Post Traumatic Growth Institute

06/10/2024

Greetings PTGI family and friends,

What a glorious day outside this morning, thank you Father for the beauty that you provide.
I've completed the Book of Ruth and folks this is an amazing story of self-sacrifice. Ruth marries into a Jewish family that settled into the Moab territory, her mother-in-law Naomi loses her husband and her two sons in a short amount of time. Naomi decides to return to Bethlehem in Israel to be near her relatives and releases her daughters-in-laws, encouraging them to return to their father's house but Ruth refuses.
The selflessness here is Ruth's undying desire to be part of Naomi's life...she fully believes in family (10 years of marriage into a Jewish family and lifestyle has taught her a lot). Ruth will change all aspects of her life...making Israel and the God of Israel her own. That my friends is quite an undertaking...to let go of all of the old ways and begin anew.
Well, that's exactly what Jesus wants us to do. Put our trust and faith in Him...to discard the old ways that have been hampering our lives and begin again in Him.
Folks, isn't it time to let go of an uncaring world and seek the salvation of the Prince of Peace? A place where we can lay our lives before a loving Lord who will guide us day and night. Let's be like Ruth and rise up to a joyous living in the presence of the one Holy Heavenly Father...Amen!

May your cups be filled with the Grace of God today - Dave

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06/01/2024

Hello All,

Thanks for following PTGI it's helped me to embrace the truth about mental and cognitive disorders that are a large part of the Active Duty, Veteran, and family associated with these folks.
We like to internalize things, and this usually leads to an overload that can be detrimental in many, many ways...not only to ourselves but to those we love and have great kinship with. As friends and family, I ask you to have patience and understanding as we navigate through the trauma we've had to endure while serving our country. We will try our best to also have patience and understanding for you and all that we've put you through as we deal with these breakdowns. In either case it isn't easy, but I thank you for loving us no matter what...even if it's from afar.

Father God sees our issues on both sides and only wants the best for us all. To reach that goal we have to have faith...not only in ourselves but in a Loving Lord who is always with us, even at our worst. He doesn't discriminate in any form or fashion...He knows every fiber of our being and will always hear when we cry out in pain. Friends, I want you to simply ask the Lord for forgiveness today.
-Dave

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05/24/2024

Greetings PTGI family and friends,

It's a Friday and we experienced some pretty wicked weather last night...storms were very strong, and I have some damage to my large tree in the back yard. It'll have to wait to get any work done until I go back to work in the fall for the new school year. Just praying that no more extreme weather moves through the area, that could spell disaster.

Speaking of disasters, the Book of Judges was one calamity after another...when I get into 1st and 2nd Kings it will hold true for the many Kings that will rule between the two Jewish territories.
Unfortunately, we today haven't made much progress...failing to adhere to the principles set forth by the Lord and by Jesus. We seek our own idols which disrupts our communion with God, just like in Judges.
Friends, understand that we are the furthest thing from perfect. We are prone to being misled by a dastardly character that preys upon our weaknesses daily and will continue to do so until the new Heaven and Earth is established according to God's word.
We need to realize is that Christ was the sacrificial Lamb who came to overcome our sinful ways and set us on a new path to redemption. We can't do it on our own, we are far too broken and unclean for that to ever happen, but Jesus stepped in to wash us clean so that we are presentable to our Heavenly Father.
Folks, review Judges and see how this people consistently walked away from the Word...they believed they saw that the "grass was greener" on the other side of the fence. What a mess that created. Are you caught up in the same misguided venture? Letting the unholy and the world dictate what is the solemn truth? Step back and view what's going on in your life from an outside perspective, asking the Lord to open your eyes and heart...it may be the breakthrough you've been waiting for...thank you Father.

Blessing and grace be with you from a Loving Holy Lord - Dave

05/11/2024

Greetings PTGI friends and family,

Wonderful weather, better get outside and enjoy it because we don't know how long it's going to last. Father God created the seasons for a reason...not just for crops but for our mental health and awareness. With each we are awakened to a new sensation that's vital for our survival...it's when we hide away and don't get the Lord's blessings through interactions between people and weather, we miss God's calling to us to be enriched in our lives.
Friends, just take some time and think about it...you can overcome many things that stymie us on a regular basis just by basking in the sunlight or cozying up by a fire during a winter storm.
Folks, enjoy the days we have and help others to thrive when the weather is nice. Have a blessed day! -Dave

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05/07/2024

Hello PTGI family and friends,

Beautiful day outside, even with the wind. Here we are in the beginnings of May, and we've seen a ton of rain coming across the plains...if it continues on this weekly deluge, we're going to have too much rain for the farmers. Please pray with me for Father God's grace concerning the weather we are all facing across the U.S. and the world.

