“My Prayer For You”
by Alisa Turner
“For anyone who’s prayed a thousand prayers
And still can’t find the answer anywhere
Fighting off the lie that no one cares
For anyone who’s out there losing hope
Feeling you’re forsaken and alone
Clinging to the last strands of your rope
May God give you eyes to see, He’s still greater
Courage to rise and believe He’s able
May God be your peace in the fire you’re walking through
This is my prayer now
This is my prayer for you…”
Thank you
to all of you who share songs, links, books, or quotes
that point to hope, healing, and freedom in Jesus.
I appreciate it so much!
ABCs of Jesus’ Love
Visit this page anytime and let me know if you’d like to add to the words describing Jesus’ love along with a verse supporting it. Remember, there is also a print-out of the original list.
This month I have added an “L” Word:
❤︎ Light-Leading Love ❤︎
“Jesus spoke to the people once more and said,
“I am the Light of the world.
If you follow Me, you won’t have to walk in darkness,
because you will have the Light that leads to life.”
John 8:12 NLT
Books
I am not always able to keep up with the abundance of books that promote hope, healing, and freedom, so I haven’t always read every one I post here and on the Books Page. Though many are on my long wish list. 🙂 Many will be from recommendations of online friends. If you ever know of a book that is not listed and that supports this website’s mission, please let me know. 🙂
Life After Breath:
After Her Husband Takes His Last Breath,
and After She Tries to Catch Hers
by Susan VandePol
I have not yet read this book, but a friend highly recommends it. Here is a review from Susan’s site:
“LIFE AFTER BREATH is a faithful friend and companion to a widow’s grief that will enable her to look into grief and heal when others want to look away. It gives resolve without insisting on an answer and prepares a widow to champion her own Biblical cause in a way that no other book or resource on the market offers. There are countless millions of widows crippled without a voice; LIFE AFTER BREATH breathes life back into a grieving woman and prepares her apart for a set-apart calling.”
Hope Harbor
💞 Links That Inspire Hope and Healing 💞
💞 Daring to Hope When It’s Not Happy Endings: How to Sing in the Dark by Katie Majors – “Our pain does not minimize His goodness to us but, in fact, allows us to experience it in a whole new way…. It’s not light yet, but I know Him, the One who is the Light. And so in the dark, I will sing.”
💞 Breaking Free of the Cycle of Abuse – “This article is for anyone who is in or might get in a relationship that is abusive. It is full of helpful information because knowledge is power — especially when it includes knowledge of God’s love for you and his power to help you. Survivors of domestic violence need to be empowered in order to break free and learn to move from just surviving to thriving in a life of love, joy, and peace. If you’re stuck in an abusive relationship you can break free!”
💞 Having Mental Health Issues Doesn’t Mean You’re a Bad Christian by Bonnie Gray – “It is tough enough combatting the stigma of mental health in a culture that prides itself on entrepreneurship, self-reliance and curating Instagram-perfect lifestyles. But as a Christian, it was even worse. Speaking up about the emotional pain I once survived or was enduring, I ran into a lie often perpetuated in our church culture about mental health and spiritual fitness: If you’re feeling emotionally broken, your faith is weak or broken.”
Nature Retreat
“Just when the caterpillar thought
‘I am incapable of moving,’
it became a butterfly.”
~ Annette Thomas
My brother in Arizona captured the life cycle of a Queen Butterfly,
except for the eggs. Aren’t his photos awesome?!
🐾 Butterfly Photographs on Pinterest – At least 463 breathtaking photos of a variety of butterflies
🐾 19 Before and After Photos of Butterfly and Moth Transformations – “The animal kingdom is full of beautiful and mysterious processes, but there are few that are more captivating and wonderful than the metamorphoses that caterpillars undergo to become moths or butterflies.”
