RE~WRITTEN: October 29th 2011

It was warm outside. One of those summer nights where it was comfortable, not too hot or cold. Just right. perfect for what God was about to do.
I was 16 years old.
Raised in a Baptist family who had never mentioned nor practiced the gifts of God.
Although my family was amazing in their faith I had never actually experienced the POWER of God the Father.
I knew He was real, I knew He had sent His only Son to die for me to have everlasting life…but His power….I had never felt it to be so real until that night.

25 years ago there was a christian book store called Heartsong. I had a friend whom I met through school and she had stumbled upon it through some old friends. We started hanging out there every week end and eventually when my parents left their small baptist church I started going to church with her at the owner of Heartsongs church which was in Reynoldsburg.
I was so drawn to Rich and his wife Karen. They quickly became spiritual parents to me and I love them with all that I am even to this very day.
They were real.
Honest,
Beautiful,
Caring people.
I can honestly say they are still those very same people that touched my spirit so long ago in that tiny bookstore.
My walk with the Father took me to places I would have never imagined if I had stayed in that small Baptist church in Canal Winchester.
My spirit was so hungry for something more that I knew God had for me but I was clueless on how to find it.
Late Friday nights Rich would close up shop and shut down the lights and play worship music for those of us who wanted to stay and pray…and seek…and eventually…find.
For me, I was restless. Wanting to know what God wanted from me, in my life here on earth. I had been told a thousand times over how my soul was older than my age and now almost 40 am I realizing how true that was and still is.
One Friday night Rich wanted to pray over us as he usually did towards the ending of the evening but this night was different.
I had laid out on the floor under the pool table with such longing to hear from God on my life, my mission for being. It was unlike ANYTHING I had ever felt or gone through before.
I wasn’t leaving until I knew.
As Rich laid hands on me and began to pray it’s as if he too knew my heart was longing to hear something from God and he began to pray for the Lord to show me what I needed so desperately to see. It was then tears started falling from my eyes and it was as if my skin was peeling off and God was totally re-identifying who He was meaning for me to be. I know it sounds crazy…But it was so amazing. Here I was, when most teens are out into trouble, going to the latest movie, walking around the mall…I was in this darkened, peaceful room and God was moving and shaking my spirit to the point my life would NEVER be the same. My relationship with Him would NEVER be the same. For the first time in my life I was experiencing His almighty power within my heart, my spirit, my soul…I could feel it from the bottom of my biggest toe…all the way to the top of my head and every hair on my body was on edge.
It wasn’t until Matt Rice had also began to pray. Just a few years older than me he too was praying that God would show me a vision for my life.
And then it happened.
For the first time ever, a vision that I totally had no doubt God Himself was placing in my heart and spirit. I remember it so clear too. I couldn’t see any faces. However there were thousands of them…people…male and female just walking…Holding signs that had words like “Love me” “Don’t let me go” “I want to be loved” “I want to be wanted” and they were walking towards the edge of this huge cliff with a drop off never to be seen…At this point I was crying so hard I couldn’t even open my eyes because it would hurt to see what little light Rich had on in the store. Rich asked me what I was seeing and I told him. Through my tears I said “I’m supposed to help these people….” Rich was so in tune with my thoughts as he responded with “Cheryl…every part of my spirit is telling me those are aborted children.” The crazy thing is, as those words fell off of Rich’s lips I was already there. I knew that’s exactly what it was I was seeing. I just KNEW IT. Matt too confirmed that is what he saw but it wasn’t just the aborted children, he had said young girls who were single mothers….Not knowing where to turn and feeling all alone in their situation.
5 years had passed and sadly my relationship with the Lord came to a stand still in my own rebellion and all of a sudden I had found myself pregnant and unmarried. Sitting in a Planned Parenthood with three women telling me abortion as an option was the best for me because of my age and the fact I had just broken up with my boyfriend a few weeks earlier.
Heartsong on that sweet summer night at 1am in the morning, He knew where I would be in 4 years, He knew from that four years where I would be in 11 years…and from there till now, HE KNEW. I messed up! I stepped right out of His will and right into my own and even using MY very rebellion He lead me right back in line to HIS purpose and will for my life. I ask you WHAT OTHER God could do something so amazing, so perfect and so beautiful to where even in the midst of you thinking you are done for, He is STILL glorified in bringing you right out of your messed up situation?
My BIGGEST and GREATEST testimony of all is when young women ask me after hearing my story if I ever regretted the decision I made in CHOOSING to have my daughter….I get to tell them with true sincerity that I have never had it easy, it has been rough at times, but never, not even once, EVER did I regret giving birth, giving and choosing life to THE most precious thing that has ever happened to me. My daughter will be 18 soon. I can’t believe how bold she is for the gospel. Her ability to stand on His truth amazes me everyday. Sometimes she’s even the one to give me encouragement to keep pushing through and see what God does. I can’t ever even imagine what would of happened if I had stayed sitting in that Planned Parenthood and allowing those women to scare me into choosing death as an option for my baby, when life…is such a blessed thing. VISIONS…brought to life….Don’t ever allow ANYONE to tell you they aren’t for today, or they were for then, but not now because I am LIVING proof that’s a lie, my daughter is living proof…that’s just not so….Follow the Father and seek Him in all you do….HE IS FAITHFUL.

SELAH~
CHERyL

WRITTEN: October 18th 2011

It was December of 99′  and I was standing in the walk-way of Denny’s restaurant while my Husband was paying our bill.
An elderly lady walked up to me and asked if she could touch my stomach. A complete stranger laying hands on my belly would normally freak me out, but there was an odd comfort with this woman. I can’t even explain it. As her hands connected with my 7month pregnant belly there was a warm feeling that came over my entire body. The kind of feeling you get while walking into your Grandma’s house on a Sunday afternoon and smelling her homemade chocolate chip cookies all through the house. She smiled at me and said:
“With your Son God intends to heal your husband from his past childhood where physical abuse had taken place. But with this child you will find peace, and when you have his biological Son The Father will heal your husband from the emotional abuse he suffered.”
She blessed me, and walked out the front door and just like that, gone.
My Son Charlie was 3months old when Angel and I met, he’s the only father Charlie has ever known. A lot of people (including friends) never even realized Angel wasn’t Charlies biological Son!
They are so much alike…For the first year of our marriage Angel was so nervous getting to know Charlie and actually falling into place as his Dad…However when I became pregnant for a third time it was Angel who said “I KNOW this is a girl.” She was. A beautiful precious little girl who looked EXACTLY like her Daddy 🙂
Everything was perfect. We had our two girls, and our “little man.” It was 3months after having Hanja I began to have dizzy spells and losing my breath. Going in for a routine gull bladder removal they found a problem with my heart.
As a child I was born with congenital heart disease and at 14 had a valve correction done. I was completely fine my whole life until now…The doctor’s strongly suggested getting my tubes tied because getting pregnant would potentially kill me.
I couldn’t help but remember the l’il old lady at Denny’s nearly two years before. I refused to have my tubes tied. I just KNEW God had another plan. The Doctor was so annoyed he refused to do my heart surgery to the point he called me “selfish” for wanting another child.
However, it wasn’t about wanting another child…
It was about a Prophesy.
As I went under during my gall bladder surgery I had a vision. It was Christmas time. Angel was playing with Hanja as Charlie and Serenity decorated the tree. There was a baby carriage with a blue blanket draped over it by the couch where I was sitting. I knew it was a boy and I knew it was mine and Angel’s biological son.
Being raised in a non religious home his whole life Angel’s relationship with Jesus was all new as he still was figuring out a few things, one of which was knowing when you hear God’s voice.
The cardiologist we found in Cleveland wanted to do my valve replacement as soon as possible. He said time was NOT on our side. I was one breath away from a heart attack possibly death. My heart valve was taking all the blood from my heart that was supposed to go through my body and pumping it back into my heart, leaving it enlarged and my body with NO oxygen getting to it.
They insisted on a mechanical heart valve but with that…No more children.
Again, I REFUSED.
My husband was so hurt. He kept asking over and over “Cheryl…don’t you want to grow old with me?”
I kept telling him about my vision of the baby boy and the Prophesy from the little old lady but he didn’t care. He didn’t comprehend all of the gifts of the spirit or what they meant. All he knew was to think LOGICALLY when all I could do was think SPIRITUALLY.
I was asleep one night waking up startled and literally hearing the name “Ezra.” I had NO CLUE whose voice, where it came from, why I was dreaming about it…I began reading the book of Ezra and how he was a Prophet of God to inspire a King of Persia to commission a leader from the Jewish community to carry out a mission, the rebuilding of the Temple, purifying the Jewish community, and sealing the holy city itself behind a wall. I could not get what the lady at Denny’s said. That Angel’s biological son was going to be a healing from his past emotional abuse in his childhood.
The rebuilding of my husbands trust in a Holy Father, purifying his trust as Angel’s Heavenly Father and sealing that confidence within the walls of Angel’s broken spirit. Ezra wasn’t just Prophesied about, he was a VISION given to me. I KNEW it was God whispering to me in the night…Ezra’s name.
I kept everything to myself. Instead of fighting with my husband on weather or not to get a mechanical heart valve or a cadaver valve that may or may not last, I prayed. Wept before God begging HIM to reveal HIS plan, HIS will to mine and Angel’s life. I knew the ONLY way that my husband was going to know we were to have another child was if God Himself spoke to Angel directly.
Months passed…
Then late one night, I awoke again only this time it was my husband screaming the name “EZRA!!!” Crying and shaking as if he were a leaf in the wind, he jumped out of bed pacing back and forth…
I just started crying and asked him what happened.
“Cheryl…it was incredible. I was walking through a venue. All of our family and friends were there. People from my past in each room. I was being lead by a huge angelic like being showing me my life from when I was a child to now…We entered the main auditorium and there was a HUGE banner covered by a BLUE BLANKET. I asked what it said and the angel lifted his hand as the blue blanket fell off the name EZRA appeared. Cheryl…We are having another child. A boy, and I truly believe God wants his name to be Ezra.”
We both just sat there crying our eyes out. All I kept saying was “I know, I know…God told me too, months ago!”
I began sharing everything God had been telling me through people, dreams, visions…Angel couldn’t believe it.
The following Monday we went to the cardiologist and explained we were refusing the mechanical valve.
The doctor said “Just so I understand. You are willing to risk another open heart surgery..a third in fact…because of some dream?”
We politely said “yes” but what the Doctor didn’t understand was the fact it was NOT just a dream, this was indeed…”A GOD thing.” 😉
On October 18th 2000 I had my second open heart surgery, aortic valve replacement.” A few months later I became pregnant, and exactly ONE ENTIRE YEAR TO THE VERY DAY on OCTOBER 18th 2001 our precious, beautiful vision was brought to life on a gorgeous fall morning, Our baby Ezra.
You would fall to your knee’s if I told you the story’s of healing God brought to my husbands tortured soul through his son. But those remain private until Angel is ready to share. However, when mere men explain things in a LOGICAL point of view ALWAYS remember, as a Believer, we are to look at the spiritual, putting everything and I mean EVERYTHING even your life in the hands of God the Father. He truly does have a plan and a purpose for your life. It can happen in any given situation, place, time, in an instant or over time but no matter how, why or when He is GOD and He is still on the Throne and only God knows the ENTIRE picture for your life.
So…here we are.
10 years later.
Ezra is still our blessing,
our reminder,
our mission of healing, love, purification…
And 11 years to the day from a valve replacement that was only supposed to last 5-10 years MAYBE…and I’m healthy, alive, and sassy as ever.
GOD IS FAITHFUL.
He is good ALL the time and ALL the time God IS good.

