In an age of distraction, your future depends on your ability to pay attention to the present.  So, the question to ask is: How can I live more in the moment?  Moments are often crowded by self-consciousness and anxiety, so the biggest step is to just breathe and let yourself begin to relax. 

Life happens in the present, but we let the present slip away.  Time passes by wasted while we worry about the future.  In a world where everyone is always busy, there is no time for stillness.  People dwell on the pain from the past and are anxious about what may happen in the future.

Our thoughts control us when we should be controlling our thoughts.  In other words, we should bring our thoughts more into awareness and focus more on being instead of just doing.  Living in the moment is actively giving intentional attention to the present.  It is becoming an observer of your thoughts resulting in experiencing more of your life instead of just living it.  This mindfulness actually lowers stress, improves the immune system, decreases chronic pain, and lowers blood pressure.  People who are more mindful tend to be happier, more empathetic, more secure, and have higher self-esteem.  Developing a greater sense of awareness in the here and now serves to reduce impulsivity and reactivity, which are huge factors in depression, binge eating, and attention problems.  It also helps people receive negative feedback without feeling threatened.  Therefore, they tend to be less defensive and fight less with their spouses, which results in more satisfying relationships.

Moving past distractions and living in the moment requires intentionality and practice.  My next blog will include information on 6 steps to help you live in the moment.

For example, many different addictions begin by people attempting to soothe their pain.  However, these addictions also result in altering their mood, which often leads to more difficulties.  My approach to counseling is to look for the underlying, deeper issues within my clients.  I do not view changing external behavior as a sufficient goal. Within most people, there are very painful realities deep within their heart that is driving their unhealthy behavior. 

I believe the best way to help my clients experience true freedom and healing is to help them explore and process their underlying feelings and thoughts in a safe environment.  Approaches that just treat symptoms are equivalent to putting a band aid on a serious injury.  Although it can be painful, I think it is so much healthier for people to face the source of their difficulty.  This pain often stems from past wounds or pain involving one’s family of origin that links to pain in the present. 

Sometimes acknowledging or confessing fear, anger, hatred, loneliness, sadness or desire and processing these feelings will free someone from his or her defenses.  In other cases, insight and restructuring one’s thinking and distortions can bring change.  In other words, it can be very helpful for people to change the lens through which they see themselves and the people around them.  All of this is not to say that a person’s external behavior is not important as well.  I just feel that in most cases it is best to begin with changing the internal before simply confronting one’s behavior and choices.  I see great value in having a balanced approach that looks at both the internal and external behaviors.

Many international studies show that married people on average report fewer signs of psychological distress and higher rates of emotional well-being than do unmarried or divorced individuals. In fact, a ten-year study that followed 14,000 American adults found marital status to be one of the most important predictors of happiness. Married Americans were more than twice as likely as divorced, separated, never-married, and widowed Americans to report being very happy with life in general. Reports also show that just 7 percent of married Americans say they are “not too happy” with life in general, compared to 13 percent of singles, 18 percent of the divorced, and 27 percent of those currently separated. Another study that looked at emotional health among Americans in their fifties and early sixties found that just 17 percent of older wives and 14 percent of older husbands characterized their emotional health as fair or poor, compared to 28 percent of unmarried older women and 27 percent of unmarried older men.

When it comes to protecting emotional health, cohabitation is not the functional equivalent of marriage.  Instead, international research suggests that cohabitors more closely resemble single individuals in their mental health profiles.

Married men and women report fewer symptoms of mental illness and psychological distress than do similar individuals who are not married because marriage itself appears to boost mental health. Remaining unmarried or getting divorced seems to result, on average, in a deterioration in mental well-being.

Divorce doubles the risk that children will experience serious psychological problems later in life, even after controlling for pre-divorce characteristics. An extensive study done in Sweden found that children raised in single-parent families were 56 percent more likely as an adult to show signs of mental illness than children from intact married homes. Two other studies done in Australia found that the children of divorce in their sample were significantly more likely to suffer from mental illness, addictions, and thoughts of suicide.

