One Year Ago / Vanessa

One year ago, I read a post on Facebook. It was from one of the most vivacious, beautiful and fun 20 something year olds I have known. She needed a ride home and posted her request on fb. I had this nudge inside of me...."reply Marian...you don't need to pick up your son from school for a couple of hours" Then all of the reasons why not..."She wouldn't want to go with you...you're old enough to be her mom...one of her friends will respond..she will be ok." Then that nudge again..."Just let her know you are there if she needs you" ...then the other voice..."She probably already has someone to take her home."

I left it at that... then, just a day later...I got the most horrific phone call. Nessa was found dead. The person who picked her up was a "user"... This sweet girl was in recovery and struggling and the person who picked her up was a dealer/user. She didn't go home. She went to his place. She had been down...that is the only reason I can think of when I wonder "why" she relapsed that day. She was given opana. A morphine type of drug. There are many side effects. She couldn't breathe. She was dying. The boy who brought her and gave her these drugs had just been in jail for dealing drugs. He was afraid to call the police or paramedics. So he let her die. He let her die.

Her father frantically tried to find her. She didn't come home. She didn't return calls. No one knew where she was. He received a call the following day. She had died the day before.

This is my memory of what happened. The timing and some of the facts might be a little wrong, but it is the way I remember what happened. Just a year ago.

We will be having a memorial this next Friday, June 17th at theeffect Recovery Church at 7 pm, for this sweet girl that we lost one year ago. Her name is Vanessa Corielle Porter.

It still haunts me that I didn't offer her a ride. I still don't know if she would have accepted from me....but I wish I had tried. I will from now on...I will watch for people who need me..need someone to help them. Vanessa opened my eyes to how we are all connected...how God nudged me that day...how much this loss has affected me and so many others. How we still can not accept that this young life was taken at such a young age. We are all still grasping for answers. Praying for peace. Hoping for justice. Missing her smile, laughter and presence.

We will always remember Vanessa...we will see her again one day. Whatever she was struggling with is not an issue anymore. She is in the arms of God...at peace...waiting for her friends and family.

Answer the nudges...listen for God's voice...take no one for granted....know that everyone God puts on your path is there for a reason...there are no coincidences with God...we are spiritual beings...all intertwined...and connected to our God. Love everyone..that is all God really asks of us...love everyone.

For you Vanessa, I will....I will try harder.

Love to all....You are children of God and so truly and unconditionally loved.. Yes, you are..no matter what you have been through in your life...please grasp that and know that and be free with that...let this truth truly set you free.

My heart and prayers go out to Vernon and his family as I am sure they are still grieving the loss of this beautiful child. Although she is in the arms of her Father in heaven, a huge loss is still felt here at home for so many.

Blessings!

How Strong Is Our Faith?

Perpetua and Felicitas, Martyrs, Mothers, Brave to the End


The emperor Septimus Severus decided that the Jewish and Christian religions must be curtailed if Rome was truly to rule and command the masses it lorded over. There was no room for any other lord within the iron grip of the Roman empire and Septimus Severus had finally decided on one very specific way to put an end to non-Roman allegiance: outlaw conversion upon penalty of death. To further strengthen the decree he made it retroactive a number of months. Perpetua and her servant Felicitas were recent converts and they were caught up in the chaos of legalized death and persecution. Before the authorities could seize them, they were baptized by the priests of their congregation even as they knew this was signing their own arrest warrant. They along with a few others were arrested and imprisoned for the crime of their faith. Perpetua had just given birth to a baby boy and Felicitas was nearly eight months pregnant when they were imprisoned.


As a new mother, Perpetua was in pain and desperate to nurse her baby who had not yet been weaned. She suffered in her cell and struggled to maintain her faith even with the aid and comfort of her new sister Felicitas. Two deacons from her congregation bribed the jailer and secreted Perpetua's son into the jail. Perpetua nursed her baby boy and would remark that this single act of mercy by the deacons confirmed her faith in her in a powerful way. Further, it gave her renewed resolve to withstand the tortures that most surely awaited her and Felicitas. She wrote that after that blissful moment she felt as if her prison cell had become a palace. They were given something resembling a trial and given an opportunity to renounce their faith and save their lives. They refused and were taken back to prison with the words of their punishments ringing in their ears--"Cast them to the wild beasts and let them be torn to pieces."


