When U Pray

Below is another example of fatherhood by Jeremy Montgomery. Fatherhood in a blended family adds another dynamic. I love this ❤️ and I hope you find something that touches your heart.

Real fathers, real men at work! 

Good evening! I was asked by When U Pray to give a little summary on not only being a father to my 2 beautiful angels but also being a father to 4 other little angels that are a part of this beautiful blended family/relationship that I’m in. Well…..here it goes😨 Please for one moment don’t look at me or anyone for that matter that happens to be a part of a blended family/relationship and think…wow that’s a piece of cake or…that would be a breeze to be in that relationship because it’s not. There are things and situitations that you have to become accustom to dealing with that you may have not considered or mentally prepared yourself for. See…in my opinion, anyone can be a dad and pull that off but you have to be built for the task of being a father. (IT TAKES A REAL MAN). I remember when I found out I was having my first child which is my son! I couldn’t hardly wait until he arrived!!!! Ooooo I just wanted to hold him and talk to him and teach him everything I though I knew as a young man. Before he arrived, I remember feeling so proud that I was getting ready to be a father! I knew in my mind and heart that i didn’t wanna just be a dad but a FATHER. I then began to prepare myself…..I went to every single dr. Appointment with my children’s mom, I went shopping for my son, started to fix the house up to make it kid friendly😏 Long story short…..my son is here, healthy, and doing well and I haven’t left his side since God placed him him here on this earth! Then along came my beautiful daughter❤️❤️❤️ This birth changed the entire way I looked at things. Having a daughter caused me to be more humble, caused me to listen first before yelling trying to get my point across, to be slow to speak and swift to hear, to be more gentle, to be more understanding, and much much much more! I thank God for the understanding he has bestowed upon me to be able to raise my children and not run out on my responsibilities and let some other man or the streets raise them. To me, fatherhood means the world and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. 2 1/2 years ago, I met a new special young lady. We started dating and I must admit that in the beginning I was a little tiny bit nervous because as we started going over the “getting to know each other” part, she stated that she had 4 children. What a nail biter right?! The answer is NO!!! When you establish a relationship that developes into love then you take on any and every bit of good and bad, ups and downs, rights and wrongs, and anything else that may come along with this relationship. So that’s exactly what I did! I jumped in head first and I haven’t stopped or looked back in 2 1/2 years. Things haven’t been easy but you continue to pray and fight, you’ll see a totally different outcome. When dealing with a blended family, you have to be prepared for a range of different things such as attitudes that you haven’t had deal with before all the way down to a difference in parenting children. PATIENCE is the key in a blend family! This beautiful woman that I speak of that also happens to have 4 children that I may add happens to be the new love of my life, a mother figure to my children, my best friend, and my partner! Also….she’ll be my wife in 56 days!!! (She already said yes lol😍😍) This relationship may not be anything to anyone else but it my little piece of heaven! I’m happy, my children are happy, my fiancé is happy, her children are happy, AS A BLENDED FAMILY…WE ARE HAPPY!

WhenUPray is featuring words from fathers for the month of June. 

We present to you Eric Owens and his family. 

Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.

2 John 1:3 NIV

   Fatherhood is very important to me. My father was killed when I was four years old…so that means I grew up without ever knowing my dad personally.

 I don’t have any memories of affection from my dad, like him telling me that he love me or even just hugging me. I make it a point to be there in my children’s lives. I thank the Lord that I don’t have a problem expressing love to my children. I make it a point to hug and tell them I love them often. 

I bless the Lord for the relationships I have with them both. 

“But the Lord said, “My grace is all you need. Only when you are weak can everything be done completely by my power.” So I will gladly boast about my weaknesses. Then Christ’s power can stay in me.”‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭12:9‬ ‭ERV‬‬ http://bible.com/406/2co.12.9.erv

Let’s do it scared together is not a statement, it’s a movement. It’s a movement to change our lives and encourage our hearts. Life is rough and it’s not fair and all that but it doesn’t matter. We have lives to lead and we will do it, even if we are scared.!

 I am terrified of bridges and overpasses. There was a time when I refused to drive and if I was forced to drive, I never took the highway. Being driven over bridges and overpasses was bad but it was tolerable, the thought of me having to do it was paralyzing. This fear was irrational and bothersome but it was part of me. Then as I got into my 30’s a few things happened, my husband and I seperated, and my job had me training people all over the state. I was faced with a major decision. Do I refuse the extra responsibility and money because I was scared to drive? I needed the money more than ever in my life because for the first time I was responsible for me and a little girl who was looking at me. So, I had to suck it up and do it scared. 

