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Breaking News!

Those of you who have been following this blog ministry have shared in my recovery journey, maybe learned some lessons with me and hopefully seen my writing skills improve.

In the past my format hasn’t been formal, but over the last year I’ve learned to post more consistently. By posting weekly, my readership has increased tremendously, which is quite encouraging to me. Among various topical blogs, I’ve posted monthly columns on working the 12-Steps, with Book Reviews thrown in the mix here and there.

This year God has given me a clear format and some fresh ideas that I’m very excited about. Along with the 12-Steps and Book Reviews, I’m adding a monthly column dedicated to Christian Virtues as they relate to the topics of hurting women. Also new this year, will be a weekly column dedicated to the specific hurts women struggle with.

Reaching Hurting Women will continue to post on Wednesday morning with a dedicated topic for each week. The month will look like this: Working the Steps, Book Reviews, Christian Virtues and Healing Hurts.

I hope you are as excited as I am! God is so faithful to guide me in this budding ministry as I strive to reach the hurting women in our world with the freedom found only in Jesus Christ. I look forward to the new year ahead and more lessons learned together.

Thank you for supporting me in this cause. God Bless You! <3

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Declarations not Resolutions!

This time of year there’s a lot of talk about New Year’s Resolutions. Some people take them seriously–others not so much. 

With the traditional resolution route we are depending on our own discipline and will power to make changes occur. By speaking declarations based on God’s Word we are depending on His power and strength to bring the needed changes about.

For several years I’ve been speaking the declarations listed below and have seen marvelous changes take place as a result.

Start today! Speak the creative power of God’s Word over your life and you too will see incredible changes before you know it!

Declare Your Blessings!

  • I declare I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and I have a clear direction for my life.
  • I declare I am blessed with creativity, courage, ability and abundance.
  • I declare I am blessed with a strong will, with self-control and self-discipline.
  • I declare I am blessed with a great family, good friends, with good health, with faith, favor and fulfillment.
  • I declare I am blessed with success, with supernatural strength, with promotion, and divine protection.
  • I declare I am blessed with an obedient heart and with a positive outlook on life.
  • I declare any curse that’s ever been spoken over me, any negative evil word that’s ever come against me is broken right now.
  • I declare I am blessed in the city; I’m blessed in the country. I’m blessed when I go in and when I come out.
  • I declare everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed.
  • I declare I AM BLESSED in Jesus’ name!***

***Excerpt from Joel Osteen’s Hope for Today Bible

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Forget the Rush!

No matter how much we try to simplify our lives, December always seems to bring with it the inevitable Christmas Rush! I avoid malls at all cost but still stress creeps in.


When my children were growing up I spent every Christmas grumpy and stressed out. With grandchildren now, I don’t want Christmas to go by in a frazzled blur. I’m determined to slow down, enjoy putting a holiday puzzle together, making cookies, cupcakes and a gingerbread house.

We try to take the focus off presents and keep it on time with family and friends. It not only saves money but teaches our little ones that the true meaning of Christmas isn’t about what we have under the tree but Who is in our heart.




This week forget the rush! Find time to sit by the fire with the loved ones in your life and ponder the reason for the season…

The Gift of Salvation came to earth wrapped in a sweet baby boy…

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Lust :: Warning

Lust is our warning that danger is ahead.

In today’s media-driven, pornography-accepting world, you don’t hear much about lust. Most people won’t admit they do it, much less admit they have a problem with it.

When I was an active sex addict lust ruled my life. It didn’t matter what sparked it… once the idea or image was in my mind, the game was on. And sure as the sun comes up, trouble was ahead. It might not show up today or even tomorrow, but it was coming.

 …don’t think you’ve preserved your virtue simply by staying out of bed. Your heart can be corrupted by lust even quicker than your body. ~ Matthew 5:28 MSG

Some will argue that it’s alright to break God’s rules as long as no one gets hurt. But the truth is, someone always gets hurt. God doesn’t have rules to keep us from having a good time, but to help us not destroy our lives. Just like a loving parent puts boundaries on a young child for their safety; God’s rules are for our protection.

