When in Doubt ... Look Up

Friends, I think we all know Thomas isn't the only one who ever doubted Jesus. If I asked you, right now, to raise your hand and confirm you've had doubts, would yours join mine in the air?

 I'm guessing, if we were all honest, every arm would be stretching skyward; because at one time or another, every one of us has doubted either God's existence or something He promised or said in His Word.

I know there have been times when I believed what God promised in relation to you, but doubted whatever it was applied to me. 

Even worse, there have been moments when I was crushed by despair, moments that had me questioning our King's existence. 

When this happens, as it inevitably will from time to time, looking up proves to be the best answer for me.
And I don't mean ONLY looking up, but also: Looking out, looking around, looking over there, over here, and in  the pages of The Word or an inspirational tale of triumph, ultimately looking away from my own situation to the great beyond where God is visible to my hurting heart. 

There's just something about a starlit sky, crashing waves, and towering fir trees that inspire me to believe in my Creator. A newborn's face, a kitten's paw, and a swaying palm tree are all evidence of His majesty and unfathomable creativity. Seeing His creations has a way of renewing and refreshing my wonder. Wonder tends to lead to worship, and worship inevitably draws me closer to my King. 

Remember, we serve a King who wants to be found, who desires a deep and intimate relationship with all who reside in His kingdom. A King who is willing to show the palms of his hands and the hole in His side to one doubting Thomas is a King who understands our tendencies toward unbelief and uncertainty. He loves us no less for our questioning. 

Are you in a place in your life where God seems distant? a place where He doesn't feel real? I promise, He's there, He's here, and He is (forgive the cliche') everywhere. His love for you is painted across the night sky, growing in your garden, visible in a baby's smile and living in your heart. Just look for Him. He won't run away or hide. He wants to be found. 

Practical Princess Warrior Tip: Some days the best we can do is say: "Lord, I love you; help my unbelief. Lord, I love you; help my unbelief. Lord, I love you; help my unbelief."
Though we can't touch his side the way Thomas did, ultimately, He will find the just right ways to touch our hearts, leaving no doubt who loves us most. 

When a Princess feels like a Pauper ...

Precious Princess Warriors, it feels so good to be sharing my heart again, at last. For someone who spends a majority of of her life encouraging others, I have allowed myself to be overcome by discouragment, fear, and my faith has been lackluster (to say the least). Granted, I've experienced physical illness, injury, pain, loss, hard stuff -- difficult life stuff. But Paul reminds us we can find contentment in any situation with Christ as our King.

I have spent the last year, it seems, maybe longer, going up and down, allowing the waves of life to pull me under when I know there is a strong hand always open for me to reach for, a hand more than able to pull me from the depths. Sure, there were times I felt on top of the world, but those times were short lived, and I continued to allow my fickle feelings to toss me to and fro in the waves, becoming like the person the Bible calls -- double minded.


Thankfully, my foundation is stronger than I thought. God is bigger than I remembered. And His Word never fails to revive the heart. He has called me to encourage others through both the written and spoken word. He has given me a purpose to challenge other princess warriors to be all they can be in Christ ... one step (and a prayer) at a time. I haven't been doing a very good job of that. And I was again reminded ...


When we fail to move in the purpose he has given us, as I have, lately, things become pretty bleak. We can go through our days, "doing" our daily lives, not doing anything horribly wrong, but not really pressing to do what's right. But, as you may know, God isn't a big fan of fence straddling or middle of the road living. He wants every part of us -- body, mind, spirit. Luke warm love and living isn't enough for Him, nor is it enough for His Princess Warriors. It certainly wasn't enough for me.


Far too often, we believe that in order to stray from God's best we have to do the absolute worst. Some atrocious sin that causes hell to cheer. It's easy to forget that losing our faith on some level and living a life of mediocracy can reap as much havoc as one blatant act of sin. Both keep us from our princess purposes. The enemy wants us to feel separate from God. He doesn't care if we drown in our own self pity or if we go out with a big bang. All he cares is that we fail to fulfill our calling. One less warrior fighting the good fight gives him reason to gloat. Because he knows when we are broken, it breaks God's heart.


Aren't you glad that failure is an event or series of events and not a person? That's right. Failure is an event, not a person. You. Me. Our Christian brothers and sisters. We are not failures in Christ. We may fail to do something or not do something, but we are still loved and forgiven. If we're still breathing, we can move forward and upward, choosing again to embrace God's best and trust in Him for everything. We can stop straddling the fence and leap into the arms of the One who promises to catch us.

