Month: June 2016

Michael talked with God often. They seemed to have a good relationship until this point in Chapter 5 and now in 6 when he started questioning God and doubting himself.

“Lord, you said to do Your Will and I am trying. But does it have to hurt much?”

I know how Michael feels. I can’t tell you the times when I definitely know I am in God’s Will. Often with it comes painful humbling, resentful repentance, not sure why, If He loved me; would He make me crawl like this?

I did it but wasn’t always happy about it.

Michael left Angel in Pair-a-Dice physically but he couldn’t get her off his mind.

That’s how it feels when God is asking you to step up and do what He says. You know in your heart He never lets you down and it always works out when you follow His Will. Yet you hold back, you rebel, you postpone. I have anyway, how about you?

He was hesitant to go back but He followed God’s Will.

I am so glad Michael went back and listened to God’s nudging. Michael said to Angel as he carried her out of her room at the Palace: broken, black and blue, barely alive:

 “I want to marry you before we get out of town.”  What choice did she have?   Angel said,  ” I would marry Satan himself if that will get me out of the Palace…   By the way, my name isn’t Mara. It’s Angel.”

His face hardened.

“Angel was a prostitute in Pair-a-Dice, she doesn’t exist anymore. You are my Wife .”

Ever wanted to change your name?

Sometimes my friends and I would change our names but more to escape. But here in our story, Angel is getting a new chance at a new life if only she could see it. Right now she still hurts and needs Michael help to do things but soon she will get her own place and get out of the business.

Michael had left all of Angels things when they left. She had nothing. He said he would provide all she needed. Our heavenly Father tells us that. Are we satisfied knowing that?

Are we like Angel as we say with a forced smile,

“I will forever be grateful for this bounty” mocking Michael as he gives her his sisters old clothes to wear.

Angel doesn’t know a thing about Michael, farming, doing chores or cooking. Michael with such patience is trying to teach her. I just can’t help seeing over and over the Fathers Love for us as Michael loves the wife God gave him.

How sad that Angel thought the only think “right” she could do was offer pleasure to satisfy Michael. That was all she knew how to do. It wasn’t working though.

Yet Michael was in love with her without a sexual component.

I have been there. Being the life of the party I was very popular in more ways than I care to share. I eventually realized that they only wanted me in the bedroom not to take home to mom or go on nice places. It took me several years to figure that out. All my teenage life actually.

I hope Angel sees Michaels true love for her and God as we read the next 5 chapters together.

Don’t forget to “Follow” me so you won’t miss out on a post and reply with your comments too, as we continue to read Redeeming Love.

ps. thanks for your patience as I have finally worked most of the bugs out on this blog.

Am I going too fast or too slow?  Let me know where you are in the book.

Let get started with the Child of Darkness, Prologue in New England, 1835 as young Sarah meets her Dad for the first time.

So eager and anxious to please her handsome Daddy. Then when he isn’t pleased, she is sure it was her fault and mama was so sad.

It gets very dark as mama, who was distant for months all of a sudden is on top of the world sends poor Sarah on a trip with Cloe to the Seaside.

How sad is that? Mom chooses the Man.

Confused and worried Sarah knows that the Man she had once called Dad is coming back to visit mama and NOT Sarah. Mama’s so happy that she is willing to send her sweet child away with the likes of her maid, Cloe.

Cloe showed her true colors as she returns to a life she had left of drunkenness and bar room life when Merrick took her and used her once again, leaving young sweet innocent Sarah out in the hall vulnerable to a very scary way of life.

I was so upset and cried for her that she was left and forgotten out there all alone. Leaving there having not even seen the ocean, she was forever a changed young girl.

Her eyes were opened by Cloe telling her God’s truth.

“All men want to do is use you. When you give them your heart, they tear it to shreds. None of them care. Take your fine papa. Does he care about your mother? “

Arriving home Sarah discovered that Cloe was right once again.

Her and mama were leaving the grand home that Alex had provided and heading to a new way of life. Mama was beyond heartbroken and having to crawl back home to her parents was the last thing she had hope for.

Arriving at her grandparents’ home, humbled and in despair, it was made clear that Mama and Sarah weren’t welcome there.

Sarah finds out real quick what poor and lonely life you have without someone who loves you.

Oh, Mama tries to love Sarah and provide for her but in the end Sarah sees how Cloe was right about God’s truth once again.