EZRA~ “Meaning to HELP or SUPPORT. Judging from the Biblical contexts, this kind of help isn’t a mere assisting but an ESSENTIAL and INDISPENSABLE support, a requisite tied DIRECTLY into SURVIVING or not.”

Selah and Selah,
CHERyL~

WRITTEN: December 13th 2011

I wish I could be one of those people who are good at keeping quiet or quitting while ahead. But the fact is I’m not. Have I tried? 

Of course, but it NEVER lasts for me. I can’t work that way. My Dad was a man with complete control over his emotions. A Marine, Viet Nam Vet, a true man’s man. But he was TRAINED to be that way and after he came home from Nam he carried that with him for the rest of his life. I still don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing. 
My Mom was a completely different story all together. She wasn’t just the strongest woman I ever knew, she was by far THE strongest PERSON. Very stubborn (and I do carry that gene 😉 with me) but very open, honest and genuine. She loved to laugh all the time. I used to believe it was because she was so incredibly laid back but now…I see a lot of my Mom in myself.  
My Grandma used to say “Tommie-Girl, you may look just like your Dad but inside you are all your Mother…”
And as I’m nearing 40 I see truth in that in more than a thousand ways…
I laugh, all the time anytime.
But I carry a daily bucket of grief that if given a million lifetimes I could NEVER get anyone to understand it. However, my kids don’t NEED to see that in me. Neither does my husband, friends, co-workers…God. I find that whenever I have an overwhelming sense of sadness growing inside…or anger…frustration…hurt…I cover it. 
I find something to laugh the feeling away…I’m fully aware of the fact my Dad was not a perfect man and by far a perfect husband. looking back on so many things I truly believe my Mom laughed through her pain too. Getting older can have a lot of advantages, one being you are given a tiny ray of light shed on things that never were thought of before when you were younger looking at life with a complete different understanding than you have when you become older. 
I am a 100% outspoken human being. My biggest flaw to some is my uncanny ability to speak before thinking…(Hence, name of blog)…I have no problem with anyone and everyone knowing what I feel, think, love…hate. To others THAT is my best quality but I guess that depends on who you ask. I understand that it’s not the norm to approach life with my type of mind set. I’ve tried to be other ways. Keeping opinion’s to myself, looking at reality instead of unrealistic dreams, being private with my life in general…But the harsh truth here is this…I CAN’T BE THOSE THINGS. None of those qualities are anywhere within my character of who I am as a mere human being. I can try to change for the benefit of never offending anyone in or near my life but then not only will I be depriving myself of who I am and what makes me, me. I’d be depriving any of those people that I hold completely dear to my soul a genuine compassionate way of looking at life. From a perspective you probably won’t find in today’s way of thinking. 
So I’m asking…If you truly want to love me…then love…me. Even with all of my flaws, because trust me I AM FLAWED. However, in a world that demands conformity to whatever breed you’re near…with me you’ll always have a what you see is what you get…I can be such a bitch when I am sleepy, hungry, pressured. When I’m cornered or feeling alone and lost I cry and stomp my feet. When loved I am at your mercy with NOTHING but vulnerability laid at your feet. When I’m sad I laugh…Because my main goal is to protect everyone I love and adore. 
So, here I am. 
Totally praying for acceptance yet refusing to conform in order to get it. 
I screw up on a daily man, but I own my regrets and understand anyone’s frustration in loving someone like me. 
I’m definitely a rare breed I know. But I’m real…I’m real, and when I love someone, I mean it. 

