I Know …Hold On!

I know you want to wake up

from this unending nightmare,

to feel alive,

breathing inside

this storm

raging,

breaking,

ripping

you wide open,

bleeding

torment;

fears surface

as peace

seems to fade;

I know you’re trying

and hope seems lost,

but

you will make it

and maybe there will be scars

in the end,

but you shouldn’t feel

shame

as those scars are trophies

to battles

you’ve fought and won;

feelings of loneliness

overwhelm you

as days and nights

come and go,

they make no difference

cause no matter what,

you fight

and although you may feel weak,

you are strong

for enduring this;

you are so far

from alone

cause everyone fights

their own battles

some are just better at masking it;

do not hide behind locked doors,

sleep under a clouded sky

full of constant storms,

bleed peace from within;

do not sell yourself short

cause you are worth so much more

than ignorance,

guilt,

shame;

you are not worthless,

you are not invisible,

you carry purpose,

I know you want to be free

from it all

that is holding you back;

hold on to this life

with all you got;

your past and your daily battles

don’t define you,

what you choose to do with it does;

keep fighting

I know you want your mind

to tune to the bird’s freedom;

I know you sometimes feel so alone

and in so much agony

that you think you would be better off dead,

but that’s far from true;

you are a warrior

and while you may be wounded,

you’re still in this war,

so don’t give up

keep moving forward;

I know this is a daily struggle

and some days you may feel

like you’re going more backwards

than forward,

but you’re still alive

and that’s all that matters

cause you matter;

be kind to yourself

no one is perfect

you’ve come this far;

don’t give up

you’re going to be ok.

~ Bethany Anne

An Incomparable Victory

“On Good Friday, Jesus turned the world’s system upside down, losing everything in order to win everything. Death greedily swallowed up a perfect victim, destroying itself in the process. Heaven’s heartbreak bought earth’s redemption. It was the perfect storm: an unspeakable loss, an incomparable victory. “

~ Gregory Coles

Dying Well

If we are to live well, we must prepare to die well. A life lived unconscious of our inevitable passing will of necessity be lacking in weight. We are not meant to stay here. Our dominion on this planet is short lived. Our destiny lies elsewhere. Our home is not here, and, if we are honest, neither is our heart.

Try as we might to claim this turf as ours, reality repeatedly proclaims, “Tread lightly pilgrim, you are walking on my soil; you are living on borrowed time, by my permission only.”

So, how do we prepare to die well? What is important to someone who is only passing through? How about honesty, truthfulness, and faithfulness, kindness, wisdom, and love? How about investing in the souls of men, the only thing that will pay eternal dividends? How about getting to know the one who sent us here and is calling us home?

Ironically, life lived with eternity in view yields sweeter temporal fruits than life lived for the moment. If all of our energy is invested in making ourselves comfortable here, we will miss out entirely on the benefits and peace that selfless living provides.

There is little joy in personal victories, unless someone besides us gets blessed. There is very little satisfaction in moments of triumph, unless we have the assurance that at least something of the moment is going to live on. We were created for eternity, and nothing short of Heaven will completely satisfy our homesick souls!

~ Brad Heilhecker

Happy Easter

We know it’s not about the bunny!

Tune in to today’s ANew View on Easter.

Happy Easter Every Bunny!

He Loves Us That Much

I love how Jesus knows that although he made us in perfection, we still fail. Nothing that we do or say can make him change how he feels about us. He loves us that much. The beautiful thing is that his love is unfailing and his mercy never comes to an end.

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.” ~ Psalms 51:1 ESV

Baring His Beauty,

Tiffany Thomas

All Because She Does Not Know Her Worth

Sobs racing through her body

Alone on the bathroom floor

Tears streaming down her cheeks

She is hiding away

From all eyes

No one must know

about the enemy she is fighting

Alone in her own home

The one she thought would protect her

with his life

Chose to cause her much pain

All because she does not know her worth!

No one must see the deep wounds in her heart

No one must see the bruises she is covering

No one must know about the double life she lives

It is her little secret to live with

All because she does not know her worth!

She does not know what hurts more

Her bruised heart

or the scars on her body

No hope in sight

She is caught in his lies

Life goes on

or should she say

her nightmare continues

It is a small price to pay

for the happiness of her children

It is her job to keep her family together

To take the emotional, mental and physical abuse

And maybe, just maybe, it’s her fault anyway

All because she does not know her worth!