So, I'm finished with Joshua and making my way through Judges. It's an all too familiar happenstance for the Israelite nation...they can't stay out of trouble; they simply can't abide by the rules set forth by the Lord. With the loss of Moses, Joshua, and the leadership that once flourished among the people, they have pretty much strayed from the promised path. Since the Jewish nation didn't drive out all the other nations/peoples they were easily swayed into worshiping false gods. They also became prey to the stronger local leadership and were subjected to force labor by their captors. Of course, God would intervene and send a Judge to free the people from their misgivings...there would be 40 or so years a peace. By the end of that tranquil period the Israelites were up to their old ways and began a new era of debauchery with false gods and pagan rituals. A hard to break cycle ensues and we still see it happening today.
Friends, why do we go out of our way towards agitating Father God with our pettiness? Looking to somewhere or something else for guidance...only to find that if we sought out the Heavenly Father first and foremost, He would have opened the doors and provided a better path for us to follow. Now He doesn't always provide a smooth ride but guarantee's that the journey will be much more beneficial.
Folks, take time to refresh your memory on the Lord's trustworthy word and that of His son Jesus...notice there is no contradiction in pathway we are to follow. Place God as your focus in life and watch all kinds of blessings manifest throughout your life.

May the perfectness of God surround you on your path this week - Dave

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04/27/2024

Shalom PTGI family and friends,

The weather has been interesting for the last several days with sirens going off, hard rain, high winds, and some hail for good measure. I sure this is not the last of what we're going to face in the coming weeks and through the summer. So be prepared.

I finished Deuteronomy and am now fully engaged in Joshua. Now Joshua sort of knew what he was going to face since he had been interacting with Moses for some time. I think that the reality of what he is going to do happens when he and the Israelite nation crosses the Jordan river...things suddenly become intensely real. The conquest of Jericho sets a precedence, but it takes mere moments for the people to forget what they were supposed to do and guess what...calamity rears its ugly head and God's punishment is revealed. Friends why are we so obstinate when it comes to the simple task of following God's rules or plans for our lives? We will spend time in the Bible, pray to our Heavenly Father, and even solidify a plan to overcome the obstacles that are blocking our purpose to willingly follow the Lord...yet we sabotage the entire prospect by abandoning His truths for our own selfishness.
Joshua is unfortunate that he has to find the culprit of the transgression and have that family stoned to death.
Folks, if such dire consequences for our actions or inactions were still viable today would we continue to be so callous about our dealings with the Lord? Honestly, I think Father God gets tired of reminding us over and over again about commitment. I feel like most of us at this point in our lives should have figured out that concept, unfortunately we are creatures of habit and step over the line drawn in the sand quite often...even though we know what the consequences will be.
Friends, please spend time reading the Word of God and let it be the guideline for your life. I find it can be rigorous at times so I may stall at trying to move forward but my common sense and need for peace in my life drive me to press onward. It's during these moments when I see the Lord's hand at work, smoothing out my path. What a blessing that is!
Trust and faith will enable you to endure the hardships that come your way and adhering to the covenant Christ laid before us will ensure a path of righteousness.

Peace, grace, and blessings on each of you from our Loving Father - Dave

04/22/2024

Well, it's been a while. Sorry about the extended off-line...I feel like I've been slacking as far as PTGI interaction goes. Had to deal with some oddball side effects form the surgery and all the meds that were coursing through my system. I was in a fog, and it made no sense in trying to write.

Then Last time I wrote I was in Deuteronomy...had to spend some time going through this wonderful book again to catch up to where I last left off and then to put myself together in regard to what Father God is trying to relay to me.
Here I am in Deu 28 and this chapter speaks of the blessings and curses associated with God's commands. A lot of us will think that these statutes and rules are obscure and no longer applicable, with the exception of the Ten Commandments...Hmmm, I really think you should give all those rules the once over...remember even Christ came and said the He would not change one jot or tittle of the law. (Read Matt 5: 17-20) It's easy for us to become complacent and think that certain things no longer apply to us...Israelites did the same thing and faced the curses in Deu 28. The last prophet in the Old Testament, Malachi remembers God's promise of a curse for not following His rules...and then silence form the Lord.
Friends let's not tread upon unproven ground, by forsaking God's word. It takes the Old and New Testament in unison to fully understand the Lord's plan for our lives. History has an uncanny way of repeating itself...what a marvelous design by a loving Father. He puts it all into play and all we need to do is open our eyes, ears, and hearts to see what needs to be done to live a life worthy of the Lord's blessings.
Folks, read this Holy Bible with no agenda in mind...it is after all the true and uncompromisable word of our Sovereign Creator. The one fallible part of this masterpiece is man's interpretation. I read it as a beautiful love-story...and no good story is without all the mishaps of life thrown into the mix.

May the Lord bless and keep you in the coming days - Dave