ann kiemel

Friday, June 29

my friend says there is a bus in Heaven
getting ready to come and take us there.
and there is a bus here, on earth, preparing
to take the overflow.

i had my 12-step meeting tonight. one year
with eight other women. digging as deeply as we
can. unveiling things so hidden inside us...
so God can reach down and place His hands
on all our wounds, and make us well.

i'm standing in line. waiting for the bus.
and i'm piling things on the table with my 8
partners. refusing to be too afraid of what any
of them think that i hold back. the bus is coming,
and my heart is pumping hard and fast. Heaven
is my Home, and i want to be ready.

today, looking tacky in sweat pants and shirt,
i headed for the gym. melting heat outside.
wondering what it would be inside with alot of
other sweating bodies. i climbed on the eliptical.
my usual. bowed head. earnest prayer.

"i'm listening, Jesus. speak to me as i run.
keep your Hand on my shoulder. it's been
hard, Jesus. really hard. please help jan.
she is everything to me. everything!!!"

and i slowly start to pump. then i pick it up.
the rhythm building. suddenly, i'm working the
machine so hard that it begins to rumble. i don't
lift my eyes to see what others are thinking. i'm
running for my Partner. for peace in my soul.
it was so fast and hard that i couldn't do more than
four miles. peanuts to me. but not today.

why do i love Jesus so? why?
because...."a bruised reed He will not break...
and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out." isaiah 42
He won't break me if i am weak and bruised and
a little mixed up and lost. huh-hu. Jesus is ALL about
love and compassion and walking the agonizing road
to the Cross. He paid the price. He endured. He sang
a song of deliverance and wept "great drops of blood".

don't forget!
make it to the bus.
on time

1 comment:

AnonymousJune 29, 2012 at 5:30 AM
Ann: your blog today was a blessing to me. Have you ever read the story of a lady named Dawn Robinson who was in one of the World Trade Center towers when they collapsed? Part of her story of how she got out of there has to do with a NYC bus. I will try to get this unique little story to you.
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Ann passed away on March 1, 2014.
A few words about our dear friend:

Ann Kiemel began her ministry as an ordinary girl who was determined to reach her neighborhood for Jesus. She penned her first book, I’m Out to Change My World, while still in her twenties. Millions of readers were moved by her simple faith and her desire to share Jesus in everyday, divine appointments. Despite the lack of any formal publicity, her first book became a bestseller through word-of-mouth.
Ann went on to Author several best-selling books, speaking in coliseums across the country and appearing as a guest speaker on Christian television programs such as the 700 Club, PTL, TBN, and Robert Schuller’s Hour of Power. Ann has been featured numerous times on Dr. Dobson’s Focus on the Family radio broadcasts, most recently as an expert on single parenting.

Although Ann shared the stage with some of the most well-known and influential Authors and Speakers in the world, she is remembered most by her humble presentation. Quietly seated on a stool in the middle of a large platform, she would begin…“Hi, I’m Ann. I am one simple woman in the world. I have never shaken hands with the President. I cry. Sometimes I am insecure. I am only one, but I have come tonight to tell you I am one… and Jesus and I and love are out to change the world.” Thousands of attentive fans sat on the edge of their seats, hanging onto her every word, laughing and crying together as Ann declared her love for a personal Lord…One who walked with her and talked with her on lonely days. She ran marathons, singing simple little songs to fellow runners with one overwhelming hope in mind – to win others to Jesus by building bridges to them. Her rare vulnerability and genuine faith in brighter tomorrows inspired others to dream big and believe that with God, they too, could make a difference in their world.

Some people consider Ann Kiemel to be one of the most authentic voices in the Christian community. Others refer to her as a best-selling Author of seventeen books, many of which have been passed on as inspirational classics over the past three decades. Bottom line: Ann was a gifted Author and Speaker who had a pure heart and a vision for what an extraordinary God can do in the lives of ordinary people.

After many years as a successful Speaker and Author, God answered Ann’s yearning for a husband at the age of thirty-five. Several years and many miscarriages later, Ann became the mother of four adopted sons, revolutionizing the way that many viewed open adoption. Soon thereafter, Ann realized that she had become addicted to pain medication. She entered a thirty-day secular rehab program and discovered that her addiction ran even deeper - she had become addicted to the praise and approval of others. She recounts the loneliness, pain, and ultimate deliverance in her seventeenth book, Seduced by Success – No Longer Addicted to Praise, Pills and Performance.

After offering her inadequacies to the Lord and praying for wholeness, Ann had found her way back to her first love. The heart of her ministry had changed, and Jesus was now the star. Her husband, Will Anderson, would battle cancer for eighteen months, and Ann would become a single mother of four priceless treasures. She held a deep conviction that she, alone, needed to be fully present with her children. With this is mind, she quietly walked away from the stage.

In the fall of 2008, Ann’s youngest last son left home. At the same time, a renewed interest in Ann’s ministry began to develop. Hundreds of thousands of loyal readers began searching for her, longing to hear how God had been working in her life, wanting her message to be heard by the next generation. In response to the interest of her fans, a simple blog was created. People from all over the world began chiming in, supporting one of their favorite best-selling Authors from the 1970’s and 1980’s.

Many of her books are available for purchase on Amazon.com and other places.

Ann was the mother of four boys and lived on the West coast in close proximity to her children and her twin sister, Jan.