Hi everyone, a very happy and blessed Easter to you all. Jesus is risen, risen indeed!! Yesterday we celebrated Easter and our family had a great day. We started by going to church and there is an older gentleman who sang “I’ve just seen Jesus” Oh was it wonderful. Then we visited another church and saw a dear friend of ours little girl get baptized by emersion. I can’t tell you the joy I even now feel as we watched that and saw that sweet and happy face!! And on the personal side the men at boot camp in Georgia were able to call home so as you can imagine there were many happy, happy families around this country starting with ours  :]  I do want to say that I know that there are many of you out  there who didn’t have a good day or felt lonely and lost. It could be your loved one is over seas, or Life circumstances are real hard now and sometimes even when were in a crowd and were supposed to be happy we don’t. Internal struggles make us feel alone isolated and like we don’t fit in any where. I know I have had those thoughts and feelings. This month I have been thinking about those words Peace & serenity. Everyone around this world who knows any thing about any kind of recovery group will always start the serenity prayer with” God grant me the serenity” What do you think of when you think of that word? I think peace. Hear are some words that go hand in hand with that, Peace,  heartsease, peace of mind, peacefulness, repose, placidity, quiet, tranquility, ataraxis {which means- the absence of mental stress and anxiety}, I had to look that one up! When I think of peace though I don’t t think I would say happiness. So what are the times when I could honestly say I did not have a sense of peace of heart and mind? What disrupts mine and your peace? Were agitated, uneasy, fearful, worried. We can’t or have a hard time concentrating or at times thinking clearly or rationally about things or decision or basics life. So the serenity prayer say’s God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Everyone wants that “serenity” and that longed for “peace “even if your not involved in any kind of recovery group. So where we start is by getting into the word and let’s look at a few verses that we can think, meditate on and make part of our lives to call on. Scripture does say to hide His word in our hearts. First of all that The holy Spirit can bring to our minds when were tempted to make wrong choices but If it in our heart we can  remember and it comforts us, gives us hope and yes that peace. I have been using the amplified edition for these notes lately because it really expands on the verse 2Corinthians 13:11
Finally, brethren, farewell (rejoice)! Be strengthened (perfected, completed, made what you ought to be); be encouraged and consoled and comforted; be of the same [agreeable] mind one with another; live in peace, and [then] the God of love [Who is the Source of affection, goodwill, love, and benevolence toward men] and the Author and Promoter of peace will be with you. So Christ is the author [originator] and promoter of peace! That reminds me of Hebrews 12:2 (King James Version),         ²Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. A 1 Peter 1:2,²Who were chosen and foreknown by God the Father and consecrated (sanctified, made holy) by the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and to be sprinkled with [His] blood: May grace (spiritual blessing) and peace be given you in increasing abundance [that spiritual peace to be realized in and through Christ freedom from fears, agitating passions, and moral conflict. We hear a lot from Jeremiah 29:11 that He has a purpose and plan; well here it says we were chosen, yes us that’s how special we are to Him. Also that it is in and through Him; Christ. Not our power or willpower but His! Some may have heard the saying from a recovery meeting” I can’t; God can: I turn my will over to God” That His power working in His way to gives us that serenity and peace. Philippians 4:7say’s And God's peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. I especially love this verse; we can have that peace despite what goes on in our lives. It’s not that giddy happiness that everything is “good” and all the people and circumstances in our life are good or behaving in our perceived right way. We have to remember that it’s not our measuring stick or plumb line of what we think may be right for us but His!!!  He is good and we can rest there. He will guard our hearts and mind. He will protect them and it’s in that resting, trusting that as the prayer says that He will make all things right. I know for myself that my life has really changed and believe me and not all of it has not been my idea of what I wanted, but I trust Him! That’s where the peace is; no matter what, we can be tranquil resting in the knowledge He will be with us, never leave us or forsake us , were chosen, and He loves us. May the lord bless you and keep you Love Mary        Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.  Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardship as a pathway to peace; taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is; not as I would have it; trusting that You will make all things right if I surrender to Your will; so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with You forever in the next.  Amen.

