Lindylou - Walking Through Womanhood

Funerals are difficult for most people. We face death, and life pauses long enough for us to realize that relationships are what is most important in life: Our own with God and than the ones we have with each other. I have heard of families feuding at funerals but have never witnessed such a scene. I guess if you live long enough on this earth, you get to experience more and more of what this life has to offer - it must be why you are suppose to have gained wisdom with age. I can't help but chuckle a little at the events of the past week. It is not that it was funny at all, but it was ironic, sad and telling. Family has always been something I missed. Growing up in severe abusive childhood home, I did not have a real sense of family. When I married to an only child, I tried to fit in, but as many married can attest, it is not always easy being accepted, especially when you have problems of your own. While I longed for 'happily ever after' family experien

Look - This is the word for this week's Five Minute Friday ! I began at 11:25 and finished at 11:30. Five minutes to write about the word - Look. I hope you enjoy. When is the last time you really stopped long enough to look? The old saying was to 'stop and smell the roses' but in our busy lives of today we rarely even go slow enough to look. Not a glance, and quickly turn away, but a long steady gaze - long enough to be still and hear God speak His message to your heart. Look - the leaves on the trees are turning colors, the squirrels are packing up the acorns, the deer are strolling out at dusk, and the black birds are migrating in huge flocks heading for warm. Did you see - the tear roll down her face, the way she blushed when his name was brought up, how tense he got when money was discussed, how she walked away when abortion was the topic? Do you feel and hear when you look? Do you see only with your eyes and not with your heart and mind? God h

In every age God raises up believers to be the 'guardians of the faith'. In our present age, society widely believes that individual people can have their own interpretation of truths - in a sense - their own idea of who God is, what is His purpose and how does He relate to us. This attempt to be tolerating of other's personal beliefs -- respectful of any beliefs leads to the assumption that all doctrines of faith in "god" are on an equal basis, but this assumption is not congruent with God's own Words. God knows all truths, His thoughts are higher than ours. While we can not know everything, we have all the Truth we need to know within the pages of the Bible. We can reason together, but we will never be all-knowing as God, nor are will or will we ever become God. The desire to be God - in essence thinking you return to a God-ness state is the great falling point of Satan - He wanted to be a god, and so did Eve and Adam - this is a great evil sin. Even

We are in the midst of a presidential election. some people say they hate politics so they avoid it, but we live in a country where we are represented in our government by who we elect. Every year there is some kind of campaign race, somebody promising us the stars to be our candidate and then often when they secure the job they find out it is not so easy to deliver on their promises. I think they realize that they don't have all-power to fulfill the dreams they laid before us as a candidate. God -on the other hand - is not in a race for our support. He offers Himself and His promises. He delivers on His promises and He does have the power to fulfill what He says He will do. Satan thinks he is still in the race to garner our affections. He had read the end of the Book, but he pretends (lies to himself and everyone else) that it is not coming true. He would rather live in his lies than to face the truth. Are we sometimes like that? Are candidates? Do they live in lies a

"Welcome!" is a warm greeting... an immediate sense of coming home. We love to welcome what is good, but in this world God does not promise us that we will always have bright sunny days and an overflow of money in our accounts... we are not even promised to have a job or good health. One thing we are promised is that in this life like Jesus Christ did we will suffer. How many of us can welcome that concept? But we all knew it is true - sadly... hurt has touched us all whether we are a little child that has fallen and skinned his knees or a grown brave solider who just took at bullet for his Nation in a war. We know this place called earth is not really our home. We sense it every time we hold a dear friend who is at a loss in life or when we mess like we have messed up a relationship by words rashly spoken. We pretend we have a welcoming place here - in our home, in our hearts and in our hope. The truth of it is... we know deep inside... we hold our hope in the f

My life has turned upside down for a little bit.  Gena Suarez's Baby Son Zion! Goodness in Difficult Times My daughter, 15, has been ill since early August. We have new Dr appointments coming up in the next three weeks. We may have possibly discovered what she has - a disorder called 'autonomic dysfunction' of the autonomic system in the body that regulates blood pressure, heart beat, temperature, etc. We are looking hopeful toward meeting the research team at the Vanderbilt University Autonomic Dysfunction Center in a few weeks. Basically she has been at home and on the sofa for nearly two months, falling behind in High School. Also last week a young man, 20, shot himself in an act of suicide. He was the husband to be of a dear friend's daughter and his family also is in our community of faithful believers. Of course, life stops when something like this happens.  And, my son (19) is still in basic training in GA. We have talked him once for about 1

