A Captive Set Free

A Captive Set Free

Securely bound in shackles and chains,
too blind to see beyond the pain,
on sinking sand I chose to stand,
in a prison constructed by my own two hands.

Seeking deliverance through worldly means,
trusting in self-made hopes and dreams,
I lived each day in my comfort zone,
determined to make it on my own.

For way too long I resided there,
with the stench of defeat permeating the air,
feeling only hopeless and beyond repair,
tossed about on a sea of depression and despair.

I often prayed for God to intervene,
and lift me out of that dark ravine,
but I wanted a quick fix, an easy release,
hoping for comfort, longing for peace.

Desperately wanting to be set free,
yet choosing not to surrender or bend my knee,
I continued to dwell in that darkened place,
A land filled with sorrow, pain, and disgrace.

Then one day I could stand the pain no more,
and humbly I fell on my knees to the floor,
I cried out to God, acknowledged my struggles within,
confessed all the turmoil, heartbreak, and sin.

Then He heard my cry, he released the chains!
A captive set free, I praise His name!
Now, He's my hope and my joy, He's my song in the night!
He's my reason for rising at dawn's first light!

Now a bride filled with longing, my eyes fixed above,
I wait for my bridegroom, my only true love.

In Awe of Him

Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast. Psalm 33: 8-9

Our Romantic God

Strengthen me with raisins, refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love. Song of Songs 2: 5

I used to cringe when Valentines day came each year. Being married to a man who is not into romance made it the most dreaded day of the year. I would smile through clenched teeth as every woman I knew recounted the latest romantic thing her husband or boyfriend did for her on Valentines day. I pretended to be happy for them while underneath I was filled with jealousy and envy. I dreamed of sweet-scented bouquets of flowers, mushy cards, hearts filled with chocolates, and candlelight dinners. Usually, as Valentines day drew to a close, I was once again left disappointed and glad that the day was finally over.

Later, when I became a Christian, I knew I was to trust in God to meet all my needs, but for years I still continued to struggle with the whole romance thing. I believed God would supply all my needs, but I often wondered how in the world He could supply my need for romance! Often I prayed about my need for romance, and while I felt content with my life, I still found myself filled with longing. Why couldn't my husband be more romantic? Why couldn't he be like all those other men?

I was walking through the woods one spring thinking about the lack of romance in my life. I was feeling sorry for myself and feeling unloved and uncared about. I remember praying out loud in desperation, "Lord, how can you ever meet my need for romance? I want to trust in You and serve You, but what about these longings in my heart? How do I deal with them?"

What happened next was one of those moments when you feel as if someone whacks you over the head and wakes you up. I stumbled across a beautiful bouquet of wildflowers. Expensive designer perfume couldn't compete with the sweet aroma that filled the air around me. Lovely shades of lavender, yellow, and blue commanded my attention. I found myself laughing out loud filled with joy. As I picked the flowers, I thought, “Wow! God is so romantic!” The beauty of the wildflowers nearly swept me off my feet. Then I looked across the pond below me and the sun glinting off the water looked like millions of diamonds that seemed to shout, “You asked for romance. How is this for romance?” Again, I felt swept away by the beauty of God’s creation. The sweet melody of the finches’ song resounding from the treetops above me became a love song from my Heavenly Father. The original creator of romance opened my eyes to the beauty all around me. I thought of how the Bible is like a beautifully written letter filled with poems of love. I've never been the same since that day! God gave me a new perspective on things and a new attitude about what true romance really is. I had been so busy dwelling on what I didn't have all those years that I missed the romance all around me. I was doing exactly what the old country music song lyrics said, I was looking for love in all the wrong places!

I no longer dread Valentines day. It's a day when I celebrate the ultimate romance! It's a day I reflect a little more on how much my Heavenly Father loves me and how much more I've grown to love Him over the years. I wouldn't trade the intimacy I have with Him for anything, and I'm thrilled with the romance He brings to my life every single day. Reading His word each morning is like opening a personal love letter, and I'm reminded of how much He loves me. Since I'm allowing Him to meet my need for romance, I can with all honesty say I am happy for the women in my life who share with me the romantic things their husbands and boyfriends do for them and I feel it's a wonderful thing. After all, God did create romance. If you have any doubts, just read Song of Songs in your Bible.

Today, as we celebrate Valentines day my mind once again swirls with romantic thoughts. My heart thrills and I'm filled with joy as I recall the miracle of a springtime walk through the woods many years ago; a walk that would forever change my life; a walk where the creator of romance was revealed to my desperate and longing heart.

