Category Archives: Healing & Forgiveness

Starting up the week and it’s looking good so far <3

Healing & Forgiveness, Prayer, Refined by the Word
www.laurareimer.net

Monday has arrived. And yes, the calendar page above is from yesterday, but so good I had to share.

The sunny skies and crisp weather are what make autumn one of my favorite seasons. I feel energized which means the laundry is humming and I have meal plans set for the week. Days like these are the ones I wish I had more often. Sigh.

I have big plans to arrive at the end of this day feeling like I completed some things so here are a few ideas to start us off for the week.

Church on Sunday filled my heart to overflowing. The teaching rested on forgiveness and our movie of the week was the recent visit to the biographical drama about Mr. Rogers, “It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”.

I simply cannot say enough good things about both the movie and the shared insights from Pastor Brian. Best quote was hands down,

“Do you know what forgiveness is? It’s a decision we make to release a person from the feeling of anger we have toward them.”

– Fred Rogers

I can’t even read that without the tight places of past hurts opening up. I feel the healing of release of hardness in my heart start to melt the rocky places. And in that softer place I meet Jesus’ love and mercy and compassion – for me and for the ones who wounded me. It was invaluable to me yesterday and continues today. 

Isn’t that what He did for me? Made a decision to release me from His well-deserved wrath for my betrayal of Him?

www.laurareimer.net

This series can only be caught as a live broadcast. It is not like our regular sermons that are archived on the church website. But don’t be glum if you missed it! There is another opportunity to catch this one on Wednesday evening at 7 PM CST right here: https://firstdecatur.online.church

The teaching was just part of a wonderful service which opened with a song that is new to me. You can listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqqDc2BIpxs     although I don’t think anyone will every capture the purity of worship through music like our praise team did on Sunday. 

The lyrics got me in a way of deep conviction. The opening line is

“There is a sound I love to hear. It’s the sound of my Savior’s robe when He walks into the room where people pray. Where He hears praises He hears faith.”

Brook Ligertwood, Awake My Soul

Lyrically and musically the entire song was indescribably beautiful. Standing alone, it is a powerful song of worship. But it was anointed and brought conviction to my heart and soul and spirit. Because I believe the words with all my heart. I have experienced what is described. But I have been in a desert for prayer for far too long. 

Oh I have prayed and I have believed and I have wrestled, but it has been a long while since I heard what is described. And I have heard it. Believe me. It is a sound I too love very much. And I knew I was missing something but couldn’t identify it until this song ministered to me.

Something broke yesterday, and this time it wasn’t me. It was whatever has clogged my ears to hear the rustle of His robes. He has been present all along, but with all the noise it was hard to hear the hem that brings healing to whoever touches it. 

I think we will stop here. That’s enough for me and for you to ponder. Be blessed as you start your week. Prayers we all hear the swish of the robe today and the aroma of Christ fills your prayer time and your going forth time until you lay your sweet head down to rest again tonight and then I pray you hear His song over you <3

Share and Save:

Gifts in the hard places <3

Encouragement, Healing & Forgiveness, Musings of a blonde brain
www.laurareimer.net

Hey and happy Friday! 

On Wednesday I did something that made me feel like a kid again. I had a filling replaced. I grew up on Slow Poke suckers and other sugary, chewy candies in the days before fluoride was added to toothpaste and water. As a result, cavities and dentist chairs have been a part of my story. I thought we had crowned all that was left, but apparently one molar hiding in the back was still sporting silver and was needing an upgrade. 

As I sat in the chair and braced myself for the numbing, I fought panic like I always do. Around five years old or so I had an abscess above one of my baby molars. My mom took me to a dentist who was apparently not a nice man because he ended up just pulling the tooth without any means of numbing. If you know anything about baby teeth, the molars are the last to go so this was not an easy or painless process. The result is that, while I am fine with my bi-annual cleaning appointment, any thing more complicated takes me right back to that chair and I have to fight fear. 

Since I am getting along in years, I felt compelled to tell our young, kind dentist why I was being such a baby. He was sweet and patient and talked me through it all. What I didn’t tell him as he worked away in my numbed mouth was something else that happened and always accompanies the traumatic part of that day. 

My mom was in the waiting room and could hear me screaming and crying. They were restraining her and if you knew my mom, she was tiny but mighty. She was furious when they finally let us be together and she told them whatever follow up was needed we would not be returning to them for it. I have a tender memory of the rest of that day as my mom sat holding me in a rocker. I can remember resting my head against her, the feel of the afghan my aunt had knitted for her and that she just stopped everything and held me.  

You have to know. My mom was not a hugger or a holder. She had her reasons and she showed love in other ways, but physical touch was not one of them. She also didn’t just sit and do nothing. She was always busy with projects or crafts or work around the house. So that day stands out as one where my mom set aside her schedule and her norm and just held me. I treasure it and though I don’t think often of it, it came to the forefront and brought me comfort. 

As I sat there with water spewing around and the sound of drilling and filing, I realized that as awful as that event was to me as a child, it brought about one of my most precious memories of my childhood. 

We are going through some ugly times as you may have noticed. On top of the Covid and the violence and the hatred and the conflict, we have personal issues that seem to be mounting up at alarming rates. But in the midst of it, we are experiencing some of the holiest of moments with family and friends. The darkness of these times seems to accentuate the beauty of things that we would not be experiencing if life had just gone on as we knew it. 

The fire is hot and the trials and testings are real, but when we come through we will be refined and we will carry out treasures untold. God is so good to us. He really is. Continue to hold fast to the Hope that we have in Christ. I pray for you to begin to see in the midst of this difficult season the glimmer of the gems He is giving us each day. 

Blessings. 

You are deeply loved <3

Share and Save:

A deal’s a deal…<3

Healing & Forgiveness, Musings of a blonde brain
www.laurareimer.net

A deal is a deal and I said I would stop in here as many mornings as I can like I used to. The schedule is tight today so the message will be short and sweet. 

We had a little issue with leakage in our kitchen are this past weekend. I called our trusted plumber and he came and fixed the obvious problem which was a leaky faucet. After he got that installed, he checked over all the pipes and such and determined that some do-hickey called a “trap” had been installed incorrectly. 

After a short time, the whole drain system was re-configured and we are in good order to move into the future. 

The point is this: sometimes our problems keep reoccurring because the basic plumbing has been installed wrong. 

We will keep having issues if we don’t get the faulty framework properly aligned. 

Sometimes that means a good season of introspection, conviction, confession and repentance. 

Sometimes that means we need to find a good, solid, biblical sound counselor. 

All the time it means we need to bathe, in prayer and application of God’s word, our recurring patterns that bring defeat to us on the daily. 

We were meant to be growing and thriving and reflecting God’s glory. 

But we are bent. 

Let’s bring the broken places to the One who made us and who knows where we need to be fixed. 

Blessings…carry on…have a great Wednesday <3

Share and Save: