Broken

Despite the apparent flaws of broken people, amazingly God uses those fissures and cracks and breaks to shine His Light. In fact, it is those things of greatest repair that cast the most shimmering rays of hope into the darkness.

Some of the broken have fissures that dig deep through the skin and fleshy layers and cut to the heart. Others have shallow, surface cracks that cascade like webs, covering their whole facade. And a few are unrecognizable because only bits and shards of their former self remain.

Rather than brokenness being an act of ruin,

if we let our brokenness

be the shattering

of our own self-will,

then, and only then, will we depend solely upon God to make us whole.

Did you get that? We need to

let our brokenness

be the shattering

of our own self-will.

Simply put, we cannot reassemble our own vessels. We cannot tell God or a preacher or a friend how we want to look when we are healed and restored. If we think we must have that sort of say-so, we are not really ready for a complete restoration in Him.

Healing hearts and renewing minds is not about smoothing wrinkles, lifting saggy places, or plumping lips, it is about:

humble hearts

contrite spirits

and complete surrender...

to the One and only God who can make us whole. The restoration comes only after the breaking.

in the breaking-

Gideon's men shined

His saving light

in the breaking-

a widow poured

His blessing oil

in the breaking-

Mary's alabaster spilled

His righteous perfume

in the breaking-

a boy shared

His humble bread

in the breaking-

Esther's faith rescued

His chosen people

in the breaking-

our God revealed

His precious Son

in the breaking-

in the breaking-

Jesus.

Throughout the Bible God used broken things, like bread and lanterns and alabaster flasks, but more than that, He used broken people. And He continues in this manner today, using the broken to shine His greatest light of glory & love & redemption & healing & salvation.

Are you ready?

Are you willing?

Have you set your own self aside?

Have you endured the sharp places long enough?

Come. Come to Christ with a humble and contrite heart. Whether is is barely cracked or it is completely shattered into dusty hunks and sharp shards, bring it. Bring all of your broken parts.

Now, give it up. Every single little piece. God wants to meet you there, in the breaking. In the already broken. He has been waiting for this time with you, dear one.

Have you noticed that candlelight not only illuminates a dark room, but when it shines forth from a cracked glass jar, it bounces and shimmers and dances? Have you seen this? It is this sort of flickering light, shining through fissures and even cascading web-like cracks, that brightens rooms with unique beauty.

You there. Yes, you. You, be that that beauty. I am here to listen. And pray. Please leave a note in the comment box or just go on your silent way. Just know that I have covered you in prayer this day.

Let us humbly pray:

Father God, oh how I come to You with a heart that wants others to feel and know and breathe Your healing and restoration. Whatever caused their brokenness, set that aside and continually whisper Your Truth into their ears. Fill them with Your beauty. Your love. Your freedom. Shine Your light into all their nooks and crannies. Use the willing and the ready to shine Your light into and onto others who desperately need and seek Your healing. Lord, lead the broken to Your feet just as You did with me. Let Your love shine through all of our broken places. In Jesus' name, amen.

Truths:

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,

A broken and a contrite heart—

These, O God, You will not despise.

~ Psalm 51:17

For thus says the High and Lofty One

Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:

“I dwell in the high and holy place,

With him who has a contrite and humble spirit,

To revive the spirit of the humble,

And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

~ Isaiah 57:15

Humble yourselves

in the sight of the Lord,

and He will lift you up.

~ James 4:10

For all those things My hand has made,

And all those things exist,”

Says the LORD.

“But on this one will I look:

On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit,

And who trembles at My word.

~ Isaiah 66:2

* brokenness quote in bold credit: Brokenness, Surrender, Holiness by Nancy Leigh DeMoss p. 44

* all scripture taken from NKJV

* Darlene's "in the breaking" poem inspired by "Streams in the Desert" by L.B. Cowman;

Oct. 15 reading

* image: taken by me (aka A Simple Country Girl)

Beautiful Truth

"Finally, brethren,

whatever things are true,

whatever things are noble,

whatever things are just,

whatever things are pure,

whatever things are lovely,

...

meditate on these things."

