Not All Princesses Are Created to be Soft

I'm sharing this here because some of you...well, you just need to know...not all princesses were made to be soft, some were made to be warriors, but they are ALL fearfully and wondrously made.
....
Finally finished my get-to-know-you paperwork for the ladies' group at church. I honestly didn't want to do it because...

Fave books: Stuff I've read lately that I enjoyed...
Marine Sniper
American Sniper
Fearless--Seal Team Six Member Adam Brown
On Killing (fab study on psychology)
Day of War (SO GOOD)
The Plain Fear series

Hobbies:
shooting and guns
archery
kayaking
fishing
volleyball
board games

Yes, I'm still coming out of the June Cleaver/pervertedProverbs31 indoctrination, and I'm still a bit self-conscious around church women. BUT, God woke me up at 0400 this morning and told me to finish the paperwork. He reminded of something a friend I deeply admire said to me when I was struggling with this before. He said, "Not all men like their princesses soft." Those were powerful words to me. This morning the Lord said, "Not all women want to be soft princesses. Someone is praying for someone to believe she can be a warrior princess. You are an answer to prayer."

So, paperwork done. The King has spoken His blessing, and He is ready. Let the royal warrior princesses come forth.

The Blessings

BTW, I do not want to be remiss in all the updates on this illness to not include the blessings, and I don't mention this because these people expect me to. I mention it because I think we live in a world that does not teach us how to serve others. I think it teaches us to implode, not explode, and frankly, I think most preachers are so busy covering their financial butts and keeping folks in pews with watered down or pick-and-choose-so-it-feels-good theology that we miss the commission to be like Christ, not to believe He once existed, but to truly be like Him, and I think it is imperative to tell the stories of the folks who show Him so others see and understand and can emulate...or just rejoice with how blessed my family is because trust me, THESE FOLKS BLESSED US, so in that vein I want to tell you about....

My cousin who lives about 2 hours away, I think, who "happened" to be near here Sunday when we were nearly out of staple groceries because I hadn't been able to get to the store. C helped at a garage sale during the day and on last minute notice (seeing my post on FB), offered to drive through here, get groceries, and bring them by. It was late. She was tired, and it added easily an extra hour to her trip home. She could have said nothing, and I would have never known she was anywhere near here, and there is more to the story, which is even more...did I mention she BLESSED us? She did.

MK offered to drive between 3 and 4 hours after work yesterday to pick up the kids and keep them till the weekend and bring them home. When she realized how sick I was, she offered to take the day off work today and simply come stay with me. Who does that? Then today she texted me, "Jer, don't be stupid. I know you think you feel better, but you don't. That is just the drugs making you feel like Superwoman. it's not really you." and to be known so well....BLESSED.

Other cousin. Mom of cousin above. I think she does more volunteer work in a week than I do in a year. REally. This woman knows how to serve, and despite the timing (love rush hour) still offered to drive the 30-40 minutes over here to drive me 10 minutes to urgent care and sit there with us so I wouldn't have to fight the world spinning so I could drive myself. She even told me multiple times she didn't mind, and I know she didn't. She would have done it because she loves the kids and me, and she is just that way. Since I assured her I could drive, she kept text watch, and I checked in until I finally passed out at home with meds in my system, and she was the first to text this morning to check on me. BLESSED.

Janis, city secretary. I called to find out if she knew the closest urgent care clinic because I don't know the roads well yet. Never crossed my mind that they would show up on a google map when I did a search. She spent nearly 10 minutes on the phone with me as she googled, found ones that were truly where they said they were, and relayed information. Then she checked on me this morning. BLESSED.

D who was the interpreter between her medical professional sister and me. I had no voice, so I texted D, and she talked to her sister. In the end, I was doing all the right things...and still losing the battle, but it was comforting to have a professional say, "You sound like you are at the point when you need to call in more help." I appreciate D's sisters help and time, and I deeply appreciate D being available to be used in such an unconventional...but so important at the moment...way. BLESSED.

To each of you above, I didn't mention names because I know you, and that isn't what you are about. May the Lord repay you with the His promise, "I will bless those who bless you". May those blessings be deep and wild in their abundance. With deep gratitude from this deeply blessed heart.

A Prayer for Monday...A Prayer for Every Day

Daddy,
Make me a blessing today.
Give me the right words...or the right silence.
Give me the ear to listen...and the heart to love.
Give me the right attitude...and a desire for peace and unity.
Give me your perspective...
...your heart
...your love.
Thank you for the privilege of giving to someone else what you so generously give to me.
I love you!
Amen

Prayer for a Better Day

Daddy,

Thank you for this day. Please use it to correct me.