Maybe you too have experienced lukewarm faith and have drifted from your princess purpose. Maybe you don't "feel" good enough. Or maybe you've wasted precious days, weeks, months, even years, letting the waves of doubt and fear rock your life, keeping you from reaching solid shore.

Are you still breathing?

Then you can reach for God and let Him lift you from the swirling surf.

After all, Princess Warriors, we have work to do! Good work for our King. Please, don't waste time looking back, bemoaning your mistakes. Move forward. Push on. As Stormie Omartian says: He provides just enough light for the step you're on. We just need to get steppin. Ready, set, step!

More messages, stories, and scriptures about faith and hope coming soon.

New Year: A New Work

Happy New Year, Princess Warriors. I know. I know. I’ve fallen behind (again) on my blogging. And God has given me ample ideas to expound on.

So, staying true to the new format, my personal update is quite simple on the surface. We had a wonderful Christmas. I watched the glittery ball drop on New Year’s Eve, while screaming well-wishers and New York party-goers looked on with animated glee. I didn’t have the same level of enthusiasm as the revelers in Times Square, but with drooping eyelids, I was still able to muster a “Happy New Year” to my family, and felt the nostalgia of yet another year and another decade passing. More importantly, I felt that familiar expectancy and hope that comes with any new beginning.

I took note of the many things I’m grateful for, and set my sights on running the race before me.

Okay, so that’s partly true, but there’s more to the story. I am bombarded by worries, concerns, fears, and more often than I care to admit feel my relationship with Christ could be far deeper. I beat on myself mentally over the many areas I fall short in, forgetting the extent of God’s grace and love for me.

Thankfully, as always, God knows exactly what we need. He certainly knew what exactly this princess warrior needed: a major reminder of the most basic truths: God’s Grace is enough. His work accomplished it all. If I believe in Him, I will not perish but will have eternal life. Good stuff to remember all the time. Unfortunately, we too often read the words of John 3:16 and don’t allow the amazing, life-saving message to sink into our souls.

My friend gave me a gift basket for Christmas. It was filled with all sorts of goodies. One of those goodies was a copy of Max Lucado’s book, 3:16 The Numbers of Hope. I would recommend this book to anyone. Granted, I love Max. He has a way with words that get to the heart of the matter, making God’s grace evident to readers like me who need a fresh reminder of what’s real and what’s not.

John 3:16, the universal verse that many people, both Christian and non-Christian can recite. Shall we?

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

As Max explains:

He loves.
He gave.
We believe.
We live.

That’s REALLY, REALLY good news for those who believe. Unfortunately, we, like so many before us, tend to complicate what God’s saying. We want to add rules and regulations like the Pharisees of old. We don’t admit it, but we somehow believe that something more is required. How could God possibly love us that much?

When we sin, He so generously provides a way out. We don’t have walk barefooted across hot coals, or scourge our own bodies. We confess and trust that His sacrifice was enough if we will but believe and be born again.

We have, as Pastor Lucado so rightly points out, written our very own Bible verse: “God helps those who help themselves” (Popular Opinion 1:1) He goes on to say: “We’ll fix ourselves, thank you. We’ll make up for our mistakes with contributions, our guilt with busyness. We’ll overcome our failures with hard work. We’ll find salvation the old-fashioned way: we’ll earn it … Christ, in contrast, says to us … ‘Your part is to trust. Trust me to do what you can’t.’”

Ladies, I don’t know about you, but I have spent time, way too much time and effort, trying to be “good enough” for God, when the Only One good enough is Jesus Christ. He did all the work that needs doing. We simply need to be believing.

This year, this new decade, is wide open before us. As daughters of the King we have yet another opportunity to reign real, brining hope to an often hopeless world, and love to people who feel unlovable. Unfortunately, if we are unable to except God’s gift of grace, and the new life it brings, we will be unable to share His Good News with those around us. When we waste time trying to “work off” sins that have already been forgiven, we discount God’s mercy and call Him a liar.

Strong words? Yes. True? You decide.

Maybe you, too, need a refresher course on God’s amazing grace. It’s so easy to get caught up in “being a good Christian.” We are busy, busy, busy, but are we busy for the right reasons?

Why not take a few hours and read this book. I know it reminded me why we need to celebrate. We really are free from sin and death. We truly have a hope and a future. We are children of a God who loves His family and was willing to sacrifice everything to gain our love.

