Wanting to thank you all for your prayers whenever I holler. It is so comforting to know that I have so many awesome friends/family that will come to my aid at a moments notice. And, I know you all know that I am a firm believer in the power of prayer! I also want to let you know that I am still quite positive about this whole thing and all of the physical issues that I’ve been going through. After 16 years of being handicapped with all of the issues that I’ve been through, as I am improving, I think I’d be upset if my body didn’t react....LOL! I am getting better and Satan can’t lie to me and tell me that this is all a negative thing! What Satan means for evil, God means for good! I just covet your prayers during this whole process, if you don’t mind?!
I walked into Celebrate Recovery on Monday night, after missing Cardiac Rehab due to hours of back pain, little sleep, and fighting traffic, etc... and the worship leader mentioned the fact that we should be worried if Satan isn’t attacking!
AND, some of you know that I’ve been in belief that God has called me to Celebrate Recovery and mostly to jail/prison ministry. I have been looking and questioning for some time and do ya know? This is the first church that I tried to go to for CR after our move here and I could not even see the church (another Satan thing - GPS issues) and I just found out yesterday that they do CR jail ministry! Hallelujah! I’m already corresponding with the minister in charge. Fighting our way through the battlefield just makes us stronger...Satan is a lying fool!
Email share: “Juliana, Praise the LORD!!! What an amazing testimony. You have gone through so much, and your trust in the Lord has kept persevering no matter what!!! Please call me so we can talk about the jail ministry...”
HALLELUJAH!
“I can do ALL THINGS through Christ Who strengthens me.” Phil. 4:13
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28
Hello. I'm sorry! Somehow it did not cross my mind that I had not posted here in so very long until I looked at this blog yesterday and noticed the date. Please forgive me!
We are off on our second cruise soon and I have been packing for it and slowly finishing up the unpacking and some planting as I am working on situating the terraces. I do not yet have my computer fully set up or my studio. It's been a long haul this time but I believe we are much happier and comfortable for it. It has been quite freeing! I hope to find a few photos to share! I will try to keep up with things a bit better as time goes on.
And on with my testimony:
Dear Heavenly Papa,
We come here tonight to meet with You, all in one accord. Father, open all of our hearts to understand the love that you have for us. Love on us all Lord to the point that we will never, ever want to turn back! Let Your words through me reflect that love to bring healing and wash away their pain. Only You can heal, Lord. Let me be Your vessel. Bring us all to a closer, life sustaining knowledge of You! If there is anyone here who has not yet come to the knowledge of your saving grace, speak to their hearts, Lord! In Jesus’ most powerful and precious name, Amen
I am Juliana, a grateful believer in Jesus Christ. At this time, I have victory over drugs, cigarettes, depression, co-dependency, and on down through the layers. I entered into this past 27+ years having had victory over drugs with even more chains to follow.
God has let me “Be still, and know that He is God!” several times over. Some may see most of my previous years as negative yet I’ve come to see the ones after I finally let Him have me as gifts that brought about tremendous changes, helping many of those chains to just fall off.
Although set free for 27+ years now I did not find Celebrate Recovery until 2013 which did much more than just accelerate my growth. I found a group of believers searching themselves and seeking to know God more right along with me. I began listening to each and every member along with boxes of family photos that has helped to spark many long, lost memories and I am truly grateful for all of them.
2015 was my first year depression-free (Hallelujah!) since I was a young child. So you all probably know that when I again share that I’ve had a history of a 16-month prison stint, 4 car totals, 5 suicide attempts, years of many abuses along with seeing much more than any one person should ever have to see within dysfunctional friends, family, and loved ones around me, I’m supposing that you can pretty much fill in most of the blanks yourselves!
No father was listed on my original birth certificate. I was adopted at 18 days old into a family with 2 brothers who were 11 and 15 years older than me. We lived in Ohio. I was raised in the church. My parents were involved in the healing ministry back in the early 60’s. I now have come to believe that Satan attacked my whole family in the later 60’s with my oldest brother having a nervous breakdown in 1969 and my dad starting to drink in 1970 when I was 10 and that is where my story begins.