Selah,
CHERyL~

WRITTEN: October 23rd 2011

No matter how long I live I will NEVER understand someone basing a foundation of roots into a friendship, relationship or anything else on appearance in the other person.
What does that say about your character? I don’t get it. I just don’t.
When I meet someone the first thing that catches my eye or my attention if you will, is the sense of humor they have at themselves, life, anything!
I honestly don’t think there has ever been a time where I based my wanting to get to know someone on their mere looks alone.
By looks I mean anything from their skin tone to their weight. I happen to think it’s a pretty shallow reason if you ask me. What happen to common interest?
An ability to laugh with each other?
There are so many people that get overlooked simply because they don’t flip the bill in the looks department and that’s really sad.
Not just for them but for the shallow mother fucker who could be loosing out on the most loyal friendship/relationship they may ever have.
It’s so true!
I guess I was raised better than most people 😉
I had good roots…My parents were honest and loving people who always taught us to look from the inside out.
You can’t measure a man’s worth by the outward appearance they have.
It doesn’t matter how gorgeous or sexy someone may be on the outside they could be ugly as sin on the inside.
I can almost understand where people say that looks is what attracts them but still, where is the foundation of your interest from there?
What if they are the sexiest person alive and you get together, stay together and once the physical attraction is gone what are you left with? If THAT was the basis for your attraction?
What if something happens God forbid, as in illness, accident or worse and those looks are GONE?
WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO GO FROM THERE?
I’m not talking about people who get together, find one another attractive and GENUINELY fall in love. I’m referring to people who there ONLY attraction for someone is wrapped up in an appearance?
And who the fuck decides what IS beautiful?
Attractive?
Pleasing to the eye?
The cast of Jersey Shore???
Yeah right….
I know men/women who have a REAL issue with their spouses gaining weight after years of marriage.
That is the most saddest, pathetic thing I have ever heard.
NOBODY is who they are from when they were first married. Weather it’s weight, attitude, opinion, financial, whatever…EVERYONE changes.
People grow apart sure…but due to the fact the other may not be “as pleasing” to the eye as before?
That’s REALLY sad.
And it doesn’t say much for them as a human being either.
That’s my opinion of course.
Now I get that some men/women completely allow themselves go…sloppy, nasty, whatever the case…But if you have a Spouse who works in the relationship, communicates, does THEIR PART for the home, children ect and still manages to keep prideful in their dress, hair ect I’m sorry, then to “loose interest” merely because of weight is a disgusting reason and quite frankly your shallow ass should be ashamed of yourself.
For someone to go through YEARS of encouragement, support, love, children, emotional stability all to be tossed aside because of a number on a scale?
Wow…
Pretty sick.
I can’t STAND shallow people like that.
When I fall in love with someone I see them from the complete inside out! When people start dating I think it should be a requirement to watch “Shallow Hal” before walking out into the world…The most beautiful things in life can be easily missed when merely looking through the eyes and not the heart.

