Author: hcfwomen

I once was asked by my nephew if I thought I would be the same person if I wasn’t a Christian.  I didn’t even have to think about that question.  I absolutely knew that I would not even come close to being the same person.  I didn’t have a clue who I would be or what my life would look like if I didn’t know Jesus and have him in my life, and I wouldn’t want to know.  Everything good in my life was because of Jesus.  

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 

2 Cor. 5:17

I had a pretty rough childhood, and even though we weren’t avid churchgoers, I always felt Jesus’ presence, especially when home life was scary.  I sometimes would hide from my dad on weekends to escape his wrath, and I always felt someone was there with me.   

At the age of thirteen I accepted Jesus as my Savior.  That was when I knew the Lord was the comfort I had always felt.  

My life was still in an uproar.  My circumstances didn’t change when I came to know the Lord, but I had peace knowing that I had a heavenly Father.  I knew that whatever happened to me, I was not alone, nor was I unloved.

Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.  Hebrews 13:5

I got married at the age of sixteen.  I thought life had finally become normal.  I was elated knowing that someone loved me and I loved him.  I was happy.  Life was like a fairytale. We never argued.  Life was the way I had only dreamed it could be.  After less than three years of marriage, my husband came in one day and told me he was engaged to a lady that worked for him.  My utopia crumbled.   Still, even in my despair, I felt the presence of the Lord and knew everything would work out.  

I moved back to Plainview and tried to begin a fresh new life.  It wasn’t long before I met Bobby.  He was going through a similar situation.  His wife left him and we understood each other’s pain.  We got married and have been together for 45 years.  There have been lots of ups and downs, but we are a cord of three strands.  God is at the center of our lives, and He has seen us through the good times and the bad.

In September 2018, I found out I had breast cancer.   It was really strange when I was given that diagnosis.  I wasn’t scared.  I thought something was wrong with me for not being afraid.  I was certain I would be okay.  I didn’t know what the future would hold, but I knew Who held my future. 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Jeremiah 29:11

I don’t think I have ever been as close to the Lord as during that time.  I had a couple of friends who had breast cancer and were going through treatments at the same time I was.  They have both passed away, both with peace, knowing who held their future as well.  

Jesus has held true to his promise that he would never leave me or forsake me.

We want to thank Naomi Jones for sharing this post.

When life’s journey involves a scorching desert or thorny briar, it is not human to celebrate the trial. It is not natural to be pleased with pain – that’s a psychological disorder, actually. Yet James begins and ends with an exhortation to endure with joy and patience when facing trials of many kinds (James 1:3-4 and 5:11). Why? Trials test faith producing endurance, steadfastness, and perseverance. Those lead to maturity, completeness, humility, a crown of life. 

The original Greek words for this perseverance goes beyond surviving pathetically, whining until being scooped out of the briar patch unscathed. “Hypmeno” in both noun and verb form implies bearing trials, having fortitude, enduring patiently, suffering, abiding. The “meno” part, abiding, elicits the idea of staying, dwelling, resting. In my mind, this would occur in pleasant places, in tranquil alcoves with a brook peacefully trickling by – not the concept of remaining under trial! Not through a test of faith! Yet the endurance is a result of faithfully facing trials. Interestingly, the Greek word for testing, “Dokimion,” implies trustworthiness. A testing of metal or a gem ensures its authenticity and quality. A testing of one’s faith reveals its trustworthiness. 

Through adversity, a trustworthiness of faith abides. 

My life’s journey has included sanctuaries of tranquility where God’s words, planted in my heart, produced the character of Christ. Running in my lane, where God has called me, has also led me through a dust storm so intense that the light seemed blocked out, so thick that if, given over to my flesh, my faith could have suffocated. Yet God’s word was a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Psalm 119:105).  

With scripture as my “forward and rear guard” (Isaiah 52:12), my faith grows with a testimony of God’s trustworthiness through any terrain – peaceful or scorchingly barren. Caring for my mother-in-law through her battle with colon cancer involved a maturing of faith, humility, and surrender.

