Dying to Meet Jesus, Author Interview with Randy Kay

March 27, 2024 by Leave a Comment

Book cover for Dying to Meet JesusWITH THE DEATH of my husband just three months ago, Heaven has been very much on my mind. It’s a surreal feeling to know my husband is still alive but in a heavenly realm where I can’t communicate with him. I long to know what he is doing and what his new life is like. So the interview I did here with author Randy Kay is especially meaningful for me. Randy almost died a few years back and had a near death experience in which he actually experienced heaven for about 30 minutes. His book, Dying to Meet Jesus, tells about his near-death-experience after dying and meeting Jesus in heaven. In my interview with him here he’s going to share some things from that experience. As CEO of PACEsetters and chairman of TenorCorp, Randy Kay has an impressive business background and has written for Forbes and the Wall Street Journal.

As we celebrate Easter and the new life Jesus brings to us through His death and resurrection, Randy’s story gives us a riveting glimpse into the heaven our God has prepared for us.

Linda: Randy, before sharing your story with us, please tell us a little bit about your background. I understand you have more than 30 years of experience working in business and are the founder of PACEsetters. Tell us more about that and how you became a Christian.

 Randy: ​I was a devout agnostic in my youth and challenged all religions through a comprehensive study at Northwestern University that I detail in my book.

Our researchers debunked all religions except Christianity. Most religions were created by a single individual or a fusion of beliefs. However, we discovered that the biblical account of God being true was validated with a probability ratio of 1.26 million to one! After that I cried out to an unknown God: “If you’re real, I need to know you as genuinely as I know my loved ones on earth.”

After surviving a near-fatal car crash, I began my sincere search to learn about the God of the Bible. I attended a church near Chicago and responded to an invitation for attendees who wished to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. I prayed, and later that night I indeed met Jesus Christ in my spirit. Still, I remained a bit of a skeptic. I certainly did not believe in near-death-experiences (NDEs). That is, until I had my own.

Linda: I watched a TV interview with you and saw that you experienced a miraculous face-to-face encounter with Jesus in your near death experience, meeting Him at the point of death. What were your first thoughts when seeing Jesus in heaven during that near death experience? ​

Randy: Yes, I clinically died from multiple blood clots and a drug-resistant infection throughout my body. My heart stopped beating.

I remember that first time meeting Jesus as vividly as if I were there right now. My “cheek to cheek” meeting with Jesus brings me to tears whenever I think back on it. My first thought in heaven was: “So this is Love.” Jesus hugged me, tightly. He did not have to say that He loved me, because His presence permeated every fiber of my being. I remember a sense of “knowing” – knowing that Jesus was my all, and that nothing could happen to me without Jesus being with me. Perfect peace and comfort possessed me. “I am with you always,” He said. I just caved into His chest. I felt at home like never in this world.

Linda: Can you describe what else you experienced during your time with Jesus?

Randy: ​In heaven, Jesus fulfilled all of my needs, so I did not long for anything and I certainly had no worldly cares. Being with Jesus was sufficient for me. This is a difficult thing to describe, because that sense is like nothing on this earth. It was total completeness, absolute contentment. Another sense I experienced was that I had all of Jesus’ attention. I knew that He held the cares of the world, but I felt as though I was an audience of one.

As to heaven itself, the colors were more vibrant, the fragrances more aromatic, the landscape more beautiful than anything in this world. Everything was alive. The glory of God rested through the environs, and everyone and everything worshipped the Lord.

I remember the angelic chorus, rows of linens, the joy on the faces of everyone in paradise…there really are no adequate words to describe heaven. It was like walking into another dimension, as though I was viewing a beautifully painted landscape and then suddenly I had stepped into a living version of that landscape.

Linda: You present a very comforting picture–particularly for me in this time of my own grieving. Since your near death experience, have you struggled at all to share this story? How have people reacted to the story of your near death experience?

Randy: ​It took me 14 years before I could share my near death experience publicly. Before then, only a handful of people knew about it. There was no need to share it with others who might trivialize the most important meeting in my life. That is, until I was interviewed on GodTV about a business book I had written, and the interviewer (who was my former pastor), asked me about my near death experience. I cried while sharing my story for the first time publicly.

On the flight back, the Holy Spirit prompted me to write another book. However, this time the Holy Spirit prompted me to write about “our special time together.” At first, sharing this experience was hard. I felt like I was defiling something sacred, but then God’s peace and inspiration filled me, and the writing just flowed out. That is how I wrote Dying to Meet Jesus.

I now pray that readers will know God more intimately after reading this book. Also, I wanted to address the question as to why a loving God allows suffering. I hope that readers will better understand why God allows brokenness and suffering to happen, since I share several stories of brokenness involving others as well as my own sufferings. I share the suffering of my daughter’s struggles with drugs, illness, rape and attempted suicide for the first time. I also share my own struggles with depression. Several others in my life allowed me to share their stories of brokenness also.Head shot of Randy Kay, author of Dying to Meet Jesus

Linda: What trials did you face after your near death experience? Did you expect to face more trials, or did you believe that the worst was behind you?

Randy: I never doubted God’s Love after my near death experience, but I did struggle. In fact, some of my greatest sufferings occurred after meeting Jesus. I lost my job, my financial security, and almost lost my family. At times I wondered why God did not just take me when He “had the chance.” However, in heaven, Jesus told me that He was returning me to this world because my purpose had yet to be fulfilled. Since then, I began teaching people how to thrive in life and how to overcome struggles.

Previously, I was a corporate executive. I lost almost all of my savings trying to fulfill the purpose with which God commissioned me, but I never doubted God’s hand in my life. When challenges arise, my Lord tells me to “trust” Him, and that He will always make my path straight. I am continually reminded that God is still with me.

Linda: Did your near death experience change your outlook on life?

​Randy: I know Love as a person and as a guiding presence, and that has made all the difference in my life. I can handle challenges better because of this deeply embedded awareness of Jesus as my friend. He is more real to me than most people I know! I can speak to others about God with more confidence and understanding. And, this has given me an insight into Jesus’ absolute devotion to His children that has transcended into every area of life, both the good and the bad.

