She Stands

  Ephesians 4:26 "In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry."  (NIV) " Many times bitterness is the result of unresolved anger; anger with ourselves or with others. . Anger that is not dealt with can easily become a dangerous bitter root in our hearts......" ( Click here for more on overcoming bitterness )      My mom has told me time and time again, " Stacey you forgive so easily, that's just who you are."   Truth be told, I do forgive fairly easy; I have my moment , express my emotions, shed any needed tears, and move on. Am I perfect? Not hardly. Some situations and circumstances in my life have had me not wanting to forgive, and secretly hoping for God to smite them. Harsh? Yes I know. " Lord forgive me."   However over the years I have purposed to do my best to see others with the eyes of my daddy God in spite of my hurting heart. And  there are tim...

Goliath....   A Philistine giant who stood over nine feet tall, wearing full armor and came every day for forty days, mocking and challenging the Israelite's to fight.  His stature was massive with a physical strength no man could match. He put such a vast fear into the army of Israel and King Saul no one was willing to confront him, until David, a boy after God's own heart, stood to face this giant with the colossal power of God standing with him. Some may ask how does a sling and a stone become such a victorious weapon of war? My answer...... It was the trust and faith in God alone that gave David and his sling and stone such a victory. All though I may not actually face a nine foot giant in life, I do however have had my own Goliath's to encounter. And the one over the last few years has refused to fall........... Just when I think peace has finally found it's place in my life, this giant surfaces with its mocking and taunting war cry, challenging me to...

In reading the book of Isaiah I have been fixated on  Isaiah 60:1-22. Here it speaks of the prophetic promises of restoration and the hope for Israel while in captivity.  I began to think about the promised restorations for my life and what has held me captive.  One in particular has been my financial struggles over the years, robbing Peter to pay Paul maneuvers , but then again who hasn't had a struggle such as that from time to time? As a single parent I became good  surviving from pay check to pay check  and accepted my captivity of  financial stress as a never ending norm of life.  It was not the lack that held me captive, I knew my daddy God would provide,  it was the stress of the unknown as to how and where all would work together in my favor. Stress has its own special way of showing up out of no where.  It is famous for sneaking in on me during the midnight hour. I wake up to find sub consciously I have been grinding ...

Years ago had I seen a bible ripped , torn or in any other condition other than perfect my gasp would have been louder than a bull horn. My religious law attitude had me so tangled up I believed the bible, my bible, God's holy word should be nothing but in pristine appearance. And to see one full of highlighted passages and notes written in the margins,was unthinkable for me. My thought process sadly was distorted and bound by a religious spirit which could not see past law and embrace relationship. Once I began to learn of the precious relationship Jesus wanted to have with me and that His words are yes indeed holy however they are written with love from a father to his daughter, my lawful spirit began to crumble and my relationship began to grow. As my thirst for His knowledge  began to increase , my idea of my bible's appearance changed.  I highlighted, made notes in my margins, placed sticky notes out to the sides of certain passages, circled and underlined scriptur...

Photo Credit: Tracy Teppler This beautiful picture is the home of my dear friend, sister in Christ and blogger companion , Tracy Teppler. I met Tracy through blogging four years ago, a relationship  my daddy God blessed me with at the right time. Tracy is a keep it real, do not settle in life, stand tall, warrior through prayer woman of God. And she is my friend............. The funny thing is, Tracy and I have never met face to face. Tracy lives in South Africa and I in the United States. We text , Facebook and email each other. We pray together, we fast together and we share our most precious cries for our loved ones and it never fails when one of us reaches out to the other with a " Hey how are you?" ........Our timing, God's timing ,  is impeccable. It is then we spill our over whelming emotions, desires, joy, praise reports and prayer request with one another.   Our daddy God gives us those who he knows will be the support system we need. The ones who with...

The sitcom Reba is a favorite of mine and my family's. We love to watch the comedy portrayed in every day life circumstances and the message that love covers all,......no matter what. I find myself relating to Reba's character. She is a single mom helping her young daughter and family find their place in life  in world full of set backs, judgments and trying times. Though her role and my life have some similarities not all is the same. My youngest daughter and her family currently live with me as they too are finding their place in life. Although I have no "Barbara Jean"  bursting through my door, my life, for all intense purposes, reflects portions of her world. It's not easy trying to meet the needs of the ones I love when there are times I can barely  meet my own needs. I do my best and honestly there are times when I feel my best is not good enough. It is within those times I find myself irritated, frustrated, weary , heart broken and a failure. I m...

One bad decision , one wrong turn , and a life suddenly full of disappointments, criticism, hardships, and the judgmental eye of the world...... This was what her young life had become in  a short period of time. She didn't understand how it all came to this, but it had, and making the right steps seemed like such an impossible task. No longer did she have the support system of those around her, no longer did they see the possibilities she had, only the lack the world had now deemed her future. Her tough out side exterior over shadowed the brokenness and self doubt her heart held. Her face once glowing with hope illuminated a hardened and desperate soul, a soul needing for someone to see past all the wrong and witness the heart bleeding changes taking place deep within. She began to fight her way back through all the self induced pain. One small step at a time, she is making her way. The world is echoing her faults with every step, love that is offered comes with cond...