Hi Ladies,
I thought it might be interesting to hear from each other why it is so important to us to attend the Breaking Free taping.
I will start just to open the conversation. Several years ago I had fallen into a really bad depression. I had left an abusive husband, was raising 2 daughters on my own and had moved to a new city where I knew no one. I had tried to stay in church and hold on to my faith, but I was growing very battle worn. My daughters and I were looking for a specific church one Sunday morning, but I got "lost" and couldn't find it. In my efforts to find it, we passed a nearby church and it was the same denomination I knew so I thought "Ok God, maybe this is a sign from You" and we went in. The people were friendly and I felt at home almost immediately.
A few days later, a lady visited me from the church and invited me to a study she was getting ready to hold at her home. It was Beth's Breaking Free. I had never heard of Beth at that point and no idea what I was getting myself into. The study saved my life. So many nights I had laid awake wondering how the best way to end this life would be without destroying my young daughters. I thought all the damage done to me in my childhood and past adulthood had destroyed me and that not even God could love me now. All the love, forgiveness and mercy stuff was for other people--not for people like me. Not after what I had been through and the mistakes I had made.
Breaking Free had a new message for me. One of healing and hope. One of love, mercy and grace for people just like me. It has been about 7 years now since I did Breaking Free and even now I sit here with tears flowing down my face at how God spoke to me through this study. It was during this study I began sleeping with my Bible. I held it like a teddy bear. I began curling up in my sheet imagining in my mind that it was the hem of His garment and if He would allow me to just lay at His feet I could rest for a while and be ok in the morning. I've healed and grown a lot since then, but every now and then when life is caving in I still pull the sheet close and say "Lord, I just need to rest here at your feet for a while."
So, to be at the taping, to hear Beth personally teach the study again, is just more of a blessing than my heart can comprehend. I just knew from the moment of the posting that I had to go--no matter what the sacrifices required.
So, what is your story? Why is it so important to you?
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7 comments:
Cindy -- your story is awesome and I praise God and thank Him for this testimony He's given you.
You asked why Breaking Free was so important to us. I wasn't raised in church, but more sent to church -- and I thank God for that. I was saved as a young teen and then spent the rest of my life running from the Lord.
I finally sat down with Him again in my early 30s and I realize I had a lot of healing to do. Healing from an abusive marriage, bad choices (and boy was that marriage a bad choice!), and just willful sin. I did the Breaking Free study in 2000 (I think it was 2000) and the next 4 years the Lord took me on a rollercoaster ride.
I soared to great heights in my relationship with Him and my marriage grew stronger (not that first bad marriage) and deeper. I begin to realize the calling God was placing on my life.
It was this time that I built some amazing friendships and the Lord blessed those -- and then the plunges came. So many and so quickly. Deception and manipulation. Trials and failures. But through it all, the Lord has held me steady.
I'm greatly blessed for the foundation of Breaking Free and what the Lord taught me in that time. The calling the Lord placed on my heart and life is coming into its season -- the book I wrote about those precious friends and lessons of grace is now a book -- Girlfriends, God, and Grace and it will be published by Thomas Nelson and on the shelves in Spring 2009. The Lord is so good. (And the story behind me getting published by Thomas Nelson is just a God -story).
I want to be at the Breaking Free taping because I know that a new era of my life is starting and I want to just visit that study one more time with the Lord as He prepares for this new ministry. I know that the Lord will provide me with the ticket (I'm the one who doesn't have a ticket) and I'm believing God will handle for me if it's in His will for me to go. If not, then I don't want to be there.
So, I'm hanging on to my room and I'm going to hang around this blog until the Lord runs me off {grin}
Great blog Cindy. You and Mary both have the most inspiring stories. I have never done the Breaking Free study before and I am so excited about it. I don't know that I want to share all the details on such a public forum, but let's get down there, sit down over some coffee and have some great girl talk :-).
Looking forward to meeting you all,
Traci
Traci and Cindy, I'm really looking forward to meeting both of you in New Orleans. And I love the idea of some girl talk.
Hey everyone! I live in New Orleans & am SO excited about the Breaking Free taping! For those of you who are interested, I am going to compile a list of hotels in the area, as well as good restaurants and things to do/places to see. Hopefully this will help all of you who are not from the area. Get ready--it's going to be a fabulous week!
Sarah,
If you will email the list of hotels etc. to me, I will post them on the list at the right side of the page. That way every one can see them without having to look through comments.
I think several are staying at the Seminary, but there may be more looking for other places.
Sarah~ That would be so great if you could list some must see places and great restaurants in New Orleans. I have never been there. Maybe Cindy could make a link so that women who wanted to do the same things could hook up??
Cindy,
I just got home from vacation. I would love to meet you all! I am coming to NO with my sisters from our Bible study and with my biological sister. Not sure how many have tickets. We meet tonight for study. I have no idea where we are staying. We want to get a B&B but have not checked out the area yet. So I will stay in touch through your blog!
Di
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