I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, and Monday! Our show was the slowest ever this weekend, which made for 3 very long days. When it’s busy the time seems to fly, but not this weekend! Not sure why, except maybe the nice, very out of the ordinary, weather played a major factor! We had near 90 degrees both Saturday and Sunday, (in October?!) and today doesn’t seem too far from that either! What happened to fall? I’m hoping for the cooler temps they’re predicting later this week. I’m going to be doing some purging around the house here, getting ready for Ian’s visit, which may not happen now until the end of November, but that’s okay … all the family will be together then, and if he would come home at the end of this month he wouldn’t be able to come Thanksgiving. So he will miss our anniversary, and Lewis’ birthday, but we’ll be fine … there’s always the webcam! The plane tickets will also be cheaper for a later date, too. We don’t like waiting, but he will be home again for Christmas and New Years. Frankly, I’d like to just keep him for the month of December!
Have you ever read something and you felt you could have been the one to have lived it, and written it? It happens to me often, and today in my devotions I came across something that when I read it, it was as if she was writing my story … so, I wanted to share it with you. It’s a little long, but well worth the time to read it, and maybe you’ll find yourself in this story as well. First though, here’s a definition of ‘brokenness’ from Nancy Lee DeMoss ….
I’ll be around to visit and catch up with you later today!
Have a blessed Tuesday! 
Hugs,
~ Deborah <><
“At first hearing, “brokenness” does not sound like something to be sought after. After all, it seems so negative! We may even be afraid of the concept. Perhaps that is because we have a misconception about the meaning of brokenness.
Our idea of brokenness may be quite different from God’s idea. Brokenness does not mean, as some think, having a sad, gloomy, downcast countenance–never smiling or laughing. It does not mean always being morbidly introspective. Nor can it be equated with deeply emotional experiences. It is possible to shed buckets full of tears, without ever experiencing a moment of brokenness. Further, brokenness is not the same as being deeply hurt by tragic circumstances. A person may have experienced many deep hurts and tragedies, but never have been broken.
Brokenness is not a feeling; rather, it is a choice, an act of the will. It is not primarily a one-time experience or crisis (though there may be crisis points in the process of brokenness); rather, it is an ongoing, continual lifestyle. Brokenness is a lifestyle of agreeing with God about the true condition of my heart and life, as He sees it. It is a lifestyle of unconditional, absolute surrender of my will to the will of God–a heart attitude that says, “Yes, Lord!” to whatever God says.
Brokenness means the shattering of my self-will, so that the life and Spirit of the Lord Jesus may be released through me. Brokenness is my response of humility and obedience to the conviction of the Word and the Spirit of God. And as the conviction is continuous, so must the brokenness be continuous.” — Nancy Lee DeMoss
~ THE REALITY OF BROKENNESS ~
~ Kim Johnson ~
While walking into the service that Sunday, my only certainty was the deep ache within my soul. The internal screams of loneliness seemed to deafen me to the reality of the love of those that surrounded me. The oppressive words of hopelessness that rang through my mind left it nearly impossible for me to lift my head, let alone my hands. As I pleaded with God to bring some type of peace to the war in my mind, my thoughts began to somewhat focus and I repeatedly prayed all I knew to at that moment, “Help me!”
The Lord started to answer my cry, and a desperate game of “Hide and Seek” began. Jesus was desperately seeking in love, and I was desperately hiding in fear. As the game I had engaged the Lord in escalated, the pastor informed us that there was someone in the building that needed to let their guard down and allow the Lord to minister in the way that He desired. Though my mind and heart concurred with his words, rather than yielding I began erecting an impenetrable fortress.
The preaching of the Word began, and the construction of my self-protecting stronghold continued. As is customary, at the close of the preaching, the altar call went forth. I, of course, did not. The Spirit of the Lord continued to prod me from every direction, and I quietly kneeled where I was seated. A sister came and placed her hand on my shoulder, the praise singers began to utter “only you can fill this emptiness, I come to you in my brokenness,” and the volcano of emotions within me erupted as tears, flowed down my face like lava and my body convulsed with sobs. The pastor took the microphone and stated slowly, “There…. is ….. therefore….. now….. no….. condemnation….” Each word was like a dagger in my heart, and I wept even more uncontrollably. God began a work of healing and purging in me that day. As John wrote, “…thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:” (Revelation 3:17).
The above story was not the encounter of when I received the Holy Ghost, nor when I was in sin, or going through some emotional trauma. It took place when I had been walking with Him for more than 10 years. God has been leading me to the point that I acknowledged that I don’t have all of “the truth” because He is the truth. He has been beckoning me to realize that I stand before Him in brokenness because I have not allowed my completeness to come from Him.
Jesus Christ is trying to bring His body to a place of brokenness before Him. It’s a painful place to be—standing exposed before the Almighty, knowing He is calling us to look at the piercing reality that before Him we stand wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. Jesus said, “He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted” (Luke 4:18).
Before God we cannot be “together”. Before God we cannot be proud, or arrogant, or puffed up. Before God we cannot be selfish. Before God we cannot be rude. Before God, all of who we are is exposed. Before God, we will be humbled. Before God, we will fall down. However, when we fall down before God He will most surely pick us up. God has a reason for wanting us to be humble and contrite. For when we are humble and contrite we are then able to listen to God’s wisdom and truth. When we are able to listen to God in our humility we are then able to become more like the person of love, caring, understanding, and compassion He wants us to be. On the surface, a broken spirit appears to be a bad thing. However, with God there is power in His humility. The power of His humility is the power of God in our hearts molding us and shaping us into His likeness.
Before He sends us into the world to heal their brokenness, He is waiting for His church to come to Him and acknowledge theirs. May we allow our tremendous pride to be conquered by the realization of our need. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51:17 (NIV)
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