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.

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List of all participating bloggers

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

Here's an article to encourage anyone who needs to refresh herself or himself, whether it be in writing, other work, parenting, or life in general:

How To Stay Motivated - Easy Tips for Sustaining Your Passion by Sheri McConnell
(Free Articles )

1) Find a Natural Sanctuary - Stimulate the Senses

By far one of the best ways to stay motivated and to sustain your passion (no matter what it is) is to get outside and walk or jog or run. Our bodies and our brains need to be stimulated and nothing does this better than nature. Nature is vivid. The sounds and textures and smells will help you come alive. And by physically moving in nature, you will stimulate your body even more. Once your senses become stimulated, your brain will start to give you answers to personal and/or business questions. Your body will also become programmed to generate new creative ideas when you stimulate your senses.

Clearing the Clutter and Chaos

One reason we lose our motivation and can’t find our passion in life is that we are too busy experiencing chaos. Chaos comes in many forms–people, events, TV, radio and so on. You must experience nature to find and sustain your passion. Just 30 minutes a day will clear the clutter from your brain and reprogram you to breathe and think more instead of being so reactionary to all the numbing stimulants in your life!

2) Create a Fun System

Journaling

Once you clear your mind each day, you will need a FUN system to keep track of all the stimulating ideas you will get! I have a notebook that I carry with me where I jot down affirmations, goals, and problems (personal and professional) that I need to solve! And I find that every few months or so I like to rip it all out and throw it way and start over. For me, I seem to solve all those problems and reach all the goals and this physically lets me have a clean slate and move on. Be open to the process of journaling and do what your gut tells you to do.

Mindmapping

I also love mindmapping because I am drawn to the creative visuals! There are some great software resources out there like http://www.mindjet.com/. For me the process of mindmapping stimulates the creative side of my brain.

Visioning

The other fun way that I stay motivated and connected to my passion is by using a graphic coach. My coach, Christina Merkley at http://www.shift-it-coach.com/ took me through her Shift It Program. Not only was this fun, it was eye opening! And she even has maps and instructions so you can use this graphic coaching process yourself at home.

3) Pay Attention

The wonderful thing about creating a fun system in your daily life and getting back to nature more is that it allows you the time and space to “Ask Yourself Questions.” This step is the key to sustaining your passion. You will change and the world around you keeps changing so it is important (now-more than ever!) that you keep asking yourself questions so you can stay centered. What types of questions should you ask yourself in order to sustain your passion?- What makes me happy?- What do I enjoy?- What excites me?- What makes me cry?- What can I do to learn more about my passions?- How can I use my passion to improve the world around me?- Am I doing anything creative in my life?- If not, what can I do?

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Want To Use This Article In Your Ezine or Website? You have my permission, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Sheri McConnell is the President of the National Association of Women Writers (http://www.NAWW.org). She helps women writers and entrepreneurs discover, create, and profit from their intellectual knowledge! Free reports for writers available with subscription to NAWW Weekly. Sheri lives in San Antonio, Texas with her husband Seth and their four children. Contact her at naww@onebox.comor her toll free number at 866-821-5829.

Technorati Tags: Sheri McConnell, NAWW, how to stay motivated, tips for sustaining your passion

God May Not Say Why

Worship went on this morning at the Lady Lake Church of God. Though tornadoes leveled much of the building in Florida early Friday morning, Pastor Larry Lynn stood atop the rubble and led his congregation. He invoked them to praise God in the midst of their loss.

When I ponder a scene like this, I react simultaneously with opposing thoughts and emotions. The painful loss associated with a disaster evokes empathy, anger, and tears. The triumph shown by this pastor and his flock lifts my spirits and my faith. The question becomes, when I am the victim, how do I transition from the sad or angry sufferer? How do I become the faithful believer that I long to be, living above my destructive circumstances?

Jesus proclaimed Himself as the Truth, and the Bible proclaims itself as well as Jesus to be the Word of God. We should begin looking for answers in the Book and the Man, because human common sense can’t satisfy our minds.

On the same day, Job lost his livestock, his servants, and his sons and daughters. God then allowed Satan to afflict Job with boils. This man, bereaved and physically marred, received condemnation from his friends. He dared to question why and to curse the day he was born. His wife encouraged him to curse God and accept His punishment. Job silenced her, saying, “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” (Job 2:10b, NIV)

Sometimes I read this passage, and I want to shout at Job, “Why should we accept trouble? Sure, we learn and grow from it; but isn’t there an easier way? Something less painful?” If I took this passage out of context with the rest of Job’s story, I would think he took it all too meekly. However, after his three friends sat mourning with him for seven days and nights, Job said this:
“Why did I not perish at birth?...For now I would be lying down in peace…" (Job 3:11&13) He shows himself genuinely human after all. This kind of struggle I can relate to--the tension between faith and disbelief; being honest with God, yet trusting Him.

While I’m writing this, the Super Bowl is playing out behind me on TV. A moment of silence remembered the tornado victims. Somewhere in the Lady Lake area a surviving spouse is asking, “Why me, God? Why did I live?” The white-haired man interviewed this morning on CNN could not keep the quaver from his voice when he said, “Lucky? God blessed us, is another way of putting it. Our hearts go out to the ones who didn’t make it.” He didn’t have answers, but he did know God had protected him and his wife.

I’m raising more questions than answers here; but that’s okay. God can handle our questions. He can take it. His grace can overcome and forgive our doubt. His love can soothe our anger and fear. If we truly seek answers to the timeless why’s, He may not tell us the specifics. He may instead give us what we need to cope. Peace. Words of life and love to calm our troubled hearts.

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GRIEVING AS ONE, REJOICING AS ONE

A couple I don't even know is grieving today. They have lost their little boy to an accident. I only know of them through a friend, but still I feel sadness for them. First, I think of my children and how lively and tender they were at that age; then I picture this couple's tragedy befalling one of them, befalling us, and it becomes very painful to imagine. Then I pray: they will need God's strength for every moment ahead of them, they will need His grace through the memorial service and the trip to the cemetary, and the return to his empty little room at their now-quiet house. They will need encouragement to stay focused on growing their marriage as they journey together to that distant place where the sting of death ebbs and washes in a hollow feeling of aching that comes when you miss someone so very much, even more than when he was first taken away. They will need the joy of the Lord to help them smile again someday, even when they remember, through tears, "This would have been his first day of school," or his 13th birthday, or his graduation day.

Then I enlist other believers to pray. They don't even know my friend, who knows the couple. But because we are bonded together by the belief that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life, that He is our Peace, and by the Spirit Who dwells with in us, they, too, feel the pain and offer the prayers.

Our friends in Sunday School class grinned when we shared a recent answer to prayer. They too had been praying for our request, joined to us by the love that God gives those adopted as His children through faith in Jesus Christ. They rejoiced with us, because we are united, we are family, we are members of each other. Believers truly participate in the joys and sorrows of other believers, as well as empathizing with those who have yet to join us in the Family of God. May we allow Him to use every sorrow and every joy to make us truly One!