Linda: In your book, Dying to Meet Jesus, you say, “Friends, be careful what you pray for.” Could you tell us why you say this? ​

Randy: God answers prayer, but He will do it in a way that is best, even if the way to attain what we need is fraught with challenges. God desires our best, whereas we oftentimes desire what is convenient, or what appears good. This world sullies us with its temptations and false teachings. God refines us through a process of redemption. As a father, I know that the most painful process of parenting is allowing my children to go through challenges for their own good. God may allow suffering for a reason, but He will never leave us there. God collects our tears in a bottle (Psalm 56:8), and from those tears He produces a river of abundant life. That is what I saw in heaven.

Linda: For those of us who have lost a loved one, what can you tell us about what they might be experiencing now?

Randy: For the believer in Jesus Christ, there is no real death. I never experienced a sense of having died. I only experienced a transition to another place.

Leaving this world is like leaving your workplace, and then suddenly finding yourself on a glorious vacation with the One who loves you most. For anyone who has lost a loved one in Christ, know that he/she feels more alive today, as difficult as that may seem. There remains an empty place for those of us who are left behind, but I can assure you that we can look forward to an eternity in heaven with no remembrance of our losses or sufferings.

Grieving for a lost loved one is normal, but only because we will never again see our loved one in this world again. For believers in Jesus Christ, think of dying as similar to saying goodbye at the airport knowing you will not see your loved one for a while, but also knowing that someday, you will meet again. Celebrate that your born-again loved one is experiencing the best time of his or her life. And soon, like a blink of the eye from an eternal perspective, you will meet again in paradise. That will be a “wowsa moment!”

Linda: You have an amazing story, and I know people will be interested in reading more. Where can readers go to connect with you and buy a copy of Dying to Meet Jesus?

Randy: You can find the book at Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Christianbook.com, or your local book store.

Watch Randy Kay’s Interview on the Cornerstone Television Network

 

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Filed Under: BOOKS, comfort, Death, Easter, faith, Fear, Grief, health issues, Hope, Interviews, Jesus, Knowing God, Love, Pain, Trusting God, Uncategorized, Where is God?

NOW I SEE:: AUTHOR INTERVIEW WITH JANET PEREZ ECKLES

September 29, 2023 by Leave a Comment

Blue Butterfly on cover of book, Now I SeeSOME PEOPLE ARE AN INSPIRATION. Not only have they overcome overwhelming challenges in their life, but their face radiates love and joy. Whenever you meet them, the warmth of their graciousness creates a sweet and welcoming encounter. This is Janet Perez Eckles, author of her new book, Now I See: How God’s Amazing Grace Transforms the Deepest Pain to Shining Joy What makes this book so amazing, the title so enticing, and her story so special is that Janet is blind.

I believe Janet’s story in Now I See and the following interview will inspire you to keep going when life plunges into chaos and God seems to have forgotten you. This woman is the real deal and her story an honest revelation of how God can step in and bring us from heartache to victory. Janet has been featured on the cover of Hispanic Woman Magazine, 700 Club, Desperate America (Good Morning America), Lifestyle Magazine and Focus on the Family I hope this interview encourages your heart and shows you a path to hope.

Linda: Janet, what did you do when God seemed to have forgotten you?

Janet: I was 30, ready to live my happily ever after. While I stayed home, caring for our three beautiful boys, hubby worked as a CPA and provided a comfortable life for us. . .

Until the day a retinal disease robbed my sight completely. In only 18 months, I went from an active mom, driving, shopping and preparing healthy meals for the family to a blind woman. Blindness was never in my plans.  I ate self-pity for lunch and horrifying fear accompanied me to bed at night.

Linda: But I know that wasn’t the only devastation that happened to you. There was more around the corner. Tell us what happened that caused your heartache to be compounded by rejection and more pain?

Janet: Hubby who was also 30 didn’t expect his life to turn out this way. He married a healthy woman, vibrant, full of life and counted on a lifetime of happiness.

But now he was married to a blind woman, restricted in so many ways.

His answer was to find that happiness somewhere else—in the arms of another woman.

Linda: Where did you initially turn when the world crumbled into despair for you?

Janet: While I was living in physical and emotional darkness, my spiritual darkness was the most devastating. As a good Catholic girl, I repeated memorized prayers, obeyed rituals and doctrines. But none of them soothed my pain or erased my sorrow.

In desperation, I searched for answers in doctors, herbal healers, new age practices. My reasoning was if my blindness was cured, my husband would love me again, my boys would have a “normal” mom and my life would be like before.

Linda: So what changed for you?

Janet: God stepped in. And he revealed his answer. One verse at a time. A series of events led me to a Christian church where I found the Bible verse that shook me enough to realize my mistake, to recognize the wrong order of my priorities and my incorrect way of measuring my security. It was Matthew 6:33, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Linda: How did God create changes for you? Headshot of Janet Perez Eckles

Janet: I had to change first. I vowed to change my focus. With diligence and commitment, I chose to look to God, His Word and His promises. The more I listened to His Word, the clearer it became that although I had blindness, blindness didn’t have me.

In Matthew 6:33 God states He would add things unto us if we sought Him first. I embraced that truth and He began to add beautiful transformation, sweet changes and emotional healing.

In Ephesians 3:20 scripture tells us that God, by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we can think or imagine. Looking back now, do I think this is true? My answer is a resounding Yes! This was true in my physical darkness, in my marriage and my role as a mom. My husband saw the difference in me and after a series of events, He chose to come back. We became friends and God healed our marriage that lasted 42 years.

Linda: And now you’ve written a book that tells your story. How did this come about?

Janet: Why did I write my story? Statistics indicate that nearly every 11 minutes someone commits suicide. Life became too much. They’re overwhelmed by fear, anxiety, stress and despair.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Christ Jesus promises the freedom from our anguish (Psalm 118:5). He turns our weaknesses into strength and contentment (2 Corinthians 12:10).

Some say I should be living a life of misery—blindness, the murder of my youngest son, the acquittal of the man responsible would speak of a life of tragedy. But my story is one of joy found within glorious victories.

Linda: Your story includes something else that many women are dealing with today. What message would you have for today’s woman who’s facing infidelity?

Janet: To hang on, hang on tight to God’s truth—your husband is not the source of your joy. He’s not the one who makes you whole. He’s not the one responsible for your security or happiness. When you realize that only Christ Jesus is the one to provide all for you, your confidence increases, your peace comes back and your wisdom dictates your reactions and responses.

Obeying God and embracing His promises will strengthen you enough to recognize God’s power at work on your husband.

Linda: Amen to that! That is a message I continually want to share with people as well. So with all the tragedy you’ve experienced in your life, what do you believe is the secret to living with joy?