He reached out, but no one saw his hand.  It was invisible -even to those who loved him most. They simply didn't see the pain crying on the inside, held so close, so tightly, walled-up inside for so many years. Every now and then, he sensed he would crack, it scared him so much. He didn't dare want to hurt a soul.  He tried everything he could think of to do - to hold on to life. But in his soul he was tormented - voices condemning, trapping, haunting.  He would wake up at night in a cold sweat, panting, grasping for air. How could he go on? How long could he live a charade?  God saw his pain. He cried out to Him, "Help me, God, please help me. I can't do this anymore. I am losing it. I might let go..."....he lifted up the gun, pressed the trigger against his head and in an instant God grasped his hand. This post is part of Five Minute Friday! Let me explain: Lisa-Jo Baker  has a blog that I love to read. She has this thing on Frid

We live in a special time in history. We are blessed with the ability to be immersed in endless beauty if we so choose. By the moving our fingertips across little keys we can find sight after sight of photos providing us a precious moment, a creative setting, and a wonderous view of nature from literally around the world. Our eyes are able to feast upon the beauty found in every corner of the earth. I love how pictures speak so many words to our hearts, and to each the message is uniquely their own. I am simply awed by the beauty that can be found in every day of our life if we choose to open our senses and absorb... to see, to listen, to hear, to touch, and to intentionally interact.  While nature for me brings a closeness heaven- my retreat from all that drains me in daily life, I purposely surround  my home with beauty too. Soft, bold, reflective, and nurturing items that reinforce the joy in my heart seeded by God and to water my soul. So, choose today to ta

Do you need to know you are loved? My life has entered a new season. I say that and truly it is simply a continuation of constant change - life is never stagnant. Even after the life you spend on earth, you will continue to live. Who you trust, what you choose, how you live greatly effects your life after  your short stay on planet earth. I love the asian proverb that explains that it is impossible to stay in the same place of a river over any span of time. For even if you stand still, the river moves along with its current changing... you can never be in the same place for two moments - it simply is impossible! So goes my understanding with the new season I have entered: My oldest son, our first born, has left for 14 weeks of basic training in the military - his long awaited dream and desire. We are very happy for him - as he is also very joyful about embracing his life. At lunch today, talking with my husband, he said my journey is  Courageous , for me it is Natural , fo

Truth. John 8:31-32   …  So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Who can determine truth? Is there one truth? How do we know for sure? What is truth? Questions like these are really prominent today. While people have always questioned truth, it has not been so widespread in acceptance to only think that truth can be found  academically.  Is academia able find truth? Is truth beyond what is academic? Is truth equal to morality? Is truth conditional or relative? I read something today that caused me to ponder the opposite of truth. It is not a matter of Truth vs False... as much as it is Truth vs. Error. Many people begin to think of themselves as always being right, and rub others as self-righteous because they aim to do and be right. Christian followers understand that none are righteous but it is God who is righteous alone and we can only be

It's vacation time! So many of us plan for it and hold it up like a trophy reward for making it through the daily mundane days in life: washing clothes, making egg salad sandwich or watching one more reality TV show. But really, does it refresh you? Do you long for more time when you are away? Do you regret the time when you realize you spent more than planned? Do you quickly forget what it felt like when you re-enter your home? In my family, I have a quirky problem...my children do not want to be photographed. They dunk, hide, turn or firmly shut their eyes. Facebook and other computer photo pages have them horrified of getting a bad picture taken and plastered for everyone in the world to see. I so long to have pictures to see, OK yes, I am getting older... I need pictures to remember. And then I wonder, is everyone else like me? Do people need to see pictures to recall the memories or can they pull up images in their head? The images I see in my head are all kinda w

