God has been talking to me for years, since the day I was born. Fact is that He talks to you, too. We all just have to slow down, be quiet, and listen to what He has to say. I finally did that last year. And let me be the first to tell you: He has A LOT to say!
My daughter Jesse died Christmas Day 1997 from viral pneumonia. It was a type of strain that within 12 hours from the first symptom they were gone. The first symptom was a runny nose. Our oldest daughter, Jordan, had been sick with a cold the entire week. Naturally, we assumed that Jesse had caught the same cold. We were so very wrong. God knew what He was doing, though. There was no stopping this once it started. All of our efforts to save her would have been in vain. Instead, we woke up the next morning to get the girls for Santa. Jesse was already gone home. That's one Christmas that will never be forgotten. It's also the Christmas that changed my life.
When Jesse died, I found my comfort in God. My husband didn't. Within a few months, he left and it was just Jordan and me. Once again, I thought my life was hitting rock bottom. Then God surprised me with Robert. We were married in October and started a new chapter in our lives.
Robert is a God loving man and we were able to bring God into our lives and our marriage. When I tell you that made all of the difference in the world, I mean it. We tried a few churches here and there, but could never find one that we both felt comfortable with. After almost 9 years of looking, a series of circumstances led us to Life Church in Laurel, Mississippi. Wow! We immediately knew that we had found our home.
For years I knew God was there. Finally, I figured out how to walk with Him. Big difference. We started serving in various ministries in the church. We took the attitude of when the doors were open we would be there. Robert and I both started delving into the Bible and any study that we could find to go with it. As I look around my computer den now, I giggle at the many materials that we have. There are at least 8 different Bibles opened at any given time. Many times I had tried to read the Bible in the past and didn't get past Genesis. But now, my eyes are opened and I am enjoying learning more and more every day.
I found Facebook almost a year ago. It was during a very dark period in my life. Robert and I had just taken over a program at our church, Celebrate Recovery. We were on FIRE! We were so passionate in this incredible disciple building program and couldn't get enough of it. All of a sudden, I was under attack. I went into a horrible depression and couldn't figure anything out. Thankfully, I was able to meet with a few ladies from our church and they helped me realize that satan was attaching me head on. Within no time, my spirits were lifted and I was determined to be a more powerful warrior for Christ.
Since losing Jesse, I always felt that I had a story to tell. Many times I would sit at the computer or I would grab a pencil and paper. I would manage to get one sentence and then it would stop. Nothing. I couldn't figure out where to go with what was in my head. Then it happened. God spoke and I typed. Dragonfly Kisses was born. I posted the story on Facebook for my friends to read. After that, the stories started flying. God would first give me a title. I would ponder on it for as long as He would allow. Then He would have me just sit down in front of the computer and my hands would find the keyboard. The movie started right before my eyes and I typed as quickly as I could to keep up with it. Before I knew it, over 20 stories were written. Dragonfly Kisses and other inspirational stories was published in December 2009. God has grabbed me out of my comfort zone and thrust me into a world of marketing. I am being told continuously to publicize the book, and for me that is difficult. I tend to get very nervous talking to people. Selling is not my forte. But this is God's project and He sees me in a different light. The first step to walking with God is to learn obedience. And trust me when I say that it is usually something that you wouldn't choose to do on your own!
The book sales are going well. I have quite a few places to take it to that I still haven't visited. But those will come within the next few weeks. The book is now available on Amazon, which I am still in awe of. God does amazing things, even when there is nothing in your checkbook to start with.
I'm working on my next book now, He Moves the Pebbles. I am very excited about this one. I know that God is an amazing God and He wants to show more and more people that He is still in the business of miracles. And let me tell you, He is! Hopefully, Pebbles will be published within the next month or so.
God is now putting something else onto our hearts. We have felt the calling to do this work for over two years. Now it is getting stronger. Robert and I both have a passion for going to others and telling about our Savior. We both long to be in the missions field. With that calling comes great responsibility, great planning, and great faith. We still have a lot of planning to do. So that is the path that we are hoping to travel in the near future. But for now, we are being still and listening to what He has to say.
Every day is an adventure. Every day we make a decision: to have a good day or not. We make the choice every day to either walk in His path or linger on the side of the road. I'm through with lingering. I'm ready to walk. I'm ready to run! Come join us in our journey.
Many blessings!