~ Philippians 4:8 (NKJV)

make for yourself

an alone place

with empty space enough

to reflect

and to pray,

for this is where He seeks

your upturned face,

perhaps glistening wet with tears

because you felt His gentle

and loving embrace.

in the silence

of this day,

open your heart

to hear

what Truths He has to say,

for it shall be

in such a way

that healing flows

swift with

His bountiful,

merciful,

beautiful

grace.

Friends, please forgive me for neglecting this place, this sacred space. Although my heart, my mind, and my focus wavered and fluttered, my faith has stayed the same. I am forgiven. I am free. I am a new woman in Christ.

And I desperately want to share this gift with you.

Your healing matters to me.

I know not the plans or the route or the fellow travelers on this journey. The only thing I am certain of is His presence.

His forgiveness.

His strength.

His mercy.

His grace.

His heart.

Him.

That ole nasty enemy would like discouragement and confusion to reign, but I am praising God and asking for His Truth to fall from the heavens and water our searching hearts so we can blossom fully into the beautiful women He created us to be.

Let us humbly pray:

Father God, turn each woman's heart to you this day. Fill any voids with Your Truth and mercy and love. Pour Your thoughts into these hearts so that they spill over with Your love. Grant every woman some quiet time each day so they are able to fully grasp Your gifts of forgiveness and freedom. Focus each mind on what is beautiful and True, both in them and in You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.

Us Only

"Let us go over to the other side."

~ Mark 4:35

Christ said that.

Notice the "us" in the simple statement.

Disciples, men hand-picked by Jesus, being told to climb aboard. With Him.

Christ said, "Let us go over to the other side" - not "to the middle of the lake to be drowned." (Daniel Crawford; Streams in the Desert by Cowman; June 3 reading)

He didn't intend for the boat to capsize and the sea to swallow them all whole. Jesus wanted his disciples to come with Him.

To come with Him.

Join Him.

As in "you and Me". Together boys. Come on fellas, get in the boat. With Me.

I don't reckon God wants us in the boat with Him so that He can take us to the middle of the lake and turn us out. Maybe He wants us in the boat so when seas get rocking and waves get nasty, we will cling to Him.

We must let go of that which threatens to drown us. Unforgiveness. Guilt. Shame. Sadness. Wounds. Lies.

How about this? Let me know what your prayer needs are on your journey to being healed and renewed. As you row your boat, I will be there too. And when the sea seems roughest, that is when you must heave all that junk overboard. Toss it to the sea. Drown it.

And leave it there.

Now don't you see that by the time you reach the other side, you will be free! Your hand, your heart, your mind... Grasp God. Cling to Him. Fill your empty places with His healing. With His renewing.

“Do not be afraid; only believe.”

~ Mark 5:36

Christ said that too.

Notice the "only" in this simple statement.

Jairus, one of the rulers of the synagogue, being told to "only" believe. The man was a ruler. Of a synagogue. And he had to be told where to put the focus of his soul.

To believe in Christ, not the words of the world. Not the words of even his friends. But to believe.

Only.

If Jesus told you to do this, what is it that you would retain as your belief?

What about all that other stuff (Unforgiveness. Guilt. Shame. Sadness. Wounds. Lies.)? It is all darkness, so let it meld into the background. Let it become nothing of focus.

Let it go.

Turn your soul dial. A bit more. Come on, some more. There. What do you see?

Only Christ?

Us Only

U-under God's wing

S-sit and sing

O-omnipresent, alpha to omega

N-no other does reign

L-lean into Him

Y-yes you, now fiercely cling

Let us humbly pray:

Father God, bless each one reading this today. Fill each one with Your Truth and love. Help each one to cast off their burdens and cling to You. Lord, I am trusting in You to bring them to the other side of the sea, to a place filled with forgiveness and redemption and healing and renewing. In Jesus' name, amen.