Did no one want to be my dad? I recently came to realize that in my childish psyche I thought I would gain my dad’s acceptance by drinking also, so I started drinking when I was 10. It wasn’t long after that the “party” started; marijuana by 11, cigarettes by 14, LSD by 15 and many other drugs, numerous kinds of abuse, and the rest, etc… Yet in the midst of all of this I was still made to go to church every Sunday and ended up being saved at 13. Yet no one ever showed me where to go from there and by the age of 28, in 1988 I was arrested for selling LSD. After being saved for 15 years, not knowing where to go, I finally fell! My “partner in crime’s” mother read the Bible to me over the phone one morning when I was so distraught that I could not continue and it was just a few days before I was watching church on a Sunday morning and I felt His presence in my entire apartment. I let Him have me that day. In less than 6 months I was sentenced to 16 months in prison. By this time, it no longer felt like a harsh treatment but an escape from 18 long years of feeling as if I lived most of my days in hell. I finally yearned to know more about Jesus and I knew that I had plenty of time to do it.
I started with reading the New Testament as I adjusted to prison life and wondering what I still had ahead of me. As I sat on my tiny bed one of those first days, I heard in a loud “audible” voice “You are a blessing to Me, My child.” I had no doubt that it was God. I cried! I cried for a couple of days. I was a blessing to Him? I felt like Scum and yet I was a blessing to Him?
The first major thing that I learned after entering prison was that God was my Father; my TRUE Father. And He made a truly heart-felt covenant of His peace with me:
John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” This became my favorite verse to this day because I had not known peace until I found Him.
And, He showed me that my dad was just a man and only Jesus is perfect. Through those 16 months of near weekly visitations, God healed my relationship with my Dad. We went from being near enemies for 18 long years to being like “AA buddies”. I don’t remember more than 1 tiny argument between then and 2001 when my “Daddy” went home to be with the Lord.
I went on to learning so many things that I would be thankful for many times over. Through these many experiences and my own fear of being alone, the Holy Spirit became my closest companion and still is to this day. After my surrender to Him, He started peeling off the layers. Before I ever went to AA, OA, or even Celebrate Recovery I was being led through the steps. I shared with my partner in crime by letter. We confessed so many things to one another, praying for each other and sharing in all that God taught us. (Curiously today he is a Celebrate Recovery leader in New Mexico)
James 5:16a “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”
I was married in 1990 just 9 months after my release from prison and we celebrated our 25th Wedding Anniversary in 2015. I spent almost the whole of the 90’s working in a hospital, we got custody of my step-son in 1999 when he was 13, and I was looking to go back to school to become a Paramedic when I became ill.
I spent 2001-2003 in bed with a rare illness that started with a stroke at just 40 years old. I had 7 type-written pages of symptoms and side effects from the illness and numerous medications. I relearned how to brush my teeth and I had an IQ similarly to that of Forrest Gump. Yet I learned to know Him. He didn’t let me die, He let me live. He kept me alive through what was known to be a terminal disease at that time and still is. I changed once again. It so seems as though I have been washed and renewed several times over. I let Him use me! I became His clay to mold. Still fully infatuated by my God who called me His blessing.
Now, with such an extensive history I have prayed numerous times about the best way to share all of this yet the words never came. Of course, I haven’t wanted this to be all about me, but more about His ALL SUFFICIENT GRACE. August of 2015, was the first time that I mentioned about wanting to give my testimony at Celebrate Recovery and through a worship song in the meeting, Good, Good Father it all started coming to me.
This next writing turned out to be a bit different. Through all of His sculpting I turned out to be an artist and published author (please see the things that I brought to share). I do my art and writing by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so one late night when I had no clue how to get my writing time in, I prayed for the Holy Spirit to wake me up with His words if I was to write. And so, there I sat at my computer at 2am when these words came to mind:
We hear that alcoholism is a disease but what about the rest of it? All the rest that Celebrate Recovery involves are the same, “diseases”, diseases of the heart! Could we ever think that we are fully cured? Not until we are in Heaven with Him! Yet He makes us able to withstand this world and all its mess through which we must rise above to be givers instead of takers, lovers instead of haters, fighters on our knees not with our fists. New creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”):
Poem Title: Good Bye Old Self - 2 Corinthians 5:17
We depart in peace Knowing God is with us Feeling His Presence Every step of the way Knowing that it is By His grace We are free …..written by me from prison in 1989.
By His grace we are free! By His goodness we have been won to repentance! Not by condemnation as so many have seemed to think.
Romans 2:4 “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?”
