Courage To Be Free

I think sometimes we don’t know what we’d do if we were truly free. I don’t think we’d know where to go, how to act, or what to do. If we were free from that illness, free from that long-drawn-out spiritual battle, free from whatever it is that we claim holds us back - how would we act?

Sometimes in kidnappings they talk about how the victim grows attached to the abuser. A lot of us looking from the outside may be perplexed by this. We wonder how that could possibly occur in a situation that seems to be so horrible. Yet, it does. I think the same thing can be said for people getting attached to the very hardships they claim they are trying to overcome or would love to be without. They become attached to them.

When you come to know a way of life and get accustomed to living life that way, it can be hard to readjust your thinking to a different way of living. It can seem overwhelming. It’s almost as if you experience “loss” all over again because you are simply at a loss to know a different way of life! And it’s okay --- as long as you acknowledge it, give yourself time, and pray for guidance.

I believe that God wants to give us freedom. It’s not possible for everyone to experience that freedom here on earth. Not everyone will get the blessing of being cured or the miracle of a child after you’d been designated “unable to bear children.” Not everyone gets the chance for a fresh start at life free from an abusive spouse or alcoholic and verbally abusive parent. Yet the sad thing is, those who do, often remain victims even after they are free. They don’t grab hold to what God is offering them.

We all go through “stuff.” Some of us go through VERY painful stuff. But if you are offered a shot at freedom – take hold of it with everything in you! It’s okay to be afraid. It’s okay to feel alone. It’s even okay to revert back to old habits… for a time. But God has set you free. How much more loved can a person feel?

I know that there is courage in you. I believe that you have something special to offer the world and God was waiting for just such a time as this. I know that you can overcome what you’ve been through. You are a gift. You are a survivor. You are valued and you matter. How blessed you are to be one of the few to have been chosen – hand picked – by God to make it through to the other side of pain and be able to have a great witness and testimony from it! How fortunate you are that God pulled you though and felt you worthy of being an example, a source of help and support to others!

It’s time to let those old attachments go. It may seem scary at first but you can do it. You can become that person you always observed from the outside and dreamed of being. That person is inside of you – dancing, laughing, loving, and running…. Free. All you need to do is grab onto it. Hold onto God as He brings you out of the darkness and into the light.

The time is now. The time is yours.

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Distracted Out of Concern

I’m very distracted today. I’m concerned about a friend. By the time I print this article, the concern and distraction will probably be resolved. But for now, I’m having a hard time “busying” myself with other things that need to be done.

I’m that kind of person. When I invest my heart into someone and something is going on – I have a hard time compartmentalizing it. I can’t set my concerns for someone aside when they are going through something pretty big or concerning. Nope – I’m pretty much invested. All of me.

The thought occurred to me that maybe that’s how we are supposed to be. Maybe we’re not supposed to throw out a simple “I’ll pray for you!” without being consumed in love and prayer for that person. Maybe we’re not supposed to go on with our day as if everything is fine. Maybe that’s why God doesn’t allow certain people to leave our hearts and minds at times.

We’re supposed to be there for each other. How can we be there for each other if our heart isn’t invested in someone else’s cares or concerns? How can we be truly “there” if we just check in when the thought crosses our mind? No, I think maybe we are to dedicate ourselves to prayer and physical support or words of encouragement when times call for it.

The next time you find yourself distracted and having a hard time focusing on the tasks at hand, consider the reason. Is it because someone is on your heart? Are they going through a tough time? Then fall on your knees in prayer for them. Pick up the phone and see if you can do anything. Get the word out and start a prayer chain. Devote yourself to doing whatever you can to help and lavish love on your friend. Your distraction may just be God prompting your heart to action.

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Flawz

This is a great video. What a great visual representation of the unique differences in people. We were made to be individuals - not to look and act the same. Not to feel the same. What some people may call flaws, God may call beautiful because it's helped mold us, shape us, grow us. Sometimes convicting, sometimes motivating, sometimes stretching us.

If only we could all stop trying to attain something that is unattainable! We are who we are - and we are each beautiful in a different way.

My prayer is that you can learn to love how God made you.