* This piece was also posted at Aspire to Lead a Quiet Life--although it is in its entirety here.

The Light

Admittedly, sometimes I struggle with this ministry blog. I think I am too eager to see God moving in other peoples lives. Too eager to see healing. And renewing. And sometimes I even feel guilty for sitting comfortably in front of a computer screen, merely plunking out words while others are on the battlefront lines, caring for the brokenhearted and holding actual hands in theirs. But isn't that just where the nasty little enemy would have me--wallowing around in a state of confusion and doubt?

I plainly heard God speak to me, so I obeyed by starting this ministry site. Friends, I want your broken hearts and tangled minds to heal. I want God to find you and you to let Him in. Oh, how I yearn for this. Selfishly I want to know of your healing and your renewing in Christ. For when it happened to me, I became a new woman. And then when I wrenched my abortion secret from the drowning depths of my heart, He rescued me again.

He rescued me again.

He wants to rescue you too. He yearns for this. He wants yo to be a new woman too.

As I plunk keyboards and pound the gates with prayers, my friend and sister in Christ, Jennifer, boldly leads women to hope and healing as a Surrendering the Secret leader. In addition to her ministry calling, her job involves birth moms and birthed babies and adoption papers. She is part of my outstanding HHRM prayer team and is the captain of its cheering squad. She is hands-on in healing, in walking the bumpy road with others, sending encouragement, bowing in prayer, detouring women away from the deceptive doors of abortion, and loving sisters wounded by it.

Recently God has been speaking to her. Despite her vulnerabilities, she is listening and obeying, and in doing so, sharing the aches and pains and the heart beats of her very soul. Friends, please join me in reading a poem penned not just by her hands, but one that flowed from her tender warrior's heart...

The Light

These women Lord-they go into an abortion clinic one person and come out another.
Never to be the same.
Never to be who we once were.
We lose a piece of ourselves in that place.
Not only do we lose our child, we lose ourselves.
We don't realize it at the time.
Relief comes so quickly.
But then pain-numbness-anger-regret
It swallows us, holds us down
Like the raging sea-
But who can we tell?
Who would understand?
We chose this.
We chose to end a life.
We thought we knew best.
We thought we were in control.
Sadly, we lost that control the minute we make the decision to abort our child.
The enemy now has it.
Oh, how he loves it.
He loves where we are.
He can't wait to destroy us.
He loves watching us drown.
He waits and lurks and cheers as we continue to drown.
He wants our ultimate destruction.
He wants us completely destroyed.

But wait......
What's that?
A hand reaching into the abyss.
A light ever so slightly, shining in the darkness.
I can't reach it-
I'm afraid-
I'm trying-I'm kicking-I'm screaming-
but it's so faint, so far away.
Who would dare come down this far?
Who would want to share this place with me?
It's so dark down here-
So lonely-
So heavy-
There is nothing but shame and guilt here.
Who would dare come so close to me?

There it is again!
Only it's a bit brighter now.
Maybe I'm seeing things.
Maybe it's all in my head.
But no, I see it.
The light is getting brighter.
Is someone coming to rescue me?
I'm afraid to hope.
I'm afraid to open myself up.
This pain is too much.

Here He comes.
Who could this be?
Who would dare to rescue me?
The light is so bright now.
The darkness has been swallowed.
Light-precious light
How I missed your warmth
This man I see-
Surrounded in light
Stretching His hand out to me.
Do I take it?
Is it real?
Is there one who can save me?

I am He, he says.
I want your darkness.
I can heal you and make your whole.
He reaches for me.
He brings me to Him.
He embraces me.
Oh the warmth, the light, the peace.

Only HE can heal me.