Anywhere my...
....priorities are wrong...
...my goals are wrong...
...my scheduling is wrong...
show me and show me YOUR priorities, goals, and schedule.

Wherever I am choosing not to bless others when it is in my power, show me.

Wherever I am creating drama or my own distress by focusing on unimportant comments made to me, drivers who don't drive like I think they should, anyone who does not act like or respond the way I think they should...show me and correct me.

Lord, show me all the ways I create my own stress or burden others with my stress-living ways or attitudes. Teach me the way of peace and how to walk in it.

Thank you for loving me and disciplining me in mercy, gentleness, and love. I love you, Daddy!

Amen

Every Day Stuff

Sometimes life gets a bit out of hand, and I don't have time to write a "real post", but almost daily God drops nuggets or thoughts or prayers into my heart, and I drop them into a quick post on Facebook.

I invite you to come on over and visit me there, like my page or just lurk. It isn't about my numbers needing to be high. It's about His knowing what hearts need to hear, and who knows but it might be what you need to hear.

Just an invite....

Hope to see you there.

Blessings,
Jerri

https://www.facebook.com/JerriKelleyPhillips?ref=hl

The Challenge of Valentine's Day--Might Not Be What You Expect

I'm once again thinking about Valentine's.

You know why? Because Valentine's is a painful holiday for me.

I don't like being single. This is not where I had hoped my life would be at this point, BUT this IS my life, and I'm determined to make the best of it...and to give the best of it to others.

Last year my friend Kristi Davis gave me flowers, a gift, and a card on Valentine's Day. I still have no words, but my eyes tear up.

I know others who are not where they had hoped their lives would be either, and this is a hard holiday for them, so I'm honestly trying to focus my thoughts outside what I don't have or what I won't get to what I do have and what I can give.

Obviously, I can't send everyone a card or flowers or candy, and I wouldn't if I could. If I could give anything for Valentine's Day, I would give...what I want.

Something personal.
Something all about me because I like feeling valuable.
Something...that gives me joy.

That is what I would give...to anyone who needs it.

And I have an idea of how I am going to do that, but I have some details to figure out, so you'll have to wait for more information. I can assure you I believe it will bless others, and I am going to seriously enjoy it. :-)

In the meantime, may I suggest you prayerfully consider taking this challenge, too? Whether this is a great holiday or a painful holiday, take the step outside yourself, outside the joy or pain of what you expect to get, and ask what you can give.

Maybe it is one thing for one person. Maybe it is cookies for the neighborhood. Maybe...maybe right now Jesus is cooking up an idea for you beyond anything you can think or imagine. How crazy awesome would that be?!

So how 'bout it? You up for the challenge of Valentine's Day?

A Better Answer--Part 9, The Power of Invasion

As much as I would have loved to have someone offer to mow my yard, fix different things, help in different ways, what I cherish beyond all words are the few people who had the courage to invade when I told them they didn't have to.

Asking for help because I don't have the physical ability or knowledge to use a tool or fix something is one thing. Needing help because my mind or emotions have turned against me...not acceptable.

To have someone who notices when I'm too quiet on FB, haven't texted in a few days, am not picking up my phone, or particular things I say about working in the flowerbeds, turning in paperwork at the court house (where I had to file the divorce petition), or writing thank you notes for those who sent flowers to the funeral...those things are priceless.

As nice as it would be for people to tell us exactly what they need and let us do it, they don't. People don't want others to see their insanity. They don't want people to see them at their worst. So they push through to the best of their ability or shut down when they simply can't go on, and people are too afraid to make them mad or make them cry that they say and do nothing because they are waiting for that "any time you need me" clause to be activated. Except, no one is going to activate it.

So how do you let the person know you are serious about your willingness to be there...even when it is insane?

You invade.

Seriously. Show up at their door with coffee, a movie, dinner, a blender to make margaritas.

I hated evenings after 8:00 pm. The house is quiet. The lack of companionship was a nightmare. I would have loved for someone to show up with a game or a movie and said, "I'm just here to be here." I'm not saying people need to do that every night, but being alone night after night after a day of being the only parent/counselor/teacher/disciplinarian/social-planner/budget-meeter/order-keeper is mentally and emotionally battering. Someone with coffee and a movie who is willing to just be there with you...gold.

Show up with McDonald's for the kids, a box of kleenex, and a few hours to sit and listen.

