Author: talk2shari

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A Very Social Gospel

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It was a rant on Facebook yesterday that absolutely made my stomach roll over from a woman that I don’t even know; an attack on God. Through profanity she spewed words of hatred provoked by words of gratitude for which her Facebook friends where posting for November. She isn’t one of my social media “friends”; I came by her post through someone else pointing it out to me, and my first reaction was to shut her down in my mind. She wasn’t someone I would likely have contact with. And I didn’t know if I would even have the words to say that could change her mind should we ever meet. And then as God so often does, she is there in my mind this morning and I’m not shutting her down I’m praying for her; that a friend of God will cross her path today. Or maybe perhaps through this post or face to face, I’ll have the chance to tell her why it is that I and others feel so blessed.

I don’t know why it should surprise me that people turn away from God, look at Israel.  God’s chosen nation, delivered out of Pharaoh’s hand, pillars of fire, manna from Heaven, water from the rock and yet still they murmured. Imagine if they’d have had the tool of Social Media!

SMH, Rather be DOA by the Lord, TISNF, Egypt rocked. BBL, walking in the wilderness S2D.

For you non “Facebookers” – Shaking my head, I’d rather be dead on arrival by the Lord, this is so not fair. Egypt was such fun. Be Back later, walking in the wilderness starving to death.

The Real version: Exodus 16:3 ~ And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

These words came from people who had seen God up close and personal. So there should be no shock when they are spewed forth from someone who may or may not have been raised in a Christian home. Who may work with the murmur-ers, or perhaps is in the battle of a lifetime, and cannot understand why a merciful God would allow it. How do you explain that? How do you explain to someone in 140 characters or less (Twitters maximum post) Who God is, What He Does, and Why it happens?

You can’t. God is beyond what we can imagine, so how could you possible sum Him up in 140 characters? You can however be the link.

My blogs generally run from 500 to 700 words. Too many for a social media post. But with just a few words I can, through the power of social media, draw you into my blog where you’ll read the 500-700 words.  The same is true when dealing with a lost person. If I can just drop a few Words of interest, perhaps they’ll be drawn into a deeper desire to know the Christ of Who I speak. So what are those words? There is no magic conjunction, but there is a commonality.

Christ spoke:

Acceptance to the outcast.

Peace to the broken.

Healing to the sick.

Provision to those without.

His words were circumstance specific. And so must ours be.

To the woman who spewed venomous words I must have the antidote. She spoke hatred, I have to speak love. She questioned God, I must prove Him. That’s how it works. It won’t likely happen with one happenstance visit. But if over time, little by little she sees the love of God working in my life she just may be drawn in to know more about this man called Jesus.

So… would Jesus use social media? He was a very social Guy, so maybe – “BBL BFF. Really! Be ready!

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Black Friday Balance

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We are just a few weeks away from black Friday shopping when the United States loses all of its ‘red sticker rationale;’ Meaning: if it’s got a sale tag, it’s a bargain. Only to realize once the receipt is in hand that this is not so much the case. But it’s truly more about the hunt and snare. We want the latest and greatest and we’re bringing up a generation who expects and demands it from not only their parents but the retail world, and they’re happy to oblige. I watched my grandson and granddaughter play with left over hardwood flooring last night for an hour or better. For Luke it was a construction project; for Paityn it was her “Balwance” beam. Yes I know it’s misspelled, it was just too cute. At my kitchen table where Luke and I played ‘Go Fish’, the television broadcasted a toy commercial and immediately Luke seriously needed it. Paityn had the new Build a Bear catalog and at two years old was in awe over the selection and it was fun to listen to her little girl dream about the bear with the magic wand. Just moments before both had been satisfied with what was there and available. There are many days that I seriously need stuff, and want Paityn’s magic wand to make it happen.

What God says about Want vs. Need

Deuteronomy 12:20

When the Lord thy God shall enlarge thy border, as he hath promised thee, and thou shalt say, I will eat flesh, because thy soul longeth to eat flesh; thou mayest eat flesh, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after.

Obesity in the nation is out of control not because of all the delectable foods that are available, because rich and poor alike suffer from it. It’s out of control because both the rich and the poor won’t stop eating. The children of Israel had come out of the wilderness where the flesh they ate was used for sacrifice, it was killed at the door of the tabernacle, and part of it presented to God as a peace offering. (Lev. 17:3-4). But when they came to Canaan, they lived a great distance from the tabernacle, and God has now given more leeway concerning the meat, within reason. They were permitted to kill whatever they pleased or their own use of their flocks and herds without bringing it to the altar, but not just for the sake of its existence. There should be a genuine longing (hunger). There was no large screen televisions blasting images of temptation before them or marketing strategies of the day but to err is human and to forgive is a reason to celebrate and celebration is reason to eat… and so we grow. Horizontally not spiritually. God warned them as He does us, “Don’t just do it because you see it.”