I Speak To You The Truth,
CHERyL~

WRITTEN: October 13th 2011

No matter how hard you try and stay true to yourself there will always be those people who decide to misrepresent you. 
Maybe they feel they have good reason, Or they have no other reason at all other than to be cruel. 
Possibly they’re miserable with how they view themselves so to make their own self esteem higher they decide to shoot flames about someone who is genuine. 
People flock to that shit too. People as in others who are just as nasty, miserable and bored who have nothing better to do than feed off of misrepresentations of others. I think it’s disgusting how certain people love to tear someone down whom they have never even met. Not one hello…smile or second of any conversation yet they take in all that was said to them about you, only to place in their mind what they assume is truth. 
The worst part is when that ugly excuse for a human being decides to share with you all that has been said . What do you do? 
Defend yourself?
What’s the point? You’ve already been portrayed as this heartless animal which could not be farthest from the truth. 
I hate people like that. They feel as though they have everything figured out about you when in fact they don’t know shit because all that had been presented to them was lies and fabrications of ignorance. You can TRY to set things straight but honestly if I had it to do over I would laugh my ass off at the jealousy to which this misrepresentation came from. I mean it MUST be jealousy. 
Jealous of who you truly are. 
Beautiful,
kind,
loving,
genuine,
forgiving…All the things the source of bullshit desires to be but can’t get it together enough to accomplish it. So they lash out to make themselves feel better, look better when in all actuality they aren’t. 
Misery LOVES company and people who are miserable want to make those around them either just as miserable or make them the cause of ALL their problems in life. Well, do what you will…But I learned a VERY long time ago eventually, you WILL reap what you sow and there will be NO ONE to blame for it but yourself. 
You can be the most loving person. Doing anything for anyone you love and adore but one misrepresentation and the jealous losers of the world will try to convince you THAT defines you.
Just take a deep breath and blow it out…You can fight to prove who you TRULY are but why? 
Hate breeds hate and NOTHING or no one can change what has been done to you, or said about you…
The one thing that keeps you going, that keeps you laughing and smiling is the fact you will go on being beautiful…kind…loving…genuine…and forgiving and they will STILL be the same nasty, cruel, vile, miserable assholes whose obviously jealous at the fact you can hold your glass half full despite all the ugly in the world . They don’t have the strength or the ability to know how to laugh through the saddest of times, take what life has decided to give to you and make it work. They can’t stand the fact people actually like you and that you can look in the mirror with an understanding of your past and forgive yourself for the bad choices you’ve made in your life. Taking responsibility for all the wrongs you’ve done and owning the blame is not so easy for the weak. And I do say weak because anyone who rips the confidence apart of someone who has done nothing but try and move past the fire is a very sad soul…and anyone who engages in that and attempts to dig and pick at your scars of regret is only proving you actually are better than they are. Words of hate do NOT define me. The jealous ignorance of people who have never seen my face will NOT define me. Regret, mistakes, bad choices, those things do NOT define me as a person. My perseverance, love for my children, forgiving those who have hurt my heart, standing in Christ…THOSE things WILL and DO define who I am. God knows truth and He is a just God, fair, and merciful and in that I will put all that I am and never allow ANYONE to break my confidence in what I KNOW as truth and not some fabricated stories from people so clearly jealous of who I TRULY am. Which is all they wish to be but don’t have the balls to forgive themselves for THEIR past mistakes, regrets…They can’t look into the mirror and forgive themselves for their own actions so they try to move forward by walking on the pieces of crushed spirits…But in the end I will STILL be moving forward and they will still be right where they choose to stay, in the heart of their misery and self hate. 
With every mean, cruel word ever spoken or said about me that’s fine…go ahead but guess what? 
I STILL WIN…


Selah,
CHERyL~

WRITTEN: August 30th 2011

It’s about that time.
Where the Season is almost over.
Soon the leaves will change, the wind will pick up and the nights will get a tad bit colder.
I absolutely love the Fall but it seems as though grief finds me more within the changing period.
It’s not just about my family. This time of year it’s always more.
I begin to dream about my past.
Lost friendships,
memories of places I’ve been,
love…broken and forgotten.
Empty promises from people who you thought would love you forever begin to creep in, take hold of your dreams, invade your sleep and all with a vengeance.
Almost as a killer in the night with the sharpest blade, slicing through every scar as it once again becomes an opened wound.
Sigh.
Sorrow seems to find me so much easier than it did before.
Maybe that’s the down side of becoming older, who knows?
However it sucks.
It’s hard to stay angry when your heart still aches…Everyone has a time in their life where the good actually out weighed the bad.
Sadly within that same time you were the most vulnerable. Everything that made you feel so alive could brake you all the same.
Like a lose-lose situation in a way. You want to love, but not experience loss.
You want to laugh but never feel the tears of sadness trickle down your face.
To breath every little thing of life in…yet scared to death to exhale in fear you might blink and it’s all gone.
“Life goes on…”
people tell you that all of the time but they never tell you HOW..How do you make your life “go on” in the midst of lonely…regret?
The should of,
could of,
and would of’s are what will kill you.
Haunt you…
If I had everything to do all over again I would most certainly tell my dad I loved him so much more than I did. Hug my mom a thousand more times a day…laughed more with my brothers and sister and told that one person how I truly felt but never did.
I wouldn’t miss ANY opportunity that came my way weather it have been in education, occupation, love or just plain ‘ole laughter!
All my regrets would have been overshadowed and out weighed by the joy I would have found in just LIVING.
If only…