Take it from someone who knows from experience… Lust is dangerous! From a generational perspective, the lust my father gave in to when I was a child had serious effects on me that I still deal with today. Lust was at the foundation of many bad things that happened in my marriage and my family.

We must beware when attracted to another person we aren’t married to. If given in to, our desires may lead us somewhere we don’t want to go. Lust is a warning sign from God. To stay strong, we must immediately ask God to change our desires before we are drawn into sin.  

So anyone who thinks they are standing strong should be careful that they don’t fall. The only temptations that you have are the same temptations that all people have. But you can trust God. He will not let you be tempted more than you can bear. But when you are tempted, God will also give you a way to escape that temptation. Then you will be able to endure it. ~ 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 ERV

Stay Strong by The Newsboys…

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Working the Steps: Step 12

December… the perfect month to focus on Step 12:

Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

We are all recovering from something: hurts, habits or hang-ups. And if we’re recovering, that means someone helped us overcome our problem. And if it was Christ, we must tell others.

When I was homeschooling my children in the 90’s we had The 21 Rules of This House by Gregg Harris on our refrigerator. (still do by the way) One of my favorites is Rule #11: When we have something nice to share, we share it.

What better gift to give someone who’s hurting than your story out of bondage into freedom! 

This Christmas season, give hope to someone; take an opportunity to share what God has done in your life. I believe people are more receptive to The Good News this time of year than any other. 

For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, and wrong… slaves to passions and pleasures of all kinds… But when the kindness and love of God our Savior was revealed, he saved us… God poured out the Holy Spirit abundantly on us through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that by his grace we might be put right with God and come into possession of the eternal life we hope for. This is a true saying. ~Titus 3:3-8

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Truth or Consequences

What is driving your life?

                     

                                         
There’s no doubt we can get our circumstances in a pickle by making bad choices. Often we allow our lives to be driven by the consequences of those mistakes.
 
I made a host of bad choices that kept my life in a mess for many years. Even though I had turned my life back over to God and was living a sober lifestyle, I still had to suffer many consequences of my past actions.

We must make the choice to live according to the Truth of God’s Word rather than be in the pit of consequence despair.

Therefore since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. he was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward. ~ Hebrews 12:1-3

As the author of Hebrews tells us, Jesus faced consequences of sin, albeit not His, but ours. Yet as He suffered, He focused on the prize ahead. So we should not look back with regret at the things that have brought us to this place of painful consequences. But rather see the truth that these consequences are making us stronger for the race ahead…

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Working the Steps: Step 11

In preparation for Thanksgiving it’s appropriate that we focus on Step 11:


We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will and the power to carry it out.

Many of us struggle with the holiday season; fighting through memories of bad choices that have left us alone, even estranged from loved ones. It is in these times that Step 11 can be most helpful.

Seeking God through prayer and meditation on His Word we will find the strength to press on…

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Know Your Enemy

To live a victorious life we must know our enemy and understand our personal weaknesses.

Military leaders study the strategies of their enemy as they prepare to defeat them. Sports coaches watch recordings of the opposing team to learn their strengths and weaknesses. We, too, must know our enemy and where he is going to try and defeat us.

Most of us who are followers of Christ know who our enemy is. But often we are unprepared for his attacks because we don’t understand our own personal weaknesses.

It helps to spend time reflecting on life to see where we failed and how the enemy got the best of us in the past. Then, with God’s help, as we recognize theses areas of weakness we can guard from future attacks.

Photo courtesy 123RF Stock Photos

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Fill Me Up God

If you, like me, have been running on empty, join me as I soak in God’s presence…

Stop what you’re doing. Read the lyrics, click on the music video below, lay down on the floor and together let’s allow God to fill us up…

You provide the fire
I’ll provide the sacrifice
You provide the Spirit
I will open up inside

Fill me up, God
Fill me up, God
Fill me up, God
Fill me up

Love of God…overflow
Permeate…all my soul

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Running on Empty

This blog ministry is dedicated to reaching women who are hurting in some way.

I’m struggling to find words that will minister to you because I’m in need myself.

These last two months have been incredibly busy for our family and business. All good, but none the less, I pushed myself past physical, mental and emotional exhaustion to complete spiritual emptiness.

Instead of sharing lame words of encouragement I will ask for your prayers.

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