That night Perpetua was visited by three significant events. Her father came to her carrying his grandson--Perpetua's baby boy--and begged her to reconsider her faith. He first pleaded and then commanded her to renounce her faith so that she might be a mother to her baby. Perpetua held fast and insisted that if she renounced her faith then she would not be a boon to her son but only a disgrace. After her father left she had a vision wherein she stepped on the head of a dragon and climbed a rickety ladder to a meadow of great pastoral peace. From the vision she found great peace and it further renewed her resolve to be martyred. Finally, she went to Felicitas who feared that she might not be allowed to be martyred with the others because of her pregnancy. As she was telling this fear to Perpetua and they were praying over it, she went into labor and delivered her own healthy child. In the morning, they were marched to the amphitheatre where they would be martyred and Felicitas carried her newborn baby with her. Christians accompanied them on the march and Felicitas gave over her daughter to a Christian woman so that the child might be raised in the Faith for which her mother was willing to die.


Once they were in the amphitheatre, they were whipped and beaten before the bloodthirsty crowd. Wild animals were released into the arena to kill the Christians and all but Perpetua and Felicitas were soon dead. Perpetua and Felicitas were mortally wounded but this was not enough for the fierce crowd. They gave each other the Christian "kiss of peace" as their executioner approached with his sword. He killed Felicitas and then turned to Perpetua. He was shaking at the thought of yet more murder and so Perpetua guided the blade of his sword to her neck and gave him silent permission to perpetrate the Empire's atrocities.


Although the execution in the Coliseum was intended as entertainment, and enjoyed as such by most of the jeering crowd, some of the spectators, inspired by the martyrs' fearlessness, became converts; nor were these spectators the last people who would be encouraged by Perpetua and Felicity, who, even at the cost of their lives, worshipped God and not the state. They are celebrated on March 7.

I attended a Bible Study at Compass Bible Church in Aliso Viejo. The topic for the summer is "Top Models" and women of the Bible will be studied, and I feel honored as their stories are shared. I had never heard the story of Perpetua. It moved me so much that I wanted to share it with you. If you would like, there are many versions of the story..the story remains the same, but the way it is written is different. You might want to share it with your family and/or friends. I believe we are all being called to strengthen our faith in God. This life is not easy. I don't know how people live day to day without the knowledge of our God, our protector, our provider, our comfortor. Please share Him. He longs for all to know Him!

Today I can be grateful that the earth will continue to revolve without any help from me. I am free to live my own life, safe in the knowledge that a Higher Power is taking care of the world, my loved ones, and myself.

(Courage to Change, pg. 283)  Thank you Lord!!!

Come Do Your Work In Me

David Wilkerson Today
THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2011

COME DO YOUR WORK IN ME

by David Wilkerson
I believe if a Christian has an intensity for a holy life—if he desires to give his all to the Lord—there can be only one reason why he fails to enjoy the blessing and freedom promised by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. That reason is unbelief. As surely as Jesus could not perform his works when there was unbelief, so his Spirit cannot do anything in our lives when we harbor unbelief.

It is vital for every follower of Jesus not to judge God’s promises according to past experiences. If we cast ourselves fully on his promises—believing them with all our being, trusting him for a supply of faith, holding the Spirit to his own word—then we can know the results are all God’s responsibility. And
we’ll be able to stand on judgment day, having been faithful. We simply cannot give up our desire to enter into his promised blessings.

There was a point in my life when I had to cast my eternal future on God’s promises. I determined to trust his Word at the risk of my very soul. I put out this challenge to almighty God: “Lord, I’m going to believe you’ve given me your Holy Ghost. I believe he alone can deliver me from every chain that binds me. I believe he will convict me, lead me and empower me to overcome. I believe he causes me to obey your Word. And I believe he will never depart from me, nor will he let me depart from you. I won’t limit your Spirit in me. I’ll wait on him, call on him and trust in him—live or die.”

“Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord” (Ezekiel 37:4). We’re to do what the Lord told Ezekiel to do—pray the Word of God. We are to remind the Holy Spirit of God’s promises to us. We’re to tell him, “Holy Ghost, the heavenly Father promised me he would put you in my heart—and I’ve committed myself to that promise. I will yield and I will cooperate, for I want to be holy. You said you will cause me to walk in his ways and obey his every word. I don’t know how you plan to do that—but you made an oath, and you cannot lie.

This is all written in the Word, Holy Spirit. So, come—do your work in me. I’ve entrusted my very soul to this promise.”

Other Mothers

Treat . . . older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, with all purity. —1 Timothy 5:2

I’m old enough to recall when you could get in trouble everywhere in your town by any female adult who felt motherly toward you. If someone caught you doing anything immoral, illegal, disrespectful, or even questionable, they were not deterred by the fact that they did not share your particular strand of DNA. Wrong was wrong, and if you were wrong, they felt a social obligation to step in and mother you occasionally. That was the downside.

