Goodbyes and Hellos

Good morning, Ladies! I'm headed home from Montana today. Yikes, it seems like I've been away forever. I love going back to Tennessee and my family and my dogs and my kitty and my lake and my life there. But good-byes are are hard for me and always have been. Tears are guaranteed when I have to hug someone and say, "I'll miss you --" like the sister-in-Christ you see here, who has shared Bozeman, Montana with me. Like I had to with old friends and new when I left the Castle and when I boarded the plane in Colorado Springs for my adventure at the sheep ranch. There's a line in a song I love called "Life is a Church" by Marcus Hummon, that talks about going to a funeral with his son: "My little boy asks me, 'Does good-bye always hurt?'"

For me, it usually does.

And then that hurt turns to sweet memories and then to a deep gratitude that I know such people and have had such experiences with them and that now I'm changed because I've been in their presence.

Presence.

That brings us back to the subject we all shared so deeply before I left home. The presence of God and what that looks like. We've talked about what it sounds like and how it's transmitted through the cloud of witnesses that surrounds us and supports us and keeps us from making complete morons out of ourselves. We've discussed where it makes itself known most vividly. 

And here we are, at the end of the journey you've taken with me these last two weeks. We're in the presence of God and one another. It feels warm and safe. But as Alisha has shown us, it isn't only about what we feel but what we know. SO  . . . 

If you want to comment today, tell us what you now KNOW about the presence of God in your life. I'll tell you what I know.  I know that YOU are the body of Christ.

 

Blessings,

Nancy Rue       

Comments

[LAURAJANE]

I know that the presence of God in my life is getting stronger. Yesterday, my grandma was phone scammed. Last night, I prayed that she would get her money back, or at least part of it. Today, we learned that she is going to get it back. My whole family has been praising the Lord. I know that He answered my pray.

Please pray for me. I am in a 4-h horse club. We have meetings every Tuesday. Some man came to help out and he keeps zeroing in on me and my horse. He has made me cry numerous times because of his harshness. He pulled my horse into the trailer, jerked her head, and hit her hard and now she freaks out whenever we go by the trailer. My parents have asked him to stop just focusing on me and Flower (my horse) and everything else, but he won't stop.

ilylwsbwa
laura

[♫♥Lexi♥♫]

LauraJane, I will definitely be praying for you!
What I know about the presence of God in my life is that He will never leave my side, no matter what. Even when I turn away from Him, He's always patiently waiting for me to come back to Him. God is always holding on to me. He is with me through all my ups and downs. I know God is ever-present in my life!
♥Love y'all!♥

[Kate S (is the s necessary any longer?)]

on your website, there is no teen page anymore. :(
I know because I have had experiences (not anything like speaking in tongues, but I know he's here- he's talked to me and showed me passages) that demonstrated his goodness, love, and mercy. He;s also given me people.

[Bethan]

When I feel the presence of God in my life, I feel a peace, calmness, unceasing joy and contentment even if circumstances haven't changed, that I can't feel otherwise... :) Do any of ya'll have certain places or situations where you seem to feel God's presence more? Mine are when I'm surrounded by nature, when I'm playing with children, and when I'm in a situation where everyone feels like they can be reaaalllyyy themselves, and because of that they usually end up going a little crazy.. :D Once I was on this crowded bus after a traditional summer music festival and everyone started singing these really beautiful old songs together... it was the most beautiful thing I've ever been a part of, I always remember that as being the closest thing to heaven on earth I've found so far... :)
Hope ya'll are doing well... :)

[May]

I feel really close to God while I'm at church or when I'm praying at night. I feel really calm and happy. Also when I listen to Chirstian music!

[mimi]

hey girls,
sorry ive been posting kinda rarely, life is really crazy right now...
Some things about God's presence that I know, is that
he's always there for me even when I dont "feel" him.
He's there in my ups and downs.
He comforts me, wraps me in his love and I can just sense this calm feeling.
gives me peace
i really sense His presence when I'm listening to some sweet soaking/worship music.

could you girls pray for me please? I'm kinda feeling down lately, trying to figure out this school decision I need to make, and I'm kinda feeling distant from God. Its been kinda tough and I could use some prayer.