Winter Sunset

...to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor. Isaiah 61: 3


Ice storms kept us hunkered down in the nest last week making it difficult to walk outside without falling, but I won't complain since it did make for some ideal birding from my kitchen window. I enjoyed watching the colorful birds as they scurried about on the ice-topped snow.Though winter can be rather drab and dreary at times, it also holds a beauty of its own. While driving back from the grocery store the other evening, I grew distracted by the countryside all dressed up in it's finest snowy attire. I took the scenic route home intent on capturing some great winter photos. I wasn't disappointed, as I was treated to a beautiful winter sunset complete with pink and lavender clouds that were mirrored in the glistening white snow; just one more confirmation of how awesome God's creation truly is.


I'm thankful we live in an area that experiences the changing seasons. While winter is my least favorite season, I know that eventually it will usher in spring with its abundance of colorful flowers and colorful birds. Our spiritual life is often like that. We go through dreary seasons of hardships and difficulties, but eventually a season of renewal and beauty follows. God brings beauty from ashes, just like he frosts the dreary winter landscape with an icy crust of pure white snow and the brilliance of a pink and lavender sunset.

In The Shadow of His Wings

Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. Psalms 63: 7

No Excuse

From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God. Romans 1: 12

Be Still and Pray

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. Luke 18:1

Over the past several weeks, I've grown discouraged by the limitations brought about by my recent health issues. I feel as if I'm not able to do much of anything, and pain and exhaustion seem to be my constant companions. I don't have the energy to keep up with the things I used to do, and doing the usual household work is a challenge most days. At times I become frustrated and wonder what I can actually do that won't bring on pain and more exhaustion. I watch other grandmothers taking their grandchildren places and spending time with them, and often wonder what is wrong with me. I was beginning to wonder if I was any good for anyone and I started to feel rather worthless.


After having a major pity party for myself the other day, I had a "light bulb" moment that I feel God impressed upon my heart. Though I'm limited physically and I can't do as much with my grandchildren as I would like to or do as much around the house as I once did, I am doing the most important thing of all; I am praying for my children and grandchildren daily, as well as holding other friends and family members up in prayer. Prayer takes time and what a wonderful privilege it is to hold others up in prayer, especially our grandchildren and children. They desperately need our prayers. We live in a time when spiritual warfare is increasing and our families are under incredible attacks from the enemy. As christian women we can impact our families in huge ways by praying for them. I've seen the power of prayer at work in my own family many times and I know it works!


Though physically I can't accomplish a lot, spiritually I can accomplish great things. Prayer is something we can do regardless of our health conditions. Even if we are flat on our backs in bed, we can be prayer warriors for our loved ones. I've heard many accounts of grandmothers and mothers who prayed and made an impact on their families. Some of them didn't even live to see their prayers answered, but the answers did come later on. A speaker I was listening to recently told a story about his praying grandmother. He was always in trouble as a child and everyone had given up on him, but his grandmother always reminded him that she was praying for him. He grew up and was still getting in trouble as a young adult. His grandmother didn't lose heart. She faithfully prayed and let him know she was praying. Years later, after she has passed away, he was driving home one night and couldn't stop thinking about his grandmother and how she always reminded him she was praying for him. He felt led to find a church and start going. Soon after, he dedicated his life to the Lord and later started working in ministry. He said he was so thankful that he had a grandmother who prayed.


I'm slowly learning to accept my physical limitations as blessings. God is showing me repeatedly that this is a season to be still and know Him. It is a season to slow down and focus on that which is most important of all. It's a season that gives me the privilege of holding up before His throne of grace those dearest to me, my children and grandchildren. I have a small photo album that I keep in my quiet time basket. It holds photos of each of my children and grandchildren. I like to spread it out before the Lord as I pray for each one of them daily, just as Hezekiah spread out the letter from the messengers in 2 Kings 19: 14-15.

I've already seen many answers to prayers within my own family in the past. Some remain unanswered and that is okay too. I know in God's perfect timing He will work all things out according to his will. I need not be concerned about when the answers will come. I simply need to keep praying for my loved ones and cherish this new season of life; a season filled with spiritual blessings brought about through the power of prayer.

A View From My Window

He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes. Psalm 147: 16

Frigid air has settled over my mountain nest and the ground was dusted with a blanket of white when I woke up this morning. It was a day I felt incredibly blessed to be tucked away in my cozy mountain home and for the toasty heat from the old black wood stove. It was the perfect day for indulging in steaming cups of tea, watching the birds outside my window while wrapped up snugly in an old quilt, and pondering the beauty of God's creation.

