June 2017 - Turning the Page on Suicide | Turning the Page on Suicide

Monthly Archives: June 2017

A Father Who Chooses Us

Posted June 26, 2017 | Karisa Moore

Scripture: Psalm 68:4Â Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Lift up a song for Him who rides through the deserts, Whose name is the LORD, and exult before Him.Â 5 A fatherÂ of the fatherlessÂ and a judgeÂ for the widows,Â Is GodÂ in His holyÂ habitation.Â 6Â God makes a home for the lonely; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity, Only the rebellious dwell in a parched land.â€¦

Â Thoughts:Â Â On our wedding day, Jonathan was seven years old. Brian prepared vows for his little package deal; it was important Jonathan know Brian wasn’t just in love with his mother. Brian knelt down, looked Jonathan in the eye and committed his life to loving, caring and cherishing his new son. He had no idea the hardships that would come with that promise, but Brian chose to love Jonathan.

God chose all of us, knowing from the beginning, the weight of Â carrying our sin to the cross! Repeatedly he renews that covenant and gives Jesus, his one and only son, to share in our suffering. That is something to sing about! God is described as a desert rider, father to the fatherless, judge for the widow, home builder, advocate for prisoners.Â Dwell on this verse.

What characterizes someone who rides out into the desert to find or help the lost traveler? What provisions do they take with them?

Who adopts children? What sacrifices do they make?

Who takes the time to judge rightly? How do they treat each case as individual?

Who builds a home for someone who cannot repay?

Who advocates for the hardened outcast?

Any of us can fall into one of those categories of need. All of these actions take time, require much from the giver, and lots of follow-up. I have experienced this first hand. The vows the Lord said to me are what changed my life 21 years ago, peeled layers of sin and pain, and sustains me now. He committed to providing for me, my new baby, and set me free to live a new life.

Â For at just the right time, while we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Â It is rare indeed for anyone to die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. Â But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.â€¦Â (Romans 5:6-8)

That kind of love convinced a centurion Jesus could heal his servant by saying the word. That love turned a prostitute into one of the most generous and worthy women in the Bible. God’s love turned a rag-tag-band of disciples, caught in the turmoil of Roman rule and their own sins, into powerful messengers of Â love, sacrifice and restoration. God’s love has made it to me into an advocate for prisoners of despair.

You may be experiencing depression. I am convinced, at depression’s core, the enemy attempts to seperats us from the love of God. But, God’s love and commitment snaps the chains of depression (Mark 5:3)! Â Addiction, sexual sin, abuse, lying, stealing, anger, wrath are no match for Him. No matter who or what we prostrate ourselves to, God the Father remains faithul. His vows lead him into the pits of our despair, redeeming us, and places on us the cloke of adoption! He loves you, and choses you. Our response is to embrace that love, allow Him to reveal our character, and to SING THE PRAISEIS OF A FATHER WHO CHOOSES US!

Prayer: Father, thank you for reminding me of your vows! If anyone reading does not yet know of your commitment, may they become convinced that you choose them. I do not understand, nor can I explain the depth of your love in adequate words. I was so caught of guard by your answer to my prayer whe I first approached you as an ubeliever. Â I am still so in awe of your presence with me when I struggle with despair. Father, reach out to any prisoner, widow, orphan, desperate, opressed person who is crying out to you. Provide a home, friendship, sustance, and freedom to all who need it. Amen!

Reduced to Prayer

Posted June 13, 2017 | Karisa Moore

Luke 22:39Â Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed Him. 40Â When He came to the place, He told them, â€œPray that you will not enter into temptation.â€

41Â And He withdrew about a stoneâ€™s throw beyond them, where He knelt down and prayed, 42â€œFather, if You are willing, take this cup from Me. Yet not My will, but Yours be done.â€

43Â Then an angel from heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him. 44Â And in His anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.c

Conversation, smallest unit of trust,

on which faith’s DNA is shaped into obedience.

In the garden heaven multiplies cells of lush truth

while relating to our God.

Willing clay shaped by willing love.

So that, when we are tempted to despair, we are never alone.

Scientology: The Eating Disorder of Religion?

Posted | Karisa Moore

The enemy of all of us often uses the same pattern, just with different skin, to isolate us and separate us from the love of God. Beauty Beyond Bones gives excellent insight into recognizing the isolation we spiral into. She encourages us to move away from judging the false beliefs we observe others wearing, instead, cultivate compassion for the brokenness we all share in common. We can learn to recognize the internal organs of the lies we believe about ourselves, others, and God and put on the new skin of truth.

Mountaintop Corner Office

Posted June 5, 2017 | Karisa Moore

A glory glimpse of your mighty work, after grunting and groaning

up mounds of sweaty mountains–so worth

the breathing room of the corner office. I knew you here.

Studied and learned to read the blue prints of your plan for my life.

But returning to the valley assembly line Â . . .

I quickly reverted into a disgruntled blue-collar drone.

Clocking in complaints, among the hot rows of trouble,

The boss, distant and irrelevant, to the idols

cluttering my desk. I missed our team building exercises.

So daily I rise early, hike the heights for a clearer view of your presence with me.

Loss Through the Eyes of a Child

Posted June 2, 2017 | Karisa Moore

John 3:16 For God so loved the world: He gave his one and only son, so that whoever believes in him will not perish, but have eternal life.

Daniel, age 10, asked if he could write for my post. So, I am honored to have my son be my first guest blogger.Â

Even the smallest of us can make a difference to family or a person hurt by loss. When I lost my brother, I asked everyone I met if they knew Jonathan. I wanted them to know he lived. By talking about Jonathan, I discovered that others had lost someone they loved. I could encourage them with Godâ€™s word and by listening and praying for them. John 3:16 helps me to remember that Jonathan is with Jesus, and his story did not end here.

God comforts me. Jonathanâ€™s death has made me more scared of losing my parents because they have been very sick. I tend to cry when others lose someone in a movie, or I faced the death of my dog last year. I talk to God and he tells me I will be okay. He helps me to remember playing Nerf with Jonathan, creating a football field every Christmas as my present. I would wake up and look out the window and there would be a freshly painted football field and we would go out and play as a family. Sometimes when I go to bed, I ask my mom to sing a special song, because that is when I especially get sad or scared. Even though Jonathanâ€™s death is tough on me, we have new family activities that we do. We are reading through the Bible and praying for Compassion International Families, together. We take a Motherâ€™s Day hike every year at the cemetery where Jonathan is buried. Last year we made ornaments for Christmas, and crafts to remember favorite moments with Jonathan. Â There are so many ways to remember him.

Anytime you feel the urge to pray for someone, I encourage you to lift them up to God. Loving others as God loves me helps me know that the sad times will pass and that he has a good plan for our lives.