A Mother’s Tribute of Love for an Unforgettable Child

As Good As She Imagined: The Redeeming Story of the Angel of Tucson, Christina-Taylor Green Roxanna Green (Author), Jerry B. Jenkins (Author) http://www.amazon.com/Good-She-Imagined-Redeeming-Christina-Taylor/dp/1617950122/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325174882&sr=1-1-fkmr0

This story written from a mother’s viewpoint will rock your world as you experience a part of the pain she felt in losing such a dear child.
Christina-Taylor Green truly did seem like an angel sent briefly to earth. From the birth date of 9/11 to the day of her tragic death her light shone so bright in a dark and sometimes painful world, it is hard not to weep through the whole book. Yet it was so sweet and touching. It reminded me at times of Carol Kent’s book ‘When I Lay My Isaac Down’ where there was a moment when life was so perfect and then their world was turned upside down never to return to that perfection. In saying that I also thought of the book of Job throughout.

The affect that young Christina-Taylor had on people seemed magical, even down to her relationship with her brother, Dallas. Although he had some special needs she made him feel so special and loved that it was a big part of his healing and he seemed to cope so much better with life after she was born. I adored the stories about Christina-Taylor’s relationship with her grandmother. I know they are happy to be together in heaven now.
The time-line of the shootings and the facts given about the tragedy were very informational. But being allowed to journey with this family through their personal grief was a wonderful contribution to the world. I also loved the small but poignant writings from the Dad especially in the last chapter where he said, “I love thinking about Christina-Taylor and will do so forever.” He also wrote a poem called “Faith:”
Christina-Taylor Green on one-eight-eleven,
Was laid to rest and went to heaven.

She left her mark in nine short years,
And we remain to shed our tears.
Mom, Dad, and Dallas will love you forever,
Awaiting the day we’re together again. (John Green)
The letters from friends and family added so much to the value of the story of a life that was much too short. It was good to read what the President said to encourage our nation at the State of the Union address shortly after the shootings. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was also wounded and Christina-Taylor Green was one of six people that were killed, with 13 people wounded.

Shattered in soul and spirit, this mother, Roxanna Green gave us such a gift in writing this book (along with Jerry B. Jenkins) and the heart of a loving mother was so evident. The focus on forgiving and not dwelling on the murderer was commendable.

Any thoughts I have now of Christina-Taylor make me smile amidst the tears. There are some that the book of Hebrews, chapter 11 speaks of, that “the world was not worthy of them.” Our world was not worthy of such a pure, sweet, kind angel-like spirit as Christina-Taylor Green was. We are so glad the Lord sent her for a brief moment of time to show that you can really live a life that is better than can be imagined. Unforgettable book about an unforgettable family!

Donna Collins Tinsley

Of books, quotes and the unhurried life

“On every level of life, from housework to heights of prayer, in all judgment and efforts to get things done, hurry and impatience are sure marks of the amateur,”Evelyn Underhill


It’s time for my summer fiction vacation and I’m starting with Dan Walsh’s book, “The Unfinished Gift.” I am already having a hard time putting it down, as it is very poignant. Dan is a fellow Word Weaver and I am looking forward to meeting him.

It’s times like this that I wish I could split into 2 people and be able to do what I need to do for my family and have one life to just read, read, read! I always remember when Mom Tinsley said nearly the same thing, but she wanted to be able to be a different person to be what she needed to be for her family (which I want to do also) and then another person to do her various charities and counseling work. Her daughter, Teresa said then, “I wish I could be 5 different people and they would all just have fun!”

I am also reading Ann Voskamp’s One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are and it is a keeper. There are so many beautiful quotes in this book that I wish I could copy them out for everyone to read. I had been thinking about how I at times am in such a hurry that I am not fully there for anything or anyone, even myself and she addressed those thoughts in what I read this morning.
She said it so well: Ann responding to the above quote by Evelyn Underhill says,
“The hurry makes us hurt.

And maybe it is the hurt that drives us on. For all our frenzied running seemingly towards something, could it be perhaps we are fleeing-------desperate to escape pain that pursues?

Whatever the pace, time will keep it and there’s no outrunning it, only speeding it up and pounding the feet harder; the minutes pound faster too. Race for more and you’ll snag on time and leak empty. The longer I keep running, the longer the gash and I drain, bleed away.

Hurry always empties a soul.” (Ann Voskamp)

Lord, help us to be fully aware of You and others this day and help us to give ourselves the gift of an unhurried soul. Let us be fully aware of those needs, hurts and the love that is right before us I pray.



About Corrie quotes, the New Year, and CBN devo

I am so grateful to the Lord for getting us through this year. I pray a special blessing on my friends and family.
Remember as Corrie ten Boom said, "There is no pit so deep that He (Jesus) is not deeper still."
I'm posting a link to a Corrie quote site, but some of these are just too good not to post myself. I love that woman!