[Wren]

Hi Girls!
I just wanted to let you all know I'm still here, and working through the blog posts and other things with you! I just haven't had the time to comment these past few weeks! Also, I wanted to ask you for your prayers. I'm not sure if you've heard, but Colorado Springs (where Glen Eyrie is) has made national news because a fire has come down from the foothills and is now threatening the city. I've had friends who have been evacuated. The smoke is incredible and making it hard to breathe. It's just surreal. Please, pray for all involved...the evacuees, the firefighters, and those who have lost their homes.
Love,
Wren

[Chelsea]

I echo Wren's request for prayers...my cousins live on the west side of Colorado Springs, 10 minutes from the Castle, and they are on vacation right now. My other cousins and I had to evacuate their house for them...it was hard trying to guess what to grab, what would be valuable for them. "Jesus, bring the rain!"

~Chels

[Alisha]

Hey girls,
there's been a lot going on here, but I thought I would just give you guys a brief rundown of everything and ask you to pray.
One of the major things that's been happening is that my medical pump (Which keeps me alive!) isn't working. It is beeping constantly! Besides being very very annoying, it is also keeping me, and my parents, up all night. As of today I haven't slept in 2 days. I am exhausted.
Also, I'm heading to the doctor on the 9th of July. We're taking a week long vacation before hand (Leaving on Sunday) and we'll end our trip with me seeing the specialist. I haven't told many people about it, but I just want you guys to know so you can pray.
So I'm asking for prayer for that as well, that I would get a good report and that i would be able to keep my nerves in check and actually be able to enjoy our vacation. Also, for my pump, and that I would actually be able to get some sleep and that it would work! Last night (As it beeped like crazy) I was literally in tears and I just said, "God, even the wind and the waves obey you. You can heal the blind man, the lame man and raise a man from the dead. Please, make this stop beeping and give me rest." (FYI, it did stop beeping after that! That prayer was uttered at 2am)
So, if you can, please keep me in your prayers. I'll update you all when I get home

[Abby:)]

Definitely praying Alisha!!! It's so cool how God answered your prayer and made it stop beeping ;)

[Nicole]

Praying for you, Alisha! That is great that it stopped beeping! Wow, I can't imagine how annoying that must have been.

Wren and Chelsea, I am definitely praying for the people in CO, the firefighters - and also for everyone involved in the many other fires going on in states like Utah, Wyoming, etc. I read somewhere this morning that out of "roughly 15,000 firefighting personnel nationwide, more than 8,800 have been deployed." Wow.

Mimi, praying for you, too!! School decisions are tough - and I know what you mean about feeling distant from God. Also praying for you, LauraJane - that sounds kinda scary. :P Hope that guy cuts it out!

For me...I know that God's Presence is constant and faithful and He will always love me even when I'm not loving myself. I know that, in His steadfastness, I'm also learning new things about Him - He's always showing me all His different sides, and I just need to be willing to listen and learn.

[Joy :)]

Hey everyone! I haven't been on here in SO long so I doubt if anyone remembers me.

What I know about the presence of God is that it's AWESOME and it's sort of like a big warm fluffy blanket that just wraps around me and dries up all my tears and comforts me when I'm sad. The other day, I was feeling sort of down because I just didn't feel God anymore like I used to. And I so wanted to. But He just sort of vanished, I thought. Then, later on as I was listening to my mp3 player, the song In Christ Alone (a hymn) came on and as I was listening to it, I felt the presence of God again, I felt His love pouring down on me...it was so wonderful! I almost cried, it was so beautiful, so comforting, so...God.

LauraJane: I'll pray for the man in your 4-h club that he will stop doing what he's doing to you and your horse. And I'm sorry about ur grandma getting scammed but thank God that ur grandma is getting her money back! A few years ago my grandma was scammed on the phone too, and she loves to talk, so she told the man everything...and I mean EVERYTHING. I was younger then so I don't remember what happened. Please pray for my grandma though that I live with because she's dying, her cancer spread, and I'll be like even more sad than I already always am.

mimi: I'll pray for you too. I've been feeling really down lately too, and I also have to make a school decision, of which high school to go to next year (I'll be a freshman...wow time goes by FAST). Sometimes I feel really distant from God too, and I have no clue if He's actually there, but I think He allows me to feel like that sometimes so that I learn to trust Him. You'll be in my prayers. :) Pray for me too.

