongs Concordance.

“”

The God Who Speaks – July 7, 2006 I was gearing up for soul-restoration, not issues-exploration. But Cam is usually right, so I kept my eyes open and asked the Lord for a strategy. Sure enough, not long into my “breather”, up came some “stuff” that wants to bully me towards isolation. How do you rest when old insecurities, temptations, or “demons” rise up when you finally still your heart? Or am I the only one who didn’t automatically get all his shortcomings washed away at baptism? If not, read on:

The Lord showed me that during a time of rest, first of all, I don’t need to go digging for my issues. They will surface on their own, thankyou very much.

Second, when they surface, I don’t need to work at fixing things. Rather, I can sit WITH them in HIS PRESENCE, allowing them to RIPEN. That way, instead of running around the tree of my life picking off old “bad” fruit, I can sit at the tree of HIS LIFE /the Cross) and let the fruit simply rot and fall off. I found that this took some patience and a little courage. But to extend the tree analogy, it was a reminder that Christ is the Pruner… not me. And if you give Him a chance, He is faithful to do it. I hardly had to help him; my role was to simply ripen in His presence. SOOO restful… in fact, the biggest breakthrough came just this morning through a one-minute dream. It was Jesus, teaching me “the unforced rhythms of grace” (Matt. 11:28 MSG).

And third, it dawned on me, “Why don’t I ALWAYS take this approach?” Perhaps there is a time to take the initiative and really pursue one’s healing ruthlessly and thoroughly… but I’ll ask Jesus about that later. After my rest. In the mean time, can I challenge you to ask the Lord if there’s anything “in your face” that He’d like to have ripen in His presence.

Brad Jersak

This is an inspiring article!!! I pray we can allow God to reveal His healing love to us, our families, friends, clients, churches, school, and world.

“My parent’s generation had known what is was like to be without food. Consequently, somewhere deep inside them a voice must have said, ‘I will never be caught without enough food to eat again.’ Thus, the massive inventory of canned goods. Come what may in life, there would be food in the cabinets. I think that’s how many of us face most areas of our lives. We have faced circumstances at times that created a sense of loss or need within us. Because the situation was painful, somewhere deep inside us, we said, ‘This won’t ever happen to me again.’ So we hoarded what we have and shut the cabinet door. We went into the self-protection mode. Some were hurt by a friend and have now closed the door on vulnerability. They’ll never trust another person as a true friend. Others have had a marriage go sour. Today, they won’t completely open up to their mate because of fear. If they give everything, they risk losing everything again. Some were burned at church. Now, they have lumped all churches in the same hypocritical pile and won’t become an integral part of a church fellowship. The hurts differ, but the response is common. Shut the door of my heart and don’t risk losing what I have or being hurt. After all, if it happened once, . . . What ‘great depression’ have you experienced in life? What commodity did you feel you had taken from you when you needed it most? Was it trust? Love? Friendship? What have you lost? As a result have you tried to stuff those things deep inside you that you don’t want to ever lose again? Are you fearful to take them out? Have you resolved that you’ll never find yourself in that kind of situation again?”

This is a great article which describes what happens when a person who has been hurt in turn hurts another. I pray J.C’s Spirit will teach the us, our families, friends, clients, schools, and world to be vlulnerable again in life. God show us other’s hearts/hurts so we will not feel a hint of judgement.

” When things are going the way you want, God is for you. When life seems to be falling apart, God is for you. When the Philistines chased David down in Gath, he wrote, ‘This I know, that God is for me’ (Psalm 56:9). What a time to make a declaration like that! Many of us have found ourselves in a place similar to David’s situation at times. Life is closing in . . . the enemy seems to have us cornered and there appears to be no way out. Pleasant circumstances disappear before our eyes and the world turns dark. At times like that, we may be tempted to cry out, ‘Why is God against me?’ Not David. He assured himself with the truth, ‘God is for me.’ He didn’t say, ‘This I feel, that God is for me.’ There are many times in life that we don’t feel like God is for us. No, he said, ‘This I know, that God is for me.”