He makes it his daily task

to break down her soul

Little by little he lets everyone know

That she is worthless and deserves

what comes her way

The nightmare she lives out each day

Continues year after year

While the look in her eyes grows dim

Joy and hope now only words

she knew long ago

All because she does not her worth!

Where is all the promises he made to her?

Down the drain, like her self-worth and dreams

Instead to be treated like his queen

She had a taste of hell each day

All because she does not know her worth!

The woman she once was

won’t regocnize her now

She has lost her will to fight

It suits him just fine

Instead of facing his demons from long ago

It was easier to make her his scapegoat

and hide

While she whole heartedly agrees

Why would she allow him to do as he please?

Allow him the right to put a price tag to her worth?

All because she does not know her worth! 

The children grow up

Their smiles fading away

For no one really gave them a say

Dad did as he pleased

Mom silent as a grave

I am ready to explode

Suppressed anger

leading me down the same path

We, a dysfunctional family

who never knew our worth

No one thought of the effects

of this generational curse

Visiting me and robbing me

of my future in Christ

All because they never knew their worth!

No one was brave enough

to put an end to it

Mom thought she did what a godly wife

was supposed to do

Many times our eyes pleaded with her

To stand up to him

To show him our worth

To break free from this cycle of abuse

She was so caught up in the abuse

that she made it her truth

While darkness unnoticeably moved in

Through our silent voices

that were never heard

Yet the effects of his anger

and the effects of her silence

Gave the enemy an open door

to steal, kill and destroy

All because she did not know her worth!

~ Ebigale Wilson

All Because She Does Not Know Her Worth

The Journey

http://www.restoredministries.org

No Strings Attached

This.Is.Amazing!

Listen here now to this weeks #SongSunday

Stand Up – Be Brave – Act!

Ran across this great promise this week and I also love it in the Amplified Translation-

Stand up …

Be brave …

Act!

~ Ezra 10:4 AMP

Whatever it is you are facing – stand up – rise up and be brave; take courage and act – just do it!

You are never alone.

~ XXOO Michelle Bollom

The Comfort Within

Cold is what she feels

When she steps outside

The comfort within,

And the space between

Here and there

Defines the moment

Before a breath

Can escape her lips;

She stands upon stones

Defining mere beginnings,

Chipped,

Already damaged

And you think her to be strong;

Words once trapped

Becomes free

As music pulls them out of the cage

Where the bird

Enslaved to silence

Screamed

Yet no one heard a sound

Thanks to ignorance bleeding

Her heart broken,

Shattered

Out of form;

The fragments of her mind

Dissolving

In an unfamiliar thought

She’s never been in before,

Which is terrifying

Yet beautiful at the same time;

Now she’s laying on the surface

Above depth

She will soon become

And it’s finally going to be ok

Cause she’s here

Till the war ends

And her heart hasn’t stopped

Beating yet.

~ Bethany Anne

Holiness, Jesus Way

We all know that God calls us to live holy lives. Even the unbeliever looks at us to see if we are living holy lives. They often do it to find a way to condemn us. Our Father does it to find a way to bless us.

The what is not under question. It is the how that often stupefies us. How in the world is it possible to abstain from all the worldly pleasures that stand ready to tempt us at every turn? How can we possibly measure up to the standard of perfection that Christ provided for us?

The how is mercy and grace – the dynamic duo. By God’s mercy, we are forgiven of all of our sins and led to eternal life. By God’s grace, we are empowered to follow in the footsteps of Christ. His grace is best defined as “Christ in us, our hope of glory”.

As we surrender our lives to Christ, making him our Savior and Lord, he comes into our hearts, makes them his home, and begins to direct our thoughts, prayers, and actions.

Our Father provides for us all of the faith, hope, and love that we need to overcome every challenge. And there will be challenges.

This life is one big obstacle course. As we overcome each challenge by keeping our eyes on Christ, we are gradually transformed into Christ’s image from glory to glory.

As it is written: After you have suffered a little while, he will himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. And the words of the Lord are pure words, they are like silver, refined in the furnace, purified seven times.

~ Brad Heilhecker