Wise advice as we go into this season. Before you buy ask:

  • Do I or they need this? (or do they just want it)
  • Will it nourish or edify me? (Does it have purpose?)
  • Is it God approved? (Would you carry it to the temple door?)

Wanting something frivolous is not wrong, but it’s wrong if we want it just because it’s there and have no need for it, or if it draws us away from God. If after those 3 questions are answered and all three have been satisfied in your heart, and you’re not spending beyond your means then shop on my friend! It’s about ‘balwance.’ Life should be fun and we should be faithful stewards of it all.

One extra word of advice before the madness of black Friday. Pray over that day. Earnestly. Ask God for godly wisdom and ask Him for bargains, He can supply both!

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Unraveled at the Feet of Jesus

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Trying to find a biblical family in the scripture to model your family after is next to impossible. Dysfunction doesn’t even begin to describe it. From the beginning it was filled with disobedience, betrayal and murder. So it should not come as a surprise that our own families are so messed up today, and yet when it happens we’re shocked. And when you couple the fact that those stories of dysfunction were within God’s chosen leaders of the day, who weren’t perfect, but their relationship with the Lord was to be desired; what does that say about us? Few of us have a relationship with the Lord that’s as tightly knit. So we unravel… and our family isn’t what we envisioned, and neither are we.

I can write from the heart of dysfunction. If God were still adding text to the Bible (and He’s not by the way), but if He were, there could likely be the book of Shari. Perhaps many sermons would be preached from my text with a title like “The Diva of Dysfunction.” There likely would not be the intrigue as many books of the Bible entail, but there would be comedy and chaos, heartache and hindrances to the will of God, fractured moments and failed missions. Several trips to the wood shed for certain. But… in the midst of it all you’d find Mercy. And me at His feet… unraveled.

From Heaven I have a feeling my life looks like a tangled mess of God’s intentions. Maybe yours does too. We have to remember that regardless of what we do, God does see the other side.

  • Poor decisions can take us down a wrong path. And though the distance is rougher and longer, God can still bring us to His intended spot.
  • Broken relations were not His plan, but the healing that He provides can make you stronger and more appreciative of the unbroken.
  • Finances may not be your forte, (it’s not mine) but by giving back to Him what we were entrusted with, perhaps that seed will take root and grow in ways we can’t even imagine. Or He may just give us contentment… and that’s okay too.
  • Sometimes family is the tie that binds, and sometimes it’s the tie that gags, but it’s the foundation of the gospel. We are the family of God. And if He can put up with our shenanigans do we not owe our family the same. A man who sought God’s wisdom ask his counselor “When can I stop caring.” The counselor’s reply was “When God does.”

If I wrote an exhaustive list of dysfunctions you wouldn’t take the time to read my blog. So let’s put it like this. You fill in the blank. “Dear God, ________________ is unraveling in my life. And I need you to knit it back together.”

Scripture says in Colossians 2:2 ~ That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;

We don’t know the end of our story. But we can be comforted in the knowledge that we are loved and that God’s plan is still on track. That tangled mess that we see, will one day be a viewed as a beautiful tapestry …or perhaps a cable knit sweater.

I hope today finds your life at peace, and wrapped up in the love of God

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Season’s Open!

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November, at least in the State of West Virginia, could be declared a State “Hunting Season Holiday” for the entire month and few would complain. Game hunting is one of the largest industries in the nation. In 2011 the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, which estimates that roughly 90 million citizens, or 38 percent of the population age 16 or older, spent an estimated $145 billion on wildlife activities in the U.S. last year. We’re serious hunters. Duck Dynasty has made millions off of the concept of hunting, beards and family; you can walk into a store just about anywhere, be it a convenience store or major retailer and find the faces of those crazy characters from the show.

Another hunting season opened November 1st for many; the “Gift Hunting Season.” Web traffic goes insane for the greatest find on the latest kind of what every trend happens to be on top. Toy catalogs are in the mail and lists are being made (many without limits) and retailers gear up for the Black Friday mayhem!