The upside was that you also had a cadre of women who would love, support, and encourage you in areas where your own mother did not have a background for input. This is the aspect of having Other Mothers that allows young women to excel and spread their wings beyond their own heritage. When women who are not bound to you by relational duty look into your life and tell you that you are gifted, you tend to listen to and believe them primarily because they aren’t your mom.

You may be a woman who needs an Other Mother. You might be a woman with Other Mothering to give. Truth is, you’re probably both. I hope you will seek out the Other Mothers you need and give Other Mothering liberally to the girls coming up the path behind you.
—Anita Renfroe

Frugal meals ~ Depression Era Recipes

We are not going through the Depression of the 30's, but more and more people are showing up after church needing help with food staples every Sunday. The cost of gas and food is rising. We need to save every penny in this house. I thought I would share what I am finding. I know my mother has some wonderful recipes too. I will try and accumulate more and start a new blog for these... Hope this helps!
Vintage WW1 Eggless, Milkless, Butterless Cake


1 cup water
2 cups raisins
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup lard (shortening)
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder

Place water, raisins, cinnamon, cloves, brown sugar, lard (shortening), nutmeg and salt in a saucepan and mix. Place on heat and bring to a boil. Cook 3 minutes. Allow to cool, then sift together the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Stir into cooked mixture.

Place in a greased loaf pan and bake at 350F for one hour.



Ritz Mock Apple Pie

The classic pie, featuring Ritz crackers baked in a golden crust, is perfect for the holidays.
Pastry for two-crust 9-inch pie

36 RITZ Crackers, coarsely broken (about 1 3/4 cups crumbs)
1 3/4 cups water
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Grated peel of one lemon
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Roll out half the pastry and line a 9-inch pie plate. Place cracker crumbs in prepared crust; set aside.

Heat water, sugar and cream of tartar to a boil in saucepan over high heat; simmer for 15 minutes. Add lemon juice and peel; cool.

Pour syrup over cracker crumbs. Dot with margarine or butter; sprinkle with cinnamon. Roll out remaining pastry; place over pie. Trim, seal and flute edges. Slit top crust to allow steam to escape.

Bake at 425°F for 30 to 35 minutes or until crust is crisp and golden. Cool completely.


Fould on this Blog:  http://cherryblossomtable.blogspot.com/

Under Construction

Please pray for me....as I ressurrect our Blogs.. it's been a long time since I have written.
If anyone has anything that they would like to share, please let me know.  An event, a movie review, book review, restaurant, and outing for our church idea... please share!

Thank you so much!
Marian

Bible Study

Need ideas for a new Bible study.... also..are we better off on Friday mornings, or would an evening be better? Please let me know.

The Whisper of God Thought for the Day: “Never underestimate anything you do. Even the smallest act of kindness can bring God into someone’s life. You are God’s ambassador, represent Him well.” Have a sensational day today my friends! – Elmer Laydon

What do you do?

When someone won't forgive you?

What Matters Most

July 19, 2010

By: Julie Clinton, M.A. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21

Food. Alcohol. An affair. Shopping. Exercise. Obsessions with hobbies or a job. Too often, instead of looking to God and the relationships He’s placed in our lives, we look to other things to fill the emptiness and ease the confusion we feel. But how well we live hinges entirely on our ability to develop healthy relationships with others.

And herein lies the secret to making every day count. To focus on what matters most – time with God and those we love. This is incredibly difficult to do in a world that values anything but intimacy with others. Wealth. Beauty. Fame. The decision to focus on our relationships—with God and others—is directly at odds with what society values.

If relationships with God and others are what matter most in life, we need to ask ourselves what we’re doing to strengthen these closest relationships. Often, we’re so caught up in life that we inadvertently put our connections with others on autopilot, hoping that the relationships will still be intact when life settles down a bit. Because life rarely settles down, we can go weeks, months, and even years without investing time in the people we love most.

Where is your heart? Is it trapped by the human desire to store up treasure in this world? Or do you focus on people the way Jesus did when He was here on earth?

Prayer
Prayer: O Lord. Fill me with the desire for relationship—with You and with the people I love the most. Help me to realize that if I treasure relationship above everything else, that is where I will put my heart and my time. Amen.

Bible Readings for the Week Ahead:

Monday: Ephesians 5:2, 19, 30

Tuesday: Colossians 3:16

Wednesday: Colossians 2:2

Thursday: Malachi 3:16

Friday: Luke 24:13, 14, 15

Saturday: Psalm 55:14

Sunday: 1 John 1:3, 7

Lost Emails

A glitch on my computer took all of my email addresses over a month ago. I have lost all of you. If you would like to be on the Women's Ministry email list, please forward your email addresses to Marian@theeffect.org.  Thank you!!!