Thin Places, Thick Cords--Mary E. DeMuth Unfurls the God-Touched Places of Her Life

Mary E. DeMuth draws me to her with a thick cord of kinship in her memoir, Thin Places.* No, I haven't experienced all the same events in my life, but all of us have struggled with acceptance, frailty, disappointment. In overlapping circles of phases of her lifestory, Mary topically narrates her journey to and with Jesus.

In the opening chapter, "Studebaker," we meet Jim, Mary's dad, and learn the hurt of her life's father-shaped hole. It will be years before she--and many of us readers--will understand the love of a Father who will never, never leave us.

"Snapshot" reveals the terrible days of Mary's childhood that still cause her to wonder why and how such things could have happened to her. Yet she looks back and spies mercy and grace in some of the circumstances.

I first misread the chapter title, "Like Me," to mean "similar to me." Mary's need for approval resembles so many of us humans, wanting to please others. I love the way she ends this section, comparing Atticus Finch to Jesus, the "balcony folks" to those we've touched with Jesus' love, cheering us on.

"Narcissism" treads on my toes, speaking of a clean heart and dirty hands, reminding me how little like Mother Teresa I am, how I want the head-turning attention and not the hard work of being a real in-the-trenches believer.

In these and every other chapter, Mary taps me on the shoulder, with soberness, with lightness, to whisper and shout that I'm a mess, yet I'm loved, redeemed, and fit for whatever He calls me to do. Read it. Rejoice. And go and do likewise.

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Every two minutes, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted, and of the millions of sexual abuse and rape victims, 15 percent are under the age of 12, according to a 2007 study by the U.S.

Department of Justice. Critically acclaimed author Mary DeMuth is among the millions of adults who are victims of childhood rape and are living with the emotional scars of the haunting abuse.

DeMuth bravely shares her painful story in her new memoir, Thin Places (February, 2010).

Repeatedly raped by two neighborhood boys at a young age, DeMuth details her traumatic and

disturbing childhood in the memoir. Raised in a broken home, she lost her biological father when

she was ten and was stripped of her innocence growing up in an unstable environment where

drugs were commonplace.

But Thin Places is about hope and healing more than it is about the traumatic events of

DeMuth's childhood. According to DeMuth, thin places are "snatches of time, moments really,

when we sense God intersecting our world in tangible, unmistakable ways." When she

encountered the true love of Jesus at a Young Life camp in high school, DeMuth's life-trajectory

changed. God reassembled the pieces of her emotionally fragile self, which initiated true healing

and peace.

Follow the Thin Places Blog Tour:

List of all participating bloggers

*A review copy was provided to me at no cost. I will give this away in a drawing.

BOOK TOUR: JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL by Stuart Migdon

Here's a devotional from an author who understands the meaning of giving up the right to drive our lives, in order to put the wheel in the hands of the One Who cares most whether we travel well and arrive safely.

The practical biblical instruction found in Stuart Migdon's book, Jesus Take the Wheel takes readers on a two-month journey that will literally transform the way they live their lives. Rich insights from the author's own life mix with wisdom gleaned from the pages of Scripture to make reading this book an adventure that will be looked forward to each day. In the face of life's many uncertainties and struggles, the message of real hope that Jesus Take the Wheel brings, is one that will benefit everyone.

Jesus Take the Wheel is a valuable resource for spiritual growth and discipleship. Through applying the biblical principles and truths contained throughout its pages, readers will begin to discover that what has been impossible alone, is very possible with God at the wheel of their lives. Each day's reading is followed by an application aimed at applying the day's biblical truths and principles to the real circumstances of life.

While many in our world today know that they need and want change, they often fail to allow Jesus to have His rightful place in their lives simply because they don't know where to start. In Jesus Take the Wheel, readers are given an easy and practical plan to follow each day that will teach them what they need to do in order to begin letting Jesus be the One in the driver's seat.

About the Author: Stuart Migdon

Stuart Migdon was raised in Reformed Judaism. He married and became a father at the age of 18. With no money and no one to help, he quickly determined he had to take control of his own life. He developed a "don't quit" attitude and set out to beat the odds that were already stacking up against him. While working a full time job to support his family, he also managed to graduate college in four years, and to do it with high honors. That same stubborn persistence propelled him to become a CPA and later a successful insurance agent. With a commitment to hard work and excellence, Stuart continued to achieve every goal that he set for his life. However, all the success in the world could not fill the emptiness that was growing within him.