So, if your Holiday Season wasn’t everything you hoped it would be, please, remember God is everything He promised to be. And that is something (Someone) you can place your trust in.

In Sickness and in Health

Here I am. My first official Blog entry since the dreaded H1N1 Swine flu hit our home with the vengeance of a hurricane. Only now, two weeks from that first day of sickness, do I feel halfway sane and capable of writing more than a sentence or two. Talk about faith tested. I've never been so dreadfully sick in my life.

One day I had a headache, the next I was totally and completely out of it. My son, daughter, and mother were all hit hard as well. For some reason, though, this thing got me the worst of all. I had just returned home from speaking at a women's conference in Coos Bay. Which, by the way, was a fantastic weekend. Next thing I knew, I was bedridden. I could barely breath, couldn't talk, couldn't sleep, couldn't stop coughing, and was wracked with body aches and fever. Bless my mom, who didn't get as sick as the rest of us, managed to hold the household together by a thread.

I have a whole new understanding of what it means to "stay spiritual" or not, in the midst of illness. I had some rather un-spiritual moments. No wonder marriage vows include "in sickness and in health." I cannot imagine the level of commitment, care, and love required to take care of someone who is unable to care for themselves for an extended period of time. I couldn't even stand myself during this flu, let alone my family members. I can see why they call it swine flu, it's like you're rolling in a pen of mud and misery, squealing in agony. Not a very glamorous picture for a princess warrior.

As a Princess Warrior, what did I learn during my illness? That truly God is the Only Thing I could cling to and keep a smidgen of hope in. Because, of course, being sick wasn't the only negative thing happening. Let's just say financial matters continued to harass and I had no power to deal with anything. (Is it ever just "one thing?")

I literally had to be in the moment, trusting God, and taking care of my body. When you're that sick, trying to figure things out just isn't happening. A fever-ridden brain without sleep is not able to make decisions, especially logical ones. So, basically, I had to surrender to getting better and riding the waves of misery, trusting there would be light and ultimately better health on the far side of the sickness-sea. Two weeks later, I'm far from 100%, but I'm so much better. Thank you, Lord.

Since I couldn't talk due to being so out of breath, I did a lot of silent praying. A lot of breathing in God and breathing out sickness. I had to be still and know God is God. I could hardly make it to the restroom, if you know what I mean ... I felt helpless, hopeless, and toward the end of it all, a little hostile. At one point, I actually considered that I might die from this flu. I'm so very thankful that wasn't the end result. Yet, in a weird sort of way, when you feel that ill, you make peace with life/death/whatever. When it's just you and your fever-induced thoughts, a whole lot of strange thinking goes on. I was so grateful that I had scriptures memorized and God's promises stored in my mind. When my head hurt too bad to read, I was able to call upon His truth for comfort and encouragement. He always provided just enough light.

I'm sharing this whole flu fiasco because I suspect, as always, I won't be the only one who experiences the nightmare. I want to encourage you to hang on. It will get better. I actually had to go to the doctor twice for help; thankfully, they provided assistance as they could. I also stumbled to my computer to send out short health updates on facebook, and, thankfully, kind people, friends like you, sent encouraging words and prayed for my family. I really wasn't alone -- ever -- regardless how I felt.

I guess my message is simple in a way. Let God and others love you and care for you when you can't. Sometimes reigning real includes knowing when to be still and let God work His healing magic in your heart, health, and home. Let us join together and pray for health as we move into the Holiday Season. It is a time to celebrate the goodness and glory of our King. After all, it is by His Stripes we are healed.

Lord, it's been the strangest, hardest, sickest two weeks in my life. My family has been riddled with illness, yet you sustained us and are healing us. There are many people alone and sick, who are afraid. Please bring hope and health to everyone who is sick. Reveal Yourself to each of them, for with You as our Lord, we are never alone. No matter how sick we are, or how difficult life may be, You are our hope and salvation. You can carry us through. Remind us to band together in prayer. We pray for holy health and healing, bring rapid resolution to families suffering with the flu. Keep health care professionals healthy, give them strength and courage to serve others who are sick. Instead of allowing this flu to tear people apart in fear, draw us together with love and encouragement. Let us help where we can and pray without ceasing. Amen.

Hints to help:

Bring a meal to a sick family. Offer to transport children or un-sick family members. Send a card, email, or make a quick phone call of support. Understand that the person may be unable to talk, but simply knowing someone cares will mean a great deal. Ask if you can go to the store for juice, milk, or other supplies. Check in with people. Let's be a Christian community that cares.