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Are You Hungry?

I have this hunger and thirst inside of me that is never quenched. It’s a hunger to learn. But not just learn about anything.

Do you remember how when you were first engaged and about to be married, how you would pick up marriage and relationship books? You probably got premarital counseling too. It was because you were eager to have a good marriage and to give it your best - your all. The same usually happens when you’re expecting a baby. You pick up pregnancy and parenting books.

I have that same hunger to learn. I STILL am eager to learn how to be a better parent. I’m constantly making mistakes and so I listen often to parenting pod casts or read articles that catch my eye. This is also true for my marriage. It’s because there is a hunger inside of me to be the best wife and mom I can be. But, there is also a deeper hunger inside of me.

I am hungry for God.

I don’t think any hunger or thirst inside of me equals the hunger I have to please my Lord; the thirst that I have to know Him more and to know how to hear His voice when He speaks. I crave it – I long for it! I cannot just go to church on Sunday and expect my hunger to be satisfied for it doesn’t last me a whole week. I need more. That is why I listen to Christian pod casts weekly. I read Christian magazines and books. I go to Women’s Bible Study and I listen to Christian radio and music. I am hungry.

I am so confused why people say they are Christians and yet they don’t do anything with their faith. They don’t try to learn more. They don’t pursue God. How can that be? How can you say you love something and yet not try to be better at it? It’s like saying you love burgers but yet never eat them! It baffles me.

It’s no wonder why so many believers feel lost and empty. They are not pursuing God. So when they sit back and expect a sermon on Sunday to fill them up for the rest of the week (or for those who don’t attend a church; expect God to do all the work while they sit back and live life as normal) – they lose their hunger. They no longer feel thirsty. They no longer feel fulfilled. It brings me to tears because they are missing out on so much.

I know people are busy. But that is an excuse. If you don’t have time to read, there are phenomenal Christian radio stations out there that you can listen to in your car or over your computer. They have great Christian programming and even the DJ’s bring scripture and inspiration to a life that gets little else in the way of Christian input. And most people have Ipods. Great Christian shows and speakers can be downloaded FREE at Itunes so they are with you everywhere. You can access them anytime and anywhere.

It’s time for Christians to get hungry again. We have gotten so apathetic. So blasé. So casual about our faith. It pains me. It seriously brings me to tears. Just one taste – just one drink…..it’s something you can never taste anywhere else and it will leave you hungering and craving for more.

Our God is an exciting God. He is not boring. He is not outdated. He is real and relevant and personal. He wants to love you where you’re at and show you phenomenal things, but you have to open the door. You have to move your feet.

God can help you be a better parent. He can talk to you about that work issue you’re dealing with. He can whisper to your heart and minister to you about that marriage issue you struggle with, the financial squeeze you’re feeling, and the frustrations on your heart. He can guide you in your choices and decisions helping you make wise ones. Pick up that Bible. Read that Christian book. Listen to those pod casts and hear Him. Seek Him. Crave Him.

It’s high time you get hungry.

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What Do You Value?

When I was a little girl and we would go on family day trips – I remember my dad often asking us questions like “If you had to lose your eyesight or your hearing, which one would you choose?” Or, “If the house was on fire and you could only grab two things as you run out the door – which two things would you grab?” I always found everyone’s answers to be very fascinating.

My husband and I have done this a couple of times too. It always amazes me how these moments clearly come down to what someone values in their life. It often isn’t what we strive for on a day-to-day basis.

My oldest daughter was doing homework for school last night and she asked me this question, “What is something I value that other people may not find valuable?” I explained to her that it meant something she valued in her heart that may not actually be worth a lot of money – like things she’d gotten after her great grandpa passed away. The same is true when it comes to a house fire or when an illness befalls your family. Your values shift and change…. Or maybe they just become really clear for the first time!

