Hope E-Vent
We've launched our Hope E-Vent and we're very excited about it! This brief, on-line presentation of our ministry and some of those impacted by it can be found at
www.committedtofreedom.org/HopeEvent.htmlCheck it out and support Committed to Freedom generously!
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Short Days
I hate how early the darkness comes during this time of year. It makes the days feel so incredibly long and seems to pull my energy out of me! I can't get up any earlier so I don't get as much bang for the daylight hour buck! Ugh. Maybe bears have it right - hibernate until spring! Oh well, God made me a person and another person invented electricity and another person invented the light bulb and someone else invented computers so I can still work inspite of the natural order! I'll just grab a cup of coffee and caffeine jolt myself into working under artificial light until the natural light returns.
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Herb Tea
It's amazing what a cup of herb tea can do. My favorite brand of herb teas is Yogi Tea. I've only found it in health food stores, but I suppose some larger grocery chains might carry it. I've been drinking the Calming tea that Yogi has. I had a cup last night and slept like a baby. I wonder if one reason it's so calming is because you have to heat water, let the tea bag steep, hold the cup carefully (I use mugs and hold it with both hands so it warms them up), and take small sips until it cools. It all takes time. The process of slowing down is very therapeutic.
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Leftovers
Pies have turned squishy, rolls have turned hard, stuffing has turned to mush, and the turkey has turned into small piles of light and dark chunks encased in gelatinous goo.
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Leaf Parachute
The leaves are almost completely gone from the trees now. A few beautiful colors of bright oranges, reds, and yellows still hang on, but for the most part, everything is bare and brown now. I walked on my favorite mountain trail yesterday, slogging through the leaf covered path. No one else was on the mountain with me and the quiet was intoxicating. Blasts of wind pelted me with cold air, then warm air, then cold again. Tenacious leaves from the very tops of the forrest trees spun down around me like festive parachutes. My heart beat hard and fast as I maintained a brisk pace uphill and down. At trail's end, a family stood looking over my city from the overlook. Five young children chased each other and piled leaves into a heap. The father grabbed his camera and had the children pose with their leafy mound. Then, they all counted 1 - 2 - 3!!!! And with that, the children threw armfuls of leaves into the air and the picture was taken. The colorful leafy parachutes settled back to the earth to play again with the autumn children. 1 - 2 - 3!!!!!!
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Just Us
Yesterday, we had Thanksgiving dinner together, as many families did. It's kind of funny. We eat together often, and yesterday it was still pretty much "just us." My son, daughter, grandson, and a friend joined my husband and me for dinner. It was "just us." We cooked and cooked. We ironed a table cloth, put out the good china and crystal, made everything perfect for "just us." Then, we sat down to share our Thanksgiving meal. The family dynamics were the same as if we were eating hamburgers from wrappers. Inspite of the setting and preparation, it was still "just us." Everyone filled their prescribed roles, as always. No surprises, "just us." And you know what? It was fine to be "just us."
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Off The Road
I returned from my final trip for 2006 last night. This has been a year packed with travel as we brought seminars and retreats to France, California, Texas, Nebraska, Colorado, New York, and Arkansas. I have been blessed to have a front row seat to witness and experience the grace and love of God. Abuse survivors have taught me so much about their struggles and held up a mirror for me to see mine. I am so grateful to be part of the healing process. I am honored to journey with fellow abuse survivors on the healing path to spiritual wholeness. My life is enriched. I look forward to spending the next few days with my husband, children, and grandson. One of the things I give thanks for is that I can be home for the next month, celebrating the birth of Christ and the love of family. I am thankful to be off the road for awhile!
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Last Seminar in 2006
The last
Beyond Abuse Seminar for 2006 takes place Saturday, November 18th in Mountain Home, Arkansas. 2006 has been a year of growth, expansion, and new vision for Committed to Freedom. As I teach this last seminar, I am looking ahead to 2007 with great anticipation of new things. We will have our first men's retreat in New York City that is not held in conjunction with a Teen Challenge center in 2007. We will also have our first retreat for both men and women in Iowa and look forward to this ground breaking concept. The men and women who attend the seminar in Mountain Home will have access to spiritual tools which will help them or those they love to move beyond abuse. Through this seminar, God will reveal a path for hope and recovery. Call the sponsoring church at 870-425-4401 for more information. The seminar begins at 9:00 am and concludes about 4:00 pm.
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Pakistan Rape
I was so happy yesterday as I read the news that Pakistan has changed its laws regarding rape, so that the woman is not charged with adultery! I continue to be amazed at the injustices that abuse survivors must endure anyway, but when it is sanctioned by laws and societies, it is unbearable. Hopefully, this change of law will eventually filter down throughout the social structures of this country and a true change of heart and mind will come. All beings deserve dignity, respect, and safety.
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Women's Retreat Report
I just returned from our last women's retreat for 2006 near Dallas, TX. Our leadership team had a front row seat to the beautiful, healing work of God for women who are abuse survivors. The weather was perfect, the facility was great, and those who attended came with expectations that were not unmet. One of the unexpected things that happened was the continued work of God in our leadership team, all of whom are abuse survivors too. As deep as God comfort was for our participants, it was also for my team. We experienced the challenge of growth, the support of accountability with each other, and the hope that we are still finding healing in our own personal journeys away from abuse. In my 15 years of working with abuse survivors, I continue to find my life transformed from that child who was exploited into a woman of maturity, strength, and confidence because of God's grace.
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Texas Retreat This Weekend
Keep the women who will attend the retreat in Texas this weekend in your prayers. God has already been doing so much to reveal his great love for those who will be there. As always, there is fear, hesitancy, and denial before each retreat. This weekend, many more women will find the spiritual tools to help them move beyond pain and abuse.
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Vote
Please be sure to vote on November 7th, tomorrow. If you're an abuse survivor, you're fighting to recover your voice. Voting is one way to use your voice to bring about change for things that need changing and to reinforce what is being done well. Use your voice.
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Ted Haggard
Be sure that you keep your spirit and heart focused on Christ. As with all times of uncertainty and disappointment, use this situation as an opportunity to reflect on your own life. Great care must be taken not to take on a harsh, judgemental attitude. It is easy to become like those whom we struggle with the most - angry for their rigid intollerance and lifestyles that we view as immoral. The way of Christ is one of compassion, sacredness, love, and peace. It is when we choose to take the high road of Christ's example that the cycles of human exploitation come to an end. If you are wounded by the recent developments with Ted Haggard, seek comfort from Christ. If you are angry by these events, seek peace. If you are rejoicing, seek compassion. The Scriptures tell us at the end of the day, there are really only three things that matter - faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13).
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Earth's Girls
Once again, the horrific practice of female genital mutilation is in the news. This is a pratice so barbaric it defies logic. Girls in many parts of the world have their genitals (the labia and the clitoris) cut away and removed, leaving them with infection, physical scarring that will make even the simplest act of unrination profoundly painful, and psychological destruction. I am dumbfounded as to why we in the U.S. are so passive about such human atrocities. I'm assuming it is because there is no economic value to stopping this practice. But this brutality made its way to our court system and our media when an Ethiopian man was convicted in the state of Georgis for genital mutilation of his two year old daughter. My prayer is that the media will not let this practice go unnoticed - that there be a public demand that we, the people of the United States of America, will do SOMETHING to protect girls around the world from being slaughtered, mutilated, degraded, and devalued.
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