In Sickness and in Health, we can continue to reign real. Loving others as God loves us.

A Christmas Story (continued)

If you are just tuning in, you will want to read the last post featuring Part I to this modern Christmas Story. Read it and hurry back!

So it continues ...

Later that evening:

"Hey girl, you don't look like you belong down here. What's up?" A young woman with ultra-damaged, bleached hair asked. She slunk over to where Mary stood alone on Broadway in the heart of Downtown Portland.

"I don't know where I belong anymore." Mary was too tired and discouraged to fear the tough looking street girl.

"Let's sit over there, on that bus bench. Tell me all about it. I got all the time in the world." The girl gently pulled Mary to the empty bench.

"Why do you care?" Mary looked closely at the young woman's face, surprised by the sympathy she saw in the girl's sunken, hazel, eyes.

"Maybe I don't. Maybe I do," the girl shrugged. "I'm bored, lonely, and hungry. I listen; you buy me a burrito. Oh, my name's Nancy." She smiled revealing several missing teeth.

"I'm pregnant. My parents kicked me out. My boyfriend says he needs time to think about the whole deal, and my God-focused high school expelled me when I tried to talk to the guidance counselor, today. Oh, and my best friend told me I was crazy. So much for love and grace, huh?" Mary handed the girl a dollar bill.

"I don't know much about love and grace, but I do know something about your problems. I got kicked out when I was thirteen. I was really into boys and did some stupid stuff. My dad talked me into an abortion. Now, I mostly do drugs and have sex for money to survive out here. Believe me, you don't want this life." Nancy stuffed the dollar into her pocket and looked away, ashamed.

"What can I do? No offence, but I don't want to end up on the streets." Mary hoped she hadn't overstepped her boundaries, but for some reason she believed she could talk candidly with this girl.

"No harm. It's the truth. You don't want what I have. Later, after I'd already made my choice. I heard about this special home. You know, a real nice place out in Gresham. They help pregnant girls, like you. You can live there and they don't care how you got pregnant. It's called Bethany House. You even get your own room, meals, counseling, support, and from what I've heard, lots more." Nancy pulled a crumpled flyer from her inside coat pocket "See, here's the place. For some strange reason, I've been carrying this around for months. I guess now I know why." She held out the faded paper.

"Thanks. You know something, Nancy, no matter what you've done, God loves you. I'm going to tell you my secret. You probably won't believe me either, but, oh well. My son is the Chosen One, Jesus. When He's born something amazing is going to happen. You can count on that." Mary smiled, feeling a little flutter in her abdomen for the very first time.

"I'm ready to believe anything at this point. I better go. Call that number, okay?" Nancy rose and walked away. There was a new bounce to her step.

Glancing at the paper, Mary knew what she had to do. Find a safe place until the baby was born, and hopefully, Joe would decide to marry her and accept the child. She hurried to a nearby phone booth. As she slipped the coins into the shiny slot, Mary instinctively understood that somehow everything was going be all right. Just as the angel had said, with God all things are possible.

Alone, pregnant, and afraid -- not the words most of us consider while reflecting on our Savior's mother and the feelings she must have felt during the first weeks and possibly months of her pregnancy. We picture a loving Joseph, a cozy stable, and a Mary filled with joy. Certainly, there was joy, but I suspect that Mary, who wasn't more than 14 or 15 years old, was actually terrified. After all, it wasn't every day a girl found herself pregnant by God Himself. Most of the Jewish population expected the mother of their Messiah to be royalty, not a common young girl engaged to a carpenter.

What did her parents think? What about her friends, or their neighbors? Before the angel appeared to Joseph, did he calmly accept his wife-to-be's astounding circumstances? After all, sex outside marriage was punishable by death. Had Joseph denied Mary his name, where would she have gone?

Thankfully, Mary didn't have to answer that final question, but there are so many single, pregnant women in our world who do. Yes, yes, many of them have made poor choices that led to an "unplanned" pregnancy. I refuse to say unwanted, because God wants all of His children. No one is created without God's hands in the design, married, or not. Certainly, committing to purity and having sex only within the covenant of marriage is preferable and God's ideal. However, the staggering statistics easily demonstrate that God's best is not always the norm in our world today.

Consider:

Teen pregnancy rates are much higher in the United States than in many other developed countries. They are twice as high as England and Wales or Canada, and nine times as high as the Netherlands or Japan.