In 1991, things began to change. He came to know Jesus as His Messiah and felt a strong desire to live a life that would really be pleasing to God--a life he somehow knew was radically different than the one he had been living. With every ounce of his being, he was now determined to live that life.

Since then, Stuart has become an avid student of the Bible. Over the last five years, his thirst for more has led him into a detailed study of God's Word, and specifically the lives of the Bible's two central figures, Jesus and Moses. During this time he also began to realize that what had been driving him in his own study was more than just a personal quest for knowledge, it was actually a calling from the Lord. As a result, he began a new adventure as an author, and in 2008 published his first book,Jesus Take the Wheel: 7 Keys to a Transformed Life with God.

Today, Stuart is a successful Christian businessman and serves as an elder and biblical counselor at Calvary Chapel Old Bridge in New Jersey. Stuart's growing understanding of his own need to let Jesus take the wheel of his life has equipped him for the many situations he faces in ministry today. In every area, he challenges those he encounters to begin living a transformed life by letting Jesus have His rightful place behind the wheel of their lives.

Stuart and his wife Jeanne have two adult children, Jennifer and Jason, and one grandson.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Jesus+Take+the+Wheel+by+Stuart+Migdon&x=12&y=4

Jesus Take the Wheel by Stuart Migdon

Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: WinePress Publishing Group (July 1, 2008)
$24.99
ISBN-10: 1579219322
ISBN-13: 978-1579219321

PRAY FOR HAYDEN

Hayden

Once again, a little boy named Hayden will undergo traumatic surgery on a chordoma, a tumor at the base of his brainstem and the top of his spine. On Thursday, September 18 he travels with his family to Arkansas, to be prepped by a surgical team expert at these procedures. Surgery is scheduled for first thing next Wednesday morning, September 24.

After Hayden recovers from surgery, he'll spend eight weeks undergoing radiation treatments in Boston. After the first surgery, two years ago, he had great difficulty swallowing, not to mention other complications, and experienced a long difficult recovery.

Hayden's grandad serves as Minister of Music at our church. His grandmom sings in our choir. Their dedication to the Lord and love for His people are only equalled by their commitment to their family. Tomorrow they depart to support their daughter, her husband, their other grandson, and Hayden. We covet for this family the prayers of anyone whom the Lord leads to this site or to Hayden's.

Learn about Hayden's family, their prayer requests, and his condition:

http://hayden-johnson.blogspot.com/

The Truth about China

I just read this update from Voice of the Martyrs:

CHINA Prominent House Church Leader Evicted from Home, Forced to Live on
the Streets - China Aid Association
On July 6, 2008, Chinese Public Security Bureau (PSB) officials evicted Pastor Bike Zhang, chairman of the Federation House Church, and his wife, Xie Fenglan, from their home in Chaoyang district, Beijing.

According to China Aid Association (CAA), "The couple was able to find shelter in the home of a friend, Niu Bei, until officials found them and forced the Zhang's to leave. Zhang and his wife moved into a hotel in Guo Xian town, Tongzhou district. On July 14, Tongzhou District PSB officials threatened the owner of the hotel to evict the couple or face incarceration. The couple then decided to find residence in Changping county, but were stopped by police officials while on their way and taken to the town government office."

CAA added, "Police interrogated the couple [withholding] food, drink, or rest. Xie Fenglan collapsed due to the stress of the torture. The couple was [later] released from the government office." CAA reported PSB officials continued harassing the Zhangs and continually evicted them from places where they sought shelter.

"Zhang and his wife are now forced to live on the streets and are not able to find shelter. When asked why the couple was being expelled from Beijing, officials responded, ‘Because Bike Zhang met the Americans, and destroyed the harmony of the Beijing Olympic Games.'"

Pray for Pastor Bike and his family during this difficult time. Ask God to heal Xie Fenglan's body and emotions. Pray believers in China will remain courageous as persecution increases ahead of the Olympics next month. Psalm 27:1


Who will tell their story? Who will encourage them as they stand for Christ in a country where so many beliefs, not to mention words and behaviors, are off-limits? How can we support our Olympic athletes and yet protest against the government who welcomes them, but evicts its own people?

