“If you could stand in someone else’s shoes,
Hear what they hear,
See what they see,
Feel what they feel,
Would you treat them differently?”

“IF WE COULD SEE INSIDE OTHERS’ HEARTS”: LIFE

“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
He rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”
Psalm 34:18

Books

✎ Dance With Jesus: From Grief to Grace (Morgan James Faith) by Susan B. Mead

“When we are lost in the storms of grief, only God can pierce the darkness. How can a broken, bewildered woman who lost . . . Her sister, a brilliant PhD nurse, to suicide Her youngest son to respiratory distress caused by an accidental drug-alcohol interaction, on the night of her brother-in-law’s memorial service Her sister-in-law to cancer, four years to the day after her son’s death . . . want to get out of bed and live―out loud and in color? Simple. God revealed Himself to her and breathed life back into every nook and cranny of her very being. In Dance with Jesus: From Grief to Grace, author Susan B. Mead shares her personal story of how God came to her in the midst of grief with a display of love, insight and comfort far beyond her expectations. Have you ever: Held the Hand of God? Felt God caress your broken heart? Heard Him speak out loud? Seen Jesus dancing with your lost loved one? Seen your loved one in the holy presence of God―on His Mercy Seat? Do you want to? In her vibrant, inspiring, and up-close-and-personal style, Susan freely shares how her encounters with God in the midst of overwhelming grief led her to a deeper, more intimate relationship with Him that truly restored her soul. Are you ready to laugh through the tears and dance―with Jesus?” (Amazon Review)

✎  Fulfilled: Learning to Live the Life God Promised by Danise Jurado

“50% of the net proceeds from the sale of this book are donated to The Dream Center LA; helping people overcome addiction, abuse, poverty and homelessness.

Freedom, Restoration, Hope, Courage… Can we achieve a fulfilled life?
God’s definition of a full life is so much more substantial than our limited perspectives would allow us to see. With God’s help, we can reach unknown realms of possibility in life. Thankfully, we don’t have to try and figure it all out on our own. God faithfully teaches us to live the fulfilled life He promised. Author, Danise Jurado has served as a pastoral counselor since 2001 and is passionate about encouraging and equipping people to reach their most fulfilled life in Christ. Danise gives practical steps to forgiveness, freedom, hope and lasting change. In addition, she shares personal stories about restoration in her marriage, overcoming food addiction and dealing with loss and betrayal. God can turn our most painful moments into restoration, healing and joy.

Journey through the pages of Fulfilled and:
– Embrace the power of forgiveness
– Apply God’s truth to find freedom
– Break patterns of failure to make lasting changes
– Release fear to live with courage
– Awaken to your complete God-given potential” (Amazon Review)

Hope Harbor

❀ Poetry Joy: Looking at Love, Loss, Life, and Faith – “My life has been lived long in shadow-lands of sickness and struggle with emotional pain since childhood. And throughout it all I have been blessed by the power of words to heal, comfort and restore.” Joy’s “aim is to share aspects of life and faith in Christ and offer hope and encouragement along the way.” (Joy Lenton)

❀  Words of Joy – Another hope-filled site of Joy Lenton. In her words – “I write about my journey of life and faith with the goal of helping others toward greater freedom in knowing who they are in Christ. And to reveal, as I share words of joy and encouragement, how beauty can spring forth from brokenness and hope shines bright even in dark circumstances.”

❀ Susie’s Joy Journey – Susie’s poems are a soothing balm to wounded and weary hearts. Her poems delve into struggles and end up going Home as she clings to the Father heart of God where she is loved and called His daughter.

Nature Retreat

Some photos of God’s amazing creatures:

(This frog photo was taken by my brother, John Van Veldhuizen.
If you look closely, you can see the landscape background in his eye.)

 ➺ The Butterfly Movie/Flutter Serenade – “The life cycles of butterflies and moths are nothing less than spectacular, especially when seen in intimate, time-lapse photography.”

 ➺ 2015 Audubon Photography Awards Top 100 – Scroll through 100 spectacular photos of birds

➺ Wildlife and Nature Photos by Andrew Jackson – Oodles of spectacular photos of wildlife, birds, mammals, insects, scenery, landscapes, etc.

Quotes

❤︎ “There will always be someone willing to hurt you, put you down, gossip about you, belittle your accomplishments and judge your soul. It is a fact that we all must face. However, if you realize that God is a best friend that stands beside you when others cast stones you will never be afraid, never feel worthless and never feel alone.” ~ Shannon L. Alder

❤︎ “A conviction that you are a daughter of God gives you a feeling of comfort in your self-worth. It means that you can find strength in the balm of Christ. It will help you meet the heartaches and challenges with faith and serenity.” ~ James E. Faust

❤︎ “The goldsmith loves his gold when it is in the furnace, and so does God love His children when He places them in the crucible of affliction. It is only to separate the dross, not to consume the gold. ‘Whom He loves, He loves to the end.'” ~ Thomas Watson

Linking up with: 

Holley – Coffee For Your Heart 

Jennifer – Tell His Story 

Kelly – Cheerleaders of Faith