A journey in creativity and faith

Month: November 2014 (Page 1 of 2)

Meet your fears with faith: Guest post by Jayna Coppedge, a Woman Trusting God (Episode 3)

This is the final episode of my series on fear. I’m very honored to host a fantastic testimony by Jayna Coppedge, who shares how her faith in God helps her endure fear. Please welcome her and write a comment to her.


 

“I have been following the news this week and praying for your daughter. I guess you are praying she will be moved out of there.”

“Thank you, so much for praying for her. Your prayers are probably one of the reasons Steve and I have no fears or worries about her. Although we do pray for her protection, we also pray she can stay.”

A light in the dark I am the second person in the dialogue. I have this conversation numerous times a week, especially now that the United States is sending in air strikes to fight terrorism. For security reasons, I must be vague. My single 29 year-old daughter serves with a faith-based organization in a country where tanks and soldiers with machine guns are normal. Following God’s call, she disciples national believers, explains the gospel in Arabic to the persons with whom she has a relationship, and meets the needs of the refugees that have flooded her country.

This story, though, is not about the young woman. This story is about the God who supplies peace beyond human understanding to me, her mother. Even though believers are martyred in my daughter’s country, I am not fearful.

To understand the magnitude of the miracle, I must give you some history. When I was in seventh grade, my mother worried over my safety so much, she insisted that I carried mace. By the time I was 21, my mother convinced me that I would be a crime statistic. On the nights my husband traveled, I was certain would be attacked if I slept. I laid in bed, clutching a brass candlestick, and reciting every Bible verse I knew. This was the early 1980’s, there were no cell phones, so when he was late coming home, I concluded that he was dead. Fear was my constant companion.

I was always aware of God; salvation came to me very naturally in first grade. Active in my church, I chose a career in the church. Although a minister, I did not believe unconditional love, joy or peace were possible before heaven. Studying diligently, I could teach about God’s love, but I did not feel loved. Satan took all the sermons and examples of God giving peace in the midst of suffering; then rearranged the words to say, “If you trust Jesus, God will make you pay your dues by causing you to suffer”.

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Don’t fear fearing: 7 terrific tips to handle amygdala and listen to God (Episode 2)

Do you have fears? Congratulations, you’re a human being! It’s perfectly normal to fear. Everyone has fears, I know I have a couple (or thousands) of them. We cannot avoid fear, but let’s investigate what fear is, and what we can do about it.

Let’s take an example of exposure of fear:

I see a bear; I panic and run away.

Bear

What actually happens is a cluster of nuclei, the amygdala, in my brain reacts to my sight (references: Anette Prehn  and calmclinic.com). The amygdala stores all my experiences and emotions. It especially remembers unpleasant feelings, it remembers dangers and reacts on all dangers and all what resemble to those dangers. Amygdala causes a strong physical reaction and my instinct is to fight or flee. This is very useful when we meet actual dangers as dangerous animals, nature disasters, and violence.

Hey, wait a second. Let’s watch the bear again. It turns out the bear is a beetle! My amygdala thought the beetle was a bear, and therefore I panicked. When the amygdala reacts on “false” dangers, it’s not constructive. Fearing false dangers can stop you from following dreams, hopes and calling. Fear can stop you from living your life. That’s a good reason to be serious about fear and decrease fear factors, and what triggers your amygdala? Emotions or environmental impulses: thoughts, words, smell, sounds etc. Events that remind you of an unpleasant experience from your childhood trigger your amygdala. Changes, new people, exams, threats of unemployment, high expectations, noise, suppressed feelings and unexpected events trigger your amygdala. Stress triggers your amygdala.

You can’t avoid fear, so what can you do about it?

