A Life Interrupted

This week I saw an old movie titled Girl Interrupted, starring Angelina Jolie and Whoopi Goldberg. As

the name implies, the movie deals with the life of a young woman mis-diagnosed with Borderline Personality disorder, and as a result, the course of her life was interrupted for a whole year.

In the movie, Susanna was coerced by a doctor and her her parents into allowing herself to be admitted to a mental institution. At first she balked at the idea and was scared of the loonies she was forced to share her life with. But gradually, they became her friends, and when an opportunity came for her to leave the institution, she refused. Later, she ran away, but returned.

This is what is so sad about a life being interrupted. We gradually adjust to our situation, become so comfortable with it that we no longer wish to escape. In my book Coming Out Of Egypt, the main characters, Marva and June, had their lives interrupted by their father's abuse. Marva, the older sister, became resigned to her situation until something happened to jolt her out of it, as it did with Susanna in the movie.

As I reflected on the movie, I wondered how many young people have had their lives interrupted as a result of circumstances beyond their control. If you are in a situation where your life, your dreams, your goals have been interrupted, I encourage you, do not lose heart. The keyword is "interrupted," not "ended." You are still alive, and so is God. He is a God of restoration, and He wants to restore you, if you would let Him.

Jeremiah 15: 19 says,  Therefore this is what the LORD says: “If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me ..." 

In Joel 2: 25 He promises, "And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. "

Don't give up. Cry out to the Lord today, and He will answer you.

 If you haven't yet ordered your copy of Coming Out Of Egypt you can do so by clicking this link: http://amzn.to/1V6us9m

Encourage Your Children

Courtesy morguefile

 The second to last Sunday of every month is set aside as Youth Sunday in my church, Sierra Norwood Calvary Baptist Church in Miami. This is the day when the young people conduct the service. They do everything except preach the sermon. As I watched them perform this morning, I thought Jesus must be looking on and smiling. I smiled too as I recalled His words, "Suffer little children to come unto me and forbid them not for of such is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 19: 14)

What a wonderful privilege we have to nurture and prepare the next generation to become the leaders of tomorrow. It is one we should not take lightly. Unfortunately, not all children receive this type of preparation. Many of them are left to fend for themselves - which is a form of abuse - and are forced into adulthood while they are still children. Many of them never hear the name of Jesus spoken in the home, never have the Bible read to them, never attend church or Sunday School.

Children need to be encouraged to achieve their God-given potential. Some children are so discouraged by the treatment they receive at home they develop low self-esteem. The Bible says, "And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord" (Ephesians 6: 4). doesn't give us a lot about Jesus's teenage years. We don't know if He kept Mary and Joseph up late at nights wondering where He was or who He was hanging out with. We do know that when He was twelve, He did cause them some worry when they went to Jerusalem and Jesus disappeared for three whole days! That would make any mom frantic.  (Read Luke 2: 42 - 50)


Some years later, we see Mary being the one to launch Jesus's ministry at the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee. (Read John 2: 1 - 11) I believe Mary must have been given divine wisdom from God to do what she did, because prior to this, she didn't seem to understand the full implications of who Jesus really was. Parents, if you want to know how to encourage your children, how to bring out the best in them, ask God for wisdom and guidance. He will tell you what, when and how to do what needs to be done for them. And He never makes a mistake. God bless.

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I am pleased to introduce you to my first novel Coming Out Of Egypt, Book 1 in the Egypt series. It features the story of a young woman who is fleeing an abusive past to escape the law and make a new life for her and her sister. See how her struggles and her desperate efforts fail to bring her the peace she'd hoped for, a peace that can only come from God. Today is the last day to preorder
Coming Out Of Egypt . You will be blessed by it.

http://amzn.to/1V6us9m

Save The Children

It seems like more and more lately I'm getting these messages on my phone about an amber alert in my

area. In case you don't know what that is, it's an alert that warns of a child abduction. Usually, the child's name and description are given, along with a description of the vehicle in which the child has been abducted. Whenever I see that, I immediately begin to pray for the child to be found and returned safely to his/her parents. I want to encourage you to do the same if you ever receive such an alert.

I am thankful that we live in an age of technology where very little goes unnoticed, but unfortunately, if something is taking place within a person's home, it is hidden from the eyes of the public. I don't have to fill you in on a bunch of statistics to show you what you already know. Child abuse is a serious matter. Every day children are abused in their homes by a parent or some other relative, at school by teachers or other students, and in the community by strangers.

In most cases, child abuse survivors carry the scars with them for life. They may have difficulty   concentrating in school, may exhibit antisocial behavior and may even suffer from depression and other mental disorders.

Child abuse is not something we talk about in church. We tend to sweep it under the rug, hoping no one will discover it. But even Jesus spoke out about child abuse. He said, " But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea" Matthew 18: 6.

In other words, Jesus was saying He would not look the other way when offenses are committed against children. And neither should we. As Christians we can and should

•  pray that God will raise up men and women who will advocate for the safety of these innocent children.
• volunteer in treatment centers and shelters for battered women and children.
• support organizations that work with these children by donating money and/or other resources.
• become advocates ourselves. Advocates For Victims of Assault is an organization that runs self-paced courses that will help prepare you to minister to victims in your church or community.

Let's be vigilant where our children are concerned. They are the most at- risk group in our society today, but they are also our future. Let's save our children!

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I would like to recommend to you my first novel Coming Out Of Egypt, the first in a three-part series,  which deals with the effects of sexual abuse on the victims. In the book I show that no matter how painful your past may have been, you can find hope and peace in Jesus Christ. Get it now while it's on preorder for only .99 by clicking here.

 

Happy Mother's Day

Hope you all are enjoying a wonderful day with your family and friends. Here's a little haiku I composed in honor of all mothers every where. Whether you are a stepmom, adoptive mom, mom-in-law, this poem is for you.

Your smile lights the room

Your touch heals the deepest wound

Your kiss dries my tears