I’m not making this up, I get terrible shakes and be ready to cry every time I have to go over an overpass. The zilwaukee Bridge scares me so bad that I’m praying and shaking all the way across. I just move to the inside lane and tell myself, “look at the lines, don’t be scared it’s almost over”. Some days I can’t do it, I just go through Saginaw. I have a great job and it requires me to drive from Traverse City to Detroit, from Flint to Kalamazoo, to Muskegon and all points in between, and I love it. Every morning I get up knowing I have to cross a bridge or an overpass and if I let the fear win, I wouldn’t leave the house. 
One day I decided I was tired of being scared, life was for those who want to live it. I want to be free, free from fear and anxiety so I accepted my freedom. I drive anywhere now (except over the Mackinaw) lol I am not there yet, but who knows. 

So, face your fear or do it anyway. DO IT SCARED!
“The Spirit God gave us does not make us afraid. His Spirit is a source of power and love and self-control.” ‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭1:7‬ ‭ERV‬‬http://bible.com/406/2ti.1.7.erv

If you know me you know that I am a firm believer in moving forward despite what your situation looks like. Despite the voices in your head and in spite of the fear in your ❤️ heart!
DO IT SCARED!
Do it anyway. Do what you want to do and what you need to do. The same spirit that raised Jesus from death is in you. That same spirit can raise you above any situation you find yourself in. That same spirit can overcome your fear and and trepidation. That same spirit says YES even when your body says no. That same spirit says YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL, when you feel ugly. That same spirit says I GOT YOU when you are afraid. 

“God raised Jesus from death. And if God’s Spirit lives in you, he will also give life to your bodies that die. Yes, God is the one who raised Christ from death, and he will raise you to life through his Spirit living in you.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:11‬ ‭ERV‬‬ http://bible.com/406/rom.8.11.erv

God promised you many things, it’s in the book and I tell you these promises brings Life to any dead thing.

“This God is our God forever and ever. He will lead us from now to the end of time!” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭48:14‬ ‭ERV‬‬.           http://bible.com/406/psa.48.14.erv

“The Spirit that we received is not a spirit that makes us slaves again and causes us to fear. The Spirit that we have makes us God’s chosen children. And with that Spirit we cry out, “ Abba, Father.”” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:15‬ ‭ERV‬‬ http://bible.com/406/rom.8.15.erv

DO IT SCARED! 

“The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Corinthians‬ ‭3:17‬ ‭ERV‬‬.                         http://bible.com/406/2co.3.17.erv

“As one piece of iron sharpens another, so friends keep each other sharp.”‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭27:17‬ ‭ERV‬‬http://bible.com/406/pro.27.17.erv

“Be friends with those who are wise, and you will become wise. Choose fools to be your friends, and you will have trouble.” ‭Proverbs‬ ‭13:20‬ ‭ERV‬‬.            http://bible.com/406/pro.13.20.erv

The one thing I love about real friendship is there are no time barriers, no schedules and no explanations. 

I have friends that I don’t talk to daily or even weekly. I have friends that I only talk to situationally. I have friends who I know will drop everything and see about me and they know I will do the same. I have friends that pray for me and friends I pray for. 

The one common denominator in all these friendships is forgiveness. I need my friends to forgive me when I forget to call. I need my friends to forgive me when I call and I’m distracted. I need my friends to forgive me when I let them down. On the flip side I forgive my friends easily. I don’t hold grudges and I assume good intent. 

“Don’t be angry with each other, but forgive each other. If you feel someone has wronged you, forgive them. Forgive others because the Lord forgave you.” Colossians‬ ‭3:13‬ ‭ERV‬‬ http://bible.com/406/col.3.13.erv

We tend to be hard on our friends. We expect them to drop everything when we need them, forgetting that they have problems too, they have families and concerns and everything in between. Our friends can’t solve our problems and we need to stop expecting them to have answers that you don’t have.

Love your friends on purpose, spend valuable time with them. Let them know you love them, let them know you may not be able to solve those problems but you are available to listen. Expect nothing from your friends but love. My friends are the best, they cheer me on, they encourage me, they let me be me. I pray that I provide them the same thing.