Quiet Time Basket

I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word. Psalm 119: 16


Part of the commitment to following the First Place 4 Health program that I've been involved with over the past 7 years is to establish a daily quiet time consisting of prayer, scripture reading, scripture memory, and Bible study. This daily practice has been life changing for me! Before I became involved with First Place, I was mostly a Sunday-only christian. I went to church and prayed during the week, but often did not open my Bible from one Sunday to the next. By doing so I was robbing myself of the blessing of an intimate relationship with Christ.

When I first started having a daily devotional time, I started a "quiet time" basket and placed it in my home office as a visual reminder not to neglect my quiet time each day. I purchased an inexpensive basket at our local craft store. It holds my Bible, Bible study book, a hymnal, journal, a pack of different colored gel pens, highlighters, a small pack of tissues, and a small photo book that I use during my prayer time that contains pictures of my husband, children, their spouses, the grandchildren, and my dad. (I'll share more about this in a future post) It helps to have everything I need in one place, and it serves as a reminder not to neglect my time with God each day. It allows for portability if I decide to have my quiet time downstairs while watching the birds outside or in the summer months when I often have my quiet time outside in the back yard.

My prayer is that all of us will strive to become women of the word and women of prayer. Setting aside time each day for God must become a priority if we are to be women who make a difference in the world to the glory of our Heavenly Father. A daily quiet time is life-changing!

Quilting Therapy

She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. Proverbs 31: 22

"Hands to work, hearts to God" was a saying I heard frequently during my childhood. My mom and grandmother also used to say, "Busy hands are happy hands." I never really thought much about those sayings when I was a child, but now that I'm older I can certainly appreciate the meaning of them. Especially, since I've been battling a severe case of "cabin fever" lately; the cold temperatures keeping me housebound more than usual.

My niece, Jessica, called me last night to ask some advice on home decorating fabrics. We were online looking at fabric when I suddenly realized how much I missed sewing! I felt a renewed excitement seeing all the new fabric designs and colors. I realized it had been ages since I worked on any crafts. Sewing was good therapy in the past when I was dealing with "cabin fever," so I figured I could use a little "quilt therapy" and spent time today sifting through my fabric stash and unfinished projects. I was so thankful for Jessica's phone call, because it made me aware of what I've been missing. There's just something soothing about working with fabric to create a beautiful design that is good for whatever ails you!

Winter is far from over, and that is okay. I hope to enjoy many"quilting therapy" sessions in front of the window while I watch the birds flitting about at my feeders outside. With my mind focused on God's rich blessings and my hands busy quilting, I can survive the worst case of "cabin fever. Hands to work, hearts to God.

Winter Beauty

From whose womb comes the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens when the waters become hard as stone, when the surface of the deep is frozen? Job 38: 29-30

My Strength

Mounted up as on eagles wings,
I soar above the trials life brings,
flying beyond all worry and care,
I sense God's presence everywhere.

His love so real, His love so true,
His mercies each morning fresh and new,
beneath His wings I safely reside,
sheltered from harm on every side.

Abiding in Him I'll never be weak,
for His strength and power I daily seek,
on His word and promises I firmly stand,
knowing nothing can snatch me from His hand.

I don't deserve His amazing grace,
or to rest eternally in His heavenly place,
but still he chose me and set me apart,
to grasp the thought just thrills my heart.

A Year With No Regrets

A woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Proverbs 31: 30

The start of a new year is often filled with excitement, and we entertain thoughts of how different this year is going to be and how we are going to change our lives for the better. We start out filled with hope and good intentions only to find things unchanged at the end of the year.

Making resolutions is easy, but keeping them is another story. As I look back over my own past I remember making new years resolutions every year, and most of the time I never made it through the first week keeping them. Often I never even made it to the end of the first day! Most of us desire to change, but yet we continue on exactly as we are. Pretty soon days turn to weeks and weeks to months and another year passes. If we aren't careful our life will pass by in a flurry of activity, and the gifts and talents God gave us to use for His glory will never bear fruit.

If we profess to be Christian women, then we need to be concerned first and foremost about our spiritual growth. We live in a time when shallow faith abounds everywhere we turn. Lets choose to make 2009 a year of spiritual renewal and growth. Lets take a stand for biblical truth and stop being women who are tossed about and led astray by all the worldly attractions that leave us feeling empty and stunt our spiritual growth. We need to get back to being women who fear the Lord and live our lives for His glory.

We can resolve to be women who fear the Lord and walk in His ways. We can't do it on our own, but when we surrender our lives to Him and allow Him to guide our footsteps we can rest assured that we are headed in the right direction in the new year and in every year to come. We can be strong women, even though our bodies may feel weak and weary, because He is our strength. We need not fear darkness, because He is the light. He will set us free from any habits that enslave us, because He is our deliverer. He is our comforter, the one who wipes away our tears in the night. We need not fear anything, because his everlasting arms surround us, shelter us, and protect us. In moments of weakness his grace is always sufficient, and He provides a way out of every temptation that comes our way.

