Don't Give Up

Have you ever given up on a dream and then regretted it tremendously? Have you ever been up for a promotion at work and because they kept putting you off you just quit and started over some place else? Have you given up on a marriage you really wanted to work? Do you have a prodigal son or daughter that you feel will never return home? How long do we wait for the outcome we so desperately want? What do we do while we are waiting? How do we know if our dreams will ever really come true? Wow! I wish I had the answers to some of these questions. My life would have gone a lot differently if I had. What is that old saying… “better late than never”. I must agree. Wouldn’t you rather win the lottery at some point in your life than never win at all? Well, this isn’t about the lottery but I do have a testimony to share that I pray brings you some encouragement. About 15 years ago when I was about six years into my walk with God I had a random minister prophecy television ministry over me. It ...

When others unrightfully judge us it can be so harsh and unexpected that it stops us in our tracks but for some reason we let it define what we think of ourselves anyway. Why?  I find myself in one of the most difficult situations of my life and because I am concerning myself of what others will think of me I find myself crying in agony on the daily. My grandmother, 85, lives with me. She has kidney failure. She is dying. She is not eating or drinking enough to keep herself going and it is pure hell watching her go through this. We have people (that we pay out of pocket) coming in to take care of her during the day and the family takes shifts sitting with her at night until we put her to bed. She is wearing a diaper. She can’t walk. She can barely communicate. She cries when we bathe her. It seems so cruel. Someone that served God faithfully her entire life is now suffering a terrible end. It seems so unfair. But we are not promised fair. We are promised eternal glory. That w...

Do you have dreams? Plans? Goals? A bucket list? Does daydreaming and planning towards these goals get you all excited inside and you feel like you just can’t wait to get started? Every positive thought leaves you feeling stronger and even more excited than the previous and then BOOM...suddenly the voices in your head begin to try to talk you out of moving forward? Does a negative thought pop out of nowhere, so crippling, that you stop in your tracks and give up? Why does this happen? And so often too? I have been seeking the Lord for a while on what is next for me? A few years ago He laid on my heart the idea of a Christian Talk Show. I’ve been blessed to co-host a couple and they are so much fun. I immediately dismissed the thought that this could become a reality, but it always came back, stronger and lingering a bit longer. As I would dream of the impact this could have on so many I would get really excited. I imagined me and a couple of my Christian besties sitting around wi...

When I say to you God is my everything, I am not tickling your ears with some beautiful compliment for my Creator. I literally mean He is my everything. When I say I understand what you are going through and I’ve been there, I am not just trying to empathize with you, although I do; I truly mean I’ve been there. I’ve battled depression, fought suicidal thoughts, I’ve been abused, I’ve been sexually assaulted, I’ve dealt with addiction in all forms, I’ve been betrayed and used. I’ve been lied to by those closest to me and put in situations where I was forced to take sides and resented being put there. I’ve been stolen from and I’ve even had family spread terrible rumors about me. I’ve had health issues, marital issues, parental issues...Issues about issues...I’ve been there. Is it weird that even though these people have hurt me to the depth of my core that I still feel a need to protect them? It is an odd place I find myself. Do you ever feel like that? Like you want to share your ...

As I sit here and contemplate all of the changes that are happening in my life right now I find myself reflecting on all of the things that have taken up my time over the years. How did I get here?

I'm going to write this now. Now when the creditors are knocking at the door. Now when the mess in my house is beyond my comprehension of how to fix. Now when every vehicle and boat is in need of work. Now when the legal issues are growing in a bad way instead of a good way. Now when I feel guilty when I wake up in the morning and realize that – on the surface – we look like bad Christians – not holding to our word in our finances – not looking like a family that is put together and has good strategies that work handling our kids and our situations. I am sick and tired of seeing people who live in million dollar mansions; who have good established marriages and families; who have overcome addictions and tragedies in their past and right now are doing well; I am sick and tired of those people telling me that God is going to do good things in my life – and all that I have to do is believe. Yeah, I am sure they have gone through some rough times. I do not know their lives and ...

Do you ever feel like you are doing everything you can and nothing seems to be falling into place? You work hard but there never seems to be enough money. You try to manage your time wisely but there never seems to be enough time to get everything done. You try to eat healthy but the drive thru is so much faster. I feel you. I have struggled with all of these things myself. I miss the commercial from back in the day that said, “Calgon take me away”. Sometimes I just want to get away and I do sometimes. However, I have found that getting away doesn’t make the issues of my life go away. I have also found that sometimes no matter how much scripture I read in a day, my problems don’t miraculously go away either. Sometimes we just have to go through. How depressing does that sound? I remember reading a book to my children when they were little. It was the story of a mama bear and her cub and they were on an adventure. Along the way they came up against some obstacles that they could not...