And then there’s the little publicized hunting season for “Necessities for the Needy.” There’s an abundant harvest of opportunity. The season is actually open all year, but it doesn’t seem to be noteworthy until about November. And then suddenly eyes (and wallets) are open and alert for the opportunity to score points on an unseen tally sheet. The season passes as quickly as it came and by January the season appeal has dwindled to just above no one.

I’m not a fan of enabling poverty by providing handouts to those who refuse to work. It’s not biblical. The Bible says in 2 Thessalonians 3:10~ For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. But… then there’s 1 Timothy 6:17-18 ~  Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;

Life isn’t about the hunt, it’s about the release. It’s the willingness to allow God to work through that which you’ve been given. This is one post that has pierced my heart. Because I’m as guilty as the next to fail to recognize (communicate) and give (distribute) to a soul in need. A recent sacrificial giving in our church didn’t go un-noticed. A young woman who I know didn’t have it gave beyond her means and for no other reason than to be a part of the Lord’s work. I loved her before she gave, but after she gave, I felt her knit into our ministry as a vital part. That’s what giving does! There’s no buying your way into Heaven, please don’t misunderstand that. But there’s an investment in it. If you’re passionate about something, you invest in it (as our keynote speaker Donna Tallman) reminded us at our ladies retreat this weekend.

So… is this your season? A change of attitude and heart toward a mission that is soon to become your passion? I hope it’s mine. I’m shoppin’!

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God Approved Cussing

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help wanted 2

I know, strange title right? Maybe it’s because my own exhaustion has taken over, or perhaps it’s because there is someone who grows weary in the grind of life and needed to hear David’s words of encouragement from II Samuel 16:12-14, but regardless, I was drawn into this story this morning. It’s not one of the typical stories of intrigue, it’s one very much like we see happening in the lives of people every day. A friend forsaken, a prominent family of dysfunction, a struggle for power, and smack dab in the middle… a weary saint of God. The same saint that a few chapters earlier was man of mighty valor who now is fleeing from his own son. Along the way, as if he’s not weary enough, a member of Saul’s family (his ex-boss) comes alongside him on the roadway and begins to curse and throw stones. God didn’t approve of the cussing, but He allowed it to happen. Picking up the story in verse 12…

12 It may be that the Lord will look on mine affliction, and that the Lord will requite me good for his cursing this day.

13 And as David and his men went by the way, Shimei went along on the hill’s side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust.

14 And the king, and all the people that were with him, came weary, and refreshed themselves there.

This is why we love David. Or at least why I love him. In the midst of family turmoil, his ex-friends family cussing him out and throwing rocks at him, his true friend wants to cut the guy’s head off and David says “eh, don’t bother; it’s all good.” And then they refresh themselves.

I don’t think their time of refreshing was a tea and crumpet kind of meeting, but I found it to be a joy to my soul this morning as I try to function coherently and write this blog, that in the middle of the worst days of his life, David could say without missing a beat… “God’s got this, let’s have tea.” That’s serious creative licensing with the Word of God, but it struck me that funny.

So it’s my words of encouragement for you this morning. I know life’s rough, it doesn’t always go as we planned, but you need that time of refreshing. Services start at 10 a.m., hope to see you there! For my folks in Israel, France, Canada, China, Ukraine, the Russian Federation or maybe even Charleston, West Virginia you need a place of refreshment a little closer. Find yourself a good Bible preaching church today, and go get you a big ol’ drink of Jesus. He’ll restore your soul. He sure did mine!

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Where is God in the Tragedy?

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Making sense of nonsense

There’s no shortage of it. Turn on the evening news and from start to finish it’s full of heartache and sorrow with an occasional “feel good” story thrown in in a vain attempt at balancing it out.  Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, he too tried to figure it out and I was again blown away by the profoundness of his faith as I read his words this morning in Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3

Ecclesiastes 3:14

I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.

This morning a dear family in the faith is on my heart. The most unthinkable of tragedies has struck their family and for them there is no sense in it. There is total innocence on one side and utter degradation of man on the other, so how do we find God in the middle of this mess… we remember that we are made for eternity.

life is a season

Ecclesiastes 3:1

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

As they say, “This too shall pass, right?” Though the words roll easily off the tongue, the season of “passing” is not the greatest of times, it alone sometimes feels like an eternity. I’ve had those moments in time when I wondered “How can ‘this’ possibly ever get better? ‘This’ doesn’t feel like a seasonal thing, it’s life altering. And when I read the second half of that verse… that there is “purpose;” it can make even less sense to me. How could God have a purpose in that? I don’t think the tragedies of life are the purpose. God is good (Mark 10:18). God’s not “in” the tragedy, He’s at the end of the tragedy. He’s the One that’s waiting for this to all be over; this mayhem that Satan set into motion in the Garden of Eden. He’s at the end waiting for us to get home, to the land He created where there is no night, no sorrow or sadness. Life is a season.

life is service

Ecclesiastes 3:13

And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.