Fix a picnic and say, "Let's get out of the house awhile."

JUST BE THERE.

Your job isn't to get them out of their rut or to make them see life isn't so bad. If you do that, they aren't going to want you. I wouldn't want you. That is about you, your opinions, and your comfort zones.

This is about them.

Your whole purpose is to be there...with them...where they are.

Sometimes they don't know how to ask you to be there. Sometimes they don't know what they really even need. They just know they need something...someone...because the demands are too many...the load is too large.

Be courageous.
Be what they need.
Do what they need you to do.
Invade.

Necessary Blessings

My daughter is wheeled out of the ER, and I watch her go. I cannot go with her, so the nurse stays with me.

We wait for her to return and for the results of the CT, and we talk about the changes in medicine.

"If it is her appendix, they might be able to treat it with antibiotics," Sandra, an answer-to-prayer RN, says. "In the past, we've taken out tonsils and appendix and anything else we didn't think was necessary, but we don't do that now. We are far more conservative. We assume if it is there, there is a reason, even if we don't know what it is."

I nod. "If it wasn't necessary, God wouldn't have put it there."

She smiles. "Exactly. Who knows why that appendix is there? If it is there simply to teach her empathy, it is necessary."

The words sink deep.

"If it is there simply to teach her empathy, it is necessary."

Isn't that it? Our whole purpose on this planet? The reason for this stop in the road of eternity?

I've been one who claimed the verses of blessing, declared the prosperity of adopted status. I've been the one who said as the child of the King I am entitled to more, but the greatest of the Sons came not to be served but to serve, to give Himself, to live a life for others.

Is that not the real purpose? To become the blessing?

We pray, "Lord, use me," but we expect Him to leave our comfort zones alone.

Instead, He takes us at our word...the one that says, "Use me. Mold me. Make me what I need to be for you. Be You through me."

And He touches our jobs.
And He touches our families.
And He touches our finances.
And He touches our teenage daughters' appendix.

He sits with us through unemployment.
He sits with us through divorce.
He sits with us through bankruptcy.
He sits with us during emergency surgery in the early hours of the morning.

And sometimes things turn out the way we want, and sometimes--God help us--they don't.

And in the dark places we hit our knees,

and we can cry out,

"God, why this?"

or we can cry out,

"God, use this!"

We either become bitter because it happened to us,

or

we become the blessing because it happened to us.

And who knows what blessing lies in the appendix of a teenage girl on her way to get a CT scan in the early morning hours? The blessing she can't see through the tears of pain. Who knows what blessing is being deposited even as her appendix is removed?

I can't tell you for sure. All I can tell you is...

It is the necessary one.

Encouraging Challenge

Pray for the Lord to encouragement or love someone through you today.

Then go through your email list, find that person(s), ask the Lord for the right words, and courageously type them in. Send the email.

You never know who needs to hear from you today.

And if more than one person comes to mind, it is most likely because the Lord wants to speak to the others, too.

Be bold!
Be encouraging!
Be Jesus' light in the world's dark spots!!!

The Blessing of God's Discipline

I had been struggling. For the last three or four days, I had been near tears. Things were out of control, and I was drowning. As bad as that was, worse than that was knowing I knew better than this and still not being able to get my footing back. It was like being at the beach, and each wave knocking over me and filling my mouth and nose with stinging salt water as it rolled over me. I knew there was a ground to stand on, but I still kept falling over. What was the problem?

I might know everything, but I know Who does. I went to the Lord and said, "This is not of you. I'm doing something. What is it?"

Clear as a bell, His voice rang through the mayhem. Relieved and thankful, I rejoiced. Father God had set me free from my own devices, my own thinking, my own answers. He had moved me from my limits to His abundance.

With one simple statement from the Lord, I knew what I was doing wrong, corrected my position, and was back on my feet. Instead of knocking me down, waves rolled by while I stood strong.

When I told my friend about it, excitement and gratitude poured out of me. God is so faithful. He's so merciful. He answered me when I called to Him, and He set me free. How amazing is our God!

Quiet filled the air. Finally, she said, "See, that is a difference between us. God corrects you, and you get excited. God corrects me, and I feel like caving into a ball."

My turn to be silent. Cave into a ball? The God of all the universe just took time to hear my prayer and set me free from what had me imprisoned in chaos. Yeah. I'm excited.

However, her voice didn't just lack excitement, it was filled with hurt.

"Why do you think that is?" I asked.

