Growing Deeper

  The very next week, my friend took me to a Christian Book Store in our little town. She told me that she would like to buy me a Bible. I was very surprised that she would do that for  me. It was a new thing, a friend that would buy me something that would benefit just me. She said it was very important for me to start to have time to read "Gods Word" ( as she called it), the Bible. I ended up picking out a small burgandy leather bound King James Bible. She and I went back to her house and she sat down with me and showed me how to start learning about Jesus. The Bible would not be like any other book I had read. She said for me, it would be good to start in the New Testament, the Gospel of John.  She explained that I should take it slow, maybe a chapter a day. And actually read about Jesus and His ministry.  She also explained something to me that she called a "quiet time." She showed me her prayer journal, a small three-ring binder that she had. In it were section...

 We entered the church and there were about 100 women there. We walked to a row of chairs and sat down.  I was nervous. I didn't really know what to expect.    A woman walked up on the stage there, and introduced herself and then proceeded to lead everyone in songs that were in a pamphlet that was handed to all of us at the door when we arrived there. The songs were really beautiful, and the women there were singing with all their hearts. I was uncomfortable at first, but quickly became enveloped in a peace and presence I wasn't familiar with . These women were singing to the Lord. It made me cry. I was so embarrassed, to be crying. I didn't understand  exactly why I was crying. My lady friend handed me some tissues, and said, "Its okay, don't be embarrassed."   After 3 songs, a lady walked across the stage and started speaking. I cannot remember today exactly what she was speaking about. I just felt that something was happening to me. I felt that God was u...

  Monday came and went. I thought a lot about  my  weekend while I worked at my job in the factory and when I got home. A couple days later,  I stopped in at my lady friends house again. I didn't share with her how I spent my weekend but I realized somehow I needed to change what my life was all about. I needed something; but I had no clue what that was.  Months earlier, I realized that I couldn't leave my husband. I had no where to go. I had no money. We lived paycheck to paycheck. I couldn't leave my kids with HER.. the "other woman".  You see, she lived with us. She was our babysitter. After I found out what was going on at my house with her, I made her leave. I learned that my trying to help someone , (she had it really bad at home) doesn't always work out for me. And... I DID come to believe  that, "No good deed is left unpunished"...Yes, life was a total MESS!    Just a year earlier, life had seemed so promising when we moved down here ...