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Dorothy A Jun 2023
Courage is portrayed on the big screen as Rambo bursting onto the scene or John Wayne playing the tough cowboy that saves the day. Its displayed in all kinds of bravado like Bruce Willis in the Die Hard movie series or James Bond's physical prowess in espionage. These are typical, cinematic emblems of the ever invincible hero.

Did those men ever cry? What happened to them when they were afraid?

I once told my father, after my brother took his own life, that he should go to counseling. He had to be struggling. Like me, I know that this horrible news shook his world to the core.

"I've got to be a man. I've got to handle this on my own".  He continued to suffer in silence.

Courage may sound like a lion's roar, but I've seen courage through the unexpected--in meekness. Having boldness is asking someone for forgiveness, often years after the offense because humility feels like weakness. It's the courage to tell someone your wrong when you love being right. Most of all, it's having to admit that you're not as solid as you want to appear, and you're falling apart.  Revealing that you need help when you've done everything you did to keep the facade going, but the cracks keep popping up, shows more strength than any stiff, upper lip.

That's courage to me.
Dorothy A May 2023
I don't want to sow any weeds
There's already plenty of them in the world
They do nothing but choke out
And crowd out all that's trying to thrive
So I'll scatter some seeds here
And I'll spread some over there
Actually, anywhere and everywhere
Will do the job

Only the best will work
The quality of excellence
Seeds of Faith
Seeds of Hope
Seeds of Love
That comes from the Father
The ultimate Cultivator
The original Gardener

Some of these little life givers
Will do their task and take root
Not in the dirt but in the heart
Let your heart be fertile ground
Nurture those infant seedlings
Make way for their production  
And let them mature to size

And when they reproduce
Seeds of their own
Become a copycat
Become a seed planter, too
That's how gardens grow and spread
They fill the void with meaning
People are like plants
When continually tended to,
We can grow well and thrive
And become what we are meant to be
Dorothy A May 2023
Hey, fellow people
There's something on my mind
I've something to share
So I'm going to tell you
While also making it known to myself
For I'm nobody special
And I need daily reminders
I'm no less vulnerable than you

Do you know of the darkness?
Do you know of the fear?
Have you had those engulfing experiences?
Have they put a strangle hold on you?  
Stopped you dead in your tracks?
Your hope scarce?
Your life on hold?

Well, there's a satisfying solution

Where there's Light,
Darkness cannot coexist.
Where there's Faith
Fear must back away
I stand unashamed
To speak of God
My faith in Jesus
In spite of living in a world
That often scoffs
For He not only gave me life
He saved my life

There is no better cure
Than God's light
And putting my trust in Him
Soothing all my anxieties
So where now is the darkness?
Where now is the fear?
This is what it is...

It's dispeled
Dorothy A May 2023
To each and every one that reads these words
I don't know you, but I care about you
You were made in the image of God
No matter what you've done
No matter how you feel about yourself
That doesn't seem to amount to much
Hear what I'm saying
I'm not just writing this because
It may sound profound
No, I wish to convey this with all sincerity
You were made in the image of God

In your past, something may haunt you
God can forgive, is ready and willing
You need to do your part and
Take it to the cross
Where sins have been paid for
By the blood of the Lamb
Do you believe in the Son?

To each and every one that reads these words
Perhaps, you are hurting
Perhaps, you don't feel much of anything
Perhaps, you are confused beyond comprehension
Take it to the Everlasting Father
Reach out to Him
He cares about you
He cares about me
He wants to hear from us
A vital connection in prayer
But it's up to us to reach out
For God's reach is only a prayer away
Not miles and miles and miles away
His love is vast as the ocean

Spread the message
Dorothy A May 2023
The wolf is at the door. He's menacing, a hungry predator out for blood, out for a meal. Death and destruction are in his sights. He's looking for a way in, any weak spot that he can find. Make no mistake--he's a skilled enemy. There's no shortness of determination on his part.

So he huffs!
And he puffs!
And he'll blow my house down!
...or so he says

But I just called out his bluff

He's full of hot air,
And nothing more
I used to cower at his threats
Until I realized that our God is greater
Than an old windbag
An infamous trickster

My house isn't made of wood
My house isn't made of straw
Nothing flimsy or cheap
No, my house is built on solid rock
On the solid foundation of
God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit

The story ends in that the wolf takes off like the coward that he is. His tail is between his legs, for he knows he couldn't stand a chance to devour and destroy my home. Try as he may, he's likely to be back, again. After all, he's a predator. But, to reiterate, my house isn't made of wood or straw, of nothing flimsy or cheap.

Is your house built on the Rock?
Dorothy A Apr 2023
He never asks to come, and he never wants to leave. And he's really no guest at all.

What he wants is to burrow into your brain, like a bad virus. He'd be very content to short circuit your hardware in your head. His ultimate desire, though, is your complete destruction.

There're many names for him: The Prince of Darkness, Father of Lies, Satan, Lucifer and the Devil are a few titles. He is the enemy of our souls, slick and cunning, deceitful and alluring. He's no more than a thief and a killer, certainly not your impish pal in a red suit with a pitchfork.  

He'd love it if you never believed in him at all, just as equally as he'd love you to be obsessed with him, finding his dark, sadistic image to be cool and a counterculture phenomenon.

I've been a target of his schemes because I believe in God and in the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for our salvation. Being targeted goes for anybody that gets on his case. Too many people believe his lies, believe that they are of no real value or that God is either nonexistent or not good.  

So to my unwelcome house guest... you cannot have my soul. I am a child of God. Therefore, God has the final say, and He says that I am valuable, and that I am here for His good purposes.
Dorothy A Apr 2023
Joy Destroyers:

Holding grudges

Unresolved anger

Dislike of oneself

Sense of entitlement

Quickness to judge others

Failure to see the extraordinary and the miraculous
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