I was so buried within the lies of Satan, who dragged me through the mud that I thought I was worthless and people, even those claiming to love me, pushed me down even further. Yet through a man named Rick Warren, God shed His mercy upon us, the sinners that He came to save through His Son, Jesus Christ. So that we may not end up locked away, wallowing in our own dung. Jesus is here to become our King. Only by learning to seek Him in the midst of my pain have I learned that His grace is what I cling to. I seek Him to remain alive. His miracles have abound. I have had much healing. And I have become thankful in the midst.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
I have seen numerous hardships through infirmities, yet I came through them more like a shiny new penny, the TRUE me within my heart. Rising above them all, only by Him! He has been my hiding place. And as I see so many others who have denied Him that still yearn for happiness, I have found joy in surrendering my heart to Him.
In these 12+ years since I got out of bed I’ve learned to find myself more than ever before. Through my own devices I, once again, was running ahead of God, then stopped in my tracks to learn to “Be still and know”. I spent numerous hours, days, and years alone with Him, learning to know more of who He is. And once again, I was found.
Since 2015 I have come out from the shadows of healing and learning, once again. I have had numerous healings in this past 14 years; Too many to count. Even though I did not come out unscathed and have some notable deficits. My previous pastor gave a sermon one Sunday.
2 Corinthians 12:9 “And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
Later that day I wrote to my pastor and told him: “Great sermon today! My life! I woke up hurting and grumbling this morning but I was worshipping and praying on the way to church as I just persevered and believed! I felt like I could fly when I got there!”
April 27, 2016 Update:
Upon scheduling this date tonight, I believed that I needed to give some kind of update. At that time I saw myself getting closer to being out and experiencing life a bit more. I hadn’t known exactly what to write so I’d been praying. So much has happened since then. God has shown even more unexpected goodness than I’d ever imagined and I knew that others needed to know.
Then my husband and I sat talking just a few days ago as we were looking at some photos of our next cruise ship we have booked in June and I just started crying. I tried to talk but I was too overwhelmed for words. And I knew that I was going to have to share my thoughts at that moment. I had just one cruise on my bucket list for nearly my entire life and here I was looking at our 2nd coming up already in just days. I hadn’t even gotten over the shock and awe from the blessings He had given us since the last cruise. It is all just too long to share about yet I will tell you that my husband ended up winning a trip to the Bahamas over Christmas last year.
Me on Christmas Day - Atlantis in Nassau, Bahamas
We flew out just 10 days after coming home from the cruise that we’d booked to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. We were swimming with the dolphins on Christmas Day. It was not hard to see that only God could have been in all of this.
After that was the whole orchestration of our move north to Pinellas Park. We’ve moved into a city where I know no one. God is telling me that I’m getting a do over. The past is finally behind me. I’ve thrown out or given away numerous trunk loads. I no longer need so much from my past seemingly sentimental life. Why did I want to keep the things of so many past memories? And no one even knows me in this city. I am able to be who God wants me to be without Satan having so much fuel to remind me of my past. I’m free and open to learning more new things and onward into a new season with Him.
Philippians 3:13-14 “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
James 4:8a “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. “
Ultimately that is what the 12 steps and 8 principles are about, Drawing closer to Him. By drawing closer to Him, He draws closer to us and we have this all knowing, all-encompassing creator of the universe as our King AND best friend!
Truly the best comment I have received in my very short history of speaking. I just had to share...thankfully she gave me her permission.
"Juliana, rarely do we get to hear from someone who has such intimacy with Jesus. You are such an encouragement to not only those in recovery but to all whose path you cross! Keep sharing when God opens a door, and I have a feeling there will be many doors!" Carol Lewis - CR Leader, Bayside West Bradenton, Florida
(AND HERE I AM IN TEARS AGAIN WHILE TRYING TO GET THIS POSTED. I want to make sure that you know that I would never consider God as a vending machine. My husband and I never specifically asked for any of this or for any blessings for that matter! He just gives to us as a Father who loves His children.)
A few more photos:
May God bless you through my writing. If He has especially touched you in any way, please leave a comment below. Your comments are so very encouraging to me to help me to keep writing. Also, click on the “Uptweet” button on the above right and share! I pray you will keep coming back. I fully believe that my writing is by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit so if I am writing, there is someone that needs to read it! Maybe it’s you? Also, please be sure to share any questions you might have with me and if you would like to keep them personal (just between you and me) please don’t hesitate to e-mail me at juliana.pace@gmail.com. If I don’t know how to answer you, I will may every attempt to refer you to someone for more information. Thanks and may God bless all your days!