The results of another important British study that followed more than 11,000 children from birth through age 33 indicate that divorce itself has further negative effects, and that children and teens who experience parental divorce are more likely to have adverse mental health effects even into their twenties and thirties. A study of 534 Iowa families found that divorce increased the risk of depression in children. Part of the negative effect of divorce on children’s risk of depression stemmed from the impact of divorce on mothers’ and fathers’ parenting skills. However, even when mothers and fathers remained involved and supportive and did not engage in conflict post-divorce, boys whose parents divorced were at increased risk for depression.

On average, remarriage does not improve the psychological well-being of children, and children of cohabiting couples show poorer emotional health than children in married, two-parent families.  In fact, their emotional health closely resembles children in remarried and single-parent families. There is some evidence that the psychological effects of divorce differ depending on the level of conflict between parents prior to the divorce, and very different results are often found when the marital conflict is high and sustained. However, when marital conflict is low, studies agree that children suffer psychologically from divorce. Currently, about two-thirds of American divorces are occurring among low-conflict couples.

High rates of family fragmentation are strongly linked to an increased risk of suicide among both adults and children. One study of 80,000 suicides in the United States found that widowed and divorced people were about three times as likely to commit suicide as married people. Overall, married men are only half as likely as single men, and one-third as likely as divorced men, to take their own life. Widowers face about the same suicide risk as the divorced, except for younger widowers, who face sharply elevated rates. They are up to nine times more likely than married men to commit suicide.  Married women were also substantially less likely to commit suicide than divorced, widowed or never married women.

In the last half-century, suicide rates among adolescents and young adults have tripled. According to an important study by David Cutler, Edward Glaeser, and Karen Norberg, the most important explanatory variable is the increasing number of youth living in homes with a divorced parent, which represents as much as two-thirds of the increase in youth suicides over time.

Longitudinal research from the Monitoring the Future study confirms that when young men and women marry they typically adopt healthier lifestyles, which includes smoking less, drinking less, and using illegal drugs less.  On the other hand, individuals who simply cohabit show no reduction in their tobacco or illegal drug use and do not reduce their alcohol consumption to the same degree as newly married couples.

Single men drink almost twice as much as married men of the same age. A recent national survey reported that one out of four young single men (ages 19 to 26) say their drinking causes them problems at work or problems with aggression, compared to about one in seven married men the same age.  Divorced and widowed men also show substantially more problems with alcohol than similarly aged married men.

One way in which marriage protects children’s well-being is by protecting mothers’ well-being.  Maternal depression is both a serious mental health problem for women and a serious risk factor for children. Mothers who are not married face substantially higher risks of depression. One study of 2,300 urban parents of preschoolers, found the risk of depression to be substantially greater for unmarried than married people.

Marriage protects the mental health of adults and children in many ways.  Married people on average have better physical health and experience less economic hardship, which reduces many sources of stress that lead to psychological problems.  Married people also have a constant source of social support, and using one’s spouse to talk over problems boosts mental health and personal well-being in a variety of ways. The public, permanent commitment that married people have made to one another through sickness and health and in good times and bad also contributes to mental health and emotional well-being.  The help of a spouse is unique and can not be completely replaced by friends, parents, or the community in times of need.  Thus, marriages should be fought for and valued and marriage counseling is a great tool to assist couples in strengthening their relationship and working through issues.

W. Bradford Wilcox, Linda Waite, and Alex Roberts, “Marriage and Mental Health in Adults and Children,” Research Brief No. 4, February 2007.

Linda Waite and Maggie Gallagher, The Case for Marriage: Why Married People are Healthier, Happier, and Better-Off Financially (Doubleday, 2000).

Why Marriage Matters, Second Edition: Twenty-Six Conclusions from the Social Sciences (Institute for American Values, 2005).

The Consequences of Marriage for African Americans: A Comprehensive Literature Review (Institute for American Values, 2005).

While our society often minimizes the impact and responsibility of parents, Princeton conducted a study to examine the impact that the actions of two very different parents had on their family over the next few generations.