This season involved faith with works. Works of service, of driving to doctor’s appointments, of changing colostomy bags, of being faithfully present. Faith to pray for healing, knowing that God’s healing might not look like I so desired. Faith that God’s ways were better than my desires. Faith that – though I never received a word that it would happen this way – that God could remove the protruding mass and restore Momma’s physical strength. Faith to pray for physical healing – though the peace remained in knowing that spiritual, eternal healing triumphs over the finite, physical restoration. Faith that, though not caused by Him, God would and will use this horrific disease for His good and His glory. Faith to release her from the physical fight. Faith in clinging to the hope of eternal life in Christ. 

This season involved humility. Humility in asking for help. Humility in receiving meals rather than delivering them. Humility in shampooing carpets. Humility, praying in the Spirit when I didn’t know what to pray or how to pray. Humility in asking my children’s and husband’s forgiveness after outbursts of anger in response to an accusation. 

This season involved surrender. Surrender of anger, of unforgiveness. Surrender of control. Surrender of pride knowing that there was absolutely nothing I could do to will the mass to shrink – no amount of sleepless nights; no amount of money; no amount of prayer. Surrender to eternal healing rather than extended temporal time here. 

Walking through this sand-blasting season tested my faith, tested my tongue, tested my willingness to surrender my will to God’s sovereign will. With my belief anchored in the wisdom and love and truth of God, time and again, His word, hidden in my heart, reminded me of His steadfast love and goodness. Some days, my flesh would rather have remained immature without enduring loss; yet, in the same way that a child who doesn’t grow and mature is not healthy, a believer who doesn’t grow and mature through trials is not spiritually healthy, either. The Word hidden in my heart in seasons of tranquility sustains and guides my journey. Let us make the most of every opportunity to walk in the light, in truth, in wisdom, in joy as we endure trials of many kinds. Let us give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His love endures forever. (Psalm 136)

We want to thank Mary Coleman for sharing this post.

“Don’t stop Beliving……” Any time I hear the word Journey, this song always pops into my head – not the whole song – just the hook.  It’s so catchy! 

When I think about all the various journeys in the Bible, I feel like the people would have been humming the same tune. Take Abraham for example:  God told him to leave all his possessions behind and GO, only to go to the place He would show him. Abraham was not given the exact destination.   He and his family just had to believe God would provide. Along this journey, he and Sarah were also on another journey to parenthood. Sarah longed for a baby until she reached such an elderly age, and at one point even lost all hope. But God told her, “Don’t stop believing!” This would ultimately give them Isaac. Abraham would then set out on a journey up Mount Moriah to sacrifice that one son who was promised to him, totally distraught and uncertain of what might lie ahead. Again, God told him “Don’t stop believing!” 

A New Testament example would be Peter. He’s a journey all his own! At one point he is fishing with his brother, a journey to provide for his family. They were disappointed in their gatherings and were ready to give up, but Jesus appeared, again saying “Don’t stop believing!  Cast your nets to the other side and be filled!”

On The Road to Emmaus, Jesus was there, in the midst of two men who loved him dearly. They had given up, they had “stopped believing.”  Jesus didn’t reveal Himself at first. He so tenderly let them talk. He allowed them to share what was on their hearts and minds, to expose their disappointments in what they had believed all along to be true. Once they reached their destination, sitting down for a meal, Jesus blessed the meal and disappeared. This was a physical manifestation to encourage us to never stop believing. It is true! 

There are so many different types of Journeys, Physical Journeys. Location related Journeys, Psychological Journey, Emotional Journey, Spiritual Journey, Journey towards Maturity…….the list could go on and on. 

My personal family has had many journeys of parenthood, financial freedom, sabbatical, and transitional in regards to career, none of which we could have gotten through if we ever stopped believing. God had to be the center. He had to be the first! Today, I was helping my kids with a devotional and at the bottom it said “and lastly, go to the Lord in prayer.” While I understood the concept of what this particular book was trying to address, it was a teachable moment to show our boys, we go to God First! If He is the leader of our Journey and we never stop believing and following his direction, we will finish each journey with the ability to look behind us and see His guiding hands of love and protection through it all.

