One In The Spirit?

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ,,

if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Holy Spirit,

if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete

by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.

Philippians 2:1 (NIV)

Paul writes to the Philippians, he encourages them to look into their hearts and consider their stance with Christ. He points out that they should receive a building up from being in His presence. The apostle then spells out what he means by the Lord strengthening them.

Did they receive “any comfort from his love”?

Do we receive any consolation from His grace? If any of us have gone through the loss of a loved one, we have benefited from that great love He has for us.

For those of us who have dealt with depression, Jesus has stayed by our side and comforted us. Maybe, Christ guided us through a deep valley by showing us how He helped in times past

What about “fellowship with the Spirit”? Jesus promised us a comforter to help us through this life after He ascended into heaven. By doing this for us, He remains close to us, especially when we face difficulties or even events we don’t understand in our lives.

Were the Philippians filled with “tenderness and compassion”? Do we possess these traits? Do we respond to people who hurt, or those in grief as though we are led by the Lord or by the thoughts of society?

As I write this, a thought comes to mind. It goes like this, “Always use tender words because sometime (we) might have to eat them.”

The word compassion comes from two Latin words, cummeaning ‘with’ and pathosmeaning ‘suffering’. Have we needed to ‘suffer with’ a friend recently? When we display compassion, sometimes it’s as simple as listening to another person as they talk. Other times, we sit with them in a hospital. Or we carry in food to their home.

More on Thin Places.

Go here to read my review of Mary's  book. (QS)

Thin Places by Mary DeMuth.

Every two minutes, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted and of the millions of sexual abuse and rape victims, 15 percent are under the age of 12, according to a 2007 study by the U.S. Department of Justice. Critically acclaimed author Mary DeMuth is among the millions of adults who are victims of childhood rape and are living with the emotional scars of the haunting abuse.

DeMuth bravely shares her painful story in her new memoir, Thin Places (February 2010). Repeatedly raped by two neighborhood boys at a young age, DeMuth details her traumatic and disturbing childhood in the memoir. Raised in a broken home, she lost her biological father when she was ten and was stripped of her innocence growing up in an unstable environment where drugs were commonplace.

But Thin Places is about hope and healing more than it is about the traumatic events of DeMuth’s childhood. According to DeMuth, thin places are “snatches of time, moments really, when we sense God intersecting our world in tangible, unmistakable ways.” When she encountered the true love of Jesus at a Young Life camp in high school, DeMuth’s life trajectory changed. God reassembled the pieces of her emotionally fragile self, which initiated true healing and peace.

“Folks may wonder why I’ve spent all this time looking back,” says DeMuth, “dredging up what God sees of my story, what my eyes see. Jesus says truth sets people free. This is my way of doing that—of telling the stark truth on the page so others can be set free.”

DeMuth’s desire is to see readers set free from their family secrets. In light of that, she’s started a blog for readers to anonymously share their family secrets. Since the blog launched in February 2009, over 200 survivors have emailed their family secrets for DeMuth to anonymously post, and the blog was featured on Christianity Today’s blog, Her.meneutics. For more information, visit: http://blog.myfamilysecrets.org.

“Thin Places offers a poignant look at the development of a well-known Christian writer,” says Christian Retailing, and author Tosca Lee calls Thin Places, “brave, moving and poignant.”

Writing is a cathartic experience for DeMuth, and remnants from her past influence her books. They are infused into her nonfiction parenting advice as well as her fictional characters and plots. Her literary fiction features gritty story lines and touches on the dark subject of abuse. Her first novel, Watching the Tree Limbs, featured a 9-year-old girl who was raped by a neighborhood bully, and the Defiance Texas Trilogy examines the emotional pain that results from the disappearance of a young girl in Texas. DeMuth talks about these writing projects in Thin Places. “Writing [Watching the Tree Limbs] is a thin place where I see

God’s desire to heal me,” says DeMuth, “and I understand that He loves me no matter what emotions I express.”

About the Author:

Mary DeMuth

Author and speaker Mary DeMuth helps people turn their trials to triumph. Her books include Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God; Building the Christian Family You Never Had; Watching the Tree Limbs; Wishing on Dandelions; Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture and the first two books in the Defiance, Texas Trilogy: Daisy Chain and A Slow Burn.

National media regularly seek Mary’s candid ability to connect with their listeners. Her radio appearances include FamilyLife Today, Moody Midday Connection, Point of View and U.S.A. Radio Network and is frequently featured on Chuck Colson’s BreakPoint. She has published articles in In Touch, HomeLife, Writer’s Digest and The Writer.

Mary lives with her husband Patrick and their three children in Texas.

Learn more about Mary at http://marydemuth.com.

Thin Places

Release: February 2010

Soft cover, 224 pp., $14.99

Zondervan

ISBN: 031028418X

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copy of 'Thin Places' furnished by publisher for review.

Thin Places, A Review

This is a departure from my usual posts. I believe this memoir needs to be read by anyone who has had the misfortune to have endured abuse in their life. If anyone works in a ministry dealing with people and families, this should be recommended reading.  Quiet Spirit

Thin Places by Mary E. DeMuth  of So You Want To Be Published,(visit her website at http://marydemuth.com/



This book, a memoir, tells the story of woman in each stage of her life. The scenes of a five year old girl and the unspeakable deeds done to her make this a difficult book to read. Yet, the reader won’t be able to put it down.

The term, thin places, a Celtic phrase, means any time ‘where Heaven and Earth collide.’ A very apt choice for Mary DeMuth’s personal story.