We can change for the better in the coming year if we surrender our lives to Him and seek to follow Him each day. We can have a year that is fruitful and productive; a year filled with the blessings that comes from obedience to His word; a year filled with spiritual growth; a year with no regrets. The choice is ours to make.

Merry Christmas

While reflecting on the Christmas story over the past several weeks, I found myself humbled as I thought about Mary, the mother of Jesus. Her reply to the angel following the explanation that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and that she would bear the Son of God, was something that stood out to me over and over again as I heard the account of the birth of Jesus during the Christmas season at church and on radio programs:

"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her. (Luke 1: 38)

Mary did not argue with God or make excuses regarding what was about to happen, even though it could have cost her her life. In her culture a woman pregnant outside of marriage could have been stoned to death. She had a lot on the line, but humbly accepted her position as the Lord's servant. We can learn a lot from Mary's example.

As Christian women, we need to ask ourselves if we have the heart of a servant. Are we willing to accept whatever God has planned for our lives? Can we with all honesty say we are the Lord's servants? Being a servant requires that we completely give up our selfish wants. We embrace what God has called us to do without making excuses. Most of us would like to say we have the heart of a woman who is willing to serve God, but sadly our lives look rather different. Our lives reek of selfishness. Often, rather than saying, "I am the Lords servant," we could be heard saying, "I want to serve the Lord, but...."

There is no middle ground when it comes to serving God. We will either choose obedience or disobedience. Every time we make an excuse, it is simply disobedience that we are trying to disguise as a good reason for not doing something God has called us to do.Being a woman who is willing to serve the Lord and follow His ways is not easy in a culture that is overflowing with selfishness. We are constantly told that it is all about us, but God's word tells us just the opposite. It's not about us at all; it's about being women with hearts that are willing to serve.

With the Christmas season coming to a close, it would be a good time to take a look at the true condition of our hearts. I pray that we will seek to have hearts like Mary; hearts that would allow us to say with all honesty, "I am the Lord's servant, may it be to me as you have said."

The Breath Of God

The breath of God produces ice, and the broad waters become frozen~ Job 37: 10

A Faint Whisper

And these are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him! Job 26: 14

I woke up this morning to a soft snow falling that transformed the drab winter landscape into a winter wonderland. I could not resist grabbing my camera and heading off for a walk through the woods. I felt like a kid on Christmas morning as I cautiously walked up and down the slippery hills. Everything was beautiful and snow covered! The dreary brown trees were dressed up in sparkling white attire. Pine trees bowed down under the weight of glistening snowflakes, and birds were flitting about, their colorful feathers commanding attention amidst the snowy white background.

It brought to mind the scripture that I had read in Job 26: 14 during my devotional time earlier in the day. The beauty of nature that we see all around us is just the outer fringe of God's works, and only a faint whisper of who God truly is! Not even a whisper, but a faint whisper! How amazing and how incomprehensible He is! We cannot even begin to imagine the wonderful and amazing things He has prepared for us in heaven; things too incredible for our human minds to comprehend.

It's hard to imagine anything more beautiful than the snow covered trees glistening in my mountain wonderland today. Yet, his word tells us that even this is just the outer fringe of His works....a faint whisper of Him.

Home Cooked Memories

She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family. Proverbs 31:15

There's no place like home; especially when a pot of homemade vegetable soup has been simmering on the stove all day mingling with the aroma of freshly baked yeast bread warm from the oven! I've never met anyone who didn't appreciate a good meal, and cooking and baking is a simple way to make memories for our families and show hospitality to guests in our home. We don't have to cook expensive or fancy meals. In fact, some of the most comforting foods are the simplest things. There's just something warm and inviting about a home where something good is cooking in the kitchen.

I've talked to a lot of people who speak with fondness about the comforting food prepared lovingly by their moms or grandmothers, and many moms and grandmothers are famous among their family members for certain dishes. Nobody made pork and saurkraut like my Grandma Mitchell. She was also famous for her pumpkin pies and soft sugar cookies. Her chicken rice soup was known to heal the sick. My aunt was very ill following surgery for a large brain tumor and was unable to eat. Grandma smuggled some of her chicken rice soup into the hospital one day. My aunt was able to eat it, and from that day on started to recover. I still smile when I recall grandma telling me the story about smuggling her soup into the hospital. She looked at me with a sparkle in her eye and said, "I didn't think she was going to make it, but my soup brought her back!" My mom was famous for her vegetable soup, apple pies, apple dumplings, stuffing balls, and gravy. Nobody ever came close to making pie crust like mom, and even though I have her recipe for gravy and stuffing balls, I've never been able to duplicate it. My mother-in-law made the best fried chicken I've ever tasted, and I've never found anything that even came close to hers. They have all passed on, but the special memories of the foods they prepared lives on in the hearts of family members.