Selah~
CHERyL

WRITTEN: August 25th 2011

Such a big thing right now…
Everywhere you turn Christian or not someone is talking about “gay rights.” As I struggle with the traditionalism I was raised with I try to push through for the sake of my much needed spiritual growth.
Please don’t get me wrong or misrepresent what I’m saying here. To me spiritual growth is NOT a nice way to say spiritual ignorance 😉
Got it?
Then we shall move on with the blog….
Looking at Webster’s definition on affirming my traditional programmed way of thinking immediately I would have to say there is NO WAY I am “gay affirming” but before you delete my Facebook friendship and stop reading this blog, wait a second and allow me to explain.
To validate, or state as a fact, or to..ahem…affirm Gay’s is not my problem. Simply because I look at EVERYONE as having a right to be at the feet of Jesus, period.
I’m not a Biblical Scholar or even a Biblical Theologian, and I may not have memorized the entire book of Psalms, however I DO know from where I have come and that is just some loser whore who had three baby daddy’s to my 4 kids who fell right at the feet of someone who PROMISED to love ME without any condition.
My relationship with Jesus is a no strings attached kind of commitment.
I don’t know if I can “declare my support” for gay Pastor’s, Clergy ect I honestly just DON’T KNOW HOW I feel about that yet.
Or even gay marriage…
I don’t know! Not even 50 years ago bi-racial couples were not looked upon as “acceptable.” Or 40 years ago women behind the Pulpit was deemed blasphemous and unheard of.
But what I DO know is God is God and I’m not. It’s not MY job or anyone else to say who is getting into Heaven or not…Are there consequences for sin? OF COURSE, but we ALL fall short of the Glory of God (Romans 3:23) Not a few of us, not some, ALL of us. 
Do I think homosexuality is a sin…perhaps. Do I think it will keep one out of Heaven…No way. 
If that were the case, NONE of us would EVER see the face of Jesus. Climb up out of Daddy’s throne for a second and THINK about it. Ponder on weather or not you have the balls to pick up those stones and start aiming at gay affirming spiritual family.  For your sake I hope you ponder hard before Jesus calls you out on the carpet about your sin. 
Look, I admit I’m not standing on the bandwagon of Jay Bakker’s opinion on the gay and lesbian community, but I am sitting on the bumper of the wagon with my feet dangling back and forth. 
People are waaay to angry about this and they need to chill out. The Conservative Christians are screaming hell, fire and brimstone while the liberal Christian is screaming you HAVE to be this way and ALL OF US AS A BODY are losing FOCUS of what we were called and told to do in the first place. 
Do ANY of you even remember?
Gay affirming 
or not.
Do you remember what WE, as The Body of Christ were called and told to do? 
Allow this poor, white trash, forgotten whore to remind you 😉  
“And He said unto them,
GO YE INTO ALL THE WORLD, AND PREACH THE GOSPEL TO EVERY CREATURE. He that believeth and is baptized SHALL BE SAVED; but he that believeth NOT shall be damned.” (Mark 16:15-16)
The GOSPEL by the way isn’t a “let me tell you how to be” Testimonial of God either. It’s a Hear me…Jesus loves YOU…
And your job at that point is DONE. God doesn’t need you to be His hero, only His example.
Besides, His is waaaaaaaay better than ours any day 😉
You disagree?
When was the last time you washed the feet of the person who betrayed you the most?
“Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, of a truth I perceive that God is NO respecter of persons: But in every Nation he that feareth Him, and working righteousness, IS ACCEPTED WITH HIM.” (Acts 10:34-35) What IS righteousness? To be without shame? Guilt? Sin? 
I hate to burst your homophobic bubble but NONE of us will EVER have ANY of those thing’s until we get Home. 
I was raised Southern Baptist so allow me to say this: “IN CLOSING….” lol Sorry, it was getting tense for you I know, so I wanted to help relieve some of your pressure. Seriously though, I was at Kroger with my 9yr old son. We were walking towards the cereal when two men were coming from the same aisle. Turning the corner we nearly ran into them. 
They were holding hands. 
 We all said “sorry, excuse me…”
They passed as we walked on and Ezra said: “Mommy, why were they holding hands?” At first I lied and said that I didn’t know but I felt like an ass so I stopped right in the aisle and said “Well Ezra, why am I holding your hand baby?” He looked up at me,
smiled so innocently and said with the utter most confidence: “Because you love me…” 

