Where Does The Time GO ??

Can not believe that 12 days have passed since I logged on. When I was a little girl I was always wishing time would go faster, you know at Christmas or my Birthday. Could not wait to be 10 a big girl, a teenager, then 21. My Grandma used to say," Girl you wish your life away, the older you get the faster it goes." Well, now I know what Grandma was talking about, believe me from 50 on seems like a snap of the fingers and I am almost 66. Just caught myself today thinking I will be glad when next Wednesday gets here and I get the other cataract removed. It is very hard to thread a needle with one good and one not so good eye. I have 3 different projects started at the present, cutting blocks for a knotted comforter for one of the boys, a Crosstitch wall hanging for a grandchild and a small pres tamped wall hanging that needs hand quilted which I am going to keep for myself. WHY do I start so many at the same time. Then I am also reading a Christian fiction novel and studying the Boundaries book for Support Group. There are now 2 SG's, I started a new group last Thursday evening with 3 ladies, at least I can go back and dig out the Bible studies that I have finished with SG 1. Good News !! I have upcoming speaking engagements on the calendar with 2 of my target churches for support in 2009 for my Domestic Violence Program. The last time I spoke 2 ladies came up after the meeting and asked about the group meeting, they were no longer in a DV relationship, but after listening to me they realized they had unresolved issues. This prompted me to offer another group meeting as I feel the other group has a firm foundation towards becoming Survivor's. We also are already into the 3rd chapter of the Boundaries book which is intense and I felt not a good time to add new members.I just finished an article for the local papers in my area with testimonies of several of the women who have been in the group long enough to say they are no longer Victims, but now are Survivors. It amazes me that God chose me, someone with a not so pleasant past, with lots of wrong turns and foolish choices to help these women begin a new life. He truly is a loving and a forgiving God, it has been much harder for me to forgive myself for the pain and hurt that I inflicted on my children, because of my wayward life. So if you are out there reading this and you have a checkered past just ask forgiveness, He stand at the door of your heart waiting for you to open the door and invite him in. God is so GOOD and He has surely been GOOD to me. I am adding the testimonies of the SG women to this posting believing they will encourage you to know that God looks at the heart and He sees our desire to have a lifestyle that is a wittiness to His power and glory. Survivor # 1  The biggest effect on my life has been that I have friends who hold me accountable to make changes in my life. Sometimes those changes aren't comfortable and sometimes they bring up issues from the past you have to deal with. What I like about the group is that we lift each other up. I've seen women come who are feeling so bad about themselves and after some time they become very positive and have set goals for themselves (something they probably had not done before). I know I can share my problems, that other people have been there. We look to God for solutions in His word. His Word is always the best place to get advice. Sometimes our problems have nothing to do with domestic violence but to other issues such as bad health. You know when you are part of this group that people are always concerned about how you are and lift you up. It's very important to me! Survivor # 2 I am 37 years old and have been married for 3 and a half years. As like my other relationships there were problems. At some point, I think you have to start looking at yourself instead of thinking the problem is all your spouse's. In 2007, I saw an ad in the paper about a support group that was faith based, I made a call and met the most amazing lady ever, Norma Threet. I met and started going to group meetings. My marriage was falling apart. I wanted to do everything I could to keep us together. I wanted to be the wife that God wanted me to be. I also met one on one with Norma and my marriage is 100 percent better. My life has changed because I made a choice to make changes. I have grown in the word of God through the guidance Norma gave me. I have learned to look at situations in a different way, which has made me and my spouse grow closer, we now pray together. Prayer is powerful! I thank you Norma and all the ladies in the group for all of the support. I have now moved to another state and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of you all. I can still at anytime call Norma and she is there to guide me and pray with me. I will never be able to thank Norma enough for helping me to make a better life for myself and my family. Always be open-minded and be willing to accept what God has in or you. Survivor # 3 I came to Texas in 2007 and went to the Lord's Pantry and asked if they new anyone that dealt with domestic violence. I was given Norma Threet's number.and the rest is history. She has been a support for me through it all. I could reach her any time day or night. Even if I didn't reach her and didn't leave a voice mail she would call me back. She has been like a mother to me, she is straight forward and honest. She knows most of the laws and what she doesn't know she has the resources through the Domestic Violence Program to find out. Coming from such a dysfunctional background it was nice having someone that had been through something similar to me. Someone to talk to who understood. Norma doesn't sugar coat anything, if your willing to work at change, she will be there every step of the way. I don't know what I would have done without the Support Group and Norma Threet. Survivor # 4 Why does anyone stay in an abusive relationship? I can only speak from my own experience. I didn't know. I had the right to say “NO” and mean it. I didn't know that demeaning statements about and to me was abuse and would also affect my children. I didn't know I could separate myself from his lifestyle and associate with my own family, not always with his family. This kind of abuse happens to men as well as to women. These are sure signs of immaturity. I was raised in a religious home in an age where “children were seen and not heard.” No TV, no movies, no dances, no jeans, and no boys. It was taboo to speak of sex and worldly things. Children in our family were rightly taught to remain pure until married. Because I rebelled as a teenager and didn’t listen, I thought the right thing to do was to marry. It wasn’t, our LORD is a forgiving God. The Creator made us in his likeness that we might have freedom of choice to live in His purpose. My husband never hit me, but his disrespect in words and actions that hurt just as bad and as long as a hit with his fist,only inwards. It took years of anger and many painful separations for our family before I could get help. Abuse hurts the whole family, especially the children. It was with the support and encouragement of support group meetings,we finally found a way to “meet in the middle” and respect each other. Sometimes, it takes a third party to intercede through prayer to find God’s purpose for our lives. We appreciate the Leon County Domestic Violence Advocates prayers and help to find God’s plan for our lives. Truth is, a person can claim to be Christian all their life; do everything possible to live in his Will, but still be away from His purpose for their lives. Don’t be dismayed, prayer changes things,there is help available. God’s Word says:Bear one another’s burdens,and so fulfill the law of Christ. Survivor # 5 I made many wrong choices throughout my life, including choosing the wrong partner. I ended up in a verbal, mental, and emotionally abusive relationship. My wrong thinking and bad self esteem had me convinced that all our "problems" were my fault. I suffered and so did my children. Only after attending the LCDVA support group did I see things differently. Because the focus is on the Lord and how He sees you, my life has changed, but it was a process. I no longer live in fear and intimidation. The Lord did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. I am no longer a victim and learned that having a "victim mentality" can keep you in that role throughout your life. God has made us more than conquerors. The support group is just that; support during times of doubt and knowing that you're not the only one. There are people that have been there and understand. It was and still is nice to know there's a place of comfort and counsel especially from a Biblical perspective.