Hello and welcome to 2011, I am sorry that I didn’t get to send out a note in December but like most of you things can get upside down fast especially with all that goes along with the holidays. I earnestly hope that you all had a “reasonably happy” Christmas. Time spent with family and friends, and reflecting on the true meaning of Christmas;” joy to the world the Lord has come”!!                 So now we look to this New Year. God has brought me through many things this last year and I am thankful that with Him I can face anything and move forward without fear but with anticipation to see where life will go. Last November I asked all of you to make a gratitude list that goes hand in hand with reflection of this past year. Our mind will generally always go to the “bad”, “scary” things that we faced. I had many things that I didn’t want to come in my life but I trust that God has a purpose and a plan. I know that can seem unattainable though with our natural mind. I still have the feelings at times, i.e., Hurt, frustration, being gloomy, bummed out, embarrassed just to name a few feelings. But in my heart I have that peace that He knows best and anything that comes to me I can get through because He is with me. Psalm 23 (Amplified Bible says, ¹THE LORD is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack. ²He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters.^{(A) 3}He refreshes and restores my life (my self); He leads me in the paths of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him--not for my earning it, but] for His name's sake. ⁴Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me. ⁵You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with ^[a]oil; my [brimming] cup runs over. ⁶Surely or only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and through the length of my days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place” I just love that, it encourages me. Just a side thing, look at that word “encouragement” the words “courage “it smack dab right in the middle. He gives the COURAGE!!! Many were hard pressed with the economy this year. We have a few friends that had to surrender there homes, unemployment, death of friends or family members, health scares, there can be quite a list! That is were our Faith comes in, that trust, “banking on” a God that we may not think so but Loves us so much!! So what are we facing this year? There will be many things that enter our lives that we didn’t plan on, but there will be things that enter through our own choices. I started this year reading in Genesis: Genesis 2:9-3:24 ⁹ The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.              ¹⁵ The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. ¹⁶ And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; ¹⁷ but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

 ¹⁸ The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”  But for Adam^[c] no suitable helper was found. ²¹ So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs^[d] and then closed up the place with flesh. ²² Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib^[e] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

 ²³ The man said, “This is now bone of my bones                                            
   and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”  ²⁴ That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.  ²⁵ Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. Genesis 3

The Fall

 ¹ Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

Well hello, I hope this finds all of you well. Yep it’s finally here the cold; we broke down and started the wood stove, so now unfortunately I am cold everywhere else because I am so spoiled with all the heat! But I am grateful and thankful for the heat!! This week is Thanksgiving so I have been and still am reflecting on all the things I can be grateful for! As I said last month there are many things that I can say are not things that I would have picked to happen in my life but they are here and I trust that God will give me the strength to get through and Give me His joy. I challenge every one of you even if you are feeling very broken to make a gratitude list. Sit right now and think what I can be thankful for… This month I have been thinking of many things that God is trying to impress and show me, Gratitude yes, His sovereignty and His work in mine and your life. The verse that keeps coming to my mind is in Philippians 1:3-9 about  Thanksgiving and Prayer ³ I thank my God every time I remember you. ⁴ In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy ⁵ because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, ⁶ being confident of this, that he who began a “good work” in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.  ⁷ It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. ⁸ God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.  ⁹ And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, ¹⁰ so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, ¹¹ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.            I was thinking that many times in our lives that we want to change so much, At times it almost a “wish. I wish I could do that, if only I could”. We may feel almost desperate to change something that we hate so much about ourselves. It could be many things, a character defect that has cause many trial and disappointments. Or your self esteem is so low or non existent. If only we could do it!! I know that in my heart that Christ Jesus knows all about me and knows what I so desperately wanted changed. I can clearly remember praying with all sincerity that I wanted what He wanted for my life, His way. Clive Calvert from world missions had come to our missions weekend, oh maybe 3 years ago. I was given two of his books and in the quietness while all alone totally committing my whole self to Christ, all of whatever and wherever. Then time went on and I knew that I was not always living or making choices that were God glorifying, did our Lord forget that “good work” that I wanted to take place? NO. In my daily reading I have come across that term “Sovereign Lord” many times, to be exact there are 288 times that term is used. I was intrigued by this and looked up some meaning to that word Sovereign here is what Chip Ingram from Walk thru the Bible said” If you were to look up the word “sovereign” in the dictionary, you would find words and phrases like “superior,” “greatest,” “supreme in power and authority,” “ruler,” and “independent of all others” in its definition. But the way I like to explain God’s sovereignty best is simply to say, “God is in control.” There is absolutely nothing that happens in the universe that is outside of God’s influence and authority. As King of kings and Lord of lords, God has no limitations. Consider just a few of the claims the Bible makes about God:

·  God is above all things and before all things. He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. He is immortal, and He is present everywhere so that everyone can know Him (Revelation 21:6).

·  God created all things and holds all things together, both in heaven and on earth, both visible and invisible (Colossians 1:16).

·  God knows all things past, present, and future. There is no limit to His knowledge, for God knows everything completely before it even happens (Romans 11:33).

·  God can do all things and accomplish all things. Nothing is too difficult for Him, and He orchestrates and determines everything that is going to happen in your life, in my life, in America, and throughout the world. Whatever He wants to do in the universe, He does, for nothing is impossible with Him (Jeremiah 32:17).

·  God is in control of all things and rules over all things. He has power and authority over nature, earthly kings, history, angels, and demons. Even Satan himself has to ask God’s permission before he can act (Psalm 103:19).

·  That’s what being sovereign means. It means being the ultimate source of all power, authority, and everything that exists. Only God can make those claims; therefore, it’s God’s sovereignty that makes Him superior to all other gods and makes Him, and Him alone, worthy of worship.          Wow , so we sit and plan, plot and think how we want to orchestrate our live BUT our sovereign Lord has it all mapped out. He is in control if you let Him. His promises are TRUE and we can count on them. He said that He will Do the “work” or “change “in our lives as long as our desire is for Him and what He wants. And yes despite ourselves. Just look at one of our bible heroes from the Old Testament, King David. Read all about him and what he did but it is said of him that he had a heart for God. He made really terrible moves in his life but God knew that he really wanted Him and Him only. His flesh really got the better of him just like we do. So the point is that “we” need to get out, and then the Lord can work, Him in us and through us!! He promised to complete the work He started. We can be so thankful for that!! So what ever you did for thanksgiving we can give Him thanks, may the Lord bless you and keep you, Love Mary

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.  Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardship as a pathway to peace; taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is; not as I would have it; trusting that You will make all things right if I surrender to Your will; so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with You forever in the next.  Amen.

 ³ For I am the LORD, your God,
       the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
       I give Egypt for your ransom,
       Cush  and Seba in your stead.  ⁴ Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
       and because I love you, Or  in Romans 8:28-35,And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. ²⁹For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. ³⁰And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

 ³¹What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³²He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?”         So nothing can separate us from God, when we placed our trust in Him he will never leave us, He says we are more than conquerors through him. So what ever your facing now {I know its right there in the front of your mind}remember Christ that lives in you will walk with you , carry you, go before you and if you surrender as the serenity prayer says He will work through you and you know that His way is the best way. The way will lead to a deep peace and joy despite what you’re walking through. Dear ones surrender to Him! Look what   Isaiah 26:2-4 says
“You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You.” May the Lord bless you and keep you love Mary
                God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.  Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardship as a pathway to peace; taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is; not as I would have it; trusting that You will make all things right if I surrender to Your will; so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with You forever in the next.  Amen.