Let God be God my family…and we’ll stick to just loving one another,
CHERyL~

WRITTEN: August 4th 2011

 So here it is 2:30am I’m all alone driving down the road and all of a sudden everything that screams “BAD NEWS” when your car is about to die happens.
I pulled right into a parking lot, right when I placed the car in park it happened…
Dead.
Ugh…
Calling everyone I would think would be up at that hour to NO avail.
I in Cheryl like fashion went into immediate panic mode.
Calling my husband,
daughter,
son,
and of course no one can hear their phone or weren’t in the same room as their phones.
Again,
ugh….
FINALLY got a hold of my daughter who got her dad, my husband.
Granted he’s not supposed to drive at night but I was in sheer panic. I HATE being by myself late at night anyway, but to be broken down? That is THE worst.
Thank God he got there my heartbeat went to throbbing to calm as he said words of encouragement about everything being ok.
Thinking I needed a jump, I popped the hood only to see it, there, looking at me as if to say a big “FUCK YOU FOR BEING POOR.” The serpentine belt to my car just laying there…bastard.
Thank God for Progressive Insurance! They tow your car ya know? I strongly recommend them. Nicest people ever…even at 3am in the morning to a panicked crazy lady;)
They said it would be an hour…
40min later there the tow truck guy was in all his glory! I was so happy to see him.
My husband asked him “You want us to follow!?”
“Ummm nah, I’ll follow you if that’s okay. I know where you are, but it’ll be easier to find your drive way if you’re ahead of me.”
So off we went!
About 5min down the road my husbands cell rings.
It was progressive with a recording saying “Your tow truck will arrive in approx 20min.”
My husband laughed as he stated “wow they’re on top of things huh?”
Until I opened my big mouth with: “Great, if they’re going to be another 20min who in the hell is this with my car attached to his truck that we’re leading right into our driveway?” I laughed out loud and continued with “Suuure he knew where to go…of course it would be easier for us to pull in first, so we couldn’t get out maybe.” My husband looked at me with a glare in his eye, his smile wiped away and sternly said “there is something wrong with you. Why the hell would you even say that? It’s 3:30 in the damn morning and now I don’t even want to pull into the house…You know? THIS is why Serenity (our oldest child a tad obsessed with the dark side 😉 is so crazy…You watch way to much of that Criminal Minds shit Cheryl….Good Lord what the hell…? What were you thinking to say that shit right now?”
I could not help myself from laughing the whole way home. I guess I didn’t think about that thought spooking the shit outta him. I just thought, well, guess I didn’t think!
Hahaha
Maybe I do watch too much of Criminal Minds, Law And Order, NCIS, and any other fake, or real life crime show that’s on television. However BECAUSE of that I would be the girl who makes it into the sequel! (happy thought?)
TRUE STORY.
If I hear a noise at my front door I DO NOT GO OUT THERE!
If I pull into the house and my front door is open…I sure as hell won’t go in!
These are the things people need to think about you know!
Although….We did drive into the driveway with the tow truck behind us…

