my careless contagion

Though I may have overshared on this platform (after all, someone may actually be reading), it has a purpose. I'm going to hold back a little because what God is doing is precious and I want to focus on it. Having said that, here is a very hopeful post. Let it soak into your heart. There is always hope when one seeks God. Some things happened recently that changed the trajectory of my life. This isn’t a gee-look-how-great-I’m-doing post. And I know how far I have to go. But, it is a step in the right direction. A big step.  When I thought of moving forward with a woman, I conjured the phrase "looking for a beautiful soul and a curious mind." Then I added she must protect my heart. Quite an important afterthought. Indeed, my Tumblr says something like "love letters to a beautiful soul," though that soul was never named. It was hopeful. Like she was out there somewhere. Maybe even looking for me.  I created a Tumblr account while going through my divorce. It helpe...

The fruit of the spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23 are listed above. Grammatically, they are listed in the verses as one entity, but they are nine distinct properties. Rarely does one person exhibit all these fruits of the Holy Spirit. Or they do so only for a time. The fruit of the spirit is born out of labor. It isn't free. It doesn't just happen. We have to work to bring it forth, just as we have to tend to our trees and plants to make them produce. Much labor brings forth fruit.  The woman I was in love with consistently exhibited many of these characteristics through the years. As long as I knew her, she was like that. Not only did she exemplify the virtuous woman in Proverbs, but she also exhibited many of the fruits listed in Galatians 5:22-23. This further reinforces what I feel about her being a treasure for any man. It certainly makes her a wonderful role model for her children and ex-husband, as well as many others.  Of course, I know no one is perfect. But you'...

I posted this on my other blog, but I felt the urge to post here as well because I want to get this out there in as many ways as possible.  As believers, we know Jesus Christ won the most amazing spiritual victory for the entire world at Calvary. We know it was also at a tremendous cost. The devil surely thought he won by killing the Savior of the world, but little did he know he just unleashed a literal flood of grace upon all of humanity. Before Calvary, only the Jews received God's favor. After Calvary, all of mankind was included. Salvation was available for all. The devil worked so hard to ensure his own defeat. What a beautiful thing. But what an ugly process. The below is a blow-by-blow attempt to describe the death of Jesus Christ by a doctor.  The original post was found here . I cannot think of what Jesus did for me without weeping, and this is no exception. I post it here because all Christians must understand the incredible cost and brutality of what Jesus endured....

My friends, if you have time and the inclination, will you pray with me? My dear friend is in a dreadful spot. She needs a way out. She needs a door to open. My friends, she is stuck and hurting. Pray with me, if you will.  Heavenly Father, we lift up to you my friend Cindy. Lord, she is hurting. She despairs of life. Many unfair circumstances persist in her life. And she is unable to move forward, though she desperately wants to. She is laden with heavy burdens too heavy to bear. Lord, you know Cindy, and you know she is kind, one of the kindest of your creation. She is a special woman, and we ask that you show her your special plan for the rest of her life. We lift her up to you in prayer and supplication. We ask that you station your angels around her and her family to always protect them from the attacks of the enemy. We also know she is very hard on herself. Remind her you can do so much with a broken vessel, perhaps more than one that is whole. Pour your love into her and let...

Sweet Surrender by John Denver. It's a sweet little song. I love this song and tried for a long time to find a way to post it. The video is from 1994, I believe, and John's voice is lower than the original recording (1974) because he is older and it is a live performance. Like all folk songs, it is accessible and the audience is able to sing along. Before I get into the reasons why I'm posting the song, go ahead and listen.  The part that always stuck out to me was, "My life is worth the livin', I don't need to see the end." Which brings me to why I'm posting this song. This is an unscheduled post, by the way, the next scheduled post is Feb. 8 (hopefully a bit lighter). However, I need to document a specific moment. Bear with me.  Have you ever had a dream that threw your whole day off, like you were still kind of stuck in the dream, unable to reconcile something about it, and it just bothered you something fierce?Imagine waking up every day like that,...

This post was generated from reading this article on child abuse/trauma . Before I start talking about that, let me say this, speaking of Jesus Chris: " But he  was  wounded for our transgressions,  he was  bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace  was  upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5) Victims of child abuse often feel they are to blame. Eventually, they may concede they were not to blame for being abused. If you still wonder, let me reiterate: you are not to blame. But the last part is what I want to focus on. Healing is possible through what Jesus Christ did at Calvary. Healing is part of the package that includes salvation and deliverance that was bought with a precious price. God wants us all to heal.  I read the above article (perhaps I've posted it here previously, too) on Jan. 6. I felt God told me something that night about my situation. Without going into detail, I'm still praying about that and tru...

I don't know if anyone is still reading here. If not, that's fine. But this post is something I rarely do. I'm asking for prayer. If anyone reading here prays and has a moment, please say a prayer for me because I am not doing well, even relative to how I am normally.  Backing up a bit, I feel God gave me a directive Jan. 6, which I immediately requested a confirmation thereof and believed I got the same night. I won't say exactly what either of those things were because I feel I've been wrong to do that sort of thing in the past. It is embarrassing if or when either 1) it becomes clear I haven't heard God's voice or 2) I am not able to perform what I feel God told me to do. So, I will leave the details out and simply ask for prayer regarding this situation. I need to know if I heard God's voice and because of past experiences, I'm unsure if I'm hearing the right voice. That puts me in a rather bad position, but my prayer is God will open the doo...

The story of the woman with the alabaster box has been preached around the world in every country, just as Jesus said it would. It is a very important depiction of a believer's relationship with Jesus, as I will try to reveal. It is a special story I hope to do justice. Below is the excerpt from Luke (Luke 7:36-50), though it is found in each of the gospel accounts. It appears there are two similar, separate accounts of two different women. One involves Mary , brother of Lazarus. She is named. This woman is not named, though she is designated a sinner (aren't we all?). This particular account occurred about a year before Jesus was crucified. It could be she knew Jesus would die for her sins. We don't know. What we do know is she knew Jesus was the Savior. She was genuinely repentant and full of love for Jesus. But, there is more to the story. Let's begin. *** 36  And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee's ...

I love the story of Jesus and Lazarus. I relate the story below so we're all on the same page. This story lends so much insight into the mind of God and His attitude toward human beings, His tremendous, out-of-this-world kindness, and grace. And, it contains the shortest sentence in the King James Bible: "Jesus wept." For those who think men cannot or should not cry, look at our Savior crying over His friend Lazarus, even though he was about to raise him from the dead. So, let's get started. ***  11 Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) 3 Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. 4 When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. 5 Now...