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over the loss of who I used to be, the life I loved, the future I thought was guaranteed--a healthy, fully functioning body. I could be angry and dwell on the painful, permanent, chronic issues which will follow me through every moment for the rest of my life. I could, I could, I could.... I WON’T. It would be a lie to say I never experience these feelings; that I don’t have to fight them off almost daily. But, I choose to rely on God to fill these holes with joy, gratitude, and hope. I would have preferred to travel on the interstate, yet God placed me on a one-lane, slow moving, and winding, dangerous back country road. He is ABLE to instantly heal and answer every prayer in accordance with our desires. But, oh, how grateful I am that He is answering according to His will, HIS desire rather than my own. He’s granting me ample time to learn, grow, pray, listen, be still and discover who I’m meant to be. This is who I am according to the Great I AM. No matter what trials I must endure, I will delightfully choose to be me. Holding Your Dreams Close Jacque Clifton There are three dreams that I've had in my heart since I was a little girl. I have always wanted to be a wife, a mother, and a fashion designer. The first two dreams have come true and I was afraid they wouldn't. The third dream has yet to happen and I was tempted to fear that it might not. We hold our dreams so closely to our hearts. We often don't tell anyone what our dreams are because, to us, the dreams feel so fragile that they might shatter even by mentioning them. So we fold our dreams up and tuck them back into our hearts to keep them safe, to keep us safe. But God will not allow you to keep your dreams hidden. He will remind you of them again and again. You keep telling yourself it seems impossible. You don't have enough talent, experience, resources, knowledge, fill in the blank. But God does. Nothing is too hard for God. Jeremiah 32:27 (TLB, 2nd Edition) says, "I am the LORD, the God of all peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me?" If you had all the resources and everything you needed, it wouldn't require faith. "Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those that earnestly seek him" (Hebrews 11:6, NIV). Sometimes we are afraid to even ask for our dreams because they are that fragile. Dreams are so personal because they reveal our hearts. It's always interesting to me that right when I'm tempted to think I'm crazy for my dreams or tempted to give up on them, God speaks to me about them, gently encouraging me to keep asking; to keep seeking Him. God doesn't want me to give up, but guess who does? Don't let the enemy steal your God-given dreams. Don't let him talk you out of them. God says His people are to live by faith. So keep going. Keep asking. Keep seeking Him. Walk in the light as He is in the light. 1 John 1:7 5
With Each Step Kaci Nicole When we believe the lie that our seasons of struggle and brokenness will paint us as weak or lesser if known, we are held captive under the weight of shame and live in the continual fear of being exposed. On the contrary, when we are able to view these seasons through the lens of what God did through them, those same stories become stories of power, and we can live in the freedom to tell them boldly, knowing that they point, not to our shame, but to His glory. Three years ago, I found myself on the heels of one of these seasons. I’d spent the previous three years building a friendship with someone I envisioned a future with—a vision he led me to believe he shared. He loved Jesus and adventure, and he awakened in me a capacity for life I hadn’t before known. I developed a deep care for him, fell hard. Which is why, when he told me one day that he’d lost interest in me and found a new interest in the freshmen girl who lived across the hall from me in our college dorm, the wind was knocked from my chest. In an instant, the hopes and dreams I’d tied to him were ripped from me like a rug being pulled out from under my feet. The numbness began to fade after some time, but I was left feeling broken, faced with a long, drawnout, painful process including confusion, hurt, and frustration. Then, slowly, came understanding, insight, healing, and gratitude. However three years ago, still in that painful part, I found myself embarking on a new adventure—a semester of studying abroad in London. Before I began my time “studying” abroad in London (really, you just got to explore a new place every weekend and sleeplessly squeeze in the occasional 8-page paper), I had the opportunity to go backpacking through Italy and Greece for two weeks. A few days into the trip, some friends and I got to spend the day hiking through Cinque Terre, a gorgeous place composed of five villages along the rugged coast of the Italian Riviera. (Note: gorgeous doesn’t actually do it justice, but I couldn’t find a word that does). Numerous recommendations from friends and some googleimage-stalking preparation had easily made this the one destination I was most looking forward to while studying abroad. I’ll never forget the moment our train rolled in through the green, tree-covered mountains and under a brief tunnel, only to peel back suddenly and reveal our very first glimpse of the Mediterranean: rich blue in color, sparkling brilliantly, and extending for miles in all of its glory. I literally had to catch my breath. Jesus will one day remove our pain, and He also promises today, to use our pain. I’ll never forget the striped umbrellas spotting the sandy beaches, the colorful houses nestled in the green hills, the little jellyfish swimming in the clear blue waters below, the lush vineyards, or “The Chant”—the cheerful product of my travel group’s excitement at the beauty before us: “Cinque, Cinque, Cinque, Terre, throw your hands up in the air, then eat gelato everywhere! Cinque, Cinque, Cinque, Terre!” Yeah, we were a little weird. I’ll never forget my running jump into the Mediterranean, a refreshing, much needed break we took from our hike along the coast as the heat, lack of water, and sleep deprivation from traveling were starting to kick in. I can picture it all, even now. 6
Page 1 and 2: Issue 01 Fall 2016 Women of Light A
Page 3 and 4: It was underneath the juniper tree
Page 5 and 6: Table Talk Contents Radical........
Page 7 and 8: He wants you at His feet. He wants
Page 9: making. I am eagerly, painstakingly
Page 13 and 14: I wanted people to know the Jesus I
Page 15 and 16: of ALL of my hopes and dreams for K
Page 17 and 18: ... But it was clear to me in this
Page 19 and 20: Dolta Jo Morgan and The Buffalo Tre
Page 21 and 22: My brother Ryan….Ryan was special
Page 23 and 24: God allowed me to teach Pre-K where
Page 25 and 26: I now like to refer to as Holy Days
Page 27 and 28: entered my marriage. It was there I
Page 29 and 30: church. It was filled with men, wom
Page 31 and 32: Remember me not with mourning but w
Page 33 and 34: Kaci Nicole About Kaci: I’m a twe
Page 35 and 36: Glenda Pyzer Glenda lives with her
Page 37 and 38: Women of Light Seeking God Prayer J
Page 39: Seeking God: God, you are... Script

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