This story, while very emotional, pulled me in and kept me engaged. She writes of people abusing her, lying to her and disbelieving her. Because of the abuse and the lack of concern she received, she felt she was unworthy of anything good. At times she considered suicide.

However, she finds Jesus. She realizes that He can take the place of the men who, throughout her life, left her. Other areas of life she eventually believes He accompanies her through are the times of longing when no one else seems to care.

Mary DeMuth writes from her soul, taking a courageous step in the process of healing. These snapshots of her life are tender to her. Yet, her story has touched young people who also have been abused.

I believe God will use Thin Places and Mary DeMuth for His glory. I’m sure he already has.


_________________

Copy of "Thin Places" furnished by publisher for review.

The Lord’s Patience

“The Lord is not slow. . . He is patient.

Bear in mind that our Lord ‘s patience

means salvation . . . . 2Peter 3:9,15 NIV

We often wonder when God will answer or prayer for a loved one. Likewise, we sometimes long for Jesus to return to earth and claim His throne.

Our role in the prayer process is to keep on praying. God’s part in all this is to answer our requests in His time. Sometimes, we become impatient, even tired of waiting for a response to our pleas.

Our impatience is due to the world we live in. We go to a fast food restaurant and use the drive through. We receive our order in less than five minutes after we order. If we choose to eat at home, we might pop something into the microwave and it’s done in a matter of a few minutes. We have caused this lack of patience ourselves.

God, is patient. He works things out according to His timing. He tells us “a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a day.” (2 peter3:8 NIV) In the Old Testament, He tells us “ . . . My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways.” (Isaiah 55:8 NKJV)

Our Patience

Rather, as servants of God, we commend ourselves

in every way: in great endurance; in troubles,

hardships and, distresses;2Corithians 6:4 NIV

People tell us we shouldn’t pray for it. Yet, patience is on of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. The thinking behind the advice is once we pray for it. God, in his authority, allows events into our lives that develop the patient attitude.

On Christmas day, I was typing away on my portable word processor. I was trying to finish my entries for this series of blog posts. My husband asked me to do something for him in the kitchen. I laid my word processor on the couch, at arms length from where I sat. When I came back the screen read “Do you want to clear file? Press (Y) for yes or (N) for no.”

Well, I didn’t read it correctly and I pushed the “Y” key. In essence, I wiped out six essays. I can’t even estimate how many hours of work. I was frustrated. I couldn’t remember the ones I had loaded onto my computer.

I accessed my word document and found I had 15 of them saved in word. I spent time taking the ones off that word document and creating those I hadn’t already into their own document. I had to approach this small speed bump calmly or I would’ve been a basket case. It has taken me a while to insure I have what I planned in my folder for this project. But, I did learn something in the process.

When we work for the Lord, we should strive to practice patience and some self-control as well. I am learning to rely on God’s Word to help me achieve and display a degree of patience.

Do any of you readers have a way to achieve patience in the face of emergency or personal disaster?

A Personal God

“So do not fear, I am with you;

Do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you.

I will Uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Isaiah 41:10 NIV

We all have fears and times of being less than thrilled with our lives. But we have a God whose desire is to guide us through those times of being scared.

People fear the unknown. A friend of mine lost her mother on Christmas eve. She has to make decisions about her calling and her life that she didn’t think she’d have to make now.

This verse tells us that God is with us. Another friend had a complication after a knee replacement surgery last year. Next month, she and her husband will celebrate 54 years of marriage. Those who know them know He was with her and answered our prayers.

God tells us not to be discouraged. His explanation is simple. “For I am your God.” He is the One who saves us from our sins. When the Lord grants us salvation, He makes it personal. He knows us by name.

In making our relationship with Him personal, Jesus stands beside us and gives us strength. He helps us through the difficult times. He comes to us when we feel helpless and we aren’t comfortable sharing with people.

Christ gives us the stamina we need to face the issues life brings us. A lady lost her youngest son last September. She misses him. But she looks back on the times they had together, just them, as she accompanied him to his doctor appointments and chemo sessions. God was with her upholding her each time she went with him to hear the test results and to take treatment.


While we don’t always know God is with us, He makes his presence known through ways of His choice. A scripture, a song brought to mind, the words of a friend all are paths He takes to let us know of his Holy presence.

Walking With The Lord

But, if we walk in the light as he is in the light,

we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus,

his Son, purifies us of all sin.1 John 1:7 NIV

I love this verse, it speaks of living for (walking with ) God and following His way and the rewards we receive. We receive fellowship with people who are like minded. And we also receive forgiveness for our all our sins, ones of omission as well as commission.

Fellowship can be through a phone conversation with a friend. We sometimes find ourselves consoling someone through sending a card. Those of us who blog receive a form of fellowship as we read those writings we follow. A week before Christmas, I sat down to eat dinner at our church’s Wednesday night meal by a woman in her 90’s. We got to talking about our resources to get us through our days. She has been a widow almost a year and a half. She told me what she did for her kids for Christmasshe made things, noodles, candy and towels to hang on the handle of refrigerators or stoves. I hadn’t heard of anyone who still did that. I told her of a circumstance in my life that made me wait for a possible outcome that most people, me included, would find possibly distasteful. Her answer amazed me. What she told me said she was on my side of the issue.

The purification from sin is what we all desire. Don’t we all want to stand before God on Judgment Day and hear that all our sins were completely forgiven when we accepted Jesus as our Savior? What would our lives be like if we had to carry around each and every sin we committed in our lives?