Well hello there and welcome to September!! I love September, I am sitting here at my desk and really it is a spectacular day. Not to hot or cold. The sun is shinning and the leaves are already starting to change there is a little breeze, wow! One of the reasons I love this month it’s like a new start. In the past my children have gone off to school and life routines are put back into place. I have always started this month with fall cleaning so it is no wonder I have the bug now. This year though even though it can be a struggle I am making time for the important things. Quieting my heart, spending time with the Lord with prayer and reading. I do love those things so much but I can get detracted. I think we all get a sense of satisfaction and happiness when we get things organized and accomplished. I personally am a goal setter so I especially love it. I guess though I have been thinking about happiness. Where does it come from? How do we get it? There are some things that can give us what we categorize as temporary happiness like what I just shared but where does the bible say it comes from? At Celebrate Recovery we do the 12 steps and there biblical comparisons and the 8 Principles of Recovery and there biblical comparison. Not that I want to “look back” but if we are honest with our selves, most of the things that brought us to a place of needing recovery was in the pursuit or trying to make ourselves or someone else happy. Lots of choices that we thought were good or bad got way out of control. The bible does not say a whole heck of a lot about being “happy” but there is a lot about peace and joy. The 8 principles and biblical comparisons I think tell us the heart of what this happiness may look like in our life. The comparisons come from the beatitudes found in Matthew 5.   When I was looking this up it really said “blessed” and the word “happy” replaced the word blessed in many translations, they really aren’t the same thing at all. This word was approved years later when different translations were developed. Here is the passage that CR gets there biblical comparison for the 8 principles, The Beatitudes

 ¹Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ²and he began to teach them saying:
 ³"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
      for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  ⁴Blessed are those who mourn,
      for they will be comforted.
 ⁵Blessed are the meek,
      for they will inherit the earth.
 ⁶Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
      for they will be filled.
 ⁷Blessed are the merciful,
      for they will be shown mercy.
 ⁸Blessed are the pure in heart,
      for they will see God.
 ⁹Blessed are the peacemakers,
      for they will be called sons of God.
 ¹⁰Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
      for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 ¹¹"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹²Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you".                                                So this happy or blessed state is not produced by running or manipulating or planning in our lives. I believe that feelings can really drive us instead of trusting God. Many times we go on our “feelings” in stead of looking to Jesus Christ to fill all of us. When we acknowledge Christ living in us we have His attributes. Let’s take a look at   Philippians 4 it says,

⁴Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 ⁸Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

 ¹⁰I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. ¹¹I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹²I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³I can do everything through him who gives me strength”.               I truly believe contentment is the key to this “blessed” state and it is possible[ all things are possible with Him] with whatever are circumstances  are or what has come into our lives brought to us by others our ourselves; Realizing that God is in control of our lives. With that comes the joy and peace, now that’s being blessed or happy. I truly can say as the serenity prayer says I am reasonably happy despite problems and trials. Lets read these characteristics that we  have because when we accepted Christ and He lives in us, so we can enjoy  or it is possible to have  the contentment, joy and peace:  poor in spirit,  meekness, people who hunger and thirst for righteousness, being  merciful, pure in heart, a peacemakers, when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Wow, we can’t do all this but He can. Submit to Him; let Him work in and through you!!

That where the “happiness is” May the Lord Bless you and Keep you Love Mary

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.  Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardship as a pathway to peace; taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is; not as I would have it; trusting that You will make all things right if I surrender to Your will; so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with You forever in the next.  Amen.