She tossed around several suggestions. In the end she summed it up, "I'm not like you. When God corrects me, I think He's mad and will punish me. When He corrects you, you think He is doing some great and is really doing it so you can have something better. I dread it. It fills you with joy."

That is a huge difference.

Since that conversation a few days ago, I've spent some time with the Lord to understand the differing views of discipline.

For most of us, most "correction" came in the form of punishment. The definition of punishment is "any pain, suffering, or loss inflicted on a person because of a crime or offense." Punishment is driven by revenge--revenge for making someone look bad, revenge for daring to disobey, revenge for being a bother or inconvenience, revenge for a bad day or stress at work. Correction had little to do with correction and a lot to do with venting of anger and controlling through fear. It isn't about making you a better person. It's about making you a non-entity, one that does not require attention, one that keeps you in line without having to actually deal with you.

Unfortunately, punishment not only affects behavior. It affects identities.

Punishment tells a person he is a bother. It says a person is not worth the effort of correcting, only silencing. It strips a person of value and opens the door for shame and rejection. It is often unjust, cruel, and demeaning. The goal is to invoke fear and create thoughtless submission.

Exactly what part of that fits into the picture of God as love?

That is what the Bible says. "God is love (1 John 4:16)." So what part of fear, devaluing, shame, rejection, acting unjustly, or cruelty fits that picture of God?

Let's understand this "God is love" thing. We are talking about a God who put His own Son on a cross to die so people would not perish. What more could He do to scream, "You are valuable beyond anything you can imagine"? Where did Jesus ever respond to someone who came to Him and asked for forgiveness or healing by making them feel ashamed? When did someone reach out for Jesus or call out to Jesus and He reject them? When was Jesus ever cruel to anyone?

Now, some of you may be asking about the Old Testament and the judgment there. Have you ever really read the Old Testament? Have you ever noticed that when someone turned to God, even in the Old Testament, God responded? For instance, Nineveh which was known as a horrible, godless place, repented, and God responded. Hezekiah was going to die, but he turned his heart to God, and God gave him fifteen more years. Rahab was a prostitute in Jericho, but because she believed God, He saved her and even put her in the lineage of Christ.

Look through the Bible and find a place where God rejects someone who tried to repent. If you find it, share it with me. I won't hold my breath.

So if God isn't about punishment, what is He about?

Discipline.

Discipline is "the treatment suited to a disciple or learner; education; development of the faculties by instruction and exercise; training, whether physical, mental, or moral."

What a difference in outlook! Punishment sees people as a bother, but discipline sees people as learners in need of development through instruction and exercise. Punishment sees people as a liability, but discipline sees them as a valuable potential. Punishment teaches people to hide and be unseen, but discipline teaches them how to rise up and excel.

That means when God corrects someone He does it because He sees a valuable person with incredible potential who simply needs to learn a different way of doing things, maybe needs to develop a new way to deal with a problem. He doesn't see a problem. He sees an answer. He sees someone worth investing in, someone He believes can do better.

I fully believe the Lord disciplines us with joy because He knows each new thing we learn develops His character in us, and when that happens, we are freer, more joyful, and more productive.

When my children help around the house, whether that be in the kitchen or in the yard, I give them directions, not so they can be ashamed of what they don't know, but so they can learn something new, so next time they can be more efficient, safer, or more adventurous. My goal is not squelch their spirits but to give them freedom to move beyond their limited thinking or faulty solutions.

If I understand that is my role as a parent, how much more God?!

God's discipline is not cruel or devaluing. On the contrary, because He values us and sees value in us, He wants to free us from our limited thought processes and our broken ways of doing things. His purpose is not to invoke fear but to give freedom.

Yeah, I like God's correction. It means my life will be better, the heritage I leave with my children will be better than the one I received, I'll know how to relate to others better, the world will be better because I am revealing more of Him in it, and I will like me better, too. How could it get better than that? But then, that is how the blessings of God work, even the blessing of His discipline.

Where to Start

Yesterday morning the Lord and I met in one of the most reviled and dreaded places in the Bible--Proverbs 31. Believe it or not, I am the one who suggested our rendezvous point. I know many women avoid Proverbs 31 like the plague. Maybe the plague is actually less scary. For me, though, it is a place of peace and calm.

Instead of finding this woman my enemy, I find her my goal. I do not fear her. Instead, I embrace her. I want to be like her. Who wouldn't?