Wren: Wow I'll totally pray! I would SO freak out if I were you! You and your friends and the whole city are totally in my prayers girl!

Chelsea: wow I'll SO pray for all your counsins!

Alisha: Wow I will tottally pray for you and your medical pump!! And I will pray that you will enjoy your vacation! I can't imagine how hard that would be, having that thing beeping all the time and not being able to sleep, I would SO hate that! I'll also pray that God will heal you so you don't even need that machine! :) "By His stripes, you are healed..." (Somewhere around 1 Peter 2:24)

Please pray for me too everyone, just that God will give me joy (I mean, that IS my name...yet I seem to have none), help me stay strong, and keep holdin on. And never to give up, on myself, or on God.

Thanks everyone!
~Joy

[Joy :)]

Oh, I forgot to say in the other comment, Thank you Mrs. Rue for the email you sent me, that was SOOOOO encouraging and uplifting :) Thank you so much.
~Joy

[Abby:)]

Joy - you're the same Joy from the tween blog, right? :D :D

[Joy:)]

Abby, Yuppz:) Unless there's another Joy there now, I'm the one. I commented on the teen blog instead of that one because they're talking about siblings and I'm an only child. :P

[Abby:)]

Joy - YAAAAAYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!! We missed you and have been praying for you!!!!!!!!! Since I'm also an only child I haven't commented on the tween blog in a few posts either, but you should leave a quick comment to say hi :D :D

[Kamilah]

mimi- I agree with Nicole, school decisions are tough; I'll definatly be praying!
Alisha- I'll pray for your pump, that you get a good vacation, and that you get some sleep!
Wren and Chelsea- I'll pray for you and the people you love and the city!!
What I know about the presence of God in my life is that he will NEVER leave, as many times as I've walked out on him he has always been there. Like it says in Hebrews 13:5
Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be satisfied with what you have. God has said, "I will never leave you; I will never abandon you."
I'm soo sorry I haven't been on in a while! I'm just so busy with diving! :(
Could you pray fo rme too ladies? I recently got an MRI done on my knee and they think I might've tore my meniscus, also I broke my toe a while ago and it never healed correctly.
Thank you
Praying!
Kamilah

[Destini4Told]

Hey gals. I have officially outgrown the Lily series, and therefore am officially going to start reading this blog. :P Btw, I LOVE the Real Life series Mrs. Rue!! Can everybody tell me all their names? Nice meeting you all. :3

[Abby:)]

Hi Destini4Told!!! You know me from the tween blog, I'm currently doing both blogs. It's great to see you here! :D

[Kamilah]

Welcome to the teen blog Destini4Told!!! I hope you like it here!

[Joy:)]

Welcome Destini4told! Love your name! I do the tween blog too btw.

[Destini4Told]

Thank you all. :3 I think I will. I like my name too! Lol!! ;)

[Sarah Elizabeth]

Hey ladies! Sorry it's been a while since I've commented. I've been keeping up with the posts and other comments, though!

Update on my grandfather: He got to eat real food the other day!! He actually swallowed it! :D It was pureed, of course, but still! He's not allowed to eat a ton but he's been eating like five bites whenever his therapist comes (which is four days a week). Sometimes my grandmother will let him eat a little even if the therapist isn't there. But so far so good - he hasn't choked on any of it. Just keep praying that he gets completely healed.
For those who don't know, my grandfather had surgery on his throat/spine in December and the doctors damaged a nerve during the procedure.. Because of that, he hasn't been able to swallow or eat anything. He's been on feeding tube for the past seven months. So it's really exciting that he can manage to eat, even if it is just a little.

Welcome the blog, Destini! And welcome back, Joy and Kamilah!

Praying for you all!! <3

[Lexi]

Welcome to the blog, Destini! You will love it here! Great to have you back, Joy and Kamilah!
Alisha, i'm praying for you! That is great that your pump stopped beeping!
Sarah Elizabeth,I'm praying for your grandfather! Glad he is doing better!
Could you all please pray for my grandmother? She is having an aneurysm removed tomorrow. It is a pretty big surgery. Thanks!