🐾 Monarch Butterfly Metamorphosis – A time-lapse video of the life cycle of a Monarch Butterfly
Quotes
❤︎ “Darkness comes. In the middle of it, the future looks blank. The temptation to quit is huge. Don’t. You are in good company…You will argue with yourself that there is no way forward. But with God, nothing is impossible. He has more ropes and ladders and tunnels out of pits than you can conceive. Wait. Pray without ceasing. Hope.” – John Piper
❤︎ “When tragedy makes its unwelcome appearance and we are deaf to everything but the shriek of our own agony—when courage flies out the window and the world seems to be a hostile, menacing place—it is the hour of our Gethsemane. No word, however sincere, offers any comfort or consolation… and yet it may happen in these most desperate trials of our human existence that beyond any rational explanation, we may feel a nail-scarred hand clutching ours.” – Brennan Manning
❤︎ “God brings fullness of joy not just despite but through suffering, just as Jesus saved us not in spite of but because of what He suffered on the cross.” – Timothy Keller
Freed to Fly 
Hi Trudy … thanks for sharing Bonnie’s article on mental health. Every word, every suggestion, every step is oh so true. I’ll be sharing with people in my world.
Thanks for the links you share that lead to hope, healing, life, friend. You are a great soul-encourager.
Blessings to you today!
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Thank you for your kind encouragement, Linda. You are such a caring person. Yes, Bonnie’s article is oh so true. I knew I had to share it as soon as I read it. I’m so glad you will be, too. Blessings to you, too! May we continue to encourage the hurting to find hope and healing in Jesus!
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Oh, yes, Trudy, your brother’s photos are astounding! And I so love the quotes you shared with us today. May your week be blessed, my friend!
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They are, aren’t they? These three my brother sent me this summer are among my favorites. 🙂 I’m so glad the quotes spoke to your heart, too, Martha. May your week be blessed, too! Through the darkness of troubles, may we always feel that nail-scarred hand of Jesus in ours!
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Absolutely encouraged by the quotes you have shared here Trudy! All the authors are beautiful wordsmiths of wisdom and remind me of just how God can show up through simple fonts. And your brother’s pictures are so lovely. They brought brightness to my day for sure.
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I’m so glad you were encouraged by the quotes, Lynn. Also that your day was brightened by my brother’s pictures. “Wordsmiths of wisdom.” I like that. 🙂 These authors truly gleaned wisdom. I love how they do not ignore there is darkness and struggles, but they encourage us to never give up hope. May God quiet all those voices that tell us to give up and may our hearts truly receive the truth that with God, nothing is impossible!
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Dear Trudy,
Thank you once again for giving us such beautiful thoughts to linger with this month! I love the song by Alisa Turner–it’s been a standby for me this month also. And I think our love of butterflies is one more thing that links the kindred heart in us. Those transformation pictures & videos are just stunning! What a wonderful gift from God to remind us that He is working transformation in our hearts, even when we cannot see it. Even though I have raised a monarch butterfly from egg to hatching out adult, I had forgotten those facts about the liquefying that happens during the transformation! Our Lord goes to such lengths to bring about HIS own beauty doesn’t He? Thanks for always being an encouragement to me. Blessings, love and hugs to you! xoxo
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That must have been so interesting to raise a monarch butterfly, Bettie. I have always wanted to do that. 🙂 Yes, our love of butterflies is one more thing that links our kindred hearts. 🙂 That transformation they go through gives me such hope that God will continue to free us to fly, and one day we’ll be fully free forever, our broken wings totally healed. Yes, the Lord goes to such lengths to bring about HIS own beauty. I’m glad you were encouraged. I thank you, too, for always being an encouragement to me. Blessings, love, and hugs to you, too! May we open our hearts each day to God’s working within us, transforming us to His glory!
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Thanks for sharing these links and photos, Trudy! I love Bonnie’s article, and the butterfly pictures are amazing. That transformation from a caterpillar to a butterfly is such a powerful image of how God can transform us into something beautiful! Love and hugs to you!
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I’m so glad you enjoyed the links and photos, Lesley. Transformation from broken to beautiful – just like your Kintsugi series. I love when God shows us this in nature and in other things. I really loved your series. Love and hugs to you, too! May we cling to God’s power to change our brokenness to beauty ever deeper!
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Wow! What a great resource! Thank you!
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Thank you, Lynn. I enjoy gathering these together at the end of each month to add to my separate pages. And welcome to this little community here. 🙂 When I read that you happened upon this site last night when you couldn’t sleep, it touched my heart as a God-thing. I pray for all those who wander over here, whether or not they comment. 🙂 God knows and cares about each and every one. May we daily rest in the deep love and grace of God for us, no matter what happens in our lives!