At only 8 years old Sarah is all alone and without love from anyone. Heart breaking isn’t?

Moving in to the Dukes home, now orphaned, she was told things would be grand and she would be loved again and safe.

By morning, Sarah knew that Cleo had told her God’s truth about everything.

Once again God’s Truth was revealed to her in ways we aren’t even told. We are only left with our imagination of what life was like with the Duke.

I cried and cried when Rad foolishly thought he was doing the right thing.

I know this first start of the book is dark and hard to imagine yet we all know how true it can be.

I promise if you stay with it the next part “Defiance” isn’t as dark.  It will still be sad as we come to know Angel, a hard, tough, women who has come to know God’s truth to be very real.

As an  18 year old adult now in 1850, she has made sure no one can enter her life or heart.

She has only one defense and that is to never feel love again.

Because she had seen and lived what is God’s truth.

1. Why do you think Angel’s mother stayed in a relationship that was damaging to both her and her daughter?
2. What kept her there? Are there beliefs or attitudes that you struggle with, that you know are damaging to yourself or others? Why hold on to them?
3. Read Psalm 116:16-17; 118:5; 119:45; 142:7; Romans 6-21-23; and Colossians 1:21-23.

Continue to read on to Defiance. Feel free to add your comments or like this post if you want.

My friend Janie had loaned me my first Francine Rivers book when I started taking Precept Classes with Debbie Harris at Shadow Mountain. I think that was 2003.  Janie and her mom had read several so every few weeks I would bring one back and trade it for another. I cannot recall all of the names of the books that first year or two that I swapped with them but I bet it was 10 or more books.

I can say I came to love anything Rivers wrote. I could see something or relate to something that all of her characters were living or doing or had endured or were facing. I have read well over 20 of her books and now rereading them again.

She is my favorite author. She writes Christian Fiction like no other. Bringing God and how He works in others’ lives that gives HOPE to the character and to the reader. Her characters are so real you will end a book missing them, wanting to be with them again, like a sister or mother. You are part of the story.

If this is your first time reading FR you are in for a real treat, a journey you will take with Sarah first, then Angel & Mara and Michael. If you are rereading it again I am sure you will remember the story but now the second time or third time you will be more in tune to details and feeling of the characters and why they chose the paths that they did. You will see more of how God was in it all along the way.

I first read Redeeming Love in January 2005 and am eager to read it again with you. Well I hope I have whet your appetite just enough to get you started.

Some of you had to purchase your book and I hope by now all of you have it in hand.

I am so happy you want to join me in this new adventure I am taking. With a break from my Precept class I felt I wanted to try blogging so here is my first attempt as I hopefully inspire you and encourage you to read along with me and a few others.

I hope you will also join in by commenting and replying to others as we do this as a community.

Feel free to share with you daughters, sisters, moms, girlfriends that might like to read along with us. That will make all the more rewarding as we all talk about how the story goes or how it affects us.

I for one can tell you that I can relate to Sarah as a child, less to Angel and Mara in her days at the Palace, but then again as a new wife a way from all family and friends with a man I had only known for two weeks when we became partners. So feel free to share your thought as we go.

I am taking a Precept Class coming in September 2016 on the Book of Hosea.  It is about a prophet that God requires to marry a prostitute.  In preparation for doing this study I am once again going to read Francine Rivers Redeeming Love.

I read Redeeming Love first back in 2005. I mentioned to friends if any them wanted to read it also this summer then I would be willing to open up a dialog on it and we could all benefit from each other as we read.  This is my first attempt again to blogging.  I hope you will join me in my new adventure.

I hope you will enjoy reading Redeeming Love with me and some friends.  I plan on posting weekly as we go through it together.  I will often ask some thought provoking questions in hopes for some dialog from the others following along.  I might give a testimony along the way sometimes.

As I mentioned this is my first attempt at this so please forgive me in advance for the stumbles along the way.  Feel free to remake and comment on the book or any other questions you might have.

After we read this book I have another planned for the summer but later on I will blog other kinds of things, like book reviews maybe devotions that were moving or touched me.

I don’t know where this will led me but I am following God’s nudges and pray for His Will over this adventure.  I give all I offer here to the Glory of God.  I take no credit for any wisdom or knowledge without first giving God the Praises for using me and changing me to who I am today.

I am His, now and forever and am very grateful for all He has done in my life.  More of that will show up in my blogs.

Well let’s get started.  Welcome and thanks for following me.