[Joy]

Prayer request: im sick and ive been puking all day, i feel pretty miserable, pray that God will help me feel better and also maybe that He'd help me tell my mom this one secret ive been hiding that i dont think i can hide much longer.
Thank u
Praying everyone!
~Joy

[Melody]

Hey girls, its been a bit since I've commented, but I just wanted to ask for prayer. I've been feeling really...defeated recently. It's hard to explain, but prayer would be really appreciated. Thanks girls <3

[Joy ;D]

Praying Melody!!!!

[Sarah Elizabeth]

Lexi - How's your grandmother doing? I've been praying for her and your family all day. Trust God... He will give you peace!

Joy - Aww, are you okay? Praying for you!

Melody - Girl, you have been created by God for a super special purpose. Don't believe anything or anyone that tells you otherwise! Love you and definitely praying!! :)

[Snappy]

Hi! I'm new here! Kind of... Well, see I'm actually from the tween blog, but, you could say I'm moving up! It'll be nice to get to know you girlies, just like I've gotten to know the girlies on the tween blog! :)

Now about this topic...

When I feel God's presence, I feel fully at peace. Either that, or completely guilty. Sometimes when I feel God's presence, I feel completely overwhelmed! Like just last week at our Missions Camp, the man asked everyone who's not afraid of proclaiming their faith to come down to the alter and worship God. I got up, and when I was down there, I just started to cry, and stuff like that doesn't happen to me very often! It felt good.

@ Joy:

Oh wow! That must be terrible. I'm so sorry!!! I know this is random, but whenever I have a stomach ache (and I have them a lot!), I take a little bit of salt, and lick it off my fingers. Either that or have a small glass of soda. Either way, it makes my stomach calm down. I don't know if that would work to well when you're actually like, puking sick... But you could try it!

###Snappy###

[Sarah Elizabeth]

Welcome to the In Real Life blog, Snappy! :)

Another update on my grandfather - He ate a couple bites of non-pureed food today!! :D It wasn't much and there's still a long way to go but hey, he's obviously improving. Thanks for the prayers!

My family and I are leaving tomorrow to visit a very close family friend. She's been in the hospital for quite a few months now. The doctors said it's really not looking good right now - they said just about two weeks... maybe not even that long...and she... Oh, this is SO hard. Please, please be praying for her and her husband (they don't have any children... they just 'adopted' my siblings and me). They are Christians so that's good. But it's still incredibly hard.

[Kindal]

Praying for ya girls! :)

[Abby:)]

Hi Snappy!! :)

Praying for you Sarah Elizabeth!!! I'm so sorry :( :(

[Emii]

Um... where've I been?! Seems like a world ago that I was here last! Nancy, I think you're a bit of a traveler. Yeah, I know, I'm so observant. ;)

[Sarah Elizabeth]

One of my favorite people is now in heaven with the Lord... Please keep praying for her husband. He obviously has a peace about the whole situation but I know it has to be hard. Love you, girls. Thanks for all the prayers.

[Crystal]

Hello ladies,

I just heard from Nancy, who is thinking about all of you. She is okay, but a few unexpected things have gotten in the way of her schedule. She hopes to get back to posting for you very soon. In the meantime, I know that she will be so proud of you (as I am) for taking such good care of each other. Please continue to pray for each other, and for Nancy too.

Crystal

[LAURAJANE]

Prayer request for my grandma. She is very sick and has fell multiple times. She is now at the hospital and we are waiting to hear news. Also please pray for my mom as she is struggling with what decision to make.

ilylwsbwa
laura

[Nicole]

Thanks for checking in, Crystal, and letting us know how Mrs. Rue is doing - I'll be praying! Can't wait to hear from her.

Welcome to all the new girls, Snappy and Destini and others! :) Sorry, a little behind on names and such. :P I know you'll all enjoy it here!! Oh, and great to hear from some girls who we haven't heard from in a bit! :)

Oh, Laura, I'm sorry...I'll definitely be praying for your grandma, and for your mom to make this tough decision.

Sarah Elizabeth, as I've said, I'm praying for you, my sweet sister in Christ. <3

And I'll continue praying for all of you - Lexi, Melody, Joy, Alisha, Mimi, and others - for the tough things you all are going through. Updates, perhaps? On grandmothers and fires and trips to the doctor and, really, just life. I'd love to hear from you girlies! Blessings to all!

[Snappy]

Thanks Crystal!