Her family life is great. Her husband adores her. Her children appreciate her as a whole and respect her. She is thought of well by her peers. She is wise, doesn't overextend herself, knows when to help and when to say no. She dresses beautifully. She doesn't wear herself out trying to achieve some insane level of false success. She doesn't get flustered or impatient. She is happy and laughing. She is fulfilled in every area of her life.

Who would not want to be her?

The truth is, I think everyone wants to be her, but enmity toward this woman comes from the fear that we will never be her. And we won't be. Not in our own strength. Not in our finite humanness. Our only hope to be like her is to be in Him.

If we look at verse 15, we find the beginning of who she is: "She rises while it is yet night and gets [spiritual] food for her household...(Amplified)" The NIV breaks it up differently. "She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family."

If those two thoughts are together, I really don't think they are talking about physical food. Either she is making an early breakfast, which makes no sense since she has servants to do that, or she is doing an early morning market run, and since they didn't have any twenty-four hour markets, that doesn't make sense either. That tends to make me think the Amplified has it right. She slipped out of bed early to slip into the presence of her God. Seems to me she even knew she could not be the person she was all by herself.

Notice she didn't wait until the house was quiet at the end of the day or when it became convenient. She was smart enough to know life in this world never allows for God to be convenient.

What I love most about this woman that Satan wants me to hate and to fear is her choice to engage life and not be a victim of it. She confronted life on her terms. She didn't wait for life to dump on her for her to run to her God and find out how to react or do damage control. Instead, she went to her God, got the strength and wisdom for life, and then faced life head on with confidance and joy. She didn't worry about the cold or the food or her family's rest because she had already been with the King, received His strategy, and implemented it. She understood the power of being a visionary, and she expected life to respond appropriately.

Or perhaps she never considered how life would respond at all. Perhaps she knew her God so intimately that she knew His plan and promises could not fail because He knew what life was going to do, and He already had a plan to overcome.

It is easy to look at the Proverbs 31 Woman and feel it is impossible to ever be like her--so good, so together, so...sigh... If you feel she is beyond who you could ever be...even beyond human, don't feel bad. You are in good company. She realized she couldn't be that person either. she knew only God could accomplish such things. That is why she started with Him before anything happened, not reverted to Him for damage control when everything fell apart.

As I said, I like this woman. I like how God looks in her. I want Him to look that way in me, too, and I know just where to start.

Copyright Jerri Phillips 2009

New Blog

Hello!

I want to invite you to visit a new blog the Lord has led me to create. The blog is Blessings Sarah Palin. On it you will find prayers, blessings, and prophetic words for Sarah, her family, and America.

This blog will remain my personal blog, so don't stop visiting here. I know I've been absent, and I apologize for that. I believe good things are coming from the wilderness. I believe the Lord is placing in my heart and spirit more to share with you that will bless and encourage you.

Thank you for your prayers and patience.

Blessings of His presence and revelation be given to all of you,

Jerri

Words in Real Life

I have avoided posting about my daily adventures the last two weeks because I've really wanted to focus on the issue of women realizing their value. I have chosen to relate the happenings of the last two weeks with the desire to demonstrate how much God values His children.

Thursday, February 7th--Robert goes to bed with a headache. Robert wakes us up coughing and wheezing. I spend the next four nights monitoring his breathing at night and taking proper steps to avoid respiratory distress.

Monday, February 11th--Robert is better. Anna is now sick. Thankfully, her respiratory track isn't as sensitive, but she is still miserable. Sleep continues to elude me.

Thursday, February 14th--The children are better, and we adopt a Beagle/Dachshund mix. Milly loves the children but hates our dog. Lovely.
--My stepdad goes in for tests and is rushed to the hospital with congestive heart failure.

Friday, February 15th--I am now sick. Milly is still hating Fred, and my stepdad is being scheduled for tests because they believe he might have cancer.

Saturday, February 16th--The heater quits. The sunroom roof leaks with the rain, and our printer dies. Plus, Milly still hates Fred, and Wylie is looking at heart surgery.

Sunday, February 17th--I have to call Milly's foster mom because Fred and Milly have engaged in open fighting. Fred is 60 pounds; Milly is 25. This won't work. We discuss training options, and we agree to try for a few more days, but we realize Milly may not be able to live with us.
--Someone comes to our door and asks if we are interested in selling our popup camper, which we had planned to sell so we could buy an RV. I think this is of God. Rob thinks it is bad timing, but he gets her phone number so we can call in three or four weeks.