Hi All, I hope all is well with you and your enjoying your summer. Hard to believe we are almost at the end. I had many people comment to me about last month’s encouragement. Insecurities in ones life can be a devastating thing, and affect so much of what and who we are. Every month I ask God to impresses on me what to talk about. Mostly it is things that I am walking through. Encouragement for me is not just trying to make someone feel better its “spurring on” as the bible says to help us make the need changes. Examining our selves and asking the  Holy Spirit to show us where we need changing and asking Him to work in us. In ourselves we can’t but with Him all things are possible. I share from myself in hope that others have similar issues: we are not alone!! We may not share exactly the same issues but the “root”, “character defects” are the same. This month for several weeks Gods “strength” has stood out to me. Scriptures say that when we are weak He is strong. Step 10 say’s We continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it” The corresponding verse is” So if you think your standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall![1 Corinthians 10:12]” There are many and varied reasons that people who are working there recovery and going on with God fall. Just think about that statement the verse say’s “standing firm” then “falling”. I want to concentrate on just one of these reasons, there is a list of reasons and maybe another time we can go into those. I have been studying in Genesis and just finished the story of Lot in Genesis 19 when the angles of the Lord came to him and told him to flee and his family from Sodom and Gomorrah.
^“15 When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.” ¹⁶ And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. ¹⁷ So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.”

¹⁸ Then Lot said to them, “Please, no, my lords! ¹⁹ Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die. ²⁰ See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one; please let me escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.”
²¹ And he said to him, “See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken. ²² Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there.”
Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
²³ The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar. ²⁴ Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens. ²⁵ So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.

Hi Everyone!!  Hope this fines your all reasonably well and enjoying the heat of summer. I know, I know some of you are complaining but just remember WINTER, ahhh summer!! We were able to get away for a little R&R. My brother goes up to the Cape every year and he has wanted us to go but with a wedding and new baby well no can do. I realized that I really needed to get away; rest. We were busy but I had early morning walks and time looking at the ocean, reading and spending time with God. My husband and I did some reading too! I read a book by Beth Moore” so long insecurity”. Last month I tried to encourage us all with being honest. We can “look” a certain way from the outside but what are we really like inside? I think if you spoke to anyone most people would say they were insecure about themselves in some certain area. Many of us in many ways. We pretend we are confident when placed in certain situations or tons of times we just don’t place ourselves in certain situations because we know we feel inadequate. We struggle because we feel less that what we perceive others think of us or what we think they think we should be. Many times insecurities are from abuse. Physical, emotional or sexual abuse. Many times it’s from comments made by people who themselves feel horrible about themselves and throw there opinions around and we are the causalities of that. I am going to share a couple of stories that I have permission to share. Myself; I shared last month about low self esteem and body image. When I was in Jr. High I walked into math class and for some reason this small class decided to sing me a song. “Mary the Mack truck she almost for real just saddle her up with a girdle on her heel, what does Mary do, eat Mary the Mack truck we hate you” I felt violated , unsure, vulnerable, so many emotions. The bottom line was they hated me because of how I looked?? The teacher never said or did anything. He had many issues with his appearance and probable just didn’t want to deal with this. My husband came from a dysfunctional home including an alcoholic father. His father in his drunken state would say that he wouldn’t amount to anything. No one would believe him or think he was anything. He has told me sometimes he just can’t talk in a group. He thinks he sounds dumb and people will think he is stupid. So he stays quite even though he has much to share. My friend shared she over heard a comment from two teacher talking when she was In grade school, Saying that she has it up there {in her head, smarts} but not down there{ in her heart} So for years social anxieties and a  sense that she was a person with stilted emotions, passionless. She still struggles with this.  Step 2 says, We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. And the corresponding verse; “For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose”  {Philippians 2:13]The verse that I put in last month from our cover of Celebrate Recovery,”   Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness so that Christ’s power my rest on me. For when I am weak, then I am strong”11 Corinthians 12:9-10. I am coming to really realize that it is Christ living in and through me. When we accept Christ it is a promise that He gave us his Holy Spirit. He lives with in us. Galatians 2:20
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me”. So who and what is Christ. Okay I know we can’t ever put everything but here is the Truth, He is not insecure!! When we acknowledge that we in our weakness can’t do anything, God is the power that we need to rely on. When we live in God spirit we can’t fail! We are free of fear which is the driving force to insecurity because it’s Him not us. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Galatians 5:21-23  when we live in Him those are our fruits too. I really have found such peace and serenity letting God power drive me. It’s Him not me. I can try hard, but me trying hard is not something I can keep up. We can make some changes with our will power. I am talking about the lasting changes. Things that have been a part of who we are for years, many people have commented that I glow- that’s God love and joy. I have problems but I have His peace too! What freedom that it’s not me but God. The faithful one whom I always can trust!                               Psalm 34