There will not be a whole lot of comments from me with this due to me just being in shock and awe at the reaction that I was given when I (feeling like a major klutz) gave this at http://mybayside.church/meet-pastor-david-murphy/ where the Celebrate Recovery is held that I attend. I will add some additional comments and links at the end of this. At some time this is supposed to be put on the internet. I will add the link if I ever do find it.
Dear Heavenly Papa,
We come here tonight to meet with You, all in one accord. I pray that the testimony that I am about to share speaks to our mutual love for one another and of the grace that you have shown us. Father, open all of our hearts to understand the love that you have for us. Love on us all Lord to the point that we will never, ever want to turn back! Bring us all to a closer, more sustainable knowledge of You! Until the day that You take us to our home, our true home to live with You forever and ever! In Jesus’ most powerful name, Amen
I am Juliana, a grateful believer in Jesus Christ. At this time I have victory over drugs, cigarettes, depression, co-dependency and on down through the layers. I entered into this past 27+ years having had victory over alcohol and drugs with even more chains to follow. God has let me “Be still, and know that He is God!” several times over. Some may see most of my past years as negative but I’ve come to see the ones after I finally let Him have me as gifts that brought about tremendous changes, helping many of those chains to just fall off.
Although sober for 27+ years now I did not find Celebrate Recovery until 2013 which did much more than just accelerate my growth. I found a group of believers searching themselves and seeking to know God more right along with me. I began listening to each and every member along with boxes of family photos that has helped to spark many long, lost memories and I am truly grateful for all of them.
2015 was my first year depression-free (Hallelujah!) since I was a young child. So you all probably know that when I again share that I’ve had a history of a 16 month prison stint, 4 car totals, 5 suicide attempts, years of many abuses along with seeing much more than any one person should ever have to see within dysfunctional friends, family, and loved ones around me, I’m supposing that you can pretty much fill in most of the blanks yourselves!
No father was listed on my original birth certificate. I was adopted at 18 days old into a family with 2 brothers who were 11 and 15 years older than me. We lived in Ohio. I was raised in the church. My parents were involved in the healing ministry back in the early 60’s. I now have come to believe that Satan attacked my whole family in the later 60’s with my oldest brother having a nervous breakdown in 1969 and my dad starting to drink in 1970 when I was 10- and that is where my story begins.
Did no one want to be my dad? I recently came to realize that in my childish psyche I thought I would gain my dad’s acceptance by drinking also, so I started drinking when I was 10. It wasn’t long after that the “party” started; marijuana by 11, cigarettes by 14, LSD by 15 and many other drugs, many numerous kinds of abuse, and the rest, etc… Yet in the midst of all of this I was still made to go to church every Sunday and ended up being saved at 13.
Then in 1988 I was arrested for selling LSD. This, after being saved for 15 years but running around not knowing where to go, I finally fell! My “partner in crime’s” mother read the Bible to me over the phone one morning when I was so distraught that I could not continue and it was just a few days before I was watching church on a Sunday morning and I felt His presence in my entire apartment. (I admitted that I was powerless and that my life had become unmanageable – (Step 1) – I was powerless) I let Him have me that day. In less than 6 months I was sentenced to 16 months in prison. By this time it no longer felt like a harsh treatment but an escape from 18 long years of feeling as if I lived most of my days in hell. I finally yearned to know more about Jesus and I knew that I had plenty of time to do it. (I knew that a higher power (only Jesus) could restore me to sanity. (Step 2.) I started with reading the New Testament as I adjusted to prison life and then wondered what I still had ahead of me. As I sat on my tiny bed one of those first days, I heard in a loud “audible” voice “You are a blessing to Me, My child.” I had no doubt that it was God. I cried! I cried for a couple of days. I was a blessing to Him? I felt like Scum and yet I was a blessing to Him? The first major thing that I learned after entering prison was that God was my Father; my TRUE Father.
And He made a truly heart-felt covenant of His peace with me:
*John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
This became my favorite verse to this day because I had not known peace until I found Him.
And, He showed me that my dad was just a man and only Jesus is perfect. Through those 16 months of near weekly visitations, God healed my relationship with my Dad. (amends? Step 9). We went from being near enemies for 18 long years to being like “AA buddies”. I don’t remember more than 1 tiny argument between then and 2001 when my “Daddy” went home to be with the Lord.