Research focused on the lives of Max Juke and Jonathan Edwards. Max Juke, an early American colonist, was reported to be an atheist who believed in liberation from laws. He was also a hard drinker who advocated free sex, no formal education and hated imposed responsibilities. 

Several years later a man named A.E. Winship studied what happened to the descendants of colonial era evangelist, Jonathan Edwards. In many regards, Edwards was the opposite of Juke.  Edwards was hardworking, God-fearing and followed the Bible. He was a minister credited with igniting The Great Awakening through his sermons, and he served briefly as president of what is now Princeton University. Edwards believed in leading by example. He authored two books on the subjects of physical fitness and kindness and later became involved in teaching people to be responsible for their daily actions.

• In his study, Richard L. Dugdale found of the 1,026 descendants of Max Juke, 300 were convicts, 27 were murderers, 190 were prostitutes and 509 were either alcohol or drug addicts. He was able to estimate it had cost the state of New York almost $1.4 million to house, institutionalize and treat the Juke family.
• By contrast, the 929 descendants of Jonathan Edwards included 13 college presidents, 86 college professors, 430 ministers, 314 war veterans, 75 authors, 100 lawyers, 30 judges, 66 physicians and 80 holders of public office, including three U.S. senators, seven U.S. representatives, mayors of three large cities, governors of three states, a controller of the U.S. Treasury and a vice president of the United States.

While this was just the study of two men’s families, no specific conclusions can be drawn.  However, it is very apparent that the way we live our lives has a profound impact on the people around us with strong implications for future generations. 

I love getting to see all that God does in the teenagers’ lives during the week.  It never ceases to amaze me how much God desires to do in people’s lives if they will just let Him.  At camp students are not allowed to have ipods in their ears or cell phones in their hands. 

In a society where multi-tasking is encouraged and busyness is the norm, people are not forced to deal with what is going on in their lives.  All of the noise serves as an escape and disguises the true freedom that God offers daily.  At camp students are emptied of distractions and given many opportunities to read and hear God’s Word.  This enables them to truly reflect on all God is doing in their lives and all that He has in store for them. 

Many of them come face to face with Jesus, let go of all that they have been holding onto, and give Him full access to their lives.  It was the most beautiful thing to see!  I know God truly desires for all of us, regardless of our age, to experience His abundant freedom and true healing. 

Watching how these teenagers seek God and want to glorify Him makes it so clear to me why God desires for all of us to have child-like faith. 

To discuss more about Dallas Youth Camps or Dallas Youth counseling, please Contact Brittany.  We look forward to hearing from you and are happy to help in any way we can.

All marriages consist of two individuals with two different families of origin, two different backgrounds, two different experiences, and two different personalities coming together to become one.  Regardless of love, similarities, and commitment, this is a difficult process for all couples.  Therefore, you can not have too much preparation! 

Premarital counseling gives couples a chance to work through this process and discuss any difficulties in their relationship.  They will also become more aware of their relationship strengths so that they can build upon them.  Furthermore, premarital counseling serves as an opportunity for engaged couples to receive tools to assist them throughout their marriage. 

Statistics show that premarital preparation can reduce divorce rate by 30% (Stanley, Amato, Johnson & Markman, 2006).  Extensive research based on the combined information from eleven experimental studies found significant differences favoring couples who received premarital education. 

In addition, couples with premarital counseling had a 79% improvement in all marital outcomes compared to couples who did not receive premarital education (Carroll & Doherty, 2003).  Specifically, couples who participate in the premarital program PREPARE/ENRICH significantly increased their couple satisfaction. 

Lately, premarital counseling has been the most popular request from individuals who contact me for counseling.  This is no surprise concerning the value of the therapy and the increasing awareness of our society of the need to establish a strong foundation before entering a marriage. 

I love doing premarital counseling, especially when it involves implementing the PREPARE/ENRICH program.  Using this tool, I am able to really help couples discover both the strengths in their relationship and the areas that needs growth. 

