Have you thanked Him?
Have you praised Him?
Have you made it your priority to agree and
cooperate with Him today?
Have you taken that deep breath and listened for
what He has for you today?
1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)
The first thing I want you to do is pray.
Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.
As I was looking over my log of OFH entries, I
have gone more than a week without penning one.
And yes, things have been a little hectic. If you hang out with me on FACEBOOK you know,
but I wanted to get “back on track” today.
For when I don’t write, my days tend to not be quite as good as those when
I do.
And today I just want to tell you an extraordinary
story. About a week ago or so my dear friend
Joyce asked if I would write an advocacy letter to one of our Judges, Judge
Herbert of Franklin County C.A.T.C.H. Court.
C.A.T.C.H stands for Changing Actions to Change Habits.
It has been around for 10+ years and is MOST WORTH
a GOOGLE. There are amazing stories of women
who once were bound in a lifestyle of prostitution and crime who after given a
second chance via this progressive court, turned their lives COMPLETELY around. The stories of restoration are AMAZING
And my friend Joyce is one of those stories. And ironically, she “didn’t complete” CATCH
court like most of the gals, rather it was CATCH Court, Judge Herbert, and his
team that RECOGNIZED the remarkable and sustained change in my friend.
Joyce was a prostitute and thief for 20+
years. She was arrested and jailed
multiple times. She was beaten and
nearly killed on more than one occasion.
And these are just a few of the highlights or lowlights. Flashback 6 or so years ago and you would
have found Joyce finally experiencing the help she so desperately needed and what
GOD has done in that little window of time since is nothing short of extraordinary.
I mean extraordinary. When I think of Joyce I think of this passage, I (THE LORD) will pay you back for those years of trouble.
Joel 2:25 (ERV). She is a living breathing
personification of this PROMISE!
And yesterday GOD “paid Joyce back” some
more. As Joyce stood in the same courtroom
that had many times accused and punished her, GOD gave Joyce a remarkable gift,
the gift of EXPUNGEMENT. Because of Joyce’s transformation, because of Joyce’s
OBEDIENCE, because of Joyce’s unfettered passion for CHRIST, to love Him and serve
Him, Judge Herbert effectively expunged more that 150 charges that were on the
books for Joyce.
That made me think of this passage, …Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish
all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most
unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! – Ephesians 3:20
(TPT).
I most like the Passion’s take on this from
Paul. Especially this, “He will achieve
MORE than your MOST UNBELIEVABLE dream”.
GOD showed up, showed out, and showed off for my
friend Joyce yesterday. He lifted the weight
of 20+ years of sin, hurt, mistakes and missteps with a single stroke of a pen. It was as my friend Joyce likes to say, AMAZING.
But this sort of AMAZING isn’t reserved for just
the Joyce’s. No, it is FOR ANY and ALL
of us! GOD is in the RESTORATION
business, He is in the making DREAMS a reality business!...after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace,
who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore,
confirm, strengthen, and establish you. – 1 Peter 5:10 (ESV)
Friends I shared a most abridged version of Joyce’s
journey today to simply ENCOURAGE you to keep believing and keep dreaming. Sometimes it is the darkest before the dawn
like the old cliché says. But one thing
is for sure, GOD never leaves us or slows his pursuit of us. Instead He is faithful to us always ready to
restore us, wow us, and bless us! (Matthew 7:11).
Trust Him!!!
He will!
“The future belongs to those who believe in the
beauty of their dreams.”– Eleanor Roosevelt
I love you all!
Have a BLESSED WEEKEND!
Opportunities
for Hope