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Falling down

Ocean by Owen Walters

 Photo by Owen Walters

 

Like a queen
I sat on a cloud
when I opened my eyes
and tripped

I looked for my wings
They were gone
I fell down
hit a rock
landed in the ocean

Tears and blood
Dying

Light opened my eyes
Hands with the size of a mountain
pulled me out of the water
Like a baby I lay
in my Father’s arms

He breathed life into me
We sat at the foot of the cross
Doves and rose petals
flew above my head

Fearing fear (Episode 1)

This is a guest poem by Billy Charles Root

 

In order that I deal with my fears

I must put away my tough guy veneer
I will write them all down right here
before my God and peers

“The only thing we have to fear
is fear itself”

-FDR, 1932

 

I fear, fearing fearFear
I fear fearing that which has no reason to be feared and not fearing that which does.

I fear what others think of me
How I look, what I wear, what I say and think, what, how and why I write.

I fear liking or even loving things that are a waste of said like and love
The babbling of crude jokes and cigarettes to smoke, fornicate TV
and I instead of we

I fear addiction to the mind control of men, having their minds controlled by men, having their minds controlled by the evil one

I fear never getting it right and failing with every sight day and night while pretending I’m alright

I fear sleeping,
Eye’s closed missing out , life passing by, not seeing the tomorrow come and the old become new

I fear dying,  dying before I’ve done what I’ve been created to do, falling short,  falling down and ending incomplete

I fear missing the point altogether and caring for perishable perishables

I fear forgetting,  forgetting why and what for and where next, what time and how much may be left , names and faces and love

I fear anger, am I capable of going too far if someone hurts me or hurts me by hurting them

Above all I fear most arriving at the throne with no crown to lay down and hearing      “I never knew you, depart from me you vile and wicked servant”

 

© Billy Charles Root

A Letter from God

I’m honored to present a guest post  by Brooke Lynn, author of Raised by Strangers.

 

I want to share this meaningful letter with you that I received in my spirit in September of 2012, from God, our loving Father.  I was steadfast in prayer and begging for my heart’s desire which was to publish my first book. I prayed and believed God with every fiber of my being that He would one day allow me to share my story with the world, using my pain to glorify Him. This was His response to me:

God reminded me of my first trip to the beach at the age of nine. This trip was traveled with my two female caretakers who abused me. Listen to the words of comfort and peace spoken to my heart by our compassionate and faithful God. ~ If you pray, God will answer!  We just have to listen, be still and sometimes wait~

“The ocean is your peace, so sweet and so surreal; you wonder if it’s a dream but realize it’s all for real.

You watch and hear the seagulls flying low for you to see, it’s at this time and in this beauty you view creation; see it is Me!

In California, you set your feet upon the sand and felt the water.  You weren’t paying attention to me but I was holding onto you, my daughter.

Remember at that time you felt such a sense of peace.  And now comes another time when you can breathe, relax and release.

Your memories are painful and hard to understand.  At times I carried you, and at others I held your hand.

When you asked Me to reveal myself and questioned my reality; I surely didn’t disappoint you after all the things I let you see.

You never gave up hope or any of your faith.  You just kept believing and praying, calling on my name.

And here I am right now, standing next to you; embracing you ever tightly, so faithful, real and true.

Let us join together in a relationship of delight. I will never leave you, morning, noon or night.

The prayers you pray I answer, your words rock My Throne. The prayers you pray I answer and I will give you bread and not a stone.

Do not question if you are crazy; it is Me you feel and hear. I am very close, so familiar, and holding onto you my dear.

And what is it you ask and want of me; to publish your book and work in ministry?

To help others is your desire and to glorify me in all you do, I will say yes to you sweet child, and work side by side with you.

Keep your focus on me and let’s grow doing this as a team. I have yet more to offer you, more than you can imagine think or dream.

And you ask Me today to clearly give you a sign. Will your book be published?  Yes, and with only God’s great design.

You will have the book and many others too, but stay focused on the simple, My love and relationship with you.

You will keep growing and more revelation will come. And sometimes it won’t be the end even when you think you are done.

If you want a best seller and to reach many for my glory,

Keep praying to reveal Jesus with your life’s story.

My love, power, peace, strength, and the Holy Spirit will anoint you and see you through.

Draw Close To Me, And I Will Draw Close To You!

Love,

Jesus

 

And my dear friends I am forever thankful to God for His word.God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?”  (Numbers 23:19)

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