Monday, February 18th--Wylie (stepdad) is scheduled for surgery on Tuesday and Wednesday because they feel his heart will not sustain all three stints at once. His kidneys are showing signs of distress.
--I have not slept due to the pain I am in from this illness.
--HOWEVER, Milly and Fred spend the day outside, and when the day is over, they are best friends. Thank you, Lord.

Tuesday, February 19th--I am about to walk out the door when the phone rings. They can't do surgery because Wylie's kidneys are too fragile. They have to call in a specialist.
--I spend the day in bed because I'm so sick.
--The heater person finally comes. He determines we need a new heater. It's price tage? $5800.
--The bank tells us our loans for the remodel (which will get rid of the present roof) are on hold. The loan we are applying for is not possible due to technicalities, but they are willing to let us consider other avenues.

Wednesday, February 20th--I find myself in the doctor's office because my ear is infected. During our conversation, I mention chest pains I had a few weeks ago, and my doctor shares the symptoms of a heart attack in women. Bummer. They are the same. I have an EKG, and they try to do blood work, but I am dehydrated and have to have fluids before they can find blood. I am sent home to drink water and return later.
--No news on my stepdad yet.
--Rob has bought another printer, but has not had time to set it up, so my critiques for my writing group are still sitting on my computer.
--I go back to get my blood work, which works with only 5 total pokes.
--I return home to find the "second opinion" heater man leaving. I ask what the conclusion is. The heater is working. In fact, it started working immediately after being turned on. The technician had cycled through 10 times, and the heater worked each time. "Why replace a heater that works?"
--8:00 that night my mom calls. My stepdad is having surgery the next morning. It is of greater danger to wait. I make a kazillion phone calls and try to sleep, but a reaction to my decongestant keeps me awake for most of the night.

Thursday, February 21st--I am at the hospital at 6:45 am. Wylie is not being prepped.
At 7:30 we are told Wylie has been placed on the "work in" schedule. We do not know why.
At 10:30 we find out Wylie's doctor has the flu, but he has asked his partner to do the surgery. Because we are now working with the partner's schedule and the hospital's schedule, we do not know when Wylie will go in.
At noon, they wheel Wylie back.
At 2:00 we are notified surgery is done. All three stints were placed securely. There were no complications. He will be monitored on Friday as they flush the dye from his kidneys and keep an eye on them. If everything goes according to expectations, Wylie will be home Saturday.
I get home late. My ear is throbbing, and I am exhausted.

Friday, February 22nd--I am up early and try to have quiet time, but all I can think about is my stress test. I am not afraid of heart issues. I am, however, afraid of the test. My mind is filled with memories of the last stress test, being yelled at by the doctor, and being griped at by the nurse because my legs cramped and I was unable to reach their desired heart rate. I fight anxiety attacks.
--10:00 I am at the doctor's office.
--11:00 I walk out of the doctor's office and head home to work on my book chapter so I can turn it in for critique by my group.

That gives you the list of events of the week. What it does not include are the random emails people sent asking about my stepdad, asking how I am feeling, telling me prayers are being prayed. I cannot list the emails/phone calls that simply came in the form of, "Jerri, I appreciate you." I most certainly cannot convey their impact. There were comments made by peopel who had no idea what all was going on. In fact, only three people knew my doctor has concerns about the possibility that I've had a heart attack (BTW, test results should be in by Wednesday). Yet, people I do not even mentally hold as close friends randomly emailed or dropped a note to let me know I bless them in some way. I've received beautiful verses and scriptures, words that are precisely what the Lord has put in my heart. No one could have known about those. Instead, they simply responded to the promptings of the Spirit. I don't know if they realized the Lord was speaking to them or not. I only know they obeyed, and with each word, I was given peace.

In all of the last two weeks, I will tell you honestly that I have been exhausted. I am still very tired. However, emotionally and mentally, I have not felt fear. I have not felt panic. I only had one moment that really made me a bit lop-sided, for lack of a better word. I think part of that is having walked this road with my biological dad. I think part of it was choosing to focus on God's faithfulness. I KNOW a huge part of the ease with which our family walked through this was the prayer, the words, and the actions of the people God used to encourage and support us.

In my last post, I talked about the power our words have to heal. I share with you the events of the last two weeks because I want to convey the powerful use of words in my life and the lives of my family. The words spoken to us and the words prayed over us protected us and kept our hearts safe.

For those who used your words to heal and protect us, our deepest gratitude is yours. May the spoils of our victories be poured upon you and your families, and may your faith be increased to speak even more boldly so that the power of God is released in even greater ways.

God bless you.