"But you are a chosen people,
A royal priesthood, a holy nation,
a people belonging to God,
that you may declare the praises
of Him, who called you out of the
darkness into his wonderful light"
1 Peter 2:9

It's time sweet sisters.

It's time to step out of the darkness and into HIS light.

Jennifer's HHRM guest post link.

My introduction of Jennifer to HHRM.

Let us humbly pray:

Father God, here we are, gathered in Your name as we ask for Your light of love and redemption and healing to shine deep into the dark and even scary places of unhealed hearts. Lord, give each of us all that is need to make us whole. Touch our wounds with Your presence. And love us like crazy so that we may walk unabashedly and unashamed and loudly proclaiming Your wondrous shining Light. Thank you Father for sisters who share their hearts and their hope in You! In Jesus' name, Amen.

Sin-shackles

Pain tightened

blood trickled

and dripped

Alas, the sin-

shackles fell

Clank!

And now within you

the Holy Spirit

does dwell

Freedom!

Reach out,

for God

you will find

Fly!

As He heals your broken heart

and renews your shattered mind

Love tightens

as His forgiveness

sets you free

Do you have bondage to unforgiveness, guilt, and/or shame? Just a little bit? Or even a whole lot?

As we focus hearts and minds on Christ's death and Resurrection, are you thinking on what this means for you? For your sins? Oh, we easily recognize what this means for us--just as Christ defeated death, so will we. We will spend eternity with Him and our brothers and sisters in Christ. Not to lessen that miraculous and merciful and unmerited gift, I would like to take a little different route today with another question. What does all of that mean for my sins. For your sins?

They died.

They died with Christ.

Gone.

Bye-bye.

Finished.

Then, after bleeding and dying a horrific death, three days later, He was walking and talking again. His Resurrection is all about Life. My life. Your life. It is not about dragging around those super heavy, cumbersome sin-shackles that cut through skin and pierce flesh deep, right to the very soul. It is about living the life God wants for you. It is about pointing others to Him.

It is about taking off the sin-shackles and flying free!

* Christ's death and His Resurrection free us from sin. Really, it is true! Each sin. Every sin. All of my sins. All of your sins.

Do you hear the sin-shackles clank heavy to the ground?

* The Holy Spirit gives us power and even infiltrates our thinking so we can think and live as a true Christ-follower. Yes, indeed. It is true!

Being freed from sin, do you purposefully draw close to God or do you resist, even ever so slightly? Do you pull back, thinking it is not all really for you?

Remember those sin-shackles? They fell. You are free! Free in Christ.

* God purifies and empowers us for His purpose and His will. Praise God, this is true!

Do you stand a bit aloof and just try to muscle through it all on your own? If you are still dragging those sin-shackles, aren't they heavy? Too heavy for you alone to bear?

Reach out, dear friend, and grab His hand! He will lead you where He wants you to go. He will infuse your heart and mind with Truth. And the journey will be easier, for He already loosed those sin-shackles and heaved them entirely off of your road.

For the grace of God that brings salvation

has appeared to all men,

teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts,

we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,

looking for the blessed hope

and glorious appearing

of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

who gave Himself for us,

that He might redeem us

from every lawless deed

and purify for Himself

His own special people,

zealous for good works.

~ Titus 2:11-14

*This post was written after reading Titus 2:11-14 and the notes from my NKJV Life Application Study Bible. Their notes and my words are woven together... The beginning poem flowed from Him through my pen.

Let us humbly pray:

Father God, give us the grace that brings salvation. And teach us that while we deny ungodly and wordly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this age. Help us to look for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of Jesus Christ. Fill us with the knowledge and Truth of our redemption and purification through Christ's death and His glorious Resurrection. And Lord, make us zealous for Your good works, that we may be a beacon in the darkness, leading others to You. In Jesus' name, amen.

Gently, oh so very gently, offered to Ann's community at A Holy Experience, in hopes of encouraging just one who yearns for healing or someone who knows just one who craves renewing...