The Shack...by Wm. Paul Young~

I tend to read for enlightenment, although I do occasionally read just for the fun of it. As a child in need of escaping the world around me, I read voraciously. I devoured book after book after book.

This weekend I read a book recommended by my counselor: The Shack by Wm. Paul Young. What an incredible book it is! Mack, the main character, encounters God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit for a weekend that ultimately provides much needed healing, answers to many of his questions, and changes him for life.

My favorite line from the book? "Rights are where surviors go, so they won't have to work out relationships."

This book does not shove religion down the readers throat, in fact, it does quite the opposite.

Religious critics who bash this book have missed the message and attack the messenger. That is unfortunate, as their bashing may cause some hurting soul to miss the thrust and life changing information woven into the story.

This is a MUST-Read!

Want more info? Visit the website.

Phyllis

Psalms 62:8~

Phyllis

Prayers for me and my family

Hello fellow pray-ers. I am blogging to let u know of a current situation that I am facing and asking for you to pray that God moves in a big way on our behalf.

My husband and I have been estranged for over a year. He gets a Veteran's Pension check every month and until yesterday, he was giving me money to support me and our son, who is still in high school. He informed me that he has had me removed me from his check and will no longer be giving me any support.

I have a claim filed with Social Security for disability due to my arthritis and fibromyalgia. The lawyers have requested a court date for an appeal as my claim was denied twice. I filed in October of 2007. The court date could be as late as the fall of 2010. In the meantime, I have been living on the money my husband provided.

I am contacting the SSI lawyers to determine whether or not I can break the contract I have with them. Then my doctor will have to release me to work.

Please pray that God's will be done in this situation and that I am able to withstand whatever that is and that I will not grow weary. He promises to take care of us and I know this is in His capable hands.

It is possible that I will have to cut off my internet service for some time. If you do not hear from me for a while, then that it why.

I pray daily for all on the prayer lists and blogs that I am a member of...on Twitter, too. I will continue to lift all of you before our Lord. He knows what the needs are, even if I can not get online to read them!

In order to keep from sinning and hating my husband, I pray and ask God to bless him daily. The Bible says we are to pray for our enemies and this man qualifies. The Bible also says that a man who does not provide for his family is worse than a traitor. Please join me in asking God to bless him daily.

I thank you for your time and heart for those who need prayer.

Be blessed~







Phyllis

Party~

Extravagant Grace is one of the blogs I follow faithfully. They are having a party to celebrate their 500th post! Check them out by clicking on the above graphic or the one in my side bar. While you are there be sure enter to win awesome prizes!

Please tell them Phyllis sent you.

Phyllis

Online Treasure and Prayer Requests

"Ye have not because ye ask not." That was the response when I cried out to God that I needed help in carrying the burden of praying for healing for My Beloved. So...I asked!

Yesterday I was led to two incredible sites on the internet. The first one I told you about here.

Today I wish to tell you about an online treasure. The Prayer Hubs is an online group of like-minded individuals who believe in the power of prayer. I wrote to Amias and got a very quick response. After requesting additional information, he posted this.

I thank God that He is ever faithful. I thank God for Amias and the others at The Prayer Hub who have come along side me and now help carry my burden. I thank God that "By Christ's stripes My Beloved is healed!" I thank God that He has given me access to other people for whom I can now intercede.

Pray It-Say It~

I love reading other people's blogs! Today one of the ones I visited had a link to Pray It-Say It which is an awesome site for those of us who believe in the power of prayer. You type in the name of the person you wish to pray for, then click a category for your prayer, and the script generates personalized scriptures and a model prayer. There is also an option to send the person an e-card.

I have been steadily praying for My Beloved and his health issues, so I put in "Jeffrey" and clicked "Health". Here is what I got:

SCRIPTURES:

"You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry." Psalm 10:17 (NIV)

"For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help." Psalm 22:24 (NIV)

"O Lord my God, I called to You for help and you healed me." Psalm 30:2 (NIV)

"Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all." Psalm 34:19 (NASB)

PRAYER:

Father, You formed us in our mother's womb and established the number of our days before there was even one of them. You are intimately acquainted with all of our ways, and nothing escapes Your notice.

Jesus, You are the Great Physician, and there is nothing too difficult for You. So I bring Jeffrey before You now, and ask that you would touch them with Your almighty power. Your word says that "You hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry." Hear Jeffrey now, as they cry out to You and answer them in this time of need.

Touch their bodies Lord, with the strength they need to fight this condition that they may recover quickly. Your Word declares that it's by Your stripes that we are healed, so I take hold of that promise for Jeffrey right now, and I proclaim Your provision for their healing. Let Your peace overshadow them, and Your presence be their comfort at this time. I pray in Jesus' mighty name, Amen!

I have added the script to my sidebar. I hope it blesses you as much as it has me.

Be Blessed~

Phyllis

Sometimes...

Weekends seem to be particularly difficult for me. Can you suffer Empty Nest Syndrome when there are still kids living at home?