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Beautiful song, Trudy … what a voice Alisa Turner has! Thank you for introducing her to me. Also those photos and quotes … just perfect. I always look forward to your monthly roundups, and this one certainly shows why! Hugs, friend.
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I really love her voice, too, Lois. And the words are so encouraging. God is still greater, no matter what we are going through, right? I’m so glad you look forward to these monthly roundups. 🙂 I love to share the God-given gifts and words of wisdom others have. 🙂 Hugs to you, too! May we cling to our powerful God who is always greater than any trouble that comes our way!
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Awww, Trudy. thanks for sharing so many good resources. I loved the butterfly pictures. LOVED them. And that final quote by Tim Keller? Spoke to me. We can know joy in the middle of our trials. It doesn’t depart just because life gets hard. Thank you for that perspective.
I can’t listen to the song right now (I’m in an appointment with my son), but I look forward to listening later. Thank you for sharing, my friend!
Hugs and love to you!
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Thank you, Jeanne. Hugs and love to you, too! I hope the appointment went well! I’m so glad you enjoyed the butterflies. Also that the Tim Keller’s quote spoke to you. It’s not always easy to know joy when life gets hard, is it? But I’m learning I need to open my heart more to beauty and allow God to send joy into my heart instead of shutting myself off. May we daily fix our eyes on Jesus and His faithful love instead of on our troubles!
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I love the pictures! I’m a butterfly fanatic. I even have a tattoo of one :). That mental health article is fantastic. I think that is such a common misconception and it’s really sad. Thanks for sharing, Trudy. Much love and many blessings to you, my friend!
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Thank you, Candace. Much love and many blessing to you, too! Butterflies are amazing, aren’t they? Especially considering the transformation from bound up to being freed to fly. Exactly what Jesus does for us. 🙂 I’m glad you loved the mental health article. Yes, the common misconception is so sad. May the love and grace of Jesus break away all the chains that hold us down and lift our wings to fly for Him!
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Trudy, than you for sharing such hope-affirming riches via beautiful photographs, inspirational blog post links, wise quotes and a lovely, soulful song! I especially love the quotes from three of my favourite authors, as well as the stunning butterfly images. They always make me smile and feel a sense of awe, reminding me of the way we struggle to discover that we, too, have been given wings and freedom to fly. The inspiring, helpful words offered by Katie Majors and Bonnie Gray also resonate strongly and find a home in my heart. You offer a sweet oasis of encouragement here. I’m sorry for being a stranger during the busyness of writing every day in October. Though I am slowly visiting my favourite blogs again. Blessings and hugs to you, dear friend! Keep up the good work! xo ❤
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Thank you for your continuing encouragement, Joy. No need to apologize if you don’t make it here every week. I know how hard that is sometimes, but especially like some of you who were writing every day in October. I’m so grateful that you found encouragement in so much here, Joy. Thank you for sharing how the butterfly images make you feel. Me, too! The quotes carry so much wisdom and depth of experience, don’t they? And those articles, too. Blessings and hugs to you, too! May we ever more deeply learn to sing in the dark, trusting God is with us always!
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That song was perfect for today and a new one for me! Thank you!
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It was a new one for me, too, Anita. The lyrics really touched my heart as well. I’m so grateful God introduced it to you at the right time. 🙂 I know your journey is a difficult one. When hopelessness grasps our hearts, may we remember there is always hope in Jesus! God is always greater, no matter what we’re going through!
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Hi Trudy! I have a few friends who are widows, and let me tell you, it’s heartbreaking. They talk about eating alone, being unable to go through the clothes…taking years to adjust. It sounds awful. This book you have here would be such a blessing to all the women who have loved and lost. Many of us will be there ourselves one day too.
Blessings,
Ceil
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I’m sorry your friends lost their spouses, Ceil. I often think how devastating that would be. I can’t even imagine it. So many things we now take for granted change. There are so many things we share with our husbands that we don’t share with others besides God. Blessings to you, too! May we be given sufficient grace and hope to go on if or when we face that heartbreaking loss!
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