I went on to learning so many things that I would be thankful for many times over. Through these many experiences and my own fear of being alone, the Holy Spirit became my closest companion and still is to this day. After my surrender to Him, He started peeling off the layers. Before I ever went to AA, OA, or even Celebrate Recovery I was being led through the steps. I shared with my partner in crime by letter. We confessed so many things to one another, praying for each other and sharing in all that God taught us. (more amends. Step 9 (Curiously today he is a Celebrate Recovery leader in New Mexico)
*James 5:16a “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”
I was married in 1990 and we celebrated our 25th Wedding Anniversary in 2015. I spent almost the whole of the 90’s working in a hospital, we got custody of my step-son in 1999 when he was 13, and I was looking to go back to school to become a Paramedic when I became ill.
I spent 2001-2003 in bed with a rare illness that started with a stroke at just 40 years old. I had 7 type-written pages of symptoms and side effects from the illness and numerous medications. I relearned how to brush my teeth and I had an IQ similarly to that of Forrest Gump. Yet I learned to know Him. He didn’t let me die, He let me live. He kept me alive through what was known to be a terminal disease at that time and still is. I changed once again. It so seems as though I have been washed and renewed several times over. I let Him use me! I became His clay to mold. Still fully infatuated by my God who called me His blessing.
Now, with such an extensive history I have prayed numerous times about the best way to share all of this yet the words never came. Of course, I haven’t wanted this to be all about me, but more about His ALL SUFFICIENT GRACE. August of 2015, was the first time that I mentioned about wanting to give my testimony here and through a worship song Good, Good Father it all started coming to me. (Step 12 having had a spiritual awakening- carrying the message to others).
This next writing turned out to be a bit different. Through all of His sculpting I turned out to be an artist and published author (please see the things that I brought to share). I do my art and writing by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so one night recently, when I had no clue how to get my writing time in for this testimony since it was already after midnight, I prayed for the Holy Spirit to wake me up with His words if I was to write. And so, there I sat at my computer at 2am when these words came to mind:
We hear that alcoholism is a disease but what about the rest of it? All the rest that Celebrate Recovery involves are the same, “diseases”, diseases of the heart! Could we ever think that we are fully cured? Not until we are in Heaven with Him! Yet He makes us able to withstand this world and all its mess through which we must rise to be givers instead of takers, lovers instead of haters, fighters on our knees not with our fists. New creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”):
Good Bye Old Self - 2 Corinthians 5:17
We depart in peace
Knowing God is with us
Feeling His Presence
Every step of the way
Knowing that it is
By His grace
We are free
…..written by me from prison in 1989.
By His grace we are free! By His goodness we have been won to repentance! Not by condemnation as so many have seemed to think.
Romans 2:4 “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?”
I was so buried within the lies of Satan who dragged me through the mud that I thought I was worthless and people, even those claiming to love me, pushed me down even further. Yet through a man named Rick Warren, God shed His mercy upon us, the sinners that He came to save through His Son, Jesus Christ. So that we may not end up locked away, wallowing in our own dung. Jesus is here to become our King.
Only by learning to seek Him in the midst of my pain have I learned that His grace is what I cling to. I seek Him to remain alive. His miracles have abound. I have had much healing. And I have become thankful in the midst. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
I have seen numerous hardships through infirmities, yet I came through them more like a shiny new penny, the TRUE me within my heart. Rising above them all, only by Him! He has been my hiding place. And as I see so many others who have denied Him that still yearn for happiness, I have found joy in surrendering my heart to Him.
In these 12 years since I got out of bed I’ve learned to find myself more than ever before. Through my own devices I, once again, was running ahead of God, then stopped in my tracks to learn to “Be still and know”. I spent numerous hours, days, and weeks alone with Him, learning to know more of who He is. And once again I was found.
Since 2015 I have come out from the shadows of healing and learning, once again. I have had numerous healings in this past 15 years; Too many to count. Even though I did not come out unscathed and have some notable deficits. My pastor gave a sermon one very recent Sunday.
2 Corinthians 12:9
“And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is
made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my
infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
Later
that day I wrote to my pastor and told him: “Great sermon today! My life! I woke up hurting and grumbling this morning but I was worshipping
and praying on the way to church as I just persevered and believed! I
felt like I could fly when I got there!”