 ¹ I will bless the LORD at all times;
         His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
 ² My soul shall make its boast in the LORD;
         The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
 ³ Oh, magnify the LORD with me,
         And let us exalt His name together.
 ⁴ I sought the LORD, and He heard me,
         And delivered me from all my fears.
 ⁵ They looked to Him and were radiant,

And their faces were not ashamed.

May the Lord Bless you and Keep you Love Mary

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.  Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardship as a pathway to peace; taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is; not as I would have it; trusting that You will make all things right if I surrender to Your will; so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with You forever in the next.  Amen.

Hi Everyone, I am sure this finds you busy with all that starts the summer. Many of you have children or grandchildren out for the summer so that old routine is out the window. I have been thinking about what to write this month and decided to stay with things that I go through and  speak from my heart. I figure maybe some can relate. About a month ago during the large group meeting at Celebrate Recovery a song was played.

Honestly can I tell you where I’m at, Honestly can I pull the curtain back? Will you run? If you see how weak I am,

Chorus- If you don’t see the real me you won’t see what Mercy’s done,   If you don’t see the my weakness you won’t see what love has won, If you don’t see the distance from the darkness to the sun You won’t see, Honestly,  

Honestly, I’m growing sick and tired, Honestly, it hurts to much to hide, Brokenness that’s killing us inside,

Chorus- If you don’t see the real me you won’t see what Mercy’s done,  If you don’t see the my weakness you won’t see what love has won, If you don’t see the distance from the darkness to the sun, You won’t see,

Let the light escape from the whole inside my soul, When I start to break then Grace begins to flow, Let the light escape from the wounded, lonely place in my soul, Honestly…Honestly…

Chorus- If you don’t see the real me you won’t see what Mercy’s done, If you don’t see the my weakness you won’t see what love has won, If you don’t see the distance from the darkness to the sun, You won’t see...

Honestly so what is it? The American Heritage dictionary of the English Language say’s                                   

hon·est·ly  (nst-l)

adv.

1. In an honest manner.

2. Used as an intensive: I honestly don't care.

interj.

Used to express mild disapproval or dismay: Honestly! Look at the mess you've made. Step 5 of the 12 steps say’s “we admitted to God, ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs”. And the corresponding verse, James 5:16”, Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed” Many thoughts have been in my mind these past few months about being honest and sharing what you have going on in your heart. Sharing your heart can be a very scary thing. Many people have hidden things that they struggle with. You can hide a lot of things from people, if you struggle with jealousy, pride, self importance, low self esteem to name some. Or you’re relapsing and involved in things you know you shouldn’t? Shame and guilt keep you walled up, silent, suffering. What if your struggle is seen by others? Humbling can’t it be?? Lots of times when your struggle is seen by many “HONESTLY” you don’t want to talk about it!! Maybe you know people talk about you and have judged you by just how things “look”. Well I have had to come full circle and face all this lately. Hopefully you all are working your “character defects” , submitting to Christ and wanting to be more like Him,  if your doing that  your growing, painfully growing. One step at a time!! This has been quite a year for me. Many, many changes in my family. I asked God to help me with my health and self esteem and body image. SOOOO many people struggle with this. Just last week I heard a “story” or “testimony” of a man who had many struggles from childhood from being bullied and verbally abused. It is hard not to feel insecure in  this society. Where if your not perfect you get surgical work to make you “better” Or maybe like me you had a very bad experience as a child and that eroded how you felt about yourself. If you have you know these pop up right in your brain right now. Well as the song say’s if we are honest we can help heal the brokenness that we live with. “Confessing” to God and other takes some of that pain away. When we can step through fear and anxiety we can show where Gods healing has taken place, HIS LAVISH MERCY and GRACE. I personally have found so much freedom with this, but it has been a struggle. Thank God for my sponsor who has heard a lot of my pain and anger and has walked with me through it. Let’s look at a couple of scripture, Psalm 119:32 (New International Version)  I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free. Also verse 45; I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts. When I have surrendered my life, the things that trap me and snare me,  we need to dive in to His word and pray, and lastly seek honesty by sharing. I[WE] CAN find freedom, joy despite circumstances and pain and confusion  that is in our life or will come in our life.  On the cover of our bulletin we have placed this verse I really think this is for us2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (New International Version)

