Your comments
Hi, I just finished reading The Woman I Am Becoming and I am so thankful for this book! Thank you following God’s leading to write such a book. I am a year into recovery for an addiction and have moved in the last year to a new city, believing God had something new to do in me and through me.
A year ago, I believed I felt God’s leading to write a book about my experience, but I have found the process to be a great struggle. I want to discover God’s purpose for my life, and I am beginning to understand that surrendering each day to Him and allowing Him to open my eyes to the opportunities to love others around me is in fact a big part of His purpose.
I know you are quite busy, but if you have a moment would you please pray that I will surrender to Him all my dreams, fears, and hang ups so that I can fully live out the plan He has for me. And also, if writing a book is actually a part of His plan, that I will not give up on it.
Thank you so much! - Aimee
From Suzie: I’m honored and humbled to pray with and for you, Aimee. I am never too busy to pray for a new friend and a sister in Christ. In fact, it will be the best part of my day.
Suz
Posted by Suzie @
4:46 am |
Happy Survivor Day to me
September 18, 2008 | faith, family
Seventeen years ago today I rested in a hospital room, waiting for results of an MRI. I had already had surgery to remove a portion of my breast. I had already had my lymph nodes removed. A tube ran out of my side. My chest was wrapped in gauze. My children were young, whisked about by friends and family who tried to divert their attention from the fact that mommy was sick.
My husband was at my side. The night before was too much. The doctors walked in. What had happened to the one doctor? Why did they increase in number every time the news was bad? This time a neurologist had been added.
“We found a shadow on the scan,” they said. (more…)
Posted by Suzie @
10:00 am |
Impact for Life Book Drive!
UPDATE!
Three checks have arrived: $25, $21, $35 (THANKS!)
Mel, Director of Impact for Life is excited that the news of this amazing ministry to women in prison is being shared. My hopes are for a miracle - the five loaves and fish kind — will you join me?
It’s rare that I step outside my comfort zone to ask anyone to help with a cause. It’s a hard thing for me to do.
But last February I traveled to Denver, CO to a conference. While I was there, I checked out a ministry in The Springs called Impact for Life. It’s a ministry to men and women in jail, but also to their families, especially their children.
Impact for Life believes that when an inmate is freed, that there must be a support system in place to help them, and their families, succeed. They start inside the prison, holding mini-conferences in prisons across the nation. They work with chaplains to create libraries and to provide books, audio materials, and support material to help them grow as a person, as a mom or dad, and in their faith. This is a complete volunteer nonprofit organization.
And it’s changing lives! (more…)
Posted by Suzie @
8:51 am |
Very cool blog site
I discovered a new blog today that I love. The author is Anne Jackson, author of Mad Church Disease. I think I liked her immediately just because of the title of her book, but then I read her blog.
Guess what she’s done?
She’s encouraged people to give over $90,000 to change the world. If you ever read my teen blog (Real Teen Faith), you know that this is my heartbeat. Sometimes as believers we point out what we think is wrong with the world, but forget to do something about it, or we wait until we can do something big, forgetting that together we can really make a difference.
Two days ago Anne Jackson asked her readers to give to Compassion Intl’s global food crisis fund. She hoped to raise $400 that day to match a donor’s challenge. So far, over $2,500 has been raised.
I’ve been sitting on a challenge for several days, afraid to ask you or others for help. It seemed too big. It was difficult to ask people to help you in your dream to make a difference. But when I see what one person can do when she teams with her readers, her friends, and strangers who just want to help, it encouraged me.
So, tomorrow we’ll talk. Okay? Cuz I have a dream to place some books in the hands of women who just want a second chance.
Posted by Suzie @
10:34 am |
That little “check”, what’s that about?
I received a great opportunity the other day. I wish I could tell you about it, but it’s in the works. When it’s public knowledge, we’ll chat, okay? I promise!
But there was something inside of me — a hesitancy, that I couldn’t ignore. When that “check” is there, I need to wait. Maybe I need to say no, or maybe I need more information so that I can say yes.
One night I couldn’t sleep, and as I lay there I thought about the opportunity, and I realized that it was bigger than I first imagined. Not in the sense that it would promote me or my books, but bigger spiritually.
I started to pray, and all the outside issues fell away and I saw the opportunity clearly–through spiritual eyes instead of my own.