“You should owe nothing to anyone, except that you will always owe love to each other. The person who loves others has done all that the law commands.” Romans‬ ‭13:8‬ ‭ERV‬‬ http://bible.com/406/rom.13.8.erv

Today we went out in the city of Flint to do outreach, we were laughing and having a great time with everyone who dropped by for pizza and prayer. A carload of young men pulled up, tatted and looking pretty rough. One appeared to be a white boy, one was clearly mixed and one appeared to have a Spanish heritage and white or black but clearly mixed. They pulled up in a van and Michael asked them if they wanted something to eat and offered them prayer. The one young man of mixed heritage said yes I need prayer. The men surrounded the car but he preceded to get out because he wanted to hold hands. They prayed for him and I walked over and he gave me a hug. It was so sweet. 
I had heard him mention his dad had passed away so I offered my condolences, he proceeded to tell me a story. 

“He said his dad passed away when he was a young man, he told me his mom is black but his dad was white. He said he did not remember his dad but he was strongly affected by his absence. He said he wants to do right and every day he asks God to forgive him for what he did wrong and the things he is going to do wrong because he has to live”.

I was moved by his sweet spirit and his tough outer exterior. I saw the sweet boy trapped inside the young man who needed to do any and everything to survive. He kept hugging me and telling me he loved me. I wanted to cry but I could tell that my tears was not what he needed. I put on my brave face and offered him whatever help I could. I told him that if he found himself in a situation and needed help, to call Michael. I gave him Michaels business card and another hug. 

Meanwhile the kid from the front seat began to educate us on the bloods and the crips, yes the gangs. He explained the crips set the stage for WIC and community outreach. He then explained he was a loced out crip LOC, and did whatever was necessary to survive. We spent about 30 minutes talking and making sure they ate. The driver was saying his LOC meant Love of Christ because he had a family now and he was trying to get the others to grow up too. I guess he forgot he had told me he had not been home in 3 days because they were getting money. But hey, I can’t judge him. 

At the end of the 30 minutes one of the young men told me he would see me at church in the morning! He even gave me his phone number so I can call and remind him.

There were many people who stopped by today but those three boys reminded me that life is happening right here in Flint. Gangs are still active and they still have to make life altering choices each and every day to survive. 

As much as those boys think we helped them, I know for a fact that they helped me. They reminded me of what my life could have been. I was once a young person who did not always make good choices and I thank God he put enough people in my life to show me there was more to life than what I saw every day. 

I say all this to to ask you to pray for these kids and all kids who have to make choices that we as adults are never faced with. 

“We should think about each other to see how we can encourage each other to show love and do good works.”‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10:24‬ ‭ERV‬‬ http://bible.com/406/heb.10.24.erv

Man, I was so mad  the other day I told God on a few people. Then I prayed and was asking him if he could provide clarity for me, show me if I was operating in the spirit of discernment or was the devil attacking me.  I needed help, this was really bothering me!

“Free me from my troubles. Help me solve my problems.”‭‭Psalms‬ ‭25:17‬ ‭ERV‬‬ http://bible.com/406/psa.25.17.erv

Y’all know our Heavenly Father is much like our own loving earthly father? He listens to us, provides for us and often laughs at our expense. That is just what God did to me, he laughed. I was thinking I was right in my thinking and then this;

“The Scriptures say, ‘I don’t want animal sacrifices; I want you to show kindness to people.’ You don’t really know what that means. If you understood it, you would not judge those who have done nothing wrong.”‭‭Matthew‬ ‭12:7‬ ‭ERV‬‬.                        http://bible.com/406/mat.12.7.erv

A gentle reminder that I was acting like the people I was mad at. They may get to the point differently , they may never get the same thing I did from a scripture but I don’t know what God is doing in their life, I don’t know 🤷🏽‍♀️ the plan, I only know my part.

“I decided to study and to use my wisdom to learn about everything that is done in this life. I learned that it is a very hard thing that God has given us to do.”‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭1:13‬ ‭ERV‬‬ http://bible.com/406/ecc.1.13.erv

“If something is crooked, you cannot say it is straight. And if something is missing, you cannot say it is there.”‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭1:15‬ ‭ERV‬‬ http://bible.com/406/ecc.1.15.erv

“Keep on telling everyone these truths. And warn them before God not to argue about words. Such arguments don’t help anyone, and they ruin those who listen to them. Do your best to be the kind of person God will accept, and give yourself to him. Be a worker who has no reason to be ashamed of his work, one who applies the true teaching in the right way.”‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭2:14-15‬ ‭ERV‬‬                                  http://bible.com/406/2ti.2.14-15.erv

And that my friend is the answer to my fervent prayer. 