When we choose to live a life serving the Lord, our values are going to be different than the rest of the world. Our values and also WHAT we value. I think this gives us an added benefit over the rest of society in the fact that a lot of what we hold dear to our hearts is because of the meaning attached to them from the relationships in our lives. I cherish the carving I got from my grandfather not just because it’s a beautiful carving, but because of who he was and what he meant to my heart. I value the Africa mementos my husband brought back because they represent a place and a people that are special to my husband’s heart. Yes, they are beautiful things – but it’s the meaning behind those things that gets me the most. Even still, those things have their place because when I have a child in the hospital or bring them back from an appointment that discussed a fainting spell or a near-miss eye accident, those things don’t mean nearly as much. It’s all about my children. They are the priority and the focus.

It shouldn’t take disasters, tragedies, or scary events in our lives for us to be reminded of what is truly important. Things are just things. It’s people that matter and the relationships we have invested with them. I believe it’s the whole reason we are here on earth.

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To All The Losers

I’m a loser. At least I feel like one sometimes.

I failed my first drivers test. Yep. I’m putting it out there. I remember I just cried and cried.

I never went to my prom. Nope. Never even got asked!

I had to take speech therapy as a child for slurring my ‘s’s. Still struggle with that sometimes.

I don’t have a best friend.

No one ever threw me a baby shower for my second child!

Why am I laying this all out there? Because I’m tired of posers. I’m tired of people acting like they have it all together thus making others feel inferior. NO ONE has it all together! No one!

I am a walking-talking flawed woman. And you know what? I’ve come to love myself. I have come to embrace my failures, my flaws, my missteps. I haven’t always enjoyed them and certainly wouldn’t repeat some of them – but they make up “me.” And I am a unique, one-of-a-kind person.

I’ve learned to love me. God loves me – why shouldn’t I love me? My husband knows all of these things and he loves me too. Imperfections and all.

I’ve learned that success doesn’t make you more loveable. It only makes you more successful.

I want to challenge you to bare your flaws and your failures. It can be very freeing. Yes, some people will label you a “loser.” Others will breathe a sigh of relief , and come clean about their own “low” moments in life.

Why do we expect to have it all together all of the time? Only Jesus is perfect. And if I hadn’t gone through what I went through in life sometimes, I might have failed to learn compassion, diligence, perseverance, or faith. I might not have learned to lean on the Lord. Oh what I would have missed out on!

So I may be a “loser” in some people’s book, but I’m really a winner because it’s only when I am brought low that God can truly raise me up.

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In The Heat of the Moment

I recently watched “Brace For Impact: the Chesley Sullenberger Story.” It was a television special on the landing of the US Airways jet in the Hudson River. I have been fascinated by this story ever since it happened for several reasons.

1. Maybe because I’m sensitive to all “flying” stories. I’m not sure if it’s because I grew up with two uncles who flew small planes – one who had his wings freeze up and he crashed and perished when I was in 5th grade. Or if it’s because of 9/11.

2. Maybe it’s because I’m always fascinated by honorable, humble men and women. Men and women who show great courage and integrity in the heat of the moment; such as Chesley Sullenberger. Either way, I have been an admirer of his ever since.

I was struck by how many of Chesley’s passengers felt endeared to him after the successful river landing. Of course, I would be too if faced with my impending death and knowing that someone else’s choices and decisions saved my life. Who wouldn’t be? But it reminded me how much more we need to be thankful for the choices and decisions made all the time by our pilots and co-pilots when we fly on an aircraft.

I love it when I’m getting off of a flight and I see the captain standing next to the door as I deplane. I can’t imagine what it must be like to see the faces and listen to the personalities of those you just safely carried across the skies. I think we often forget the weight that rests on their shoulders. They carry our lives in their hands. And I’m always so thankful to arrive somewhere safely. In fact, I’ve made it a habit to say “thank you” when I see the captain up front as I get off of the plane. I want him to know that I appreciate and value the fact that I’m standing there in one piece and that I can go on with my life and agenda as I’d planned…. All because of him.

I guess when you go through tragedy as I have, you learn not to take for granted little things. I know that with every breath I breathe, I’m blessed. I understand that it can all be taken away in a second.

We need more heroes like Chesley Sullenberger. We need people who “get it.” People like him who are appreciative of the attention and thankful for it, yet take it in stride never letting it define who they are because they were already defined before the rest of the world discovered them.