Colored glassware tumbles out of boxes, Seemingly plentiful patterns, dancing everywhere. Shoppers' gifts promote the local stores A rainbow in the darkest days. Can happiness be found Through a rose colored glass? Is suffering so easily forgotten In simple kitchenware? Stocks dropped, Investors fell Both hit the bottom hard. Run on the banks locked up the doors Savings withered like never before. Dinnerware turns up in bulk, Replacing artisans crafting with a machine. Lopsided vases cherished as  A treasure for wildflowers. Hearts broke, grown men cried Hungry folks gather in lines For a warm cup of soup Unable to brighten burdened souls. Packed in flour sacks, common in homes. Filling up recently barren kitchen shelves. Roughness in rims began to appear Used and stacked over the years. Soil tilted by calloused hands Seeds of hope planted in everyone's land. Lessons learned about trusting in coins. God remains unchanged, but they want

Courage asks, Pressing what is obvious. Light bends naturally. No one perceives; They do not wonder. Space-time splits. Above velocity slows. Clockworks losing minutes, Warping concepts, Stretching wise old minds. Bravery seeks, Breaking with all norms. Dares laws--wants to know, Reality, With faith of a child. Original Poem by Lindy, May 2012

A teenager asked this question:   Can someone please help me understand? I agree that it is important for the president to be legally elected, but if President Obama's mother was a citizen at the time of his birth wouldn't he inherit his citizenship from her no matter where he was born? Is someone claiming that she was  not a citizen at the time of his birth? Here is my answer: Well, the concern rests with the wording in the constitution for the requirement of President.  The writers (George Washington being one) of the constitution were concerned that someone would come to the country, gain citizenship or be born to a non-citizen and have dual citizenship (a person born of parent who are from different nations is a usually a dual citizen) and thereby the person might not be loyal to America-alone. So an extra step to safeguard our nation from a takeover was made: to require a person be a NATURAL BORN CITIZEN in order to become President. (you have to be careful with the

  We each are responsible to stand for Jesus if we are His believer. It has never been so true as it is today that just because you go to church it doesn't mean you are a Christian. Frankly, true believers no longer want to be called a Christian because they don't want to be lumped in with so many pretenders. All believers are gifted by God as He sees fit - we don't get to pick our own gifting. Some gifts are easier to operate in then others, but we each must be obedient and willing to use our God given spiritual gifts. About 20 years ago , I confirmed in my heart that one of my gifts - probably my prominent gift is that  of prophecy. Prophecy in the New Testament area is not the ability to foretell the future -- the Prophets of old have spoken, and we are living in the midst of the Written Prophecies coming true. This is what it means to be able to read the times and signs. But a Jesus Prophet (an A.D. believer), forth-tells a word for this present day. A prophe

Warning: This is a potentially dangerous article because posting it on my church's women's Facebook page led to me being removed and blocked by leadership in ministry. While I did not state the name of a specific church or call out any particular person, it was found to be critical of the church and leadership. Either I am sinful in asking questions and discussing the conclusion I am seeing in the church in general or I have been silenced from the body. Of course, it stings, but I am trying to seek God, hear counsel, and do what is right according to the Bible. (P.S. I am not perfect yet... just a fellow Christian sojourner that shares her opinions, thoughts and feelings... always knowing that I could be misguided or not seeing the whole picture.) What is the Church? Literally it is the 'called out body' or 'the assembly' of believers of Jesus Christ trusting in Him alone as their Lord and Savior. Well, that includes a whole lot of people, doesn't it?

My oldest son, Andrew and I went to the Dr today and found out we have strep. I had no idea that a person could have such a wide variety of painful symptoms with a strep infection. I am not sure I have ever ached this intensely over so many parts of my body. Our throats were the least of our pains. We tested negative for the flu, so we are starting a round of antibiotics.  I want to share a tender moment with you: Last night, Andrew and I were up because we had slept on and off all day. He asked me to snuggle with him on the sofa, as he watched a military history show. I place a pillow on his hip as he was laying on his side and rested my head on the pillow. I also placed my arm across the pillow. He reached down with his hand and gently rubbed my arm until I fell asleep. It was one of the most loving times we have ever shared. He has never expressed love to me in any tangible way. That tender stroking of my lower arm was so filling to my mother's heart. Before I f