Some couples come to premarital counseling simply having a few issues that they want to work through; however, for couples who come wanting general premarital counseling, I frequently take them through the PREPARE/ENRICH program due to its tremendous success and the value that I have found in the program.

To discuss participating in either the premarital counseling program, just the PREPARE/ENRICH assessment, or simply coming to a premarital counseling session, please contact Brittany.  Fees are based on a sliding scale, and a discount is available when purchasing the entire program.  Contact Brittany to discuss your options. 

Much of counseling is designed to help couples improve their relationship skills.  We will explore their strengths that they can build upon as well as areas that need growth.  Communication is very important in any relationship, especially a marriage, so depending on a couple’s ability to communicate effectively, communication skills are taught.  Learning assertiveness and active listening skills often fall under this category.  Conflict resolution is addressed in a healthy light. 

Expectations for the marriage are also explored to ensure that couples are on the same page.  Finances is another huge area of concern for many couples, so financial planning and budgeting is discussed.  Other personal, couple, or family goals are also explored.  All counseling always takes into consideration the individual personalities and backgrounds of clients, including family of origin information when relevant.

For clients who want to take the recommended PREPARE-ENRICH assessment, the inventory provides excellent feedback to be further explored in counseling on the following significant issues:

• Communication
• Conflict Resolution
• Personality Issues
• Financial Management
• Sexual Expectations
• Marital Satisfaction
• Leisure Activities 
• Children and Parenting
• Family and Friends
• Expectations
• Idealistic Distortion
• Role Relationship
• Spiritual Beliefs

Marriage Statistics

• 85% of the U.S. population will marry at least once. (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006)
• Age at marriage has been increasing for the past four decades. In 1960, the median age for a first marriage was 22.8 years for men and 20.3 for women. In 2005 the median age for first marriage was 27 years for men and 26 years for women. (Popenoe & Whitehead, 2004)
• The percentage of adults who are married has steadily declined. In 1970, 68% of adults were married; 1n 1980 66%; in 1990, 62%; and about 60% in 2000. (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006)
• Married people live longer than unmarried or divorced people. Nonmarried women have 50% higher mortality rates than married women and nonmarried men have a 250% higher rate than married men. (Waite & Gallagher, 2000)
• Married people are happier than single, widowed, or cohabiting people. About 40% of married people report being very happy with their lives, whereas only 18% of divorced people, 15% of separated people, and only 22% of widowed and 22% of cohabiting people report being very happy. (Waite & Gallagher, 2000)
• Married people have more sex and a better quality sexual relationship than do single, divorced or cohabiting individuals. (Waite & Gallagher, 2000)
• Married people are more successful in their careers, earn more, and have more wealth than single, divorced or cohabiting individuals. (Waite & Gallagher, 2000; Antonovics & Town, 2004)
• Children from homes where the parents are married tend to be more academically successful, more emotionally stable, and more often assume leadership roles. (Waite & Gallagher, 2000; Manning & Lamb, 2003)
• Adolescents living with both biological parents exhibit lower levels of problem behavior. (Carlson, 2006)

STRUCTURE

• Single-parent families rose to an all-time high of 37% of families in 2005. (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006)
• 30% of all children in the U.S. will be in a stepfamily at some point in their life. (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006)
• Cohabiting before marriage is related to more frequent arguments during marriage and a greater perceived risk of separation and divorce. (Hill & Evans, 2006)
• Couples who cohabit before remarriage report lower levels of happiness in their marriage than remarried couples who did not cohabit. (Xu, Hudspeth & Bartkowsk, 2006)

Divorce Statistics

• In 2005 there were 2.3 million marriages and 1.2 million divorces. (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006)
• Almost 20 million Americans (9.9% of the U.S. population) are currently divorced. (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006)
• About 50% of marriages today will end in a divorce. Statistically, 40% of first marriages, 60% of second, and 73% of third marriages end in divorce. (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006)
• About 75% of individuals who divorce will eventually remarry. (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006)
• After 10 years of marriage, it is predicted that only 25% of couples will still be happily married (Glenn,1996)
• More than 1 million children are affected by divorce each year. (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006)
• Women are more likely than men to file for divorce. (Popenoe & Whitehead, 2005)