Janet: Choosing gratitude, always. Every circumstance has something for which to be grateful. I thank God I can see with the eyes of my heart. I thank God that I will see my son again in heaven. I thank Him for showing me the way to forgive the man who killed him. And although my husband chose divorce after 42 years of marriage, I thank God for new beginnings, new chapters, and beautiful horizons!

Linda; Janet, you are such an inspiration. I know you well and the light shining in your face every time I see you is a testimony to the truth of everything you are sharing here. How do you think your new book, Now I See, will help people whose lives are in turmoil?

Janet: When the world is in turmoil, what happens to your peace amid that chaos? The headlines foretell gloom and doom and personal suffering threatens to break you, yet God’s promises speak of hope and glorious victory? How is this possible?

My book, Now I See will strengthen your resolve!

Tragedy cannot stop you. My transition from being a sighted mother to complete blindness at the pivotal age of 30 proves you can rise above pre-conceived limitations.

Grief cannot defeat you. My path to healing after the murder of my son proves that even loss is no match for God’s healing power.

Injustice cannot bring you down. When my son’s killer was acquitted, I discovered freedom still lives in forgiveness.

Relationships cannot stifle you. Despite the end of my decades-long marriage, God’s work in my life afterwards proves life still holds promises of joy with fresh, new horizons!

Now I See will stir the reader’s heart as they’re reminded that God is alive, that He sees their tears, hears their sobs, knows their fears, and is ready to calm their storms.

Linda: Where can readers find out more about you and your ministry?

Janet: People can learn more about me, my speaking, and my five books at www.janetperezeckles.com. Now I See is also available on Amazon.

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Filed Under: Adultery, BOOKS, faith, Fear, health issues, Hope, How to win, Infidelity, Interviews, joy, Pain, Problems, Rejection, Uncategorized, Where is God? Tagged With: , , , , ,

God Shift – A Divine Move From Disruption To Destiny

June 25, 2023 by Leave a Comment

Book cover for A God ShiftGuest Post By Shayna Rattler

Do you find yourself asking, “what the heck is going on in my life”? Perhaps you are feeling stuck, no longer passionate, or that you’re on the wrong path? Life is full of setbacks, disappointments, and uncertainties. God uses these unexpected circumstances as a means to get your attention and draw you into greater possibility, but most believers are ill-equipped to properly understand or respond appropriately to the disruptions God allows to happen in their life. They also fall into the trap of solely relying on the prayers of others or waiting idly on God for their situation to change, when in fact they have the authority to partner with God to create the life He promises and they desire.

If you are having a tough time overcoming the unexpected circumstances God has thrown your way, you may be in the need of a God shift! A God shift is when a disruption in your life collides with God’s purpose and moves you into new dimensions of possibility. It is a process you go through in order to ultimately get to where God needs you most, and become the person He needs you to be, in order to accomplish what He needs you to do. God is trying to get your attention and invite you into greater possibility. Why? Because another level of destiny awaits you and it’s time to be more, do more, and have more.

So you’re ready to shift, now what?

Here is what it takes to make SHIFT happen…

  1. Release. Perhaps the most difficult part of shifting is letting go. Some of the most common things we need to release are the life we planned, how we planned it, and who and what we planned it to include. Be more open to what God desires.
  1. Become. Your shifting season is going to be more about being than doing. Consider it a process of discovery or an opportunity to reinvent yourself. Focus on amplifying your strengths and shedding your weaknesses.
  1. Move In order to shift successfully, you have to be committed to taking action, even if your steps are laced with uncertainty. It’s time to discover your new possibilities. What are the steps you can take NOW to get you closer to your next? Not sure? Get help so you don’t stay stuck.
  1. Avoid Seeking Clarity and Confirmation. When God instructs you to take a step and you continue to look for more clarity and confirmation it is an indication you are full of doubt. Doubt and destiny are polar opposites so begin to see opportunities as confirmation that God has answered your prayers.
  1. Use Your God-Given Authority. When Jesus died He left you with the exact power He had and left with you the ability to use that power in your day to day life. It’s your job to uncover the authority you have as a believer to manifest your desires into existence just as Christ did. In life, especially when you are faced with obstacles, it is important that you have a deep understanding of your identity. The good news is that if you are a believer in God you have power that can overcome anything. The most powerful tool of authority you have access to is your words! Every word you speak MUST be in alignment with what you are praying for. If you find yourself speaking contrary to what you’re praying for, immediately confess that you do not agree with what you spoke and replace the previous declaration with one that proclaims what you desire. Now that you’ve discovered the foundational rules of shifting I hope you see the disruptions in your life from a different perspective. Something that HAD to happen. Fortunately, it happened for you and not to you. What is important now is to continue to dream and commit to where God is taking you. Your life is an incubator for miracles! Keep trusting and keep going.

 

Shayna Rattler is the author of A God Shift and Founder of A God Shift Movement. She is a minister, speaker, author, podcaster, and TV show host. For more tips to grow your faith, he invites you to download the FREE guide When God Says Shift at www.GodSaysShift.com.

 

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Filed Under: BOOKS, disappointment, Expectations, faith, Letting go, New Directions, Problems, Searching for purpose, Surrendering to God, Trying to understand, Uncategorized, Where is God? Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Does God Always Answer Prayer?

May 31, 2023 by Leave a Comment
A Woman praying and looking at the sunset with her back to us

Photo by Allef Vinicius

I HAD A TERRIBLE COLD, a croupy cough, no voice, and my publicist had four interviews scheduled for me in the next week as part of the launch for my book, Fighting for Your Marriage while Separated, which had just released a couple of months earlier. I was in a quandary.  How could I handle these interviews with no voice?

My husband and I began earnestly praying for my voice to return and my cough to subside. Surely God would answer our prayers. He always does so, right? Particularly when I was sharing a message of hope that so many people needed to hear.

We prayed. But nothing changed.

I called my publicist and asked her to cancel one of the interviews, but I had three more the following week. Marv and I continued praying.

A few days earlier I had had a Facebook discussion on the subject of unanswered prayer, and a woman posted a comment saying, “God always answers our prayers. Sometimes it’s yes, no, or wait. But there’s always an answer. We just need a discerning ear to hear him and be submissive to the answer He gives us.”

Was that true? Did God always answer prayer? Sometimes it seemed that He didn’t. Like now. I was praying, but not getting an answer. Was she right? Did I just not have a discerning ear?

