Purpose in Our Pain

With Michelle at She Speaks Conference and her new book.

Purpose in Our Pain, by Dr. Michelle Bengston

I’m excited to welcome my friend and author, Michelle, as a guest writer today. Giveaway details about her new book will be announced at the end of this post.

Tears of Pain

The auditorium was alive with the worship of thousands of women who had come to receive a fresh encounter with God that weekend. Each hungry and in need of more of Him, but corporately their voices meshed into a beautiful chorus of symphonic praise that must have delighted His heart.

It was dark high up in the balcony where I was seated, save for the lights reflecting from the stage many levels below. I was ready to receive whatever He had for me that weekend at our church’s annual women’s conference. Snuggled in the midst of 5000 of my closest female friends, we were all ready for a fresh encounter with Him.

Read More…

Is God Real and Does He Love Me? My Story.

Let the redeemed of God tell their story. (See Psalm 107:2)

As long as I can remember, I’ve been a lover of words. It’s true in speaking. So, I entered my first oratorical contest in the fourth grade. Yes, way back. I went on to thrive in high school speech class.

Then and now, I love moving an audience to emotion. Tears. Laughter. Surprise. Deep reflection. It’s a passion for me. (Check out my blog’s speaking events page.)

During a few college semesters, I did some soul-searching for the right field of study. Still, communications rose to the top and became my major and degree.

The rest is history. “Communicator” is stamped across my forehead. Have you noticed?

Yet, there’s more heart-stirring love for words. In 2014, I embarked on a writing journey. Pen to paper. Keyboard to computer. Words to readers. The power of story.

But when I discovered real love. And when I found my voice to tell my story. Then, words held power. Because they came from a powerful source.

Is God Real? My Story.

Read More…

God’s Love and Mercy Will Cease…When Pigs Fly

Image courtesy of subscriber Laura, River near her home in France.

In an uncertain world, there’s an undeniable hope in God’s love and mercy. An unshakable anchor for your soul.

A frenzy of emotions strangled my spirit. Tears soaked my face. Joining my husband on the screened-in porch, I fell into a chair and conveyed the frustration.

“Mike, I told the Lord to please end the madness. To stop the hard stuff from happening. I can’t handle anything else. I can’t take any more bad news. And if God’s allowing me to go through harsh circumstances for writing material, then I have enough. I’ll gladly write about fluffy things. Fun, happy, and smiley parts of life.”

A pastor, Mike was sensitive to my hurting heart. “Karen, it’s difficult to try to understand why bad things happen. The Lord already knows what you’re thinking and feeling. But He wants you to tell Him. To cry out to Him.”

After I bared the rawness of my soul, the words seemed to hang in the warm summer air as if I could reach up and grab them.

What caused the sense of hopelessness?

Read More…

I Don’t Believe in Karma or the Man Upstairs

Do you believe?

My plans for a blog post today had nothing to do with this topic. But my plans often turn topsy-turvy in the middle of life.

Recently, I’ve seen social media posts and received chain letters. Each written from the premise of a promise. If I believe in karma, then something good will happen today to make me happy. An angel will come to watch over me. The man upstairs will bless me.

The bottom line is based on forwarding the message to ten or fourteen friends including the sender to secure the deal. And posting as your status on social media. If you want the promise to come true, you must act fast—within minutes. And do not, I repeat, do not break the chain.

To set the record straight, I don’t believe these promises hold any power or hope.

I don’t believe in karma. But I do believe…

Read More…