There is a saying – “Does the man define the moment or the moment define the man?” I think the man defines the moment for it is what is inside a person that gives them the conviction and motivation to handle the moment in the way that they do. Let more of us become this kind of a person that the world cannot sway…but who instead sways the world.

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Have You Done These Things?

The rules are make the item bold on your blog if you've done it. For me, it showed me that I’ve lived an adventurous life. Been able to experience a lot of different things. It also reminds me that there is so much IN life to experience. Are you enjoying your life to the fullest? Maybe some of these things aren’t important to you – as they aren’t to me. But I’m sure there are some things on this list that could inspire you. Some can be done with young children and some can be things to strive towards. Each one, adding to your life and adding to who you are as a person.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disney World
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (I’m not sure if this means WHILE you’re at sea or watched one OVER the sea? – I’ve watched one on the beach OVER the sea)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb (No, but I’ve pet one!)
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant (I bought a transient outside one a meal once)
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris (Nuts. I was halfway up)
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (well, a ministry)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check (okay – but in my defense, it was a checking account error)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee (only once and it was because I stepped on it in a park)
100. Read an entire book in one day
101. Been to Alaska
102. Milked a goat
103. Been bitten by a snake
104. Been inside a cave



Feel free to print this list on your own blog and let me know if you do. I'd like to see your list. :)

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Hooked On Praise

I was listening to a Christian radio broadcast one day on my I-pod and they were talking about the dangers of relying on praise from others. They mentioned how it became addictive. As I was listening, certain Hollywood celebrities ran through my mind and how they seem to lose touch with us “regular folk.” They end up sort of living life in a bubble – thriving and depending on praise and adoration. They’ve gotten it so much; they don’t know how to live life without it. I think it’s one of the reasons that some of them simply fall apart when their life on camera comes to an end. When they are left with simply themselves – they don’t know how to come to terms with that. They can’t get a grip.

We are the same way. Sure, it feels good when people talk good about you and lift you up. But we need to be careful that we don’t attach our whole self esteem and identity with that.

When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a singer. Most girls do. Why, do you think? Is maybe one draw of being a big singer or movie star the fact that everyone seems to love you? We all want to be loved and cherished. But we also need to learn to love and cherish ourselves in a positive, healthy way so that when the crowds (or friends) fade away, that we still have solid roots to stand on.

In Proverbs 31:30 God says, “Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is greatly to be praised.”

The beauty and the charm that comes with great praise is fleeting. It won’t always be there. Someone won’t think we’re great or they will criticize us or hurt our feelings. And instead of doing things for our own pure motivation – out of a love for life and the gifts God has given us, we can end up doing things simply out of a need for approval. That’s never healthy!

Compliments are good. We all need encouragement and support. We all need to feel like we’re on the right track and we need affirmation at times. But when we come to rely on praise and focus on it so much that we don’t know who we are or what we are doing without it, then it’s time to reevaluate our priorities and our intent.

Philippians 2:3

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.


None of us deserve to be put on a pedestal. So if you’ve been placed there, or even aspire to be there – it just might be time to climb down and leave that role for the Lord. He’s the only one who deserves our unending praise and credit. And He’s the only one who probably helped you get yours.

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Being a Stay-at-Home Mom Would Be So Much More Fun If There Wasn't Housework

I really don’t like housework. Never have. Not as a child and not as an adult. I hate cleaning toilets and procrastinate dusting. I don’t like to clean sinks or showers. The monotony of doing laundry and putting away dishes from the dishwasher gets to me.

But I LOVE LOVE LOVE being a stay at home mom. If my days could simply be spent helping my girls’ with their homework, doing their hair, playing games or reading with them – I would savor every moment. I could spend extra time doing only fun things like writing, reading, taking walks, or going shopping (assuming the money is provided.)

If only.

I feel like the gusts of a storm might blow down on me for even uttering the fact that I hate housework. Yet there it is in all of my honesty.

The thing I learned about life is that sometimes the most rewarding things come in doing the very things you hate doing. And that a lot of times the sour things in life co-exist right along with the sweet. I guess maybe it’s God’s way of keeping us humble and clinging to Him. It would be far too easy to exist on our own will-power and strength otherwise! We’d simply claim everything as being to our credit instead of His!