If that’s true, I thought, how do I get a discerning ear?

A Discerning Ear

Well, that “thought” wasn’t exactly in the form of a prayer, but the Holy Spirit, who prays for us when we don’t know how to pray, (Rom. 8:26) intervened for me, and God gave me the answer to my question immediately.

We get a discerning ear by spending more time with God—by asking Him what He wants to say to us—by seeking—by listening.

So I asked God what He wanted to say to me. And again I got an answer. He wanted to take me deeper. He wanted me to spend more time with him. I was putting out to others, but I was not spending time at the source – with Him.

In response, I spent Sunday immersed in the Bible. I started a new Bible study, and read a couple of Christian books—allowing God to speak to me. I drank some pureed pineapple like some friends suggested, took the cough medication prescribed by my doctor, and continued to pray and spend time in His Word.

And I started getting answers.

One of the things God said to me that Sunday when I prayed about my cough and my voice, was “trust me.”

Trust Me

A big concern I had was whether to email my publicist and ask her to tell the host of the broadcast on Monday about my voice and my cough and let him decide if he wanted to take a chance on me. After all, it was a LIVE 60 minute show. If I couldn’t talk, he wouldn’t have a show.

As I prayed about it that Sunday, however, the one thing I kept hearing in my spirit was “trust me.” God brought Proverbs 3:5-6 to mind – repeatedly. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths.”

God was telling me to stop trying to figure out what I should do based “on my own understanding.” God was telling me to trust Him.

On Monday morning I woke up and took a deep breath. A DEEP breath! I didn’t cough. Clear, fresh air filled my lungs. It felt wonderful. When I spoke to my husband, my voice wasn’t raspy. He could hear me.

That afternoon I did a great one hour LIVE interview, and my voice was almost normal. I didn’t cough.

God had gotten my attention, and I hadn’t cancelled the interview. I had trusted God instead. It wasn’t that God wasn’t answering my prayer, it was that I needed to spend time with Him so I could HEAR His answer. I had been asking Him to heal me and when I didn’t hear his answer, I thought He wasn’t answering me. But there needed to be a part 2 of my prayer – “God what are you trying to show me?” God wanted me to ask part 2 before I could get a “yes” to part one.

That day I responded back to the woman on Facebook. “You make a great point. God always hears our prayers, and He always has an answer for us. When we don’t hear what the answer is, He may be calling us to go deeper with Him so we can hear His voice more clearly and develop that “spiritually discerning ear” You mentioned.  God is always about relationship—our relationship with Him. His greatest desire is for us to come closer to Him where we can hear His voice. So when we don’t seem to get an answer to our prayer, we need to spend more time with Him in His word and in more concentrated time in prayer so we can go deeper, asking Him to show us what He wants us to see. Thank you for making that important point.”

Amen and Amen.

If you have a troubled marriage and want to know if God can answer your prayer for restoration, check out my book, Fighting for Your Marriage while Separated. It will not only provide guidance for this journey but also show you how to pray for your marriage.

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Filed Under: faith, God's Word, Knowing God, Prayer, Time with God, Trusting God, unanswered prayers, Uncategorized, Where is God? Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Day-votions with Your Faithful Father – Interview with Author Rebecca Barlow Jordan

June 23, 2022 by Leave a Comment

Dayvotons bookWHEN LIFE GETS HARD and we don’t know where to turn, author Rebecca Barlow Jordan wants to remind us that we have a faithful heavenly Father who wants to meet our needs. In her new book, Day-votions® with Your Faithful Father: 90 Days with the One Who Wants to Meet All Your Needs, Rebecca shows us how to talk with God intimately and honestly about our deepest needs. As a bestselling, award winning author of 13 books, and with the pen of a poet and the heart of a disciple, Rebecca’s passion is helping readers find intimacy with God. In this new book, she wants to show you what it means to be His child.

Linda: What led you to write your book, Day-votions® with Your Faithful Father at this particular time? 

Rebecca: As a young mother, I had a deep hunger to know God more intimately, and a longing to understand His character and His names. So I began noting His names and attributes in the margins of my Bible during my quiet times. As I read through different Bible translations and versions through the years, I discovered hundreds of names and traits.

I’ve been wanting to write a book about God’s faithfulness ever since. I authored 12 other books, including a series for women that I trademarked the name, Day-votions®. But I kept journaling in my Bible and began to notice more of God’s activity. Over and over in Scripture, I would see, “The One Who….” and discovered how truly faithful my heavenly Father was. And how many verses dealt with Him as being not only the “Supplier” of our needs but as being the “Supply” Himself.

I’ve written an encouraging blog for years, trying to help people grow closer to the Lord. Emails started coming in from people, asking me to pray for them. They expressed needs, experienced heartaches, and desperately wanted answers.

When the pandemic began to spread throughout our world, I knew it was time to write this book. Never had I seen so many universal needs. People were discouraged and had endured so many losses. I wanted to encourage others by helping them see God’s unchanging love and faithfulness in every situation, but especially in our most pressing ones. I ultimately decided to write this new book about God’s faithfulness under my “Day-votions® umbrella name.

Linda: How have you experienced God’s faithfulness in your own life? 

Rebecca: That’s a great question, Linda, and that was the basis and underlying reason for writing this book. When has God not been faithful?

Author Rebecca Barlow Jordan

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Looking back over my life, I can truly see God’s footprints of faithfulness everywhere I turned.

When I was younger, I’d see depression, fear, disappointment, or discouragement as roadblocks. I’d experience heartache, financial need, marriage issues, and parenting woes. Much too often, foolishness or confusion tried to upend desired wisdom. I cried out to God for help, but sometimes the process of healing was painful and messy. I despised having “needs.”

But life is messy and painful at times, and we will always have needs. I wanted to know my heavenly Father better, but not that way! Strangely enough, the majority of times I experienced His faithfulness was in the way He met those needs—and not always the way I expected.

He has brought me through times of depression and refilled my life with joy. When my marriage hit the wall, my husband and I wrestled through the pain of restoration and fell in love all over again—because God heard our cries, and we learned how to do the hard work involved. God provided jobs when we had none. He sent us on vacations, prompting others to gift us with special trips. When one of our daughters went missing, God brought her safely home. God’s grace, love, and faithfulness brought us through those and so many other challenging trials.

Linda: So how would you describe your new book, Day-votions® with Your Faithful Father.