I am so tired of being depressed, sad, and lonely. I get so down and miserable and yet I do have God active, alive, and well in my life. What must it be like for those who do not?

I try to blog often, but most days it seems it would be futile. Who wants to hear about my depression? Aches? Pains? Thank God that He does not tire of me. When depression kicks in I can not operate in the love, grace, and mercy that I have been called to share with those around me.

The never-ending underlying theme is that I miss My Beloved and long to see him.I do realize he is only a man and that he makes it a priority to make certain that I know he thinks of me often. But, dammit, this is hard. I get, sad, lonely, fearful, and mad. Sometimes I just need a hug. Sometimes I need an "atta girl". Sometimes I need to look in the eyes where I am dancing in the fire. God's grace is sufficient and yet there are times when I need a physical presence.

I believe that God put the love I have carried for over 25 years for this man deep in the innermost recesses of my heart. I am grateful for that. I believe He has prepared me for a time such as this. I am grateful for that. I believe He will restore the years that the locusts ate away. I am grateful for that. I believe that same restoration has already begun.

I have things now that I did not have for 24 years. I have new memories. I have lots of wonderful photos...proof that I have not only seen him, but proof that I have even touched and been touched by him. I have the knowledge that he, too, carried me in the innermost recesses of his heart for all those lonely years. I am grateful for that.

I have a much deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. I am most grateful for that.

I also have new expectations. Perhaps therein lies my problem.

Love is...

When My Beloved and I began talking on a regular basis two years ago, I felt the need to apologize for the hurt and pain my choices of 23 years ago had caused him.

I believe intent is everything and that all desisions we make affect those around us. What makes the diffrence in our sinning or not is whether we are honestly doing what is best for us or trying to hurt someone.

Becoming pregnant changed everything including circumstances that I could or could not live with while raising our child. I chose to leave Virginia and came home to Ohio. I know how this affected me so I also know how it affected him.

Leaving him was the hardest thing I ever did, but I did what I had to do. Knowing that I hurt him deeply was the regret I carried. When I apologized, he said, "I don't want you to be sorry. When you love someone, really love someone, you let things go."

For the first time in my life, I saw 1 Corinthians 13:7 in action. This man truly knew what the definition of love is~ The way he loves me inspires me to be a better person and causes me to trust him with my whole heart. It makes me love him back!

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

From Bible Gateway. The Message Bible.

Good Morning, Lord~

This morning at 6:30am my phone rang. It was My Beloved! Just the sound of his ringtone on my cell phone causes my spirit to soar. Being 500 miles apart is hard for any relationship and it has been a long time since we could just talk. We both needed the other this morning.

It never fails to amaze me how important it is to this man to make sure that I know he loves me and thinks of me often. He knows I need that reassurance. God knows I need it, too.

This long distance relationship has caused me to run straight into the arms of My Heavenly Father on so many occasions. My Beloved is a man-a mere mortal-and although we love each other dearly, circumstances dictate that we can not wake up next to one another and share our days and nights together. Loneliness tortures me. Anger taunts me. Fear attempts to consume me. Hopelessness grabs at my soul.

I have often prayed to God that He would rise up in my spirit and that I would cry out to Him first and no longer as a last resort. Be careful what you pray for! He loves me and will answer my prayers. I believe the ones I pray that entail me being closer to Him are the ones He holds dearest. He knows my inner most parts, He knows the love He has placed deep within my heart for this man. He knows my every thing.

Once a scripture gets ahold of me, I hang on until the fruit of it is thriving in my life. I read Psalms 37:4 which promises: Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. First an action then a promise of reward. Smart Father, He is! I use the same principle with my children..."If and Then." IF I delight myself in the Lord, THEN He will give me the desires of my heart. Having battled depression most of my life, I didn't have a clue how to delight myself in any thing! I so desperately wanted to live out the desires of my heart....desires that He had placed there.

Finally, I cried out, "Daddy! I want the desires of my heart! Help me to delight myself in You!" Imagine the delight in a Father's heart when His child asks for what He has wanted to give them all along. Things began happening in my every day life. I became all the more aware of the wonderful things I often took for granted. The sun became shinier, the sky bluer, the breeze more refreshing. I grew in my understanding of Him and His ways.

He even tell us that His ways are not our ways and that His thoughts are higher than ours. Even as a parent I don't understand why He allows what He allows but this is where faith comes in. Faith, not blind disobedience but, a choice to trust in His wisdom and the knowledge that He knows what is best for me. It is not always easy to walk the path laid before me even knowing that not only is He there, but that He will even carry me when I can no longer move forward.

And even more amazing is the fact that regardless of how terribly I mess up, He is there to help me to my feet, brush me off, and restore me. He is LOVE!

Promises to live by~

Romans 8:27-29 (King James Version)
27And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Song of Solomon 2:16 (King James Version)
16My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.

Psalm 37:4 (King James Version)
4Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.