This is not an isolated incidenthttp://opendoorsusa.org/. Many human and religious rights organizations have documented the harassment, arrests, torture, and imprisonment of political and religious dissidents in China, Number 10 on the list of countries noted for persecution of Christians.

Spread the truth. And pray. And plug in to the websites of V.O.M., http://www.persecution.com/ and Open Doors, http://opendoorsusa.org/

GENERATION NEXT MARRIAGE by Tricia Goyer--A Boomer Blogs to GenXers about Dreams and Goals, Chapter 17

GENERATION NEXT MARRIAGE by Tricia Goyer--
A Boomer Blogs to GenXers about Dreams and Goals, Chapter 17

When Steve and I met, we couldn’t stop conversing about all the things that mattered most to us. We had grown up with similar dreams of marriage and family, and each of us brought to our marriage individual dreams as well. Some of these didn’t emerge for many years. The prime example for me, like Tricia, is my writing. It’s something I had always loved, but I’d pushed writing to the background, thinking it wasn’t a practical way to spend most of my time.

The first thing I think of regarding marriage when discussing dreams and goals is encouragement. Steve has always brought out the best in me in a natural way. He listens, he cares, he insists I don’t sacrifice what’s important to me, such as my writers’ group meetings.

It’s only fair that I encourage my husband to go for his goals as well. Perhaps the greatest challenge ever to our marriage has come in a recent career choice Steve made with my blessing, because it involves us keeping our old home, yet he is working out of another city two hours away. I know he would have always wondered if he hadn’t taken up the gauntlet this particular job threw him.

Then I think of unity. If we aren’t in agreement about individual or couple goals, then it’s time to pray and to decide whether it’s worth making an issue of the situation. As the Bible says, Can two walk together except they be agreed? Of course, this doesn’t mean we have to agree on everything or come to a compromise right away. It just means even if we are agreeing to disagree, that we don’t let dreams, goals, or anything else pull us apart. Nothing that destroys our marital unity is worth that.

I can’t end a post about dreams, goals, and marriage without plugging the creativity our Creator gave us. Our goal as a married couple is to keep our marriage close and the feelings fresh. This year we’ve had to be creative in celebrating in another city both the Super Bowl and Valentine’s, which turned out to be more special because we had to put extra effort into these occasions. Our unfamiliar surroundings proved to be a unifying factor as we shopped for Super Bowl snacks—something I don’t think we’d ever done together before—and we boldly tried a new restaurant for Valentine’s after finding it on the Internet. New traditions, combined with old comfortable routines, provide a terrific backdrop for sharing our goals and dreams on a daily basis.
I’d love to hear how you and your spouse share your goals and dreams and help one another fulfill them.

Book excerpt:

http://www.triciagoyer.com/cmsdocuments/Ch__1_GNM_first_chap.pdf

What people are saying about Generation NeXt Marriage: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/1590529103/ref=dp_proddesc_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books

Buy the book: http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?event=AFF&p=1137620&item_no=529102

Tricia's website: http://triciagoyer.com/

Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture

by Mary E. DeMuth

Harvest House, July 1, 2007

Mary guides parents through her ongoing postmodern parenting journey, encouraging readers as they travel the same road, in three parts:

Foundations, What Does Postmodern Parenting Look Like? and Releasing Children, Embracing Culture. She includes group discussion questions and a resource section.

You can purchase your autographed copy directly from Mary at the links below.

Read more about Mary and her books at

her website Relevant Prose. Sign up for her ezine.


Learn about Mary's faith and writing on her blog.

A FRESH SERVING OF SCRIPTURE

I have my professor friend Terri to thank for inspiring me to write poems summarizing the Scriptures I read. A new professor friend, Gail the Poetic Professor, shared with our writing group about turning the sermons she heard into poetry. I've always enjoyed journaling Scripture and prayers, and writing poetry came naturally to me, but I never before thought of combining the two.

For instance, in September when I read First Corinthians 8:1b-3, I jotted this:

Knowledge puffs.
Love builds.
If a man thinks he knows things,
he doesn't--not as he should.
God knows the man who loves Him.

We don't have to pray or study the Word exactly like everyone else or with the same approach day after day. God tells us the Holy Spirit will teach us. All that's required is a heart and mind open to His teaching and willing to forsake wrong thoughts and habits for right ones.

Ask God to refresh your time and your relationship with Him, starting today. Be prepared, because He'll do it.