We want to thank Ashton Riddle for sharing this post.

Journey – An Act of Traveling From One Place to Another…..

Throughout our lives people and relationships come and go. Some relationships last a lifetime, others, only a season or two.

With each season, as relationships change, we too are changed. Our hearts, minds and emotions are affected. We can either be positively affected and our hearts rejoice or negatively affected and our hearts become hard and closed off.

How we deal with these changes will be a witness to others of where we are in our relationship with Jesus.

On our journey we have one constant. If Jesus is Savior and Lord of your life, then that relationship never ends! It will always be changing, but it will be because we’re growing and maturing as we move into a deeper more intimate relationship with Him.

So in this journey, as we travel from one relationship to another, as people move in and out of our lives, do they see Jesus?

I know for myself it’s been a real challenge! The way God wired me, once I open my heart to someone, I am all in. I’m completely committed and will fight with everything I have in me to protect and nurture that relationship. I love and care deeply. So when a season comes to an end, a part of me dies with the changes that take place.

I’m still learning that in my walk with Jesus and others, I must love and care with a surrendered heart and open hands! I’m called by Jesus to love no matter what, for as long as He asks me to do so.

We must come to a place in our relationships that we get used to different. God is very creative and He needs our obedience to Him so He can move through us and draw others to Himself.

So as you travel from one place in your life journey to another, remember, time spent with Jesus and nurturing that relationship will spill over into the lives of the people He brings into our lives, whether it’s for a lifetime or simply a season. Be moldable, teachable, surrendered, soft hearted and obedient and abide in His love.

“Love one another as I have loved you…” John 13:34

“I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. “  John 17:9

Jesus’ whole ministry was immersed in the relationships He had. Some were only for a season, others for a lifetime. First with His Father in Heaven, then with His parents, Joseph and Mary. Next were all of the disciples and the others who followed Him. However, the example I treasure in my heart, comes from His prayer in the garden just before He was arrested. He saw me and He saw us from the beginning. He prayed for us to have a relationship with Him. Though only for a season, while He walked the Earth, they will last a lifetime in Heaven.

Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV)

“This then, is how you should pray: 

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

We would like to thank Janie Keller for sharing this post.

“For God so loved the world…” John 3:16

What could inspire you more than the words of this passage? God loved us so very much that He gave His one and only Son for ME!  Could I give up my child for anyone?  For God? 

Oh wait, I don’t have any children. Well, biological children. As you can imagine, wanting kids and not having them was very hard for me. But, over the years, inspired by God’s love, I have since adopted many children, that may not be mine by blood, but are mine in my heart.

“The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”  Zephaniah 3:17

In my season of desperately wanting children of my own, I was not finding inspiration in God’s love. I was sad, angry, and wondering what I had done so wrong that God didn’t want me to have children? I know now that then, I needed to believe and receive God’s love for me, by faith. I wish I would have read this scripture in Zephaniah and sat in His presence until I understood and accepted His will, until He quieted me with His love. I did finally do just that, but it took me a few years. Well, a lot of years. 😉

“My command is this; Love each other as I have loved you.”  John 15:12

After many years of hard-fought battles, that is what I decided to do. Love others as God has loved me. But I couldn’t do it on my own, I needed God to inspire me. When I married my husband Dewitt, that marriage brought his three children into my life. I worked hard on my relationship with them with God’s help. I grew to love them as if they were my own and let me tell you about my two granddaughters! They call me Granbe and love me like I’m related by blood…and I love them right back!

“And so, we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.  In this way love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in the world we are like Him…  We love because He first love us.”  1 John 4:16–19

God wants us to accept His love and then let Him love others through us. He gives us many examples of His love in His word, all you have to do is look for them. How many times was He present for the children of Israel, even when they turned their back on Him? How many times has He loved me, even when I turned my back on Him and felt so unlovable? He loves us so much, so let’s be inspired by His love and choose to love others!

