Pathways Christian Counseling

10/04/2024

Congratulations to Paula Ainsworth Spragg_-fully retired!

09/10/2024

09/10/2024

"Swimming Katrina" excerpt from BATTLES: GLIMPSES ofTRUTH by Barbara Grillot Gaddy

"At about 9:30 a.m., the windows in my house started blowing out, and the water was lapping up through the boards on the front porch. I walked into the master bath and the tile was literally floating up from the floor. When we walked back through the bedroom, the water was “squishing” in the carpet. We put our cats (and some food for them!) in the middle of our bed, thinking that SURELY the water would not get higher than that bed. Wrong assumption on that one!

"By the time we walked back into the den, the water was rising so quickly that the furniture (side tables, chairs, etc.) was beginning to float up and tilt over, spilling items on top. Quickly, the water got knee-deep in the house, and the heavy pieces of furniture (china cabinet, refrigerator, etc.) started falling over. At that point, my husband, Jim, said, “We've got to get out of here!”

"I went to the front door (which was still on the hinges) and when I opened it, the hurricane winds were so tremendously strong that I closed it and told Jim and my son, Daniel, that I wasn’t sure if we should try to swim in winds that strong. Daniel replied with quite a chilling statement, “Mom, if you stay in the house, you will be killed in here.”

I still had a Blackberry signal at that point, so I made a quick call to my brother to let him know our condition and that we were going to have to swim out. Of course, he was afraid for us to take that chance and was extremely concerned about the risk we were taking. VERY briefly, I explained that we simply had no choice. (I was not able to get a call through to him until around 8 p.m. that night to let him know that we were safe.)

"At that point, I grabbed my wallet, Blackberry, a few pieces of my special jewelry, and three small books of baby pictures that would fit in Ziploc bags, and put them in an ice chest that had a handle I could grip easily so that I could tow it out with me. We stepped out onto the porch and into the winds. As I stepped outside, I looked down at my hands and realized I did not have my wedding rings or Cameo that my parents gave me for my eighteenth birthday. I told the guys that I had to go back in the house to get my rings from the bathroom counter where I had left them. Of course, they thought I'd REALLY lost my mind.

"As we swam off the porch into fifteen feet of water, the water continued to rise. We were swimming INTO the hurricane winds and AGAINST the current, and we could see the white-capped waves breaking through the trees. We swam approximately a quarter mile toward “high ground” where we had taken our cars. Of course, they were under water at least six feet, as well as my insurance papers and those special baby pictures I had stashed in the cars. We made our way to a garage that had its doors blown off. The water was neck deep, but it provided us a refuge from the hurricane winds. We stayed there in the water inside that garage for approximately five hours until the winds died down enough for us to wade back into our house. It was absolutely devastating to see the destruction, and actually, it’s fairly amazing that we are alive."

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Purchase your copy to see how long she swam in those fetid waters. Available wherever great books are sold. Locally in Crystal Springs at Deborah King's Clear Creek, Lily Jo's, Brenda Wright's Wrights Florist; A Touch of Glass: Red Barn Produce; Magnolia Parlor in Hazlehurst and soon to be in Allred's on the Square.

09/10/2024

Careful of tree-lined roads. Francine’s eye is expected to be over Vicksburg 7 a.m. Thursday.

09/07/2024

I need your help to help a young mom. see comment

08/31/2024

Cindy Mount’s prayer: when I felt disconnected, You never let go of my hand. You have been my constant companion through it all. Your guidance and wisdom have always been a source of strength for me. Despite my initial reluctance, I now realize the depth of my devotion to You. Your counsel and direction have been incredibly valuable. Even in times of uncertainty, I reaffirm my commitment to you. Your instruction has been priceless. Who else could I turn to in heaven but You? Your presence captivates me like nothing else on earth.

08/22/2024

Follow Ordinary Faithfulness by my friend Cindy Mount

Ruth 3:10 NIV

“The Lord bless you, my daughter,” he replied. “This kindness is greater than what you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor.

The story of Ruth and Boaz is a beautiful account of kindness, redemption, and God's providence. Boaz’s response to Ruth’s proposal that he become her kinsman redeemer suggests that he is an older man. He demonstrated kindness by providing for and protecting her. He assured her he would redeem her, but another relative had first priority. If this man were unwilling to redeem her, he would.

Kindness touches me in ways nothing else will. Invariably, it brings tears to my eyes. Boaz is a picture of how God loves us. Many people in the world do not trust the kindness offered by people because their experiences have frequently shown a price to pay for that kindness. Sad but true. How we treat people makes a difference in how they will respond to our message of God’s love. Are we kind? If we have never experienced kindness, we may struggle to understand or accept God’s lovingkindness and much less be able to offer it to others.

Ruth, a woman of Moabite descent, showed incredible loyalty and sacrificial love to her mother-in-law, Naomi, by leaving her homeland to stay with her and embracing her God. When she gleaned in the fields to provide for Naomi and herself, little did she know that her kindness to Naomi would lead to a remarkable journey of redemption.

Boaz, a relative of Naomi, shows kindness to Ruth and Naomi by generously providing for them, ultimately becoming Ruth's kinsman redeemer. What a leap of faith for Ruth to accept and believe Boaz’s kindness to redeem her. He represents a type of Christ, and this is what Christ offers us. Christ is our kinsman redeemer.

The concept of redemption is deeply woven into this narrative. Just as Boaz redeemed Ruth from a place of hardship and uncertainty, Christ came to accomplish our ultimate redemption by offering His life as a ransom for our sins. In Boaz's actions, we glimpse God's redemptive nature, who works through individuals to accomplish His purposes. We see God honor Ruth’s character of loyalty and love, ultimately placing her in the line of Jesus.

Ruth's decision to follow Naomi and Boaz's kindness toward her shows us that even when things are hard, trusting in God and helping others can lead to good things. Ruth's journey also speaks to the wisdom of waiting on the Lord and letting Him work out His loving purposes. Even when we face personal sacrifices and difficult decisions, God providentially guides those who want to obey Him and serve others. We can trust the kindness of God, but we must know Him well enough to develop that kind of trust. When you think of being offered kindness, how do you respond? Do you say thank you but no thank you? I am fine on my own, or will you receive it and be blessed?

As we ponder on Ruth's story, we are encouraged to embrace kindness and sacrificial loyalty in our own lives. We should never forget that acts of kindness, no matter how small, can have profound and far-reaching implications, just as Ruth's decision to glean in the fields led to her becoming an ancestress of King David and the Messiah. Just as God used them to bring about His purposes, He can also work through us to bring about redemption and blessing in the lives of those around us. When we love God wholeheartedly, we have much to offer those around us because we have experienced His loving kindness. Knowing and loving God opens a new reality, allowing us to participate in His redemptive purposes.

Ruth 3:18

Then Naomi told her, “Just be patient, my daughter, until we hear what happens. The man will not rest until he has settled things today.

Our Abba Father will not rest until He has settled things today.

Abba, Your love makes us feel cherished, secure and embraced in Your warmth. Your incredible creativity shines through in the ways You accomplish this. However, our connection with You is limited to our understanding of You. Release us from anything that holds us back from fully embracing Your love. Some people struggle more than others to accept Your love freely, having only experienced conditional love. You are different. Help us, O LORD! Settle our hearts today and help us deepen our relationship and closeness with You. We want to share the same love we receive so others can know You, too. Please reveal how You want us to know You and give us the strength to respond appropriately for Your glory. In Jesus name, we ask…