Rebecca: Day-votions® with Your Faithful Father: 90 Days with the One Who Wants to Meet All Your Needs (2022) is a devotional based on God’s attributes and activity, with truths drawn from his powerful Word, to help readers renew their hope, joy, peace, and trust in the One who is faithful and unchangeable.

Linda: At the beginning of your book, you ask readers, “What if your needs were God’s personal invitation to experience His faithfulness in a greater way?” That’s a pretty thought-provoking question. Can you tell us why you asked that question and how that relates to your book? 

Rebecca: I wanted to help others see their needs in a different light, but also to understand how deeply God longs to meet those needs for us.

None of us want to call ourselves needy. Most of us consider needs as unwanted enemies.

But not God.

Our Faithful Father knows that we can do nothing apart from His intervention. Yet we often try to meet the deepest needs of our lives on our own.

Whether physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually, we encounter problems and challenges from the moment we are born. Haven’t we all experienced fear? Distress? Disappointment? Pain? Don’t we all need encouragement? Peace? Comfort? Intimacy? Hope?

Our needs line up like fence posts, trying to imprison us. But our Father’s faithfulness knows no boundaries. He sees our needs differently because He created us. He knows how helpless we are without Him and that our needs can actually draw us to Him.

Hebrews 4:16 (NIV) tells us the reason why we can turn to our faithful Father: Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Linda: Tell us about the format you used to write your devotions.

Rebecca: Twenty years ago, when I wrote my Daily in Your Presence series, no one had used the particular devotional format of sharing heart-to-heart, two-way prayer conversations with God. I wanted continuity from those books because they also featured God’s names and attributes, and readers responded well to them. So I kept that same format in Day-votions® with Your Faithful Father, only lengthened the prayers and added new features, like more Scriptures (over 450 Bible verses written out), a daily challenge to apply the truths, and a page for journaling thoughts and prayers. My new devotional has 90 three-page devotions, but still has a daily truth to memorize or solidify the chapter.

Linda: What is your desire for your readers? And what do you hope they will learn or take away from your new book? 

Rebecca: My desire for readers of all my books is the same: that they will be encouraged and come to know God more intimately. I pray they will discover God’s heart and embrace their faithful Father as the Heart Mender, the Thirst Quencher, the Joy Filler, and the Grace Giver.

As far as what I hope readers will take away with them? That’s fairly subjective. As a pastor’s daughter, I know God often works in unexpected ways. I remember so many times when a church member would shake my dad’s hand after the service and say: “I really appreciate your words.” And they would complete what they heard in the sermon. But my dad hadn’t said that at all.

In the same way, I believe God speaks to us, including our readers, in unique ways—but never contrary to what is in His Word. These snippets of Amazon book reviews from some readers (both men and women) of Day-votions® with Your Faithful Father were both humbling and unexpected. I think they show the kind of takeaways readers can expect to find. In many ways, they exceeded my hopes for reader “takeaways”:

“The devotionals in the book seem to be customized for me and meet a need in my life every day.”

“I couldn’t have known God would put this book in my life at exactly the right time. Two dear people in my life have been diagnosed with cancer in the same week and I desperately need time with my Father….What I love most? While the reader can read through the book chronologically, one can also focus on the most needed topic on any given day. If I’m in the middle of chaos and don’t know what to do I might want to read Day 39: When You Desperately Need God’s Help, The One Who Is Ready to Help You. When I’m overwhelmed by anxiety, I can turn to Day 69: When You’re Feeling Anxious and Distressed, The One Who is Your Only Rock.”

“No matter how high my stress level goes, each time I press pause and pick up this book, my heart is led to ‘green pastures and quiet streams for rest and refreshment.’”

“From day one I was reassured of God’s faithfulness in all areas of my life.”

“A stunning work that provides a biblical response to the struggles we all have as Christians.”

“In a very relevant and deeply personal exchange between your Faithful Father and yourself, you will experience God in real and loving ways.”

 Linda: Where can readers find out more about you and your books? 

Rebecca: You can find Day-votions® with Your Faithful Father: 90 Days with the One Who Wants to Meet All Your Needs on Amazon, and you can find out more about me and my books when you visit my website. You can also connect with me on Pinterest or Goodreads.

 

 

 

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They Don’t Tell: Child Abuse: A Mother’s Perspective – Author Interview with Lisa Gray

May 30, 2022 by Leave a Comment

A yellow bookcover with the picture of a mother and childWITH WHAT’S BEEN happening in our country this last week, our hearts and minds have been taken captive by thoughts about our children and the horror some of them had to endure at the hands of a heartless and cruel individual. But our hearts also go out to the parents and the pain they’ve experienced as they try to comprehend the incomprehensible awfulness of what happened.

There’s another horror story some children endure and other mothers who are gripped with pain in the discovery. In Lisa Gray’s book, They Don’t Tell: Child Abuse: A Mother’s Perspective, Lisa broaches a subject that is difficult to talk about, but she shares it from the vulnerability of a mother who has experienced the pain but discovered the healing.

Linda: Lisa, I know this is a dark subject, but I believe you’ve told me the book is not about darkness, but about hope. Please tell me what you mean by that.

Lisa: I believe we need to always be reminded that even in the darkest of situations, there’s always hope because we serve the God of Hope!

Linda: So now that we’ve given away the ending – that there is hope—tell me what They Don’t Tell: Child Abuse: A Mother’s Perspective is about.

Lisa: A mother’s heart, a heart that has been broken, shattered, stomped upon, torn apart and left in utter disarray.  The revelation of knowing your child has been violated by those who were “supposed” to care and nurture them is unlike any other pain I’ve ever experienced in my life!

Linda: So please tell us why you decided to write They Don’t Tell: Child Abuse: A Mother’s Perspective

Lisa: I felt the Lord wanted me to share my story, my journey back to health and wholeness for myself and my family. The book is meant for those who like me felt so alone, so isolated AND felt guilt and shame!  I was supposed to provide safety, protection, and security.  That was not my daughter’s experience.

I have to say I listen to Bishop T D Jakes a great deal, and I remember thinking to myself, “Why does he always talk about sexual abuse?”  I know it happens.  My head is not buried in the sand, but does it really happen THAT much?  I mean does it happen enough to warrant him continually talking about it ad nausea?  Well give me a chance now, and boy oh boy have I changed my story!  Today I say. “Bishop preach!”  Linda, today I understand that while I was thinking those very thoughts, I never knew that sexual abuse was happening in my own house, under my own roof, to My own daughter.