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”  Psalm 37:4

He has given me a lot of my heart’s desires. Do you know how many children that Dewitt and I have “adopted” into our heart and lives?  We love on many “kids” young and old, black, white, or brown.  I have one son that I asked his mom if I could be his mom when she is not around and she said yes.  I love him and his wife and their kids as my very own. This is only one of many examples. 

How can I do this if not for the inspiration that God gives me to love? I have been told by many that maybe if I had biological children, I couldn’t love you and your children so much.  I want to encourage you to read Psalm 139…it tells us how much He loves us and how He knows all about us.  He knew us before we were even born.  I love the old song, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the bible tells me so.”  But sometimes I like to turn that around and say, “Jesus knows me, this I love.”  He knows me and loves me anyway.  

So, why not be inspired by God’s love and choose to love those around you? 

We would like to thank Debbie Crosby for sharing this post.

Psalm 145 is a song of God’s majesty and love…

The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy. The Lord is good to all, and tender mercies are over all His works. All Your works shall praise You O Lord, and Your saints shall bless you. They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and talk of your power. Psalms 145:8-11

Inspired by God’s love, people have done the most unimaginable things like forgive the unforgivable, love the unlovable, embrace the rejected, and even lay their own life down for another. His ways are not our ways and love is always at the center of why we can show compassion instead of anger. 

God’s love was spoken over our family through a man who we believe prophesied over us. He told me to write down a vision for our family. He gave us this scripture…

Write a vision, and make it plain, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time, Though it takes time, wait for it, because it will surely come. It won’t delay. Habakkuk 2:2-3

My husband Robert and I wrote down on a canvas that we desired to have a home large enough to care for foster children. During my college years I learned that many children did not have a place to stay where they felt safe. Sometimes their parents were suffering hardships that led to substance abuse, neglect and verbal, physical, and sexual abuse. 

I have learned over time that I have a gift to serve, and I have compassion and mercy for this population. However, it has not always been easy to love the parents who had let their own children down. It was hard to forgive someone who repeatedly disappointed their child by not working their plan from the state to get them back.  Often, they would choose substances and partners over their children due to such strong addictions. 

When reading the scriptures we hear time after time, love your enemy, forgive, and show them mercy. This became a reality for me when I started to see biological parents as people who are good and deserving of love and outreach. I started fighting for not just the child but for their biological family to break the strongholds and be released into complete healing. 

I was able to speak of the glory and kingdom and God’s unconditional love for them and show the power of what he had done in my own life. 

Biological parents changed their perceptions of me and my family when they saw that we were for them. We loved them and genuinely wanted them to have their children back. We were able to show happiness and joy when the day came to reunite their family. Our foster children were able to see a good example of what it looked like when everyone was working as a team towards the same goal to reunify them back with their family. 

Fostering children allowed us to see and love people the way our heavenly father does. He never promised us it would be easy, and we certainly have had many days where we were mentally and emotionally exhausted, however, the end result was always a sense of reward and accomplishment. Our children were able to see what it looked like to love a stranger and show them grace the way God does. Our children became a light when they would share their parents and their rooms with kids who were scared and confused.

I cannot think of a better way to experience the love of God than being with hurting people in their hardest times. I am very humbled in the way we have been able to change a family and even contribute to changes within our own communities. I feel change is rooted in love…not just in the emotion, but in the doing. 

“Most people need Love and acceptance a lot more than they need advice”. 

“I used to want to fix people but now I just want to be with them.” – Bob Goff

We want to thank Katie Ssejjemba for sharing this post.

I cannot remember a time I did not know Jesus’ love for me. I knew when I left this earth I would go to heaven. But somehow, I missed the” For God so loved the world that He Gave” in John 3:16. I had separated Jesus, Who loved and saved me, from God the Father, Who I thought judged me and sometimes didn’t even like me. With this flawed thinking, I grew up very insecure and with low self-esteem. I was a people pleaser, wanting everyone to like me, and if they didn’t, I thought something must be wrong with me. I needed others to validate me and give me worth. This was a very dangerous position to be in. If someone spoke negative and condemning words and even curses over me, I took that in as truth, and it became self-destructive. 