I may not enjoy picking up things around the house but I do it because I’m so thankful I have a family. I could be living alone. I don’t relish the thought of cooking dinner every night but I do it because it makes me feel good to feed my family. I like that they come to me for that nourishment. I’m blessed beyond measure to have a home and to be able to take care of my children and raise them within that home. I’m so lucky to have a husband who loves me and wants to be with me. It’s these very things that put a smile on my face and love in my heart when it comes time to do the mundane.



I love having fun. But life isn’t just about the fun. And you often can’t learn the same lessons in the “fun” that you can in the “I’d rather not” moments.

So – I may not like housework, but in a strange way I’m thankful for it. It teaches me to be selfless, patient, persevering, caring, thoughtful, and giving. It teaches me the value in hard work.

If something as small as washing a favorite pair of jeans for someone in my family makes them happy and somehow show them that I love them, then I guess the fun can wait. For awhile…..

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The Heart's Motivation

“Sometimes you just have to be the hands and feet of Jesus.”

My sister told me that recently. I’d attempted to undertake something that I wasn’t quite sure I was equipped for. I was beginning to think maybe I was in over my head but knew in my heart that my motivation was right. I’d seen a need and no one else was filling it – so I plunged in.

My heart often leads me like that. I don’t mean it leads me into situations where I feel like I’m in over my head – usually I’m discerning about that. But it leads me to feel quickly intuitive and compassionate when I feel there is neglect, injustice, or simply where love is needed. I’m okay with that. In fact, I like that about myself most of the time.

But this time….this time I was feeling like I jumped in with both feet and had no idea what I was doing. I began to feel like maybe it wasn’t my place to be doing what I was about to do. Until my sister told me, “sometimes you just have to be the hands and feet of Jesus.” That was all I needed to hear. That was all the reminder my heart needed. You see, it doesn’t really matter if something we undertake comes off perfectly or is as beautiful as we dreamed it would be. It doesn’t matter that we may not be experienced or have the gift to normally do something. What matters is that we saw a hole – a vacant spot that needed to be filled and we allowed God to work in us and use us to fill that hole. That’s what matters.

So my shoulders can relax a bit more. I can breathe in and out somewhat easier and just do my best. I can let the beauty of the moment replace the beauty, praise, or glory that I might have tried to acquire for myself in the accomplishment.

All I really want to be is God’s servant. I want to let Him work through me. If I achieve that goal then I am fulfilled. No matter what the physical outcome is – I just want to be His hands and feet. Maybe I should let my heart convict me and jump in more often when He prompts it. For untold adventures and blessings may rest there if I do.

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Don't Forget About Haiti

My mind and heart are still very much on and with Haiti right now. I still have not heard if my sponsored child through Compassion International is okay. However, I am optimistic. She lives in an area that was not hit as hard so I have great hope that her and her family made it through the initial earthquake okay. However, I am now hearing that it is very hard for many areas to have access to food and water. A lot of outlying areas got their supplies from Port-Au-Prince. So that is starting to concern me.

So many people will return to life as normal. It's natural, I guess. I've already found it harder to find Haiti coverage on the news when I want to watch during the day. I guess it's because the time for discovering people alive is dwindling. The media will soon leave altogether and hop onto the next "hot" story. But the people of Haiti have a long road of recovery ahead of them. A LONG ROAD.

So today, I just didn't feel like entering another blog post on some other subject. I just wanted to remind people to focus on the men, women, and children of Haiti in their prayers. Make a note to give some more $ when your next payday comes around for the money coming in will dwindle quickly when the media coverage does...but the intense need will not.

I am following two blogs of some Americans in Haiti that you might be interested in. One is of a missionary family here. The other is of two sisters from Pittsburg who have been running an orphanage. You can find that one here. They have run out of water to feed the babies.

May our hearts continue to be touched, softened, and moved to action for our brothers and sisters in Haiti - not just today, next week, or next month - but for the long haul.

