Cathy's Heart

On a recent flight to Chicago, I grew alarmed when the fasten seatbelt sign came on, and the pilot announced, "Well folks, we've hit a little bit of unexpected turbulence. I've turned on the fasten seatbelt sign. Please stay seated with your seat-belts securely fastened until we pass through this rough patch." Rough patch, I thought, even the flight attendants had to take their seats. I squeezed the armrests, closed my eyes, and begged God to keep us safe. "Lord," I pleaded, as I did each time I flew, "Please make the shaking stop. Give us smooth air currents to fly through and get us there safely."   Fear has always been my worst enemy, and I could sense it's icey talons gripping my heart while our plane tossed about like a tiny paper airplane up in the vast blue sky. My litany of prayers for a smooth flight and calm air streams seemed to bounce off the ceiling. So, I decided to meditate on Bible verses I had stored up in my heart. I clung to ...

Maria's Story (part 2) While Jesus was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean." And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, "I will; be clean." And immediately the leprosy left him. Luke 5:12-13 I caught a glimpse of her petite frame out of the corner of my eye. My red car rolled to a stop, as I helplessly watched Maria, my homeless neighbor, struggle to push the cart filled with all her earthly possessions across the street. Once again the rubber on the front wheels was nearly worn off, exposing the metal beneath. It was the end of a long day and I was anxious to get home. Instead, I turned around and headed to a nearby store. As I drove away, I quietly prayed, "Lord Jesus, please take care of Maria." (Click Maria's name to read Part 1) My heart ached all the way to the store to buy a new cart. Lord, how else can I ...

Taking Every Thought Captive I used to be a runner. Not a runner like my friend, Jennifer, who just completed her 5th Boston Marathon. No, I ran from situations that were difficult, unpleasant or painful. Or, at least, I imagined I could runaway from them. When I was a little girl, I pretended to runaway. My mom would put my lunch in a brown paper bag and away I would go for a daylong adventure. We lived in a small town, in a safe community and I was always home before dark. When I was a teenager, I kept a change of clothes in a small cream-colored suitcase just inside my closet door. If I was unhappy about the way things were going at home, my bag was packed and ready for my well-thought-out getaway. However, I never had the courage to actually make a run for it. Instead, I ran and hid in my small, walk-in closet. There, I sat on my overnight bag and cried until that day's storm passed. Then, I grew up, got married and became a mom. To my surprise, there were still times when I wa...

Taking Every Thought Captive I used to be a runner. Not a runner like my friend, Jennifer, who just completed her 5th Boston Marathon. No, I ran from situations that were difficult, unpleasant or painful. Or, at least, I imagined I could runaway from them. When I was a little girl, I pretended to runaway. My mom would put my lunch in a brown paper bag and away I would go for a daylong adventure. We lived in a small town, in a safe community and I was always home before dark. When I was a teenager, I kept a change of clothes in a small cream-colored suitcase just inside my closet door. If I was unhappy about the way things were going at home, my bag was packed and ready for my well-thought-out getaway. However, I never had the courage to actually make a run for it. Instead, I ran and hid in my small, walk-in closet. There, I sat on my overnight bag and cried until that day's storm passed. Then, I grew up, got married and became a mom. To my surprise, there were still times when I wa...

Twenty years ago, just a couple of years before Stormie Omartian published her wonderful books,  The Power of a Praying Parent  and  The Power of a Praying Wife ,  the Lord was also graciously teaching a young, overwhelmed and tired mommy in southern California about the power of praying God's Word. In times of need, I always loved to find the perfect Bible verse to turn into a prayer.  Like, when my firstborn was little and began to have bad dreams. We memorized Psalm 4:8. I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. Then, it became our prayer each night. Soon after our fourth child arrived, my husband and I moved with our four small children, away from family and friends, to a new city so we could answer God's call for him to attend law school. Once there, fears assaulted me each night. In desperation, I slowly memorized Psalm 91. It became my prayer during the long dark nights as I cried out for God to deliver me from th...

I hoisted my carry-on bag into the overhead compartment, shoved my purse under the chair in front of me, and settled into my assigned seat. I fastened my seat belt, before checking Facebook and my email one last time. I went to power down my phone, but, suddenly, remembered one last detail. Quickly, I opened the Notes application on my iPhone, hit the plus sign for a new note and typed in,   Life Without Regrets . Then I turned it off, leaned my head back, and closed my eyes as the airplane taxied down the runway and lifted up into the sky. Lord, what are You trying to tell me?  I couldn't shake the phrase that greeted me earlier that morning. The flight attendant's voice interrupted my thoughts, "What would you like to drink?" "Decaf coffee with two creams, please," I said. Then I turned my attention to the young woman seated beside me, who I proceeded to visit with for the rest of the flight. My trip was a whirlwind. The words I hastily typed into my phon...

Calling Sin "Sin" "Sugar is to you is like alcohol to an alcoholic. You must not eat it." The words resounded in my head as I lay in bed, my eyes not yet open but my mind wide awake. I didn't need to ask, "Lord, is that you?" I knew it was God speaking to me! I knew, first, because I never would have come up with that thought on my own. And second, because God had been trying to tell me a similar message for at least two years. That was twenty-years ago. And, as much as I hate to admit, it was only two years ago, this very week, that I finally and fully obeyed God's clear command to me. It all began twenty-two years ago, after my husband and I moved with our four small children to California. After we settled into our new home and a new routine, I started to feel awful. My joints ached, I had mood swings brought on by low blood sugar, and I was exhausted all the time. The doctor ran tests, but couldn't find any medical reason for my symptoms. S...