This is a great article esp in times of minor challenges or when God seems silent. I find grieving also helpful, like Job to experience THE LORD is NOT AGAINST US. It shows the process of THE FATHER proving His love through His assurance, MAYBE THROUGH SENSING HE IS HOLDING US, until we can go from-affirming, to feeling, to knowing GOD IS FOR ME THIS I KNOW. MAY IT BE SO FOR US, OUR FAMILIES, FRIENDS, AND THE WORLD!

” When grace is a subject you believe, but wonder how to move it from your head to your experience, cling to Jesus. When your heart has grown cold and you haven’t felt God’s presence in a very long time, cling to Jesus. When a friend betrays you in a way you never would have expected, cling to Jesus. Cling to Jesus. He will guide you through His Spirit. He will nurture you by His love. He will provide for you through His generosity. He will comfort you through His tender compassion. He will heal you by His stripes. He will reveal truth to you through His Word. He will transform you by His power. He will touch you by His presence. He will sustain you by His faithfulness. Cling to Jesus. He holds you in His arms at this very moment and will never let you go. “

This is an incredibly comforting article about being open to holding onto Jesus in our challenges! It only seems done through His grace. May it be so for us, our family, friends, and the world.

I’ve learned that it is all of these beliefs
That they are making a prisoner out of me
I am the one who has created these walls
Now I am feeling like I want to break free

I’ve learned that even though I was living
I know that I’ve been dying to feel alive
I can say that I want more this time around
I’m starting to feel like I want to survive

I’ve learned that there is so much more
And this part of me that I thought had died
Now wants to come out and experience life
And convince me that I don’t need to hide

I’ve learned that things are not as they seem
And the lies that I was taught are not true
I am not the bad person that I thought I was
I’m a good person that bad things happened to

© Copyright www.poemaequiaperio.com

The entire site deserves a read.

It’s a single-author blog site filled with poetry from a person who, evidently, experienced some incredible abuse and is coming through it to some significant healing. If you start with the first poem (Down at the bottom) and then read them in order, they read like a road map of growth and transformation.

“First, we really need vacations, just as we really need Sabbath rest each week. There’s a rhythm to life. The heart beats, then it rests. It beats, then rests. We wake each morning, then we sleep every night. We wake, then we sleep. We spend energy, then we take in food to replenish what we spent. Vacation is like that. We’ve got to have periods of rest and joy and beauty in our year. So here is what we’ve learned about vacations: First, ask God! Don’t just assume you know what is best this summer. Ask God what he’d have you do, and when, and with whom. Too many folks squander their vacation because they don’t ask God what he has for them. We went to Kauai because we prayed about it last winter, several times. ‘Where should we go, Lord? For how long?’ Visits are not vacations. Most folks spend their vacation time visiting relatives. That rarely is restful and restoring. Visits are not vacations. Don’t confuse the two. Pray over your vacation beforehand! You know there is a thief. You know he hates joy. The mistake we often make is somehow thinking that vacation time is exempt from the Battle. It’s not. I spent weeks ahead of time praying over our Kauai trip – praying for safety. For the weather. For our travel. For our love as a family to be full. Don’t spend your vacation running. Too many times the temptation is to fill the time with busy-ness, running here and there, touring, trying to ‘fit it all in.’ Most folks get home and need a vacation from their vacation. Don’t squander it running around. We spent most our time within a few miles of the place we stayed. Resting. Being renewed. Don’t drop your guard. The temptation when we get to wherever it is we were going for vacation is to drop our usual prayer life, drop our armor, and think ‘this is time out.’ It’s not. To protect the time, I got up early every morning and prayed hard over the day. Don’t be lulled into a false security. Okay. Now ask God what he has for you this summer.”

May it be so for everyone!!!

“Control freaks – that’s what we all are when we try to be in charge of our own lives. God never intended for us to be in control. Controlling things is His role, not ours. ‘My life is out of control!’ people have tearfully said to me at times in the counseling office. What they really meant was ‘My life is out of my control and I don’t like it!’             Imagine a baby holding a pair of new shoes in his hands. He is playing with them and happy they belong to him. His parent reaches down to take the shoes and put them on the child’s feet. All the child sees is that his shoes are being taken out of his hands. He doesn’t like it. He wants to control them and keep them in his hands, but he will never walk in them that way.             The parent takes the shoes from the hand of the child and the baby begins to cry. He is overwhelmed with anger, confusion and regret that his shoes are being taken from him. He screams. He kicks in protest. He is losing control of the thing he loves and wants to hold. He doesn’t understand what his parent is doing. But the parent understands and does what is necessary to enable the child to walk – whether the child likes it or even understands.             The goal is to enable the child to enjoy the shoes to the fullest by walking in them. The parent knows that if the shoes are used for their designed purpose, the child will truly benefit and not simply be amused by them.             Only a baby thinks the highest pleasure is to hold them in his hands. He doesn’t see the whole picture. So the parent overrules the baby’s wishes and does what is needful. Eventually the child will understand. When he does, he is thrilled, and more important than that, he walks. Do you want to walk? What are you holding onto that you need to release? Let it go. God knows what He is doing.”

This is an excellent article for parenting and dealing with the crisies of life. I pray for this rest and openness to genuinely let go of our way after working through the emotions individually/together with others.

“”My, you are very influential. How about doing that again and finding a way to include everyone?“”It seems the other children follow your direction, will you make sure they each get a turn?“”I see that being first in line is very important to you. As the leader, will you show the rest of the line how to wait patiently and quietly for the teacher?“”You are a real expert at this game! Will you show the other children how to play too?“”

This is an excellent article that takes punishment out of the equation. If offers excellent ideas on turning the negative into a positive. Since Jesus took away sin wouldn’t this be the best way to bless the identity of Jesus in a child?

“You know, when your child fails so badly it goes right to the core of you. It is right THERE that you are tempted to view yourself according to the measuring stick of performance. ”Where did I fail?“ will become the REAL question behind a million others. Do you try to ”fix“ things in the hopes of making up for your failure? Do you take a ”stand“ against the ”evil influences“ and the ”evil doers“ in our society? Do you begin to wonder why your child doesn’t measure up to your own standards? Or do you beat yourself up because you are sure that he/she has become the thing you might have been? ”

This article poses good questions to get to the heart of the matter of parenting issues. There is a touching grieving poem with hope.

“ It’s going to hurt when it is
being demanded that you are inferior, less-than, below, beneath, of no
value, etc.  The good news is that the feeling brings focus and clarity
to the specific manifestation of the lie’s insistence.  You are put in
the most wonderful place of recognition of the life Christ, as it is
being demanded that even in this exact place where condemnation once
held you have you been set free!!  These wonderful feelings pinpoint or
undercover those former places of fear, shame, guilt, and condemnation,
etc so that you are being made aware of how all-emcompassing this
reality of life in Christ really is!”

This is a good article on our response to feeling a lack of love. We do not have to retaliate/judge. We just use it to grieve the past and give up lies that we are inferior.

“Wow. I, too, had defined forgiveness by the human process I went through in attempting to ”let go of“ my hurt feelings or anger. But you’re right…in Christ, these offenses do not exist. The spiritual reality destroys the human formula. Our desire is therefore not for the ”how to,“ but rather to stay focused on Christ.
”

This is the only answer to all conflicts: STAY FOCUSED ON JESUS!!! EVEN THOUGH IT APPEARS THERE ARE OFFENCEANNOYANCES THEY DO NOT EXIST IN CHRIST. LORD do this is all of us, please!!! HE SAYS HE WILL.

“What kind of gospel leaves you in the
unknown regarding the very premise of the actual ”good news“ of Christ,
which is full confidence in one’s relationship to God through
Christ?  What kind of gospel causes you to think it’s all about
what you do or don’t do, when the good news declares that it’s not
about you at all but all about Christ and what he has done and is now
doing?  Do you see where I’m going with this?  Perhaps your
shame is linked to a ”gospel“ that is more about your successes and
failures than about Christ.”

This is an excellent article clearly stating the two positions. Either one lives under the condemnation of the law or lives out Christ. Both cannot be the Good News.

“We are afraid of fear itself. We are afraid because of so many verses taken out of context and used to beat us up with until our hearts are bloody and raw and in agony, and then we fear even more.

It is a very good thing to be secure in our New Identity and realize that MOST fears come from the INsecurity we have been wallowing in and perpetuating for sooo long … fears based on deception and lies that we have fed ourselves and each other.

The GOOD NEWS of CHRIST, which is also OUR GOOD NEWS because of HIM and our NEW IDENTITY in HIM, is the only thing that soothes the pain of so much insanity and insecurity that we endure.
”

This fear feeling is the key difficulty in loving others and God. It is not about the other person at all. Most deep conflicts are not about another. If we do not surrender fears, these feelings reinterpret what we hear. Others feel unloved by distrust. We in turn feel guilty/alone or vice versa. The only solution is consciously resting in Jesus and our new identity on Him based on the true Good News. The basis of our fears is Finished as well.

“yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.” (Romans 4:18-21)
If this proves anything, it shows that God does not see as a man sees. No, no, it’s not that He IGNORES reality, for He sees past the illusions and into the TRUE reality of the heart.
“In hope AGAINST hope he believed”. Do you not see the tension stated clearly in this man who was “waiting for God” to do what He promised? Somehow he was still believing even though he took matters into his own hands. We can argue it all we want, but it’s right there in our faces.“

This is an excellent article clearly explaining how one walks by faith not sight. We often are so caught up in insanity because we forget who we are in Him and what He has done on the cross.

“Don’t blame yourself. The most common reasons women miscarry are missing pieces of genetic information in the fertilized egg or improper implantation of the baby into the uterine lining. Women don’t miscarry because they ate something they shouldn’t have, or didn’t take folic acid or get enough rest. Miscarriage is God’s way of making sure that when you do have a baby, it has the best chance for a healthy life. Though it may feel like it, it’s not a punishment.”

This is an encourging article sharing that women often feel to blame years after it has occurred. It has good suggestions to accept the lass through memorializing.

“I kept seeing a glimmer of hope and light
when…you listened to me.

Your penetrating relevant words were evidence
that…you listened to me.

Your tender yet confident words were soothing
to my hurting heart because…you listened to me.

Many times you said not a word, but I knew
without a doubt…you listened to me.

Even in your silence I heard you say ”I love
you“ as…you listened to me.

I saw in your eyes the compassion of Christ
because…you listened to me.

Jesus Himself met me where I was as…you
listened to me.

Then, a miracle began to happen because…you
listened to me.

My own ears began to open because…you listened
to me.”

This is an excellent poem which shows the progression of healing pain. One needs to come to the end of himself/herself like the thief on the cross. By listening one comes to the stillness of rest/trust/love of Him in us.

“So I thought I could see and I deep down didn’t care if I could hear
anyone else.  But grace (oh, what a phrase!)…but grace abounded for me
on that dusty road to Damascus where Christ transformed my seeing and
my hearing.  Christ blinded me initially so I could focus on hearing
His strong, yet tender voice.  And He called me by my old name, Saul. 
Imagine that, He called me by my name…my old sin-full, selfish name. 
How could the spotless Lamb of God speak such a dirty word as that? 
How could He love unconditionally like that?  That’s beyond me.  That’s
grace.  
Yes, He called me by my name…He called me by my name…He called me by my
name…I just can’t get over the truth that He called me by my
self-righteous name!  He met me where I was…in my self-righteousness. 
I am so grateful He called me even when I wasn’t willing to listen, and
especially when I didn’t deserve it.  
He called me by my name just as He calls each of His beloved friends by
their personal names…including each of you.  And He called each of us
through questions that only He could answer…and each of us were drawn
to the truth inside those questions…we each were drawn to Truth
Himself.  ”Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?“  ”Peter, do you
love Me?“  ”Philip, don’t you know I am the truth?“  ”Oh Thomas, don’t
you believe Me through my scars?“ ”

This is an interesting article encouraging the rest in God’s grace. I find it interesting that one can still question with emotion to surrender. It is still abiding/praying with Him in us. I wonder why if traditional Christianity teaches the centrality of confess sins that Paul did not do it in his writings. Only Saul did it before he was made new.

“This is totally unexplanable since I am innocent in the matter, so I can do nothing but leave it in God’s hands.
To this:
Since I did nothing to bring this on what the hell is God doing!!??

”Then these three men ceased answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.“

That’s when some young guy by the name of Elihu jumped in to tell Job
that he was tired of listening to Job flaunting his wisdom above God
while justifying himself before God.  Then God made himself known
to Job and also made it known that HE was the one who would speak for
Job.”

This is an excellent illustration of the progression of our thoughts/feelings to God giving His perspective.

“Model anger management. ”Mommy is feeling very angry right now, so I’m going to take time to be alone and get some self-control.Show respect. Don’t participate by calling names or getting physical.Give them words to express their anger. “I know you are disappointed, or sad or frustrated.”Identify with their pain. “I remember when I didn’t get to go to a party…”Set positive limits. Instead of saying, “Don’t you throw that doll,” say, “After you put the doll on the table, we can go have snack.”Redirect energy bursts that often come with anger. Encourage positive outlets like running, jumping, blowing into a horn or painting.Avoid power struggles with your child. They’re always lose-lose situations. If your goal is to control, you will teach him to control others.“

This article is excellent for mother, particularly with girls because one has to model it. In my opinion, time outs, focusing on the positive show grace not that a child has won. If one tries to control them by always having your way, they may tend to overcompensate by attempting to control their siblings/friends/you.

“ I have had far more times
of awareness of Christ as being my life by NOT trying to make it
happen.  I have seen it when running to the beach to take photos of the
sunrise, or watching movies, or examining the legal system of the world
around me … even though I did not stop to pray or read the Bible
first.  I still love reading the Bible – at times, that is – and have
often found encouragement in the reading.  From time to time I have
caught myself wondering when the last time I prayed might have been,
often only to realize that I had been speaking to him already.  The
only thing that really kills my taking everything to God is when I
think I have to schedule it in order to make it happen.  You know,
scheduling things is probably not the source of the problem, rather it
is more than likely our belief in the power of scheduling, as if
scheduled life is true life.  I think he is found both in the schedule
and out of it.”

I like that this article points to the value of both positions. It is wise not to force our leadings of God. However their is also “Life” in some rituals. I believe that the confession one, which I do not agree with, has caused others to fear direction from a genuine relationship through grieving and surrender.

“Other siblings negatively affected because the family is preoccupied or overwhelmed by consequences of drug user’s behavior.”

This is a good article outlining the progression which can happen if grief and our ways are not given to the Lord. An adult child may feel overwhelmed, shutdown, and not reach out for support if he/she has been neglected or worried about the parent’s emotions.

“Excuse the cliché of a sports analogy, but I really think this’ll be helpful. Think of your life as a football game. The first 20 years could be thought of as your warm-ups — you’re getting ready for the game. The second 20 years is the first half of play. During your 40′s you make a few halftime adjustments, so that your second half — 50 and beyond — is strong and powerful. As a male (as is the case with females too), in each stage of”

This is a good guideline. we need to be open to redirection at any time in life I find.

“The key to each fulfillment of calling was a willingness to say ”yes,“ and a trust in Him who calls. Maybe people recognize your skills, and maybe they don’t. The most important thing is that God knows what you are capable of, and will equip you for the task. All you have to do is take that first step of faith. Stay open to His direction and re-direction, and He will take you on an adventure that satisfies your unique design and surpasses your wildest dreams.Blessings,JOHN THOMAS

This is a good article which encourages one to seek their own answers with confirmation from others. Rather than getting discouraged and immobilized by confusion/unhelpful advise one needs to be open to being redirected.