When morning broke, I knew the answer would be yes. (more…)
Posted by Suzie @
11:34 am |
The Baffling Call of God
Excerpted from My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers
The Baffling Call Of God
“And all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man shall be accomplished … And they understood none of these things.” Luke 18:31, 34
God called Jesus Christ to what seemed unmitigated disaster. Jesus Christ called His disciples to see Him put to death; He led every one of them to the place where their hearts were broken. Jesus Christ’s life was an absolute failure from every standpoint but God’s. But what seemed failure from man’s standpoint was a tremendous triumph from God’s, because God’s purpose is never man’s purpose.
There comes the baffling call of God in our lives also. The call of God can never be stated explicitly; it is implicit. The call of God is like the call of the sea, no one hears it but the one who has the nature of the sea in him. It cannot be stated definitely what the call of God is to, because His call is to be in comradeship with Himself for His own purposes, and the test is to believe that God knows what He is after.
From Suzie: Isn’t it funny how we strive after purpose, instead of God? I’m not really talking to you; I’m looking straight at my own image in the mirror. If I look at my to-do list today it is full. Every one of them is wrapped around “ministry”. And yet purpose is not what I do, but who I walk with today who is a friend, is God, is peace, is life, is joy. I love ministry. I love writing. I am passionate about these things.
But the simplicity of faith is that my “calling” is to simply walk with God through the good, the bad, the sticky, the challenging, the amazing, the ordinary days and moments of my day.
If you want to read the rest of this Oswald Chambers devo, click here.
Posted by Suzie @
4:22 am |
I want more
July 24, 2008 | faith
Lately I’ve missed God. I do that from time. I know that it’s possible to go through life religious, or be active in a church, or even speak and write about God and that be considered a faith walk.
But I want more than that.
I can’t settle for that.
I want to talk to Him, to feel Him, to draw upon His strength, and experience my relationship with the Creator of the Universe.
Some call that emotionalism.
I disagree. I want that in every relationship that I care about - not a distant faraway I-feel-nothing-but-we-are-still-together kind of love.
So today I am honest with you, God. I miss you. I know you haven’t gone anywhere, but I turn and actively seek you for you are never far away. I thank you that I am yours, and that you are mine. I will pick up your Word. I will shut down the hype that pulls at my life–even if it seems like it’s all about you–and I will listen. For You. To You. With You.
Posted by Suzie @
9:12 am |
A teen’s faith walk
One vehicle for my passion is ministry to teens and parents of teens. This is a recent post that I shared with Hearts at Home readers (an Intl. ministry to moms).
Your Teen’s Faith Walk
I love how little children view God.
Shelby, age 7, says, “God gets sad if you tell a lie, or if you hurt someone, or if you sneeze on someone on purpose.”
Sara, age 6, says “God is in love with your heart. He made people with hearts and he also made trees. But people are harder to make than trees.”
It’s a simple view of faith, and I wish it remained that way. But having worked with teens, I see many youth arrive at the teen years with mixed messages, confused precepts, and often a hunger to know God in more than a hanging-out-in-a-pew kind of way.
What are teens saying about God?
Amanda, age 18, says, “I am constantly being stretched to love God more passionately, to pursue Him more wholeheartedly, and to minister to those around me.”
Gemma, age 13, says, “My parents could impact my faith if they would believe it themselves.”
Janelle, age 15 says, “I need to figure out some things on my own, including where I stand with God and making God my own instead of my parents’ God.” (more…)
Posted by Suzie @
2:39 pm |
The Road Less Traveled: Forgiveness
July 5, 2008 | faith
I was talking with two friends about forgiveness. All three of us have dealt with this issue. One friend’s dad was an alcoholic. The other was sexually molested as a girl.
These close friends, and I, have moved on from the past, leaving those memories behind to pursue life and all that God has for each of us. We are writers and speakers. We teach on healing and wholeness. We have solid marriages. Families that are close and loving. Faith that transcends the events of the past.
But as we talked, I realized that forgiveness was still an issue, just in a different way.
“It’s the small stuff that gets me,” one friend said. “I’ve forgiven my past. I can forgive the big things. But someone can do something little and it makes me angry, and I don’t want to let it go.” (more…)
Posted by Suzie @
4:19 am |