Until next time…DON’T EVER OPEN THE DOOR 😉

CHERyL~

WRITTEN: July 23rd 2011

 I remember the neighbor down the street from us died. He was a mean old man never smiled or offered a hello to anyone. 
Everyone was going to his funeral, including my mom. 
I was confused when I didn’t see my dad getting dressed and asked if he was going with us to pay his respects. “For what?” he asked me…I shrugged my shoulders and said “I don’t really know I guess.”
As a former Marine who served three tours of duty in Viet Nam my father was never at a loss for words or telling you exactly as he saw it. 
I stood there not really knowing what to say and my dad looked at me and said “Tommie-Girl, it doesn’t matter to me when someone so cruel, so mean and no compassion dies. I wasn’t their friend alive…and I’m not going to lie about it now that they are dead. Orval was a VERY mean man. Mean to everyone around here including that sweet wife…I’m not going to his funeral and put on a pretend sad face when I truly could care less.” 
You can just imagine my shocked face hearing my dad sound so harsh. But even though I was so young I remember it, and now can honestly say I understand exactly what he meant. 
 This year has been so extreme in re-learning biblical things. From homosexuality to traditionalism, all the way down to forgiveness….and grace. I have felt so spiritually numb a LONG ass time I am not even confident if I could still hear the voice of God let alone doing what He leads me to do. 
It’s ironic that a few short weeks ago I blogged about when do certain people get what goes around after being so cruel to people. Reason being one of those people I have recently found out has Cancer. The same Cancer my Dad died from. 
Stage 4
A year at the most.
I had loved this person for so long.
Looked to him as a father,
friend,
Spiritual authority…
But he did such a nasty thing to someone I care deeply for. Without no bounds of giving one single shit it affected our life, our spiritual walk, nothing. Then…when I needed him the most he wouldn’t even bury my mother. 
Not for any other reason than to be able to make my husband grovel for a forgiveness he wasn’t ever going to get anyway. 
Sickening. 
When I think about it I still want to vomit. 
Where is MY grace?
Compassion?
Mercy?
Forgiveness?
I wish I knew. But it’s no where in sight, reach or grasp of me, anywhere.
Not one tear has been shed for this man from my eye. Not one elevated heart beat of concern. 
Sigh….
For a brief moment I thought that we should at least go and see him, for what I have no clue…Certainly not closure. But my husband quickly said “No way…” 
My heart is breaking for his beautiful wife who never showed me anything but complete love and pure respect. 
His children…
But it ends RIGHT THERE. 
It sounds so mean but I told him when my mom died four years ago, that one day…one day he would want compassion and he wouldn’t get it and I pray that at that very moment he would remember what he DIDN’T do for my mother. 
I doubt very seriously he has even had one night sleep lost because of my mom, 
my husband…
anyone else he hurt. But still…It’s so ironic.am just at a loss of what to do. I wouldn’t even be able to guess as what the right thing is in this crazy situation. A friend said I should go and visit if anything for myself so I won’t regret. However, I have no desire to see him. For what? To throw hands up, speak of fake all is forgiven and forgotten in light of him dying? I don’t think I could do that. 
Simply because I DON’T feel that way.
I’m STILL very hurt.
Very angry… disappointed.
People can pull the grace card all they want but it doesn’t change the past. 
The fact people are STILL hurting so badly from things this person did or allowed to be done and said. Does someone dying trump all of their wrongs? Especially when they still feel as though they did nothing? 
I don’t want any biblical talk or scripture thrown at me either…I want SOLID, REAL, HONEST advice because anyone can quote a chapter and a verse. 
I understand when Pastor Nar says that “forgiveness doesn’t always mean that you condone that person’s actions” but for me it seems as though EVERYONE around has done nothing BUT condone this persona’s actions. 
There are consequences for standing behind a pulpit preaching love, love, love and being a complete ass to people when you’re not.  
I can’t be fake and act as though I’m just “soooo sad” when in all actuality, I’m really not. 
I don’t feel happy at all. I just feel like…”whatever…” which is just as bad as happy I think. Perhaps bitterness is getting the best part of me. 
But I adored my mom…
Loved my life and all of a sudden the things I thought were real, weren’t. 
It devastated me to learn that the men I counted on the MOST to be real and set things aside, didn’t. 
My life, the way I looked at God, strangers, friends…all changed and has NEVER been the same. It was a cliche’ you hear all of the time, “My reality check bounced.” Only it didn’t just bounce, it bounced up and smacked me in the face like a fuckin’ brick. 
So….
Now what?


Selah~
CHERyL

WRITTEN: July 9th 2011

There is nothing more horrible than people who REFUSE to look at your frustrations as valid and write them off as excuses.
I’m in a rather shitty mood today, a slight funk as well.
I just can’t understand how people can point out YOUR flaws yet stand by and excuse others who are so cruel, rude, arrogant and down right mean to people they see as weaker than themselves. 
I can’t just do that. 
As a woman number one I have EVERY right to voice my opinion on whatever I fucking feel like voicing my opinion on. 
Number two if you feel like shit how is it logical to make ME feel like shit? 
And before people go on and on about “you control your own atmosphere” or “you choose to live how you live” oh shut the hell up because that isn’t always the truth. 
I get grace…
I do…
I have needed it for myself PLENTY of times. Plus I have children and a husband…I’ve also extended grace a few times 😉 But to sit and glaze over the complete bullshit of people hurting other people by throwing the “grace card” around like it’s an excuse to be a dickhead is ridiculous. 
Although I have a Sailor mouth I am one of those people who generally always take the bible literal. That being said I also feel you can do that and STILL take it out of context. Grace should NEVER be an excuse to allow people in what they look to be “spiritual authority” to spiritually ABUSE others. 
I just think sometimes you may not be in the BEST situation for yourself, but there are those FEW times where it’s TRULY not your call. 
So if some bullshit goes on, I WILL say something. 
 Tolerating bully’s, arrogance, rudeness, and anything else you wanna throw in there is just unacceptable. 
Weather it’s ME you’re doing it to, or someone else I can SEE you doing it to. I’m not going to just sit and stand by while someone treats me or anyone else like shit. 
Honestly, if that person who is getting emotionally beat down to weak or insecure to stick up for themselves, then…HELLO, my name is “Opinion.” And I WILL share it with you. 

Good Day,
CHERyL~