Remarks for Beverly Jean Nelson
As I looked at the best way to remark on my cousin who I called Aunt, I looked for examples of women in the Bible to define her. 
I looked to Ruth, I looked at what she had been through and how her story ended, she had Boaz but she was not quite who I was looking for.
I looked to Naomi and thought oh no, my aunt was not in misery, she did not feel that God had dealt with her harshly. Aunt Jean trusted God till the end. 
I looked to Sara and although Sara had an amazing encounter with God, she was not the example I was looking for. 
I turned to Noah’s wife, she had to have great faith right? She helped build an ark ,and supported her husband and sons. No, she was not who I was looking for.
I looked at lots wife and the widow woman who ran out of oil, I even looked at my favorite woman the Shunamite woman who looked at her trouble and declared all is well. 

But It was not until I found Ester that I knew I had found the woman I was looking for. Esther was beautiful, she was loved, she had much favor and she was smart. When trouble came to her door she didn’t faint oh no, she went to God for help. I knew this was the woman who best represented my aunt. 

Aunt Jeannie was physically beautiful but if that’s all you remember your missing the point. She was a wife, mother, sister, aunt, cousin and grandmother, she was a friend, and a confidant but she was also grace, class, sophistication and joy. In spite of her struggles she still trusted God, for she was a woman of great faith. So those are the things I will remember. 

So I challenge each one of us today to remember the lesson from Ester. If trouble comes to your family, don’t run and hide because you were called for a time like this, gather together, fast and pray and then go to the king. Remember the words of Mordecai.

“If you keep quiet now, help and freedom for the Jews will come from another place. But you and your father’s family will all die. And who knows, maybe you have been chosen to be the queen for such a time as this.” Then Esther sent this answer to Mordecai: “Mordecai, go and get all the Jews in Susa together, and fast for me. Don’t eat or drink for three days and nights. I and my women servants will fast too. After we fast, I will go to the king. I know it is against the law to go to the king if he didn’t call me, but I will do it anyway. If I die, I die.””‭‭Esther‬ ‭4:14-16‬ ‭ERV‬‬ http://bible.com/406/est.4.14-16.erv

I’m sure this post will be nothing that you imagined. But yes, you heard it correctly!! I was Jealous….  
Not of material things.. I could literally care less about that. I’ve had some of everything in my 34 years of life. I was Jealous to see people happy!! Sounds crazy right? Anxiety tried to take out my happiness. I was miserable!! 
Every day my goal was to make it back to bed. I didn’t care about anything else. It took everything in me to function for work then find some more energy to come home and function for my family. It was awful.. 

I would see people laughing and smiling and I would be angry. Like why God?!? Why can’t I be happy? Why do I have to be hurting and barely functioning?  Oh I was angry!! But it got me no where really…. 

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3:5‬ ‭Says “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding… and I’m still working on this!!!
I had to lose my woe is me spirit and figure out the reason for this!! And I can honestly say I don’t have it all figured out. But I do know that I went through this so that I can help others… 

My heart is sensitive now to things that I never in my life thought about. Like mental illnesses, bums on the side of the road. Etc etc.. I see Mental Health Advocate in my near future… 

 But for now, I wake up on a mission to not let this take away my happiness. I keep it moving no matter how I feel!!  I have also learned that it’s ok to have a bad day. Just wake up the next day and try it again..  

I can say I’m no longer Jealous of other people’s happiness. I’ve totally learned to deal with the cards I have and trust that God has my back no matter what it look like(and some days it was super ugly). 
And you should too.. Don’t be afraid to admit how you feel, who cares how people will look at you. Seek help if needed. You don’t have to go through anything alone. With God you are truly unstoppable. So continue to DO IT SCARED!! I’m rooting for you!!! ✊🏾❤️

This is reposted from March 2016, it needs a repeat.

““I give you a new command: Love each other. You must love each other just as I loved you. All people will know that you are my followers if you love each other.””

‭‭John‬ ‭13:34-35‬ ‭ERV‬‬

http://bible.com/406/jhn.13.34-35.erv

Do you love me? Can you love me knowing all my secrets, knowing my past, knowing my mistakes? 

Jesus said people will know we are his followers if we love each other. That’s deep because people are not always easy to love. 

I wonder if he meant you had to love the man who abused you sexually when you were a child? I wonder if he meant you had to forgive the father or mother who abandoned your family and left your family economically challenged? Do you think he meant you have to forgive the person who used your body and broke your heart? Could he possibly expect you to forgive the person who murdered your child, your brother, your father or even your mother? Oh, my could he expect you to forgive the person who was knowingly or unknowingly sleeping with your spouse and caused you step out of your character? Do You have to love the child that your spouse created outside the marriage? Does he want you to love the person who betrayed you time after time in friendship? Could he really expect you to love all these people?