From now until the day that God welcomes us home is our time of reasonable service. Romans 12:1  That reasonable service includes serving God through the times that make no sense to help everyone get to the land of perfect sense. We can’t make sense out of evil, but we can serve and trust in God who is nothing but good.

life is nothing without salvation2

Ecclesiastes 3:15-17

That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past. And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there. I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

There have been so very many “why’s “in my life, until I get to a verse like this and then I realize that there is no righteousness in me. I’m going to stand before a righteous God knowing that I am there solely because Christ’s blood allowed it. In earth’s perspective I can view the wickedness of the day and think that I’m not as vile as they, but in the reality of God there is no degree of sin. It all separates us from Him and life on earth is nothing without the Salvation of Christ. It’s a fleeting fraction of time that’s gone before we can get turned around. And where is God? Waiting.

There is so much to do to get our friends and family prepared for eternity. Let’s get busy!

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Say friend…

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…Do you know Jesus? I’m just wondering. Because I know how harsh the world can be, I live there too. But let me tell you why you need to know Him. Because when all the world walks out on you, He does one better than stand beside you, He’s in you. He’s an un-explainable peace in your soul that you can’t describe, but it’s real. It’s like having a coat of armor wrapped around your heart that’s un-penetrable. They may dent it, but they can’t break it. So friend… do you need that peace? Check out my link on how to be saved... it’ll hook you up right now to that Man I call Master, Savior, Friend… Jesus.

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Confessions of a Church Thief

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It’s absolutely true.

I was perusing the aisles.

I eyed every single one until that one caught my eye. The one I didn’t have.

Before anyone at Victory Baptist Church begins to wonder if it happened at our church, it didn’t. It didn’t even happen at church. It happened on Facebook for cryin’ out loud. I’m so ashamed! Okay maybe that was a bit dramatic… I’m not really ashamed, just embarrassed for my Lord. You see… I was perusing the aisles of another church coveting their membership. It was a certain person that I love and I just thought to myself, “Wow, I wish they’d come to our church.” And then I happened to think about the cost of them coming to our church. They’d have to leave theirs, there would possibly be hurt feelings; I know how it’s been when someone has left our church who I loved. So in affect, I’d be wishing heartache on another congregation of believers. And then the harshest reality of all hit me… if every church in our community did what we were supposed to be doing, evangelizing the area, they’d be no need to wish for what another church had.

Mark 16:15

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

William Chadwick’s book Stealing Sheep sums up well when he said “Jesus did not say, ‘Go into all the world and shift the sheep’ He also said a very wise thing when he said modern day churches were less about church growth and a little more about rearranging the ecclesiastical furniture. I almost laughed out loud when I read that, and then I thought, wow… that’s sad and true. Most church growth that we see does not come from seeing new souls saved for the Kingdom of God, but more about disgruntled or unchallenged church members who leave one church for another. Truth?

So what do we do about it? Well for starters, I can stop creeping on Facebook pages and start creeping up the hills and hollers of my community in search of creatures. Creatures? Maybe I should paraphrase that for clarity by saying “Creations.” Those who God created with purpose, who’s not only not fulfilling their potential for the cause of Christ, but are heading to Hell and will never know Him because we were too busy shifting sheep. This thought zinged my heart this morning. What about you?

I’m sending this out as a word of warning today to people in my path. I’m on a super sheep search. (say that three times fast). I’m looking for wild sheep! The ones that have never made it into anyone’s fold. This is my prayer… that God help them cross my path, help me to recognize them and then give me the boldness to ask, “Do you know my friend Jesus?”

No more thievin’. I’m turning over a new leaf.

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Smack Dab in the Middle!

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alpha omega and me

Revelation 21:6

And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

Right smack dab in the middle, that’s where I want to be. Yesterday was another crazy day in life of the Jesus Chick. Early morning rising and then off to a new mission work that’s going on in our community (Eagle Ranch Mission and Revival Training Center). We spent the day with youth who sat outside in the cool of October and soaked up the gospel desiring their part of the middle. I left in the late afternoon to go back to the church to pass out candy and gospel tracks to community children in hopes that I could plant more than a seed of candy corn in their home.