Linda: That’s heartbreaking, Lisa. Tell us how you were able to deal with it?

Lisa: Well let me assure you, it was not easy.  It was a process that took time, prayer, and—if I can be honest—I’ll admit there was some self-pity, Lisa Gray, authorsome self-loathing, and many questions of why and how could this happen.  I’m a good person, I love the Lord, this is not supposed to happen to Christians like us.

Linda, many times I had to fight the enemy in my mind…which is why the Lord tells us in scripture to take every thought captive…not to just sit in it, not to soak in the negativity but to fight.

There were days where I would fight with worship music, there were days when I would fight with scripture, there were days when I would fight with scriptures.  I would put scriptures all around me to remind me that God was faithful.  There were sticky notes on my refrigerator, my bathroom mirror, my car review mirror…because the assault against my mind was unrelenting, but only for a season.

I can say my family and my church family rallied around us also and supported us greatly through that season.

Because God is the same yesterday, today and forever we can stand on his word, and he will and does bring us through!

Linda: Lisa, that is such a powerful reminder of how to persevere through difficult times. Yes, God is faithful! What do you want readers to take away from your message in your book, They Don’t Tell?

Lisa: Linda if there’s anything I’d like for your listeners and my readers to know, I want to remind them that the enemy comes after our faith, and our resolve to judge the Lord faithful…even in the storms of life.  He really wanted me and others to walk away from the Lord and curse the Lord because of the trial and the storm.  I would never do that.  I understood that our LORD is faithful through every trial, every storm. And I understood my children, my family, my church family, even the community was looking to see how I was going to handle this.  Instead of running from God and to alcohol, drugs, gambling, shopping, food, whatever vice we use as false refuge, when the Bible clearly tells us the Lord is our strong tower, we run to him and are safe!

Run to him, Run to the throne of grace and plead for Mercy, judge the Lord faithful throughout all the circumstances. His mercies are new every morning, for you and your family!

Linda: After this terrible incident of child abuse happened to you and your daughter, where are you now in life? And how is your daughter?

Lisa Gray and DaughterLisa: This is myself and my daughter Nikki now—after the storm, after the hurt, after the trauma, after the healing, and after restoration has taken place in both of our lives.  We are better, stronger, more resilient, and determined that what we went through others can go through as well and survive!​  We walked this out together, and now are compelled to open up our lives and hold our heads high because like any of you who’ve experienced this—we have nothing to be ashamed of!

Linda: Has this experience of dealing with child abuse taught you anything new or transformed your thinking in any way?

Lisa: The Lord has taken me into a new area for me, one I never truly understood, but now I do.  Generational curses.  Although we don’t realize it, we actually have understood them along certain areas of our lives because every time we go into a medical facility they want a breakdown of our medical history.  Well, Linda, hidden in those familiar medical patterns are the generational iniquities that have been repeating throughout our generations.  Now I work with individuals and families to uncover, and uproot those patterns—of cancer, heart disease, brokenness, sexual immorality, etc.  My website is :  Bloodline Curse Breakers.com.  I can also be reached through email at kidsdonttell@gmail.com or by phone at 1 (202) 810-5687.

Linda: Do you have any final thoughts to share:

Lisa: Yes, this was a HORRIBLE situation, but when we give it to God, trust him, lean on and into him through the process, he will turn it around for our good.  His word cannot return to him void, and what the enemy meant for bad, God turns it around for our good.

Now I get the opportunity and the honor to share God’s word and his redemption all around the world.  My daughter is well and flourishing, and my ex-husband is serving a prison term of 15-40 years for the violation.

Linda: Where can people find your book, They Don’t Tell: Child Abuse: A Mother’s Perspective?

Lisa: The best place to find the book is on Amazon or they can reach out to me at the above email. You can also find out more about me and my book on my website at bloodline cursebreaker – Author counsellor speaker

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Unexpected

April 22, 2022 by Leave a Comment

CaladiumsI love Caladiums and how they spring up as a sweet surprise in our Florida gardens each year as the winter months ease into the warmth of spring and summer.

Completely out of sight in winter, the bulbs linger beneath the ground, waiting for the right time to remind us of their presence by suddenly appearing to grace us with their colorful display of foliage.

How like God to pop them into the mundaneness of our circumstances as a joyful reminder of the little surprises He has in store for us when we don’t expect them. And a sweet reminder that His beauty is always with us even when we don’t see it –even when we’re unaware of it—or perhaps, more accurately, when we’ve “forgotten” all about it as with the Caladiums that disappear completely from sight in autumn only to flourish months later with such beauty.

The Caladiums in my garden remind me too that we can often find hope in unexpected places and at unexpected times when we trust God for the outcome of our situations. Life’s problems can become so all-consuming, the details of the everyday so urgent, that we forget there is a loving, all powerful God waiting to pour blessings into our lives.

We don’t see it. And His invisibility makes us forget. Until one moment the unexpected beauty of His love and grace or an unexpected answer to prayer pushes through our muddled circumstances and we remember He’s been there all along.

The mystery God has woven through His creation always points us back to Him when we open our eyes and hearts to the “more” of what waits for us outside the limited scope of our present reality.

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared
for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

                  I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

 

If you are in a marriage where the problems seem all consuming, my book, Broken Heart on Hold, can point you to a place of hope where you can find strength for this difficult season.

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Reflections on the Names of God, Interview with Author Ava Pennington

March 17, 2022 by Leave a Comment

Yellow book cover with the words, Reflections on the Names of God?WHO IS GOD? How do we see him, and what is God really like? How do the different qualities of God impact us in our daily lives? According to author Ava Pennington, one of the ways to understand more about God is to learn the names of God and what they mean. In her new book, Reflections on the Names of God, Ava delves into sixty names and attributes of God. Did you know there were that many? Wow! I didn’t. Her devotional book provides new insights and understanding into the person of our God in a very unique way.

Linda: Tell us about your new book, Reflections on the Names of God.

Ava: Reflections on the Names of God: 180 Devotions to Know God More Fully (Revell Books, 2022) released this month. It’s an abridged, hard cover gift book edition of the original one-year devotional, Daily Reflections on the Names of God.

Every name and attribute of God reveals something about His character and His ways. Reflections on the Names of God is a devotional that explores each of 60 names and attributes of God from 3 individual perspectives: who God is, how this name or attribute changes us, and how it changes our relationships.