@ Sarah Elizabeth- That has to be hard. I'll definitely be praying, whenever I think about it.

@ Prayer- If you could please just pray for my brother right now.... He's living on his own. He has stopped going to church, and that has really been bothering all of us. He's overly sarcastic, lazy, spends his life on his computer all the time, and now skips church. He lives with a 30 year old lazy bum in his apartment, which really worries me. I don't think he's unsaved (although that's really up to God), since he used to be a very strong believer, but ever since he got his own laptop, he's been drifting away. I think he's just... just lost, is all. But I don't want him to continue on this path, and maybe get into other bad things such as... smoking, drugs, women... The list could go on and on. If you could just please, please, please pray! I don't know what's going on with him!!

Erp... Sorry, I'm rambling again.

On a happier note, thank ye girlies for welcoming me!

~Snappy~

[*Rachel*]

Oh, Sarah Elizabeth - I'm so, so sorry girlie. My heart and my prayers go out to you and your family and friends - Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 <3
Laura - Praying for your grandmother and your mom, that must be so hard. Praying for you too; I know this must be taking a toll on you; lean on God for your strength, and know we're here for you :)
Snappy, I'm praying for your brother as well - I kinda know how you feel, my younger brother has been spending more and more time on the computer, and I miss having him fully present all the time.
Crystal - thanks so much for the update! Let her know we're all praying for her (and you too) :)
And I'd like to echo Nicole - I know I've been absent from commenting for a bit, but I have been reading all of your girls' posts and praying - and I'd love to hear updates on how everything's working out for everyone. Maybe that would be a good way to use our comments while Mrs. Rue is away for a bit? Everyone could give us a little peek into how their day-to-day is looking right now, and we can all pray together, maybe even just 5 minutes every night to offer each other's struggles up? Just a thought :)
I'll start with mine: Recently, I've been feeling a bit distant from God. It's like I'm not quite sure how to approach Him in prayer, like I'm afraid I'm not being sincere enough or that I'm not doing it "right". He's teaching me and being patient with me, I'm just being worried and a perfectionist and a bit of a coward. I'm not giving up, though, and I know He won't abandon me. Also, on an exciting note, I'm leaving for my second college soccer clinic this weekend! I'm a bit nervous but really excited, especially since I really like the school!
Welcome welcome welcome to Snappy and Destini and Kindal and all the new girlies, and an equal welcome back to Emii, Melody, Kamilah, Joy, Wren, and Mimi. It's great to have you all here! Praying for all you girlies, and excited to hear from you all!

Love and Blessings,
*Rachel*

[Alisha]

Fine! You all convinced me to give y'all an update, even though I'm not really in the mood for talking...
The trip to the doctor's could have gone better. Basically I got the news that I have brain damage - most likely an effect of the coma I was in 4 years ago. It's possible it's an area of my brain that has died, scar tissue or a brain tumor. We won't know for sure until we do the MRI, which hopefully will be sometime in these next couple months.
I'm experiencing a lot of emotions right now, which is one of the reasons I don't want to talk about it right now. I've been doing a lot of writing, which is helping a little. For the most part, I'm ok with it. When God promises a peace that passes all understanding, he really does mean it!
I do feel a fair amount of relief, like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders because now we know - we know it's something wrong with my brain, whether that's a tumor or an area that has died. I was reading the story of God rescuing the Isrealites today, and it resonated with me so much. I was wondering around in the desert, asking and whining and doubting and complaining and whatever. I almost wondered if God had forgotten about His promise to deliver me. But now, as I stand here and look back, I'm realizing God never forgets the promises He has made, and deliverance has come. His timing is always perfect, and He has a plan for me, even now.
In a way, hearing this news is like seeing for the first time. In an email, I explained it as when I got my glasses. It wasn't green blobs anymore, but leaves! It's like that now, as more pieces are falling into place and the picture is becoming more focused.
Please keep praying, as I continue to sort out these emotions and as we wait for the MRI to tell me what exactly this is. I'll update when I can

[Snappy]

@ Alisha- I will certainly be praying! And don't you worry about a thing. God will totally take care of you, girl!!!!! :D

@ Rachel- It is hard! Thank-you for the prayers, though! :)

[Joy ;D]

Thank u to everyone who prayed for my stomach! It got better! :D