January 2016 - Turning the Page on Suicide | Turning the Page on Suicide

Monthly Archives: January 2016

I Am A Tomb Raider

Posted January 29, 2016 | Karisa Moore

Hope, lit in abstract is easily

Snuffed out by passionate loneliness.

Attempts to breathe, clotted by

veins scarredÂ by sorrow.

Eyes, scaled by experience and

Belief,

Closed in sleep against the cruelties

Of the world.

Iâ€™m not afraid to climb into the ditch with you,

Iâ€™ve dug this grave before.

Grave digger turned grave robber.

Joined, a band of brothers and sisters, saturated

In the oil of faith,

searching tombs of darkness for a pulse, because you matter

To me.

The torch of our souls leaning close to

living corpses already making beds of graves.

Relentless in calling Lazarus from the

tomb. It is not your time yet.

I am hope, concrete with dirty fingers.

Message fromÂ God?

Posted January 25, 2016 | Karisa Moore

Source: Message fromÂ God?

Please read! Such an encouragement from the voice and vision of a child. God has a plan for each of us. Don’t be afraid!

Note to My Readers

Posted | Karisa Moore

I was hospitalized on Saturday with Pulmonary Embolism (fancy talk for blood clots in the lungs.) I am doing much better today and will probably be released once they get my medsÂ established.

I praise God for each breath I am given! I encourage you to breathe deeply andÂ live life to the fullest, it is a preciousÂ gift given to each of us.

Daniel got caught sneaking a brownie after I told him no more sweets. When I confronted him he cursed the brownie for making him eat it, then he cursed Satan, then he cursed Adam and Eve for their original sin. Finally, when he realized that none of those were responsible he put his hand up, turnÂ and said, “Get away from me Mom, I’m sinful.”

Oh, dear reader you may standing there with your hand up to Christ declaring, “Leave me, get away from me, I am too far gone, I am beyond repair, I am unworthy of love. Christ, You are too pure and holy to eat at my table, or come into my home.”

Instead of repelling God, heÂ drawsÂ close to us!Â Â Example after example of a Jesus response to sinners recorded in scripture. He ate with tax collectors (IRS), allowed prostitutesÂ and those cast outside the city gates to touch him. Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples participated in a Jesus miracle, and he realized that the only reason that there were fish now flopping around in his empty boat was Jesus. Luke 5:8Â But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man,, O Lord!”

We don’t have to guess how Jesus responds to our sin filled lives, scripture spells it out. vs. 10 “And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.” In this moment Jesus does not address Peter’s dirty laundry, he goes after his fear. We Christians really need to take note of this! The Pharisees approached sin with the mindset: Get clean first, which is impossible, and then we will allow you in. Too often this is our approach to the those who, like Peter, already know they are broken. Jesus offers different criteria: Follow me.

That is how God approached me. “Follow me and all of these other things will be added to you! Let me show the possibilities of your life in relationship with mine. Don’t be afraid, todayÂ I call youÂ to follow me and I will teach you to catch men.” Â None of us is beyond his redemption. So . . . come follow me reader and let me open your eyes to the FACT that nothing is impossible for Him.

Getting a Leg Up

Posted January 21, 2016 | Karisa Moore

1 Corinthians 9:22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. 23I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.

Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

I fell again today, already nursing a sprained foot! As everyone came running to aid the pitiful woman sprawled out on the dentist room floor I laughed. In painful moments, sometimes,Â laughter is the only sane response. As pain roared through my knee and I struggled back to my feet I didn’t even fool with asking God why?

Instead I asked, what is the advantage of a sprained ankle? Well, for starters, it is forcing me to the doctor because beyond the sprain I was diagnosed with bone spurs and arthritis. There is a reason for my foot pain. I must once again humble myself to ask for help from others. My sprained ankle is putting me in places and opportunities to share the gospel that I would not normally be. Once again I praise God that he is completely able to sustain me! There may be further things revealed and I am open to the possibilities!

Testimony Grit

Posted January 17, 2016 | Karisa Moore

Evidence of grit–

Heels dug into turf

in repetitive resilience.

Battered souls

wilted weary

by devastating

defeats.

Coached back up

to the surprise of

ofÂ our enemy’sÂ doggedness.

Shoulders pressed forward

against all odds.

Hope faithfully

gains ground with eyes

firmly fixedÂ on the end

zone of belief.

Too Much!

Posted January 14, 2016 | Karisa Moore

Psalm 34:â€¦17The righteous cry, and the LORD hears And delivers them out of all their troubles. 18The LORD is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit. 19Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all.â€¦

Some days you wake up and your world is already crumbling. Daniel woke up crying in pain, and it went down from there until everyone was being unpleasant to one another. The explosions inside me were oozing out in sharp words and I’m not sure I want to keep them at bay any more.

Now I sit here in the silence, the train whistling in the distance and I feel as if I am stuck on the tracks. Lord, they do not owe me a thing! Help me to glorify you. I don’t have to keep up appearances, I don’t have to hold it all together. Life on this earth sucks sometimes and I’ve had enough. I want my son to be well, or at the very least, to know what is wrong. Please father, give me the strength to keep pressing forward and not to be meanÂ to my family because I can’t fix what is wrong. Open my heart and mind to your will, not mine! Only in the garden of trusting you completely can I be fully present and pleasant to my family. Amen.

Great Questions In the Bible-Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Seeking the Wandering Sheep

Posted January 9, 2016 | Karisa Moore

As our church moves towards discipleship, these are great questions to ask of ourselves. Thank you Wally for such a great post.

Symphany of Your Presence

Posted January 8, 2016 | Karisa Moore

Isaiah 50:4The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of disciples, That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.

Weary today. I choose to turn from my weariness and praise you Lord, for you are present, and my portion. Thank you for loving me andÂ satisfying me with manna from heaven.

I canÂ snuggle into winter’s night andÂ fine tune my earÂ to the symphony of your presence singing me to sleep.Â I can be still in the knowledge that you are God. That is enough today.

Unwrapping Sorrow

Posted January 5, 2016 | Karisa Moore

Packaged patientlyÂ withinÂ pain

is theÂ gift of possibility.

Unopened. . . or open does not change content.

Bitterness and despair torn open and discarded,

like a shiny exoskeleton no longer attractive.

My passion–hope secreted within the gift of sorrow.