Tuesday, August 21

every day, i read your beautiful and
thoughtful and touching comments to me.
you have stood with me through some pretty
difficult times when my blogs have, i know, been
lacking. please forgive me for the moments that
i have lost sight of what our journey is really
all about....praising God and basking in His
power, knowing that He promises to take care
of everything else.

my 12-step class met last thursday night,
and the nine of us, plus our two leaders, are
growing and bonding. Jesus comes into our
room. seats Himself in our circle. and as we
share our brokenness and hurts and
victories, He is there. two hours later,
our roots are a little deeper. our faded spirits
have been revived. and the deep work of
healing and wholeness continues.

addiction once wrapped a noose around our
necks, and tied us to a tree of desperate cravings
to numb our deep, inner pain. but Jesus is all-
powerful, and He can deliver us. any and all of
us. i have chosen, with these others, to face all
the compromises and bent choices so that
genuine, healthy wholeness reigns instead of
some superficial sense of freedom.

"the Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of
trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him."
nah. 1:7

so run, warriors, run. pursue the path to joy
and hope and promise. i keep forgetting, at
times, that i am to run to Jesus with praise.
that this is what keeps my eyes lifted from my
grave struggles to the only One who can dry my
tears and calm my fears and resolve every
difficulty.

6 comments:

  1. Running to Jesus with praise has helped me, too, during times of praise and struggle. I believe it causes me to refocus on Jesus strength instead of my weakness. It is an incredible lift to my spirit. I DO hear praise to Jesus in your writings, and it makes my spirit soar. Thank you, Ann.

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  2. Your thoughts are always appreciated and loved. We all have struggles but most of us don't have the nerve to share our struggles. Love and prayers.

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  3. Oh, thank you, sweet Ann! I love to read your blog, but often hold back from commenting because I wasn't sure if you were able to read the comments. I love to see Jesus through your eyes~

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  4. Ann,
    you have a gift from God. Please continue to use it as you are being used to further His kingdom. You are loved!

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  5. Ann.. you are so appreciated and we love you deeply. Thank you for being "REAL" and taking chances to share your thoughts and oh so wonderful writings. We are there for you and know that we pray for you daily and your family. Praise is so important and GOD loves the praises of HIS people. If you ever come to RENO let us know. They could sure use your inspiration and love. You will come through this and we all will as long as our focus is on the Lord. Precious Ann, thank you for being there for all of us. :)

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