One Sunday I heard our pastor say, “If you had been the only person here on earth, our Heavenly Father would still have sent His beloved son Jesus to suffer and die just for you. That’s how much he loves you!” (1 John 4:9, John 16:27) I heard this truth and hope sprang up in me! I wanted to know more about my Father’s love. I wanted a relationship with Him. I started reading the Bible and meditating on His love and what it was saying to me about who God said I was. The more our relationship grew, the more He revealed His love for me. This verse became my favorite verse…

“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

In the Bible you will find love to be the supreme and dominant attribute of God. I began to pray to see myself and others through my Fathers eyes. As the door to my heart opened to receive His amazing love, it began to overflow onto everyone who came into my life. I learned that you cannot give to others what you do not have yourself.

God taught me more about loving others through my relationship with my mother. My mother was a kind and godly woman who loved well. But in our relationship, there was something missing. It was almost as if there was a wall between us that kept her love from reaching me. Romans 8:28 says “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose.”  I was given the blessing of being the caregiver for my mom when dementia robbed her of being able to care for herself. As the dementia progressed so did our relationship and our love grew for each other. Mother was slowly leaving us and needing more care. She would have accidents with her bowels and become so angry and embarrassed that she wouldn’t let anyone near her, except me. As I was driving to the home where she lived to help her, a song came on the radio,’ Worshiping with the Angels’. I wondered what that would be like and how wonderful it would be to be able to do that! After arriving and cleaning Mother up, I was clipping her toenails and that song popped into my mind. Tears began to flow when I heard the Holy Spirit say, “THIS IS WORSHIPING WITH THE ANGELS!” And then Mother began to sing “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

When we love and serve others, we are worshiping the Lord with the Angels!  

“And the king will answer them. Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” Matthew 25:40

We cannot learn or make ourselves have Agape love. It only comes from our Heavenly Father, through His Son Jesus, to us and flows from us to others! 

“Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” John 7:38

Amen! Let it be so!!! 

We want to thank Elaine Norrell for sharing this post.

Editor’s note: For the month of January we will be sharing our top blogs from the year of 2022! We hope you enjoy the recap as we begin the year of 2023.

Upon being asked to write a blog about godliness, my first response was, “Me? Write a blog about how to be godly?” So then, I decided to look up the definition of godliness. 

A quick google search said, “the quality of being devoutly religious.”

Well. I didn’t like that one. So I kept searching. 

I stumbled upon the biblical definition of godliness, which says, “the quality or practice of conforming to the laws and wishes of God; devoutness and moral uprightness: to be wise is to live in godliness, reflecting the nature of the kingdom of God in the course of everyday life.” 

That sounded more like it. And to me, this sounds like the act of godliness is a choice. That I am to choose to conform (obey or agree) to live a life that reflects (mirrors) the nature (characteristics) of God every single day of my life. 

So…what are the characteristics of God? He’s merciful, tender, compassionate, love. He never changes, is all powerful, wise, and faithful. He is good and just, gracious, and holy. 

Can I be honest and say that my next thought was… I wonder if my children or my husband would describe me as godly? 

EEEEEK! Time for some repentance, huh? 

The beautiful thing about our God is that He allows us to choose to walk the other way. So, even if looking deeper into godliness was convicting to me, that doesn’t mean I have to live in shame. I get to choose to turn and walk the other way. 

So what does that look like? 

I will start responding to my children in a more tender, compassionate voice. I won’t snap at my husband because his question he asks seems inconvenient to me. I will ask the Lord to help me show love to every person I come in contact with. I will believe that I am filled with the power of the Holy Spirit like the Word says. I will seek wisdom through spending time in God’s Word and with those that I choose to surround myself with. I will let my yes be yes, and my no be no. 

Friends, the choice to live a godly life is a gift. In fact, 2 Peter 1:3 says, “By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life.” Y’all, that says God’s given us everything we need to live that out. What a relief that is! 

So rest in this: 2 Peter 1:4 says, “Because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.” 

God’s got you, sis. Rest in his promises and seek his face. 

We would like to thank Paige Keller for writing this blog post.