Each year, almost one million teenage women -- 10% of all women aged 15 to 19 and 19% of those who have had sexual intercourse -- become pregnant.

78% of teen pregnancies are unplanned, accounting for about one-fourth of all "accidental" pregnancies annually.

It's difficult even to imagine the Virgin Mary as yet another statistic, but had she found out in 2008 that she was pregnant and alone, what would she have done? We have young, hurting women who desperately need to experience the love of God in tangible ways that will help them make better choices in the future, and allow them to raise their children up in the Lord in spite of their own difficult circumstances.

Having a safe, Christian refuge to call home is crucial first step in this process of healing and change. Such a refuge, Bethany House, offers a home and program of hope for pregnant young, women and their babies. With godly principles woven through the fabric of the program, women are able not only to gain practical and education insight about pregnancy and motherhood, but also are allowed to grow up spiritually and emotionally, thus finding a new hope and future for themselves and their unborn children.

During the Christmas Season, as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, there is an opportunity to reach out and touch the lives of many wounded women and their children -- women with no husbands, even families in sight. Women who have no warm bed to rest a tired head, no food to eat, and no medical care. There is simply not enough room at the inn for these women.

We, precious sisters, can bring tidings of great joy. A ministry like Bethany House cannot operate on its own. It wasn't meant to.

With financial support, in-kind donations, and the love of volunteers, it will continue to flourish. Sisters, Princess Warriors, this is a ministry that I support wholeheartedly. I wanted to give you an opportunity to give the gift of life this Christmas. We know so many people who have everything. Why not send a donation to this program in their name?

Instead of purchasing another item for re-gifting next year, give an eternal gift. I personally know that this 20-year-old ministry has struggled financially this year like so many of us and so many other worthy ministries. However, any gift can help keep their doors open.

Sadly, three maternity programs in my area have closed this past year due to finances, and all at a time when pregnancy rates are once again on the rise. Many Christians speak out against abortion yet do nothing tangible to support life. Bethany House is an opportunity to give in relation to God's truth and your values.

Believe me; God will gift you back in mighty ways.

To learn more, or give an online donation, visit: http://www.bethanyhousenet.org/

Let's make our own Christmas Story this year as we touch two lives at a time and generations beyond with Christ's love and generosity. Thank you for letting me share this with you. God bless you.

A Woman Belongs on a Throne

Finally, friends, here I am!

I have been promising for a while now to create a new journal/blog completely dedicated to the "Princess Warrior for Christ" theme.

For those of you who are new to me and my message, you might want to visit my OTHER BLOG at http://princesswarrior.bravejournal.com/

There you can read my everyday ramblings as an imperfect, zany, and loving woman of God. Yes, I'm a daughter of the King of Kings and my writings all somehow, someway, end up pointing back to the love of my life, Jesus Christ.

But don't let any preconceived ideas of Christianity fool you. Hopefully, you will be pleasantly surprised to discover that I struggle daily with things like unbelief, anger, gluttony (yep, that's a biggie) and much, much more. HOWEVER, thankfully, my growing understanding of who I am in Christ helps me better embrace His plan and purpose for my life.

A few additional facts:

I'm a single mom of two mostly darling kids (ages 9 and 15) Yes, I know, lovely age gap. Oh, did I mention the youngest is a girl and the oldest a teen boy. Need I say more?

I'm a published author and inspirational (transformational) speaker. Currently, I'm on pins and needles as two large Christian publishers are considering two new book projects. One book is all about this reigning real stuff, another about removing our phony masks so we can be really real. Hum ... anyone sensing a theme here?

Before Christ, well, that's a story for another day. Let's just say: major druggie, relationship junkie (addicted to love in all the wrong places), angry and mean, afraid and phony, are some words and phrases that easily describe my younger years.

My day job (no, I'm not yet supporting myself wholly by writing and speaking) is in the social service field where I get to help people who were just like me find a better way to live.

My ministry involvement is with Bethany House, a home for single, pregnant women that have nowhere to go. I have served as their Outreach Coordinator and Spokesperson for a number of years. To learn more about this amazing program check out: http://www.bethanyhousenet.org/

Well, that's a start. I'm a little tired as it's, goodness, after 2:30 AM. I love to read and write late at night. Not a good habit during weekdays.

I'll look forward to chatting more. God bless you and goodnight. Sweet Dreams ....