A welcoming place for wounded hearts

Greetings dear ones! I’m so glad you have decided to join me for this first blog post of new beginnings. Welcome to the new year, January 2022, and a place for wounded hearts. I want this space to be a safe place where I can offer you encouragement, inspiration and love from God’s word. The Bible.

I believe that we are all wounded, in some capacity. If you have a heart-beat, then you have hurts and insecurities. Have you been hurt by the Church? Used and abused by the world? Disillusioned by religion? Broken-hearted from bad relationships? Struggling to make sense in chaos? Then this is the place for you. Pull up a chair. Let me pour you a cup of coffee (or any other favorite beverage) and give you a hug. Welcome to the human condition.

Some of us are willing to be honest about our struggles. Honesty and vulnerability are the pathway to healing and wholeness, and that path starts with understanding and obeying God’s word.

Imagine the Matthew West song “Truth be Told” playing in your head as you read this. Or go to your preferred app for music and search for it now. (Eventually, this web site will have the capacity to play audio and video. There is much growth opportunity on the technical side here.)

Mark Batterson, author of Whisper: How to Hear the Voice of God, puts it this way, “We all have things we hide behind the façade. We cover it up with a Sunday smile, but it’s the deep disappointments we’ve never fully reconciled and the acute anxiety when we find ourselves in certain situations. It’s secret sins we’ve never had the courage to confess and secret dreams we’ve never dared to verbalize. The net result is shallow conversations and superficial relationships, and that isn’t the abundant life Jesus promised.”

Now, I’m not a licensed counselor or clinical therapist. I’m not making any promises to fix or solve problems. I’m not here to whack you over the head with a Bible, or to declare myself “holier than thou.”  I have not had any seminary training. I am not a Greek or Hebrew scholar or a theologian.

So, what exactly am I trying to offer? Encouragement from God’s word. I need to encourage myself and you, friend. I don’t know much, but of these four things. I’m sure of:  The Gospel message from the Bible has the answers and is our ultimate source of wisdom, guidance and healing.  I love studying the Bible. I love writing, and I love Jesus. When these ingredients are pressed together and allowed to percolate, a miracle happens in my heart, and in the hearts of others. We find the proper beat. We find rhythm. Blessings flow from both sides

I almost never completely comprehend a new passage of scripture after my first read. But I want to understand, so rather than give up because it’s “too hard,” I dig into commentaries, learn the cultural and historical background of the passage in question, and I pray for insight. I attend Bible studies and a church where scripture is explained by teachers and pastors much smarter than me.

I try to seek truth. Wrestle. Ponder. Reflect. Dig deeper. That process generally leads me to a recognition of my own sin, confession, discoveries, and a deeper understanding of who God is.  And that, dear friend, is the key! It takes time and effort, but when I commit to it, and when I experience a mere glimpse of who Jesus is through study and prayer, it’s like discovering a hidden treasure, and I want more and more and I am inspired to write and share with you!  And the more I understand who God is, the more my perspective begins to change on worldly and personal issues. It’s not an addiction or obsession. It’s knowing Jesus!

Yes, God’s word has been misused and misinterpreted so many times over the centuries. But I simply must share with you more wise words from Mark Batterson, “We take the Bible for granted, and I think that’s because we can get it in dozens of translations with any type and color we want. . . but the goal is learning to recognize and respond to your heavenly Father’s voice so you can grow in intimacy with Him. But make no mistake, the Bible can be misused and abused. Look no further than the devil himself, who tried to use scripture to bully Jesus. Yet reading the Bible cover to cover is a spiritual best practice, and there is no better way to learn to discern God’s voice.”

During this particular season of life, year 2022, I am an ordinary wife and stay-at-home mom of two wonderful children, ages 8 and 4, and will share my journey of walking with the Lord with you. It’s messy, full of failures, and could look a lot like hypocrisy when I am slow to apply what I’m learning in my daily life. Shall we keep this a judgment-free, safe place? We are all doing the best we can when life gets hard. I am here to point you to the word of God, and to encourage you on your own journey. I will uphold God’s truth in the midst of cultural chaos, personal chaos, uncertainties and confusion, and you do the same, dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Let’s do this together. None of us, on our own, have all the answers. But the Bible does.  My deepest, most sincere prayer is that you somehow develop your own transformational relationship with the living God who created the heavens and the earth, whether through my words, or someone else’s.

Thank you again for joining me and we will meet again soon!