Linda: Why did you write Reflections on the Names of God?

Ava: I’ve always been curious about the many names of God in the Bible. Some were familiar, such as Yahweh Jireh, The Lord Will Provide. But others were confusing, such as Yahweh Nissi, The Lord My Banner. And then there were names that sounded frightening, such as when God referred to Himself as a Consuming Fire.

Bottom line—I wanted to learn what God said about Himself and why He chose those particular descriptions. Since I belonged to Him, it’s important to me to understand who I belong to!

Linda: What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

Ava: As they read these devotions, I hope readers will benefit in four ways:

  1. The more they learn about who God is and how He works, the more they will see how much He loves them, which will make it easier to trust Him.
  2. The names and attributes of God combine to give us a full picture of who God is, revealing His glory to His children.
  3. The more they learn about who God is, the more they will learn about themselves in relation to Him.
  4. Becoming familiar with God’s names and attributes will help them see the priority He places on their relationships.

Linda: What surprised you most about what you learned?

Ava: The biggest surprise was in finding hope and encouragement in every name and attribute of God, even in the names that originally made me feel uncomfortable. When I cut through the noise of who others said God is and focused instead on who He said He is, I realized that every name written thousands of years ago is precious to me today.

Linda: How has God used the message of your book in your own life? For instance, how does it impact your prayer life? My husband often talks about how the names of God help him have more focus in his prayers. Have you found this to be true?

Ava: Yes, learning the names of God has helped me Relate to God differently. Faith in God is not blind faith. I can confidently rely on who God is by what He revealed about Himself in His Word. And because He is unchanging, the God of the Bible is the same today.

In terms of prayer, learning the names of God encouraged me to Pray differently. I’m not praying to an impersonal force out there in the universe, I am praying to our very personal God. And whatever the subject of my prayer— whether worship, thanksgiving, interceding for others, or asking for myself, there is a name or attribute God has revealed which helps me relate to Him in that area.

Finally, knowing the names of God caused me to Teach and share Christ differently. Everything about who He is and how He works is relevant to us today. Knowing His names and attributes gives me specific words to describe who He is. It also helps me when others speak of who they think God is, because then I have a starting point to say, let’s look at who God says He is!

Linda: What’s your favorite name or attribute of God in this book?Picture of author

Ava: It may sound like I’m avoiding the question, but I don’t have any one favorite. The more I’ve studied the names and attributes of God, the more personal He has become to me. Different names speak to my heart depending on my circumstances.

One thing I can attest to: I have never been in a situation where I haven’t been able to draw on a particular name or attribute of God to touch my spirit with healing, hope, and encouragement.

Linda: What does the topic of this book mean to you in your current season of life?

Ava: After being married for 40 years, I’ve been a widow for the past 4 years. Definitely a time of adjustment as I navigate this new season of life. I so appreciate the different names and attributes of God as they draw me into even deeper intimacy with my Savior. Now, more than ever, they give me strength for this present life and nurture my hope for eternity.

Linda: What is the difference between your new gift book edition of Reflections on the Names of God and the original version? How would potential readers decide which to get?

Ava: Although the original edition is no longer in print, print copies may be obtained from online sources. It’s still available as an e-book if readers prefer that format. And if readers are interested in a one-year devotional, they can explore e book as an option. The new devotional is an abridged edition with 180 devotions. The smaller size and hardcover make it a great gift for yourself or others.

Linda: How can people find out more about you and your books?

Ava: You can find Reflections on the Names of God on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Christianbook.com, and you can find out more about me and my books by visiting my website at https://www.AvaPennington.com .

 

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Getting to Know God’s Heart—Interview with Patty Mason

November 8, 2021 by Leave a Comment

Book cover for Gettng to Know God's HeartIN ANY LOVE RELATIONSHIP, getting to know the other person’s heart draws us closer to them and creates a more intimate relationship. The same is true of God. If we know His heart, we will better understand what is important to Him. But how do we get to know God’s heart? In Getting to Know God’s Heart, author Patty Mason has created a beautiful Bible study that presents a seamless picture of God’s love as she weaves her own spiritual pilgrimage into the scriptural story of our heavenly Father’s love for us. Her Bible study invites the reader to personally experience God’s love in a more intimate way. Because of Patty’s warm and transparent style, this encouraging book is a resource I will regularly recommend to those going through troubling times.

Linda: Patty, what prompted you to begin seeking God’s heart?

 Patty: While battling depression, I watched a friend, who had more problems than I could count, go through life with joy. “How did she do it?” I wondered. How could she exhibit joy when she was left to care for her sick mother while her workaholic husband left her to raise four children on her own.

In comparison, my life was grand, yet she had peace and joy. God was her Rock, the one she clung to, and she spoke of Him with passion. God was not my favorite topic of conversation.

I could think of twenty other topics I would rather discuss. So I resisted, even though her enthusiasm for God caught my attention.

Linda: If her enthusiasm caught your attention, why did you hesitate? 

 Patty: Many things can keep us from wanting to know God.  I hesitated because I associated God with church and religion. To me church felt fickle and phony—reserved for the well-mannered, well-respected, and well-dressed. The church was not filled with people who knew how to love well, so I concluded God would treat me the way they did.

It’s sad to me now how we can embrace a false view of God based on how people treat us. God designed earthly relationships to serve as examples and reminders of His love for us, but if we’ve been harmed through human relationship, it can be difficult to receive God’s love.

When we’re going through something very hard, it’s easy to question God’s heart and begin to wonder, “Does God see? Does He even care?”

For thirty-six years, I had no idea how much God loved me and longed to have a relationship with me. I knew facts about God. I believed Jesus died on the cross, but I didn’t understand the depth of His love demonstrated upon that cross.

Linda: What led you to set aside your beliefs and seek God’s heart?

 Patty: Sheer desperation. I wanted the peace and joy my friend had, but until I became desperate, I wasn’t willing to pursue it. I needed healing. All the screaming, crying, and fits of rage were destroying my family and my life. Consuming alcohol to cope numbed the pain but fixed nothing. And when no one I turned to could help me, I was out of options.

I saw that amid her problems, my friend carried a joy and peace that was foreign to me. She seemed to know something I didn’t. So, when life became more than I could handle, I finally cried out to God.

Linda: What happened? How did God respond? 