May God bless you through my writing. If He has especially touched you in any way, please leave a comment below. Your comments are so very encouraging to me to help me to keep writing. Also, click on the “Uptweet” button on the above right and share! I pray you will keep coming back. I fully believe that my writing is by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit so if I am writing, there is someone that needs to read it! Maybe it’s you? Also, please be sure to share any questions you might have with me and if you would like to keep them personal (just between you and me) please don’t hesitate to e-mail me at juliana.pace@gmail.com. If I don’t know how to answer you, I will may every attempt to refer you to someone for more information. Thanks and may God bless all your days!
I decided to try to use this Dragon free voice app I got for
my iPad mini. So let's see how this works. I may post something to
my blog but it doesn't mean that I'm back from hiatus yet. I'm just
learning so please bear with me. I know I cannot keep typing this or the
Carpal Tunnel will just continue to get worse. I don't really like
speaking so please understand. But I do miss writing this blog
I want to Celebrate Recovery recovery last night. It has been very beneficial
and I'm really committed to going weekly. This is not for people with past
alcohol or drug addictions. This is for anyone with a life controlling
problem. If you want to know more look for one in your area. They
meet all over the world. Just look to the celebraterecovery.com for more
information.
I dreamed about this meeting last night. I remember telling someone that
I don't want you to be me. I want you to be you. How boring would
it be if we were all like? We were all made to be individuals. And I like
that!
Wow this is harder than I thought. But much to share! Looks like it
will take getting used to! Better find a place at in the beautiful
Florida sunshine to practice this, huh? God bless you all! Please
comment to me if you will! Talk at you all soon!
Hmmmm...how about a video share? This is one of my newest likes...not really my kind of music but the words are amazing!
I haven’t posted in some time mostly because I have been
doing some of my own “journaling” and soul searching. It has been accelerated
since I started going to Celebrate Recovery. This is basically a Christian
12-step group that was founded by Rick Warren of Saddleback Church. I have been
a food addict my entire life and, for the umpteenth time, I was just sick of
it. I shared this with my brother and he shared Celebrate Recovery with me. He
takes me weekly.
What a marvelous discovery this was and as with all others, I joined CR with
one thing in mind and in just a few short months I’ve found a whole lot more baggage
to let go of that I'd been carrying around. The major reason why my
writing had been a bit more self-centered, but just for a time! Not that I will
quit going but I see the light in the horizon. I don’t believe it will continue
to be such intense study!
I wrote this recently in my “I See God” Smashbook:
“I met them, those “birds of a feather” and I became one of them. Now 5/18/13,
wow, soon to be 60 days and adding 6 months for the commitment on 1/1/13 to
letting God reorganize my life! It’s about commitment! It’s about moving
forward with God at the helm! It’s about knowing this is the ONLY way to live!
As I sit here watching the movie “Twister” (Twister @ IMDB)it’s brought
to my mind that we in
CR are facing life, facing all the storms we've been through and are to come.
BUT, we aren't doing it alone. We are with God and each other! This group is a
group of “birds of a feather” grabbing a hold of God with all the gusto of these
passionate tornado chasers! WHERE FAITH and FEAR COLLIDE! Even though there
is fear in facing these storms, with God we have the faith to push on!
*II Peter 1:5-6 “But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to
your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to
self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly
kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and
abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord
Jesus Christ.”"
i just shared this for the umpteenth time and was thinking that I needed an update. More than 2 years later I am still at Celebrate Recovery. Although I have missed several times along the way with a couple of pretty long vacations (during times necessary due to life, moving & etc...). I am now in a different location and the first meeting place actually closed down yet there are several and more opening up in this area. This new to me place is amazing. When we worship, the Holy Spirit falls and you know we are all seeking Him! So, I decided today that I must share a worship song that seems to have become our theme song:
May God bless you through my writing. If He has especially touched you in any way, please leave a comment below. Your comments are so very encouraging to me to help me to keep writing. Also, click on the “Uptweet” button on the above right and share! I pray you will keep coming back. I fully believe that my writing is by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit so if I am writing, there is someone that needs to read it! Maybe it’s you? Also, please be sure to share any questions you might have with me and if you would like to keep them personal (just between you and me) please don’t hesitate to e-mail me at juliana.pace@gmail.com. If I don’t know how to answer you, I will may every attempt to refer you to someone for more information. Thanks and may God bless all your days!