⁹But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. ¹⁰That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Lets be encouraged with "honesty about who we are and what we are doing that "we may be healed!" May the Lord Bless you and Keep you Love Mary

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.  Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardship as a pathway to peace; taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is; not as I would have it; trusting that You will make all things right if I surrender to Your will; so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with You forever in the next.  Amen.

Hello everyone!! Welcome to the month of May. I hope you all are finally enjoying the coming of spring and all the new life that brings. Of course if you were a person who looked at the “glass half empty” type you could say yah, but you get bugs, lots of rain, pollen and the list could go on. To everything there is a season as Ecclesiastes says. This month we celebrate Memorial Day. Remembering all those who fought for this country and all the freedoms that comes with it. I especially think if I lived somewhere else I couldn’t write this with out getting in trouble. I have some friends who when I write them I have to be carful so as they don’t get in trouble with the government. So this month I was thinking about “remembering”, and in the recovery circles the “if only”s.’ This week I had my little 4 month old grandbaby over. She woke from her nap and I could see that she was still tired. I was tired myself so I took that precious bundle and curled her up with me. We both feel asleep. As I drew my self back I looked at her. She so looks like my children. I was brought back to many times when they were just like her. I thought about the years that had gone by. We parents think “if only’ I could go back, if I could do things over. I looked at the innocence displayed right there. Regret washed over me. In the 12 steps, step 12 it says” having had a spiritual experience as a result of these steps, we try to carry the message to others and to practice these principles in all our affairs” When I look back I know that God has forgiven me for my sin and lacks as a parent. The thing though is there are still consequences to the things that were done during those years. When I see and look at my family I see the good and the negative that is a result of parenting. I need to take to heart that I practice what I have learned and make the changes, as I looked at this little life I reflected on all these things. This morning in my reading 1 Chronicles 28:9 say’s “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts”. We see that He knows our heart, he knows our intentions. Now lets look over to Ephesians 1; 7&8 ⁷In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace ⁸that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding”. In Him we have all these things. What really stood out to me was the word “LAVISHED” He not only gave us Himself as a sacrifice for us by dying on the cross, rose from the dead but He lavished upon us his grace. Grace means, free and unmerited favor of God. I thought about that word. People might think about “lifestyles of the rich and famous”, but what came to my mind was Mary. Again lets look at the passage in John 12, ¹Six days before the Passover; Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. ²Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. ³Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.  ⁴But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, ⁵"Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages." ⁶He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.  ⁷"Leave her alone," Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. ⁸You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me."  Here John tells us of ointment or perfume used, this was made of nard. Nard or spikenard is fragrant oil from the root and spike of the nard plant of northern India.  It says that the cost was comparable to a years worth of wages. Now that is LAVISH, She did not think of herself. God in his ever-loving and care for us lavished His grace on us. We are so treasured by him. So we can live in the “if only’s”, regret, shame, or we can as the serenity prayer says live on day at a time. Moving ever forward because He has lavished His grace on us. He knows our heart, our thoughts. He knows we want to be all that He wants. So I move forward. That precious bundle well that is a GIFT!! And you know what? Her mom just told me they are expecting again!! You gotta love it. May the  Lord bless you and keep you Love Mary                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

                          God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.  Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardship as a pathway to peace; taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is; not as I would have it; trusting that You will make all things right if I surrender to Your will; so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with You forever in the next.  Amen.