I think he did! He does not expect you to do it in your own power. God’s love will heal you and his power will allow you to love, even when you don’t want to or can’t believe he would expect you to. 

“He heals their broken hearts and bandages their wounds. He counts the stars and knows each of them by name. Our Lord is great and powerful. There is no limit to what he knows.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭147:3-5‬ ‭ERV‬‬

http://bible.com/406/psa.147.3-5.erv

To my husband,

 I don’t need you to take care of me. 

“My God will use his glorious riches to give you everything you need. He will do this through Christ Jesus.”‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:19‬ ‭ERV‬http://bible.com/406/php.4.19.erv

 I NEED YOU TO TRUST GOD

I don’t need you to make me whole. God created me in his image and his likeness, I am lacking nothing. I need you to remain whole or allow God to take your broken pieces and heal you.

 “I praise you because you made me in such a wonderful way. I know how amazing that was!” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139:14‬ ‭ERV‬‬ http://bible.com/406/psa.139.14.erv

I NEED YOU TO TRUST GOD!

No, I don’t need you to protect me, God said he would.

 “The Lord saves his servants. All who go to him for protection will escape punishment.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭34:22‬ ‭ERV‬‬ http://bible.com/406/psa.34.22.erv

I NEED YOU TO TRUST GOD!

What I really mean is, I don’t need you in the ways of the world. I need you to be my spiritual guide. I need you to guide our family, direct our spiritual growth, be Adam for me. Adam walked with God, talked with God and was given dominion over the things of the earth. That is what I need! I need you to TRUST GOD! God said where two or more are gathered in his name, he will be in the midst. If a husband and his wife can agree on things in this earth and pray to God in Jesus name, they are unstoppable, unbreakable! 

“To say it another way, if two of you on earth agree on anything you pray for, my Father in heaven will do what you ask. Yes, if two or three people are together believing in me, I am there with them.” 

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭18:19-20‬ ‭ERV‬‬ http://bible.com/406/mat.18.19-20.erv

I NEED YOU TO TRUST GOD!

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3:5-6‬ ‭KJV‬‬. http://bible.com/1/pro.3.5-6.kjv

Marriage is hard work, it is not for the faint at heart. After the cake is gone, after the flowers have been pressed in a book, after the limo ride home you have to figure out how to live with that someone. 
All the dating rules are no longer valid, you are no longer dating, you are married. If you and your spouse did not have some hard conversations prior to the “I do”, it’s going to be real hard. 

Money? How is it going to be handled? Who pays the bills? Who is the responsible party for this? Do we keep our money separate? Is there a disparity in income and I will always be broke and you will be balling? This creates more problems than infidelity. Real talk

Kids? Yours mine and ours? Are we in agreement on how to raise them? Do we share parenting goals? Do we have parents not in the home that need to be considered? Do you tell me I can’t talk to your sons mother and you can’t talk to my daughters dad? Do we all come together for the benefit of our children? Spend a lot of time on this one, it can destroy your marriage. 

Work? Do you believe women should work and I think they shouldn’t? That can create a problem. Each one should understand the plan for the family and the plan to execute it.

Household expectations, how do we divide the work? Does he want a home cooked meal everyday but you don’t cook? Do you think he should keep your car washed and gas in it but his momma did it and he thinks you should? 

Who does laundry, mows the lawn and does dishes? Who pick up the dry cleaning? Having misaligned expectations create unnecessary havoc in a new relationship. These things don’t get talked about because all you can think of is your dress, flowers and cake. 

Church? Which one are we attending yours or mines, do I expect you to go? Do you expect me to, because I only go on Christmas and Easter and maybe Mother’s Day.  

How are we going to interact with our families? Do we spend every Sunday at your moms house? What about holidays my family want to se me too? 

No matter how long you’ve dated or how long you’ve known one another that ring brings about new expectations. Trust me! 

If you already got married and it is struggling, go back to the drawing board. Write out the issues and talk them through. Silence is not an option. 

Your masculinity defined her womanhood. 

The man in you called to the woman and set her free.

 The man in you called to the girl in her, he listened to her, hugged her close and allowed her to grow up, trusting that the man would not fail her. 

The man in you helped shaped the woman. You taught her to love unconditionally because you needed to be loved unconditionally.