As homemakers, we have the opportunity every day to make memories for our families and guests. One day our children probably won't remember how clean the house was when they were growing up, how successful we were in our career, or how many things we were involved in, but they will remember coming home to the aroma of a home cooked meal and warm cookies straight from the oven. They will recall, with fondness and smiles, the blessing of home cooked memories.

Every Winged Bird

And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky. " So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1: 20-21

Tis the Season to be Busy

As I watched a White-breasted Nuthatch and a Downy Woodpecker flying back and forth, incessantly pecking away on a suet cake this morning, it made me think about how often we fly around incessantly pecking away at all the distractions life throws our way, rarely stopping for a moment, tossed back and forth from one activity to the next. Busyness seems to have taken over our lives; we live with it, embrace it, and at times boast about it. Yet, I believe it is one of the most powerful weapons Satan uses against Christians. It’s so common today that often we aren’t even aware of its presence. It is a problem year round, but even more so as the Christmas season approaches.

The trend towards excessive busyness seems to have reached epidemic proportions in the lives of people today, and Christians are not exempt from it. Ask anybody how they are and the answer is usually the same, “Busy!” Sadly, Christians look like the rest of the world in this regard. We are stressed out, frazzled, overextended, anxious, running in circles, rushing about, short tempered, exhausted, and running on empty. Running on fumes, we fall into bed at the end of the day only to jump back up the next morning and start the vicious cycle all over again. I once heard a speaker say that BUSY stands for “burdened under Satan’s yoke.” I would have to agree!

I’m currently doing a Beth Moore Bible study called, Breaking Free. In the one chapter she talks about “the captivity of activity” and how perpetual activity leads to perpetual exhaustion. I often see this in my life and in the lives of those around me. I believe Satan uses busyness to keep Christians ineffective in their spiritual walk. It is so common and so widely accepted that it’s seldom even thought about. Since Satan works subtly and behind the scenes, we fail to notice him. If he can keep us busy and distracted by all the things going on around us, he can render us unproductive and ineffective as believers in Christ. Busy lives lead to lives void of prayer and scripture reading. Lives void of prayer and scripture reading leads to Christians with shallow faith.

When asked where our relationship with God is in our lives, most of us would proclaim, “God is first in my life!” However, when asked to share our busy schedules, we would find God in a different place. A pastor once said that our true priorities are revealed by looking at our daily schedules. The things that fill our days speak volumes about what is truly number one in our hearts. We always seem to make time for the things that are important to us. We can’t miss our favorite TV program, but we can miss our quiet time with God. We don’t have time to pray, but we can answer our cell phones and send text messages throughout the day. We don’t have time to work on a Bible study lesson, but we have time to go shopping or to surf the internet. We say we are simply too busy for God, but yet we always seem to find time for TV, cell phones, and the internet.

When was the last time you really and truly sat at His feet and listened for His voice? Being still before God and making time to sit at His feet is what’s really important. In light of eternity, it won’t matter how many TV programs we watched or how often we sent a text message or answered our cell phones. It won’t matter how much time we spent online looking things up. What will matter is our relationship with our Heavenly Father and those things that have eternal value.

This Christmas season, I pray we will keep our priorities in line amidst the hustle and bustle of shopping, decorating, baking cookies, and wrapping presents. The abundant life Jesus came to give us is waiting. We need to slow down, be still, and seek first His kingdom rather than the distractions the world has to offer. We won’t be disappointed, because Jesus is the sweetest gift of all!

Counting My Blessings, Day Eight

My heart has been encouraged, as I've taken some time each day during this week leading up to Thanksgiving Day to focus on the many abundant and rich blessings that God has given me. I truly do have so much to be thankful for and blessings too numerous to count!

I conclude my week of counting blessings by being thankful for the blessing of Christian music. When I feel depressed or discouraged, listening to praise and worship music always lifts my spirits and restores joy to my soul. I love the traditional hymns, but I also enjoy contemporary Christian music. Often the words speak directly to me or to the situation I'm dealing with at the time. I am so thankful for the amazing artists and musicians who willingly use their gifts and talents in the ministry of music. Many of them will never know, this side of heaven, how their songs have impacted and changed lives.