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When Words Seem Worthless

People go through some tough, tough stuff. Whether it’s the news of cancer, a sudden, tragic death, a horrible miscarriage, infidelity, a house fire…. The list can go on and on. God promised us that we would go through trouble here on earth – and we do.

We each know how it feels to hurt deeply. I don’t think there is anyone alive who hasn’t felt wounded to the core at one point or another. Most of us knew what we needed in the midst of all of that pain – support. Yet, when it’s not us going through the heartache, but a friend or family member; sometimes it seems like we are just at a loss of what to do. We don’t seem to be able to know how to convey the empathy our heart’s feel at the hurt they are going through. And I think it’s because we try and make it too complicated. We think or wish there was something we could DO when oftentimes, there isn’t. There is nothing we can do to fix someone’s broken heart. But we CAN love them. And that may be the most important gift during a time of crisis that we can give someone else.

It may seem like our words are so worthless or trivial. “I’m sorry” seems like so little compared to the depths of someone’s aching heart at times. But “I’m sorry” goes so much farther than we think and words aren’t worthless in the least.

I know that in the times when I’ve been going through tough things, words have meant everything to me. The “I’m sorries,”, the “I care” or the “I’m praying for you” helped me feel less alone. They made me feel like what I was going through mattered and counted for something. I felt validated and nurtured in a strange way by the words and support of others. It doesn’t matter how it comes. It can come in the form of a card, a phone message, or a hug and face-to-face contact. The point is THAT IT COMES.

We can’t give someone back his or her child. We can’t give them back the trust they had in their spouse, or their health. But we can wrap them in our love and prayers. We can be there for them whether they look for us to be there or not.

You are an important gift. Your time, your words, and your love are unique to only you. No one can deliver love, compassion, and understanding quite the way that you can so don’t sit back and wait for someone else to step forward. YOU are needed. Step forward and be there for someone today – whether or not you feel like your words are worthless.

I guarantee you… they are not.

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Heartache For Haiti

As many of you know, the people of Haiti suffered a 7.0 earthquake last night. I know a lot of people have been keeping them in their thoughts, praying for them, etc and for that I am so thankful. I love to see the outpouring of compassion when our fellow man goes through a catastophe such as they have. For at any time, it could be any one of us in need. The thing is... this isn't an isolated incident for them. They have gone through several hurricanes, rioting, and hunger. This earthquake will do more than shake their homes - it will shake them.

My heart is very personally invested in Haiti. I have sponsored a sweet little girl there for probably close to 7 years now. And right now, I am concerned about her well-being for although she didn't live in Port-Au-Prince, she lived in Le Cayes and I believe her area also was damaged.

Let me give you a glimpse into how she lives on a normal day-to-day basis WITHOUT adding in a hurricane.

Homes where she lives are typically made out of mud/earth/clay/adobe. Roofs are normally out of tin or corrugated iron. Her floor? Usually dirt.

Their average family monthly income is $22. Yes. You read that right. $22.

They have it tough. I mean geez. Many of us spend over $22 to take our families out to dinner. These people have to make that last for their whole family for a month! And with the economy the way it has been? We don't even know the meaning of the word "tough."

With all my heart, I pray that she is okay. There is a good chance that she is. But even if she is physically okay - I can only imagine how terrified she must have been. Maybe she knows others who have been hurt, injured, or even killed. I've already received letters from her talking about hurricanes and wondering if I too had to go through them?

Please, please join with me in praying for the people of Haiti. They need us now more than ever. And if you can, please donate to help in their aid. Right now it is essential that they have water as it is very hot over there. Donate to a reputable organization like the Red Cross, Samaritans Purse, Doctors Without Borders, Compassion International, etc and be careful about who and how you donate to make sure it's legitimate and will indeed go to Haiti.

I found some information here: that has some direct information for you of who to contact and how to donate.

This isn't just a news story. These are people. They hurt when they bleed, they ache when they are hungry, they laugh, giggle, have dreams, get frustrated, pray to the same God we do, and are each unique, special human beings. I think sometimes we forget that. We forget that their is a mother just like us wishing she could clothe her child or feed them more. There is a father wishing he could find work to support his family or put a roof over their heads. They feel just like us. And right now - they need us.

They need you.

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