I loved this thought today. God created the beginning and the end, but the middle is ours. God set a plan in action from day one with a designed end in His sight. It’s not ours to know the day or the hour of the end, just that it’s a done deal for which we need to be prepared for. Before I finish this writing the trumpet could sound. There’s an end to this story, but the middle… that’s now. That’s the awesome part!

That’s why I get up early, 4:30 a.m. (ish) sometimes earlier, sometimes later. I don’t want to miss the middle, and for me the middle starts early. That’s why I gave my Saturday to a new mission work, because being in the middle of something that could be life altering for someone is exciting stuff. It’s why Sunday mornings are a treat and I can’t wait to get to the house of the Lord. I’m hoping that in the middle of the message someone there will discover that fountain of the water of life, and I’ll get to watch them take their first drink.

Satan’s lie that serving Jesus is a chore has deprived so many Christians of their piece of the middle. It’s like eating the crust of an apple pie and leaving the gooey delicious cinnamon and sugar filled fruit in the bowl. How crazy is that? But that’s what Christians do when they fail to be in the middle of an active church.

It’s another crazy day in the life of the Jesus Chick. I’m up early, and preparing my heart for the services in the house of the Lord, afterwards I’m taking a group of youth to another service out of town called the Judgment House. I don’t say this to boast “look what I’m doing for Jesus!” I say this because I want you to understand how exciting it is to be in the middle and that you need to take every opportunity to be there.

The middle, it’s the awesome part. The end… woah baby! It’s going to be beyond awesome. Don’t miss out.

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The Overcomer’s Club

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Let me premise this blog by stating that I’m not a psychologist, or expert in mental health. I did however stay at the Stonewall Jackson Resort this week, which may qualify me in some manner as much as some of those “experts” that I’ve heard speak. I understand depression from the victim’s point of view, being one who has struggled with it for years and since salvation in 1996 have not mastered, but managed my own through relying on God’s grace to pull me through. That sounds all pious and religious, but in truth just means that I quit trying to fix it on my own and began asking God to help me through it. Each time was different, sometimes were darker than others. It varied from a nightlight of hope to a dimly lit room, it was never utter darkness for me, because in Christ I truly did have light, even though it was sometime shrouded by the trouble of the day.

If you struggle with depression this blog will not fix you, its 710 word after all. How far can that take you? What I hope it does is to “turn up the light” a little in your life today. J

.B. Phillips, author of Your God is Too Small, dealt with depression all of this life. In one of his many letters he offered this comment to someone struggling with depression. “As far as you can, and God knows how difficult this is, try to relax in and upon Him. As far as my experience goes, to get to even a breath of God’s peace in the midst of pain is infinitely worth having.”

For me that “breath of God’s peace” was my nightlight in dark times. In my heart I knew that “God had this.”, my head however would sometimes join the liars club and berate me with thoughts of defeat and discouragement. That’s Satan at his finest isn’t it? If you’re a Christian he can’t get into your heart, because Christ dwells there. So in the very core of you there is always a light. But in your mind, where the world can seep in, Satan has free reign to beat his drum and loud and long he will until you’re spiraling into the direction of depression.

So how do you spiral out?

Again… I’m not an expert. This is what works for me. I place myself in the winner’s circle with those who God’s shown me battled depression.

  1. The woman of Samaria in John 4 who came to the well in the heat of the day to avoid the judgmental eyes of society and met the one true Judge, who didn’t condemn her but loved her out of the lifestyle she as in.
  2. Moses wanted to die in Exodus 32:32, asking God to blot his name out of the book because of what the children of Israel had done with the golden calf – yet, he was the greatest leader ever known.
  3. 3.      Elijah sat down under a juniper tree in I Kings 19:4 and told God “It is enough; now, O Lord, take my life.”  The same Elijah who had brought fire down from Heaven.
  4. 4.      King David, my hero in the faith in Psalm 6:6 said I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears.
  5. 5.      The widow in I Kings 17:12 who had come to the end of her finances and was prepared to die a death of starvation with her child, when God sent an endless supply of provision.

The overcomers club! There were times that they had self-inflicted depression and other times it came from the outside, just like mine. But God brought them through! None of them were perfect, their sins rivaled the worst, and yet God’s mercy and grace is shown all over them. It is in those stories that I come to the “Why not me?” phase of healing. If God did it for them, why not me? They were just ordinary, messed up people, just like me.

I’m not an expert at much, but I may be nearing the benchmark of an expert in failures. But… God’s got me covered. Amen!