The man in you taught her to forgive, because you caused so much pain in her life she needed to forgive you to move on. 
The man in you taught her to war for peace, because you created havoc in her world and only peace could heal her. 

The man in you taught her so much about life, loving and being a woman.  When it became time to define a role,  the man became a HUSBAND and his WIFE showed up. 

I receive a lot of emails, and the ones that always sadden me the most are from people who condemn themselves because of their weight. Because they condemn themselves and others have condemned them, they think that God must condemn them too.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:1‬ ‭KJV‬‬ http://bible.com/1/rom.8.1.kjv

Nothing could be further from the truth! God is about restoration, not condemnation. He sees differently than human beings see. Think of it like x-ray vision. God can look right past your body, straight into your heart and mind. He sees all the invisible thoughts and behaviors that contributed to your physical results. And He has the ability to help you change them.

If you have been condemning yourself for your weight gain and generally being unforgiving to yourself then I believe it saddens God. Why? Because through His grace, He has set you free from garbage thinking. Continuing to put yourself down plays straight into the hands of the enemy.
The enemy wants you to be so condemned and discouraged that you get deeper into bondage. But sin no longer has dominion over you. The only power it has is that which you choose to give it.
Remember who your Father is. In your weight loss journey, think restoration not condemnation. Forgive yourself for your past; after all there is nothing you can do about it.
The body you have now is just a snapshot of the choices you made in the past. The choices you make now will determine the body in which you will live in the future. Keep going, don’t stop. 
Never forget this one thing

“I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139:14‬ ‭KJV‬‬ http://bible.com/1/psa.139.14.kjv

Colossians 1:7-14 ERV 

You heard it from Epaphras, our dear friend and co-worker. He is a faithful servant of Christ for us. He also told us about the love you have from the Spirit. Since the day we heard these things about you, we have continued praying for you. This is what we pray: that God will make you completely sure of what he wants by giving you all the wisdom and spiritual understanding you need; that this will help you live in a way that brings honor to the Lord and pleases him in every way; that your life will produce good works of every kind and that you will grow in your knowledge of God ; that God will strengthen you with his own great power, so that you will be patient and not give up when troubles come. Then you will be happy and give thanks to the Father. He has made you able to have what he has promised to give all his holy people, who live in the light. God made us free from the power of darkness. And he brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son. The Son paid the price to make us free. In him we have forgiveness of our sins.

If being a Christian was about the church I would not be there. I was baptized in a Baptist church. I went to Church every Sunday when I was a Kid. I saw so many people act a fool in the name of Jesus I was turned away. I decided that if the people I knew from church were a reflection of God I did not want any part of that. I have always loved God and knew that he was the reason I was able to withstand the horrors of my youth. I always knew God made a way for me because there was no other way so many people would have offered me a safe haven without even knowing why. I always knew it was God that kept my mind when I thought I could not go on, but I was good on church. I can remember going to church and being given all these rules that did not line up with my vision of God’s love or Jesus’s sacrifice. These people were mean, judgemental and hateful. They talked about people instead of helping them and then tried to tell me how good God is. Needless to say, I did not go to church often.

Now I go to church weekly and I try to be the person I needed when I walked in the door. I was damaged from years of physical, sexual and mental abuse as a young lady. I was damaged from relationships and friendships, I was financially and mentally bankrupt and at my wits end. I walked in the door of Ebenezer Ministries and strangers hugged me and said kind words so I went back the next week. They kept hugging me and I kept showing up. Before long I met Jesus sitting on a pew on Center Rd Jesus chose me, with all my mess , he chose me. I didn’t accept it at first because I was giving Jesus the same characteristics of the people who hurt me, I thought if I didn’t get it right, he would stop loving me. In spite of my fear I kept showing up and eventually I got it. There was nothing I could do to change it, Jesus loves me. I became overwhelmed with emotion and decided to trust the process. I decided to trust that he would heal me, restore me and make me a new creature. It didn’t happen over night but he is working it out. I am not who I used to be. Don’t get that confused with thinking I’m perfect, I’m just a girl who loves a perfect God. 

If you don’t know Jesus for the pardoning of your sins, take a few minutes and say this. 

Dear Lord,

I admit that I am a sinner. I have done many things that don’t please you. I have lived my life for myself only. I am sorry, and I repent. I ask you to forgive me.

I believe that you died on the cross for me, to save me. You did what I could not do for myself. I come to you now and ask you to take control of my life; I give it to you. From this day forward, help me to live every day for you and in a way that pleases you.

I love you, Lord, and I thank you that I will spend all eternity with you.

Amen.