Sometimes I Write

What an email to wake up to this morning! The following is my daily reading from Ransomed Heart Ministries and an excerpt from one of my all time favorite books, Captivating.  Enjoy!

Ladies, you are the Bride of Christ…and the Bride of Christ is a warring bride.

Now, often the hardest person for us to fight on behalf of is ourself. But you must do it. Your heart is needed. You must be present and engaged in order to love well and fight on behalf of others. Without you, much will be lost. It is time to take a stand and to stand firm. We are at war. You are needed.

Yes, men are created in the image of the Warrior King. Men are warriors. But women need to fight, too. It is a powerful good when a man battles for a woman’s heart and stands between her and her enemies. But oftentimes, there is not a man present in a woman’s life to fight on her behalf. And even when there is, God desires the woman’s spirit to rise up in his strength as well. One day we will be queens – we will rule with Jesus (Rev. 21). We need to grow in our understanding and practice of spiritual warfare not only because we are getting beaten up by it but because it is one of the primary ways that we grow in Christ. He uses it in our lives to strengthen our faith, to draw us closer to Him, to train us for the role we are meant to play, to encourage us to play that role and to prepare us for our future at his side.

Much of what he allows in your life is not just for you to accept, but to get you to rise up! God wants you to know how to wield the weapons of warfare, how to take a stand and how to fight.

“One day you will be a Queen and you must open your eyes.”
(William Wallace to the Princess in Braveheart)

Women are not meant to be helpless creatures. God has given us a fierceness that is holy and is to be used on behalf of others.

(Captivating , 195-196)

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My friend Jennifer and I are still talking politics on a previous post if you’re interested in joining the discussion.  I’ll be back later on today with a new post I’m working on.   Here’s the link to the post on politics…

https://nikinowell.wordpress.com/2008/08/27/my-thoughts-on-politics/

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There is so much to say that I feel like I’m on the verge of bursting. As summer is winding down, I have a lot of changes happening in my life all at once. Some are quite painful and some are exhilaratingly wonderful. I am mourning what has been while embracing hope for things to come. I am a paradox. Aren’t we all?

I received an email this morning from a friend who had some advice for me. He packaged it in beautiful words and they spoke hope and freedom into my heart. I think he’s on a similar journey and we understand each other. I am so blessed to have good friends, and I’m trying hard to be one.

I spoke on the phone with another friend last week and was able to voice a question that has been floating around in my mind lately. Am I done blogging? I asked him if he felt like the time for this had passed. He got me started on this part of my journey and we’ve both backed off from it quite a bit – neither one of us on purpose. It’s hard to put life and thoughts into words for others to read. It can leave you vulnerable to misinterpretation and criticism, not to mention that part of the time I’m forming these posts, I’m still thinking things through and my thoughts haven’t reached solid form when they spill out through my fingertips. Sometimes there is just too much to share and it feels safer to keep it inside.

I’m not done blogging. I’m figuring things out and I’m living in freedom, so I make no promises as to how often I’ll post and no apologies for the periods of time when I need to step away from the blogosphere to learn, process, grow, mourn, or just play for awhile.

The path I’m on is a bit rocky right now. That’s why I changed the picture at the top of the page. It was taken 4 weeks ago up on the Continental Divide by one of the girls who was here participating in our summer program for SEVENS. It’s a good reminder to me that rocky paths can lead me to and through beautiful places.  🙂

I leave you today with an old video of one of my new favorite singers, Francesca Battistelli.  I love the chorus of this song!  It’s what I’m doing…where I’m living…what I’m traversing…who I am trying to be…

I got a couple dents in my fender, got a couple rips in my jeans

Trying to fit the pieces together but perfection is my enemy

On my own I’m so clumsy, but on your shoulders I can see

I’m free to be me

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