PREMARITAL PREPARATION

• Premarital preparation can reduce divorce rate by 30%. (Stanley, Amato, Johnson & Markman,2006)
• Recent research combining information from 11 experimental studies found significant differences favoring couples who received premarital education. There was a 79% improvement in all marital outcomes compared to couples who did not receive premarital education. (Carroll & Doherty, 2003)
• Couples who participate in a premarital program (like PREPARE/ENRICH) significantly increased their couple satisfaction. In a recent outcome study, couples improved in 10 out of 13 relationship categories. (Knutson & Olson, 2003)

HEALTHY MARRIAGES AND FAMILIES

• A large national sample (n=21,501) of married couples who completed a couple inventory (ENRICH) found the top five categories most predictive of marital happiness were: Communication, Flexibility, Couple Closeness, Personality
  Compatibility and Conflict Skills (Olson & Olson, 2000)
• Researchers have identified key characteristics of healthy families that are usually missing from problem families. They include: Connectedness, Flexibility, Social and economic resources, Clarity, Open emotional expression, Positive outlook and Spirituality. (Walsh, 1998)
• Teens that frequently eat dinner with their families are less likely to smoke, drink or use drugs. (The National Center of Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, 2005)
• Closeness with either a biological or step-father is associated with a decrease in the likelihood that an adolescent boy will expect someday to divorce. (Risch, Jodi & Eccles, 2004)
• Religious attendance is positively correlated with higher G.P.A.’s for teens. (Fagen, 2006)
• Couples who agree on spiritual beliefs report significantly higher marital satisfaction and couple closeness than couples who are low on spiritual agreement. (Larson & Olson, 2004).

References:
Antonovics, K. & Town, R. (2004). Are all the good men married?
Uncovering the sources of the marital wage premium. American Economic Review, 94, 317-321.
Carlson, M.J. (2006). Family structure, father involvement and
adolescent behavioral outcomes.  Journal of Marriage and the Family, 68 (1), 137-154.
Carroll, J.S. & Doherty, W.J. (2003). Evaluating the effectiveness of
premarital prevention programs: A meta-analytic review of outcome research. Family Relations, 52, 105-118.
Fagen, P. (2006). A portrait of family and religion in America: Key
outcomes for the common good. Washington, DC: The Heritage Foundation.
Glenn, N. D. (1996). Values, attitudes, and the state of marriage. In
D. Popenoe, J.B. Elshtain & D. Blankenhorm (Eds.), Promises to keep (pp. 15-33). Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.
Hill, J. & Evans, S.G. (2006). Effects of cohabitation length on personal
and relational wellbeing.  Alabama Policy Institute, Vol. API Study, 1-13.
Larson, P.J. & Olson, D.H. (2004). Spiritual beliefs and marriage: A
national survey based on ENRICH. The Family Psychologist, 20 (2), 4-8.
Manning, W.D. & Lamb, K.A. (2003). Adolescent well-being in
cohabiting, married, and single-parent families. Journal of marriage and family, 65 (4), 876-893.

Olson, D.H., & Olson, A.K. (2000). Empowering couples: Building on
your strengths.Minneapolis, MN: Life Innovations.
Popenoe, D. & Whitehead, B.D. (1999b). The state of our unions. New
Brunswick, NJ: National Marriage Project, Rutgers University.
Popenoe, D. & Whitehead, R.D. (2005). The state of our unions 2005.
 Piscataway, NJ: National Marriage Project, Rutgers University.
Risch, S.C., Jodi, K.M. & Eccles, J.S. (2004). Role of the father-
adolescent relationship in shaping adolescents’ attitudes. Journal
of Marriage and the Family, 66 (1), 46-58.
Stanley, S.M., Amato, P.R., Johnson, C.A., & Markman, H.J. (2006).
Premarital education, marital quality, and marital stability:
Findings from a large, random household survey. Journal of
Family Psychology, 20, 1, 117-126.
The importance of family dinners II (2005). The National Center of
Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.
U.S. Bureau of the Census. (2006). Statistical abstract of the United
States (122nd ed). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. (http://www.census.gov)
Waite, L.J., & Gallagher, M. (2000). The case for marriage: Why
married people are happier, healthier, and better off financially. New York: Doubleday.
Walsh, F. (1998). Strengthening family resilience. New York: Guilford
Press.
Xu, X., Hudspeth, C.D. & Bartkowsk, J.P. (2006). The role of
cohabitation in remarriage. Journal of Marriage and Family, 68
(2), 261-274.

Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV)
3 You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.

Philippians 4:4-8 (NIV)
4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.

Isaiah 30:18 (NIV)
18 Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion.
For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him!

Psalm 40:1-51 (NIV)
1 I waited patiently for the LORD; He turned to me and heard my cry.
 2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire;
       He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
       Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.
 4 Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust,
       who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.
 5 Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders you have done.
       The things you planned for us no one can recount to you;
       were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare.

Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Jeremiah 9:24 (NIV)
But let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me,
that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the LORD.

Ephesians 3:17-20 (NIV)
17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge–that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

Philippians 4:12-13 (NIV)
12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV)
The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Isaiah 40:28-31 (NIV)
28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God,     the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,        they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 43:1-2 (NIV)
1 But now, this is what the LORD says— He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;        and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

Psalm 25:4-5,12,14,20-21 (NIV)
4 Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths;
5 guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior,
       and my hope is in You all day long.
12 Who, then, is the man that fears the LORD?
       He will instruct him in the way chosen for him.
14 The LORD confides in those who fear Him;
       He makes His covenant known to them.
20 Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame,
for I take refuge in you.
21 May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you.

Psalm 33:18 (NIV)
But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear Him,
       on those whose hope is in His unfailing love

Psalm 43:5 (NIV)
Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?
       Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Proverbs 13:12 (NIV)
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.

Psalm 62:5 (NIV)
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him.

Psalm 147:11 (NIV)
The LORD delights in those who fear Him,
who put their hope in His unfailing love.

Psalm 121:1-8 (NIV)
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip— He who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD watches over you— the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all harm— He will watch over your life;
8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

Psalm 42:8 (NIV)
By day the LORD directs His love, at night His song is with me—
       a prayer to the God of my life.

Lamentations 3:22-24 (NIV)
22 Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 24 I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.”

2 Corinthians 2:14 (NIV)
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him.

Isaiah 62:5b (NIV)
As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.

Isaiah 58:11 (NIV)
The LORD will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a     spring whose waters never fail.

Isaiah 52:12 (NIV)
But you will not leave in haste or go in flight; for the LORD will go before you,    the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

Psalm 145:15-16 (NIV)
15 The eyes of all look to You, and you give them their food at the proper time.
16 You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

Psalm 85:13 (NKJV)
Righteousness will go before Him, and shall make His footsteps our pathway.

Philippians 3:8 (NIV)
What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ

John 6:35 (NIV)
Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.

Psalm 104:27-28 (NIV)
27 These all look to You to give them their food at the proper time.
28 When You give it to them, they gather it up;
       when You open Your hand, they are satisfied with good things.

Proverbs 18:10 (NIV)
The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

In John 8:36 Jesus said, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed,” and in John 10:10 He said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” 

I believe that the majority of people are not experiencing this ultimate freedom and abundant life, and it breaks my heart because I know God has made it available to everyone.  In life we go through so many hard times, get so sidetracked, and believe so many lies that sometimes we do not even realize how much we are missing out on or how far we are off the path that God intended for us.  Therefore, sometimes it takes another person to lead you to the path of true freedom and absolute healing. 

I want to be used by God as that person in anyone’s life that He brings my way.  I say this not out of pride because I know that I personally have nothing to offer anyone.  But I have surrendered my life to Christ and try to rely on Him everyday.  He has given me a hunger for His Word, and it is my source for all wisdom and hope.