 Patty: The day I was planning to take my life, God intervened. After years of battling depression, Jesus saved me, and His healing touch caused my heart to swing wide open. Suddenly, I wanted to know God. And this desire to know Him took me on a life-changing journey.

Linda: How did knowing God’s heart change your life?

 Patty: As a believer, I understood “how” God saved us, what I didn’t understand was “why” He saved us. In all those years of growing up in church, going through the motions of religion, I never saw the passion of God’s heart. I didn’t understand what He was after or how the healing balm of His love could set me free from deep wounds and rejection.

Getting to know God’s heart changed me because it changed my perspective of God, myself, and those around me. Seeing His heart for me filled me with a love for Him and others. As it says in 1 John 4:19, “We love because He first loved us.”

Jesus came to set the captives free, and when we know God’s heart for us, that understanding can set us free from sin, wounds, addictions, temptations, and past hurts.

Linda: What led you to write Getting to Know God’s Heart? And what do you hope people will gain from reading it?

Patty: The one thing I want people to know is: The greatest desire of God’s heart is you! He longs for you. What He wants most is you—all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. This is what my friend knew about God. She knew she was passionately loved by the Almighty God of the Universe and that understanding awakened her soul. She knew, no matter what she faced in life, His heart was for her, and it gave her peace.

This is what my friend wanted for me. She wanted to help me recognize the one thing that would change my life—an awareness of God’s love. This is why I wrote the book, and what I want for those who read it to receive. Above all else, no matter who they are or what they are going through, God loves them passionately and cares about them deeply.

Linda: What made you decide to use a Bible study format rather than just a regular chapter book?

Patty: It’s vital we see God’s heart through His word, not through the commentary of the author.

Much of our inner pain comes from not knowing God. And I wanted the reader to have the thrill of discovering His heart for them through the intimacy of His word.

Linda: What would you say to someone who is having trouble receiving God’s heart for them?

 Patty: Perhaps, like me, you have experienced setbacks in your pursuit of God. But don’t allow those obstacles to define God’s character or your relationship with Him. Regardless of what has held you back, be encouraged. God’s unyielding love will not give up on you. He knows you. He sees you, and He will not stop in His relentless pursuit of you.

So, allow me to challenge you to let go of any pain, false beliefs, or expectations, and pursue the heart of God and allow Him to capture you with the wonders of His love.

This is a choice. You can hold onto grudges, bitterness, and hurt. You can keep your current perspective and remain stuck. You can continue to strive and struggle, convinced God is only interested in your performance. Or you can lay all that aside and discover a love so profound it will set you free, fill you with love, and give you identity and purpose.

Linda: Patty, thank you for writing this beautiful, life changing book. Where can people find out more about your book, Getting to Know God’s Heart as well as your ministry and other books?

 Patty: To learn more, they can visit www.LibertyinChristMinistries.com

I would also like to invite them to join me on our FB group Quick & Easy Bible Studies for Women at www.facebook.com/groups/quickandeasybiblestudies

 

 

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What If My Marriage Is Not Reconciled?

October 17, 2021 by 2 Comments

woman looking upwardWHEN SELENA TOLD ME about her divorce, I was crushed. Years before, she had gone through Marriage 911, reconciled with her husband and been an enthusiastic supporter of others going through our ministry. We hadn’t been in touch for quite a while, and when she informed me of the happenings of the previous year, I was in shock.

She had made so many changes. She was more vibrant. Closer to God. She had literally become a more beautiful woman. She had ministered to others too and helped them walk this difficult journey.

I had not seen this coming, and neither had she. Her husband had seemed supportive, and they had come a long way. His divorcing her was completely unexpected.

For days I drug around, wondering how this could happen, asking God why. I remembered others whose marriages had also not reconciled. People who seemed to be doing all the right things.

One morning as I spent a prolonged time in prayer, God started whispering to my heart with memories, recollections, and encouragement. In my memory I saw Selena when she first came to class and how she was now. She had changed dramatically. She was more vibrant, more beautiful with a light in her eyes and a softness in her face. Her words were uplifting and gracious. She was closer to God and had a vital faith.

As God began to show me this, He began to speak to me in my heart. It’s not all about the marriage, Linda. It’s about the person themselves. And their relationship to me. I want them to come closer to me. And that’s what’s most important.

Awhile later my husband asked me what I was doing. I told him I’d been spending time with God and He was showing me some things.

“What did He show you?” he asked. “I always like hearing what God says to you.”

When I told him, he said, “Well that’s what we say in Marriage 911. You can’t change your spouse. You can only change yourself. It’s about your relationship between you and God.”

“And that’s what people say to me in their emails too,” I said. “Many people, whose marriages weren’t reconciled, email me to say that even though their marriage didn’t get back together and it was one of the hardest times in their life, they wouldn’t trade this experience because they had come so much closer to God.”

So, yes, after spending that time with the Lord, I realized it all comes down to this.

Even though my books and our Marriage 911 ministry have helped to bring about many reconciled marriages, there is no guarantee. Our fallen human natures still impact the results. The sinful choices and desires of a spouse can undermine God’s best plan for us. Likewise, our own past choices may have exhausted the emotional strength and patience of our mate. God gives us free will and does not force His own will upon us.

Sometimes in the searching for answers, we find answers we never expected, answers that explain far more than what initially drove us in our search.

In one of the last stories of my book, Fighting for Your Marriage while Separated, I quote an email sent to me from Theresa, who had gone through Marriage 911 and read Broken Heart on Hold, but whose marriage still ended in a divorce initiated by her husband. In the email she recalls the difficult journey and what she had learned through it.  “What if I was not really fighting for my marriage?” she asks. “What if God was actually having me fight for myself—my soul, my heart, my own salvation?” She finishes the email by saying, “The one that has been restored, I assure you, has been ME! I can finally hear Jesus saying to my heart, “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” (Isaiah 43:19).’”

As I continued to meditate on what God was showing me that day, I pictured someone dancing in God’s presence, joyful in the love surrounding them.  And I realized, although we want to help reconcile marriages, our ultimate goal is this: to open up each person’s heart to God, themselves, and others so they can shed the shabbiness within their souls and become the beautiful creation God intended them to be.

Hopefully, as they dance into their new persona, their spouses will be able to join them in the dance and the two of them can grow together in the pursuit of holiness God wants them to have. But even if their spouse does not join them, they will not dance alone. Jesus is there to lead them into the joyful discovery of all He holds for them. His love will be ever-present and His dance will lift them to new heights.

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