Read and enjoy!
"Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart."
— Corrie ten Boom
"Even as the angry vengeful thoughts boiled through me, I saw the sin of them. Jesus Christ had died for this man; was I going to ask for more? Lord Jesus, I prayed, forgive me and help me to forgive him....Jesus, I cannot forgive him. Give me your forgiveness....And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world's healing hinges, but on His. When He tells us to love our enemies, He gives along with the command, the love itself." — Corrie ten Boom (The Hiding Place)

"Do you know what hurts so very much? It's love. Love is the strongest force in the world, and when it is blocked that means pain. There are two things we can do when this happens. We can kill that love so that it stops hurting. But then of course part of us dies, too. Or we can ask God to open up another route for that love to travel."
— Corrie ten Boom (The Hiding Place)
"This is what the past is for! Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives is the perfect preparation for the future that only He can see."
— Corrie ten Boom (The Hiding Place)
"Hold everything in your hands lightly, otherwise it hurts when God pries your fingers open." — Corrie ten Boom
"If you look at the world, you'll be distressed. If you look within, you'll be depressed. If you look at God you'll be at rest." — Corrie ten Boom
"Happiness isn't something that depends on our surroundings...It's something we make inside ourselves."
— Corrie ten Boom
http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/102203.Corrie_ten_Boom
Also I am posting a daily devotional link. It is CBN writers, and I'm hoping one day to be included in their site.

One of my favorite devotion writers on their site is Kathy Thomas; you should check her out:)
http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/devotions/index.aspx?cpid=EU_SPL_2010_365

A Day in the Life

Well, after having an accident where a heavy bookcase lurched out of the van onto my foot, I was very happy that prayers that it not be broken were answered. The heavy bruising and swelling indicated torn ligaments. The doctor said it takes about as long to heal, but I have a much better chance of faster recovery if I will stay off it, as long as possible and keep it above heart level with ice. It also fell against my upper leg and there is a big bruise and when I said I don’t do well on crutches, I didn’t think I would be falling a few hours later scraping my back on a rocker and hard tile floor. I’m feeling some sore muscles back there.
I was so bummed as my grandsons, Austin and Jordan were over for a visit and I was in the ER nearly all of it. There went my plans to take them to the beach. Ashley filled in quite well with them and Shiloh even cooked them shrimp pasta. Isaiah was very loving, asking questions and if he could help.
Bill and the girls are taking good care of me; it is really hard for me, as I have never had to have anyone basically wait on me hand and foot. Since I fell, they are extra careful. Shiloh had been helping me and went to answer the phone, and I don’t know what happened. All I knew is, if I fell forward I would surely hurt my foot worse and there wasn’t anything to brace against or hang onto to my right. She felt terrible for leaving me, but someone had to answer the phone. And of course I had just got off the phone with Amber who thought it was her fault since I had just brought the bookcase from her house. I guess Bill heard the commotion even though he was upstairs. We have decided I may need to use the cane instead of crutches.
It is hard keeping the foot up and iced but then I think of poor Anita, my mentor, whose leg bled for 6 hours when she had a freak accident where her 200 pound son tripped and fell on her. He had a broken toe and she was in a leg cast for weeks. Well, I guess, I will figure out something from this. Makes you wonder why some things happen. Especially when you don't have insurance. But one thing I know from Anita’s teachings is to praise the Lord for all things and the first thing out of my mouth was “Thank you Lord that it didn’t fall on my toes!” It just missed them. Throbbing toes are the pits; I’ve been there before:)
Thanks to all my friends and prayer warriors who have prayed for me.
I am so blessed to have a good book to read today by Charles Brown. It is called, “Papa’s Voice” and so far I can see it is a powerful word from the Lord to His Body. Blessings to you, Charles, for sending this a just the right time, or for such a time as this. Check it out here: www.papas-voice.com Awesome!

What are the Thin Places in Your Life?

Here is one of my book reviews of “Thin Places” by Mary E DeMuth. Thin Places will both break your heart and restore in again in Jesus name.
What are the Thin Places in Your Life?
The statistics that every two minutes, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted and of the millions of sexual abuse and rape victims, 15 percent are under the age of 12* are incredible. I myself, was a victim at a young age, and maybe that is why I feel such a kindred spirit with Mary E DeMuth.
Mary is not a victim but an overcomer in the strongest sense of the word. She has written a memoir that only someone who grew up with abuse and dysfunction could write. She has bled on paper that others might find the same hope and healing that she found. She has exposed her life, family, love and overcoming spirit to us so that dysfunctional families could find life, hope, love and liberty in the name of Jesus. Mary may not get on Oprah although I pray that she does, but she has a standing ovation from her fan base, a core of people who adore her honesty and the light that shines through her writings. This book should be required reading in High Schools, Treatment Centers and counselor’s offices. Many times even teachers who see children all week long do not pick up on the signs of an abused child. Years ago, Guidance Counselors were there to talk to children about their problems but it seems now they only help with career choices.

The third chapter, titled, Snapshot, previewed the horrors that sometimes happen to children even when you think they are well supervised. I think the angels that watch over children daily must look on in horror at some of the things that happen to little ones, because of the depravity that is in the hearts of men. I sometimes wondered if I had been born under a dark cloud of a curse. The chapter titled, Marked, shows how sexual abuse seems to follow some girls throughout their lives and they may have to fight a victim mentality to rise above it. Other chapters are relatable, such as Snapshot, Slow Dancing, Singing, and Shame. If you had walked in similar shoes you will know exactly what I am talking about.
There are no way my words could give justice to “Thin Places.” Right now I must say that the Lord God is pleased with Mary and her transparency to show where she has bled and hurt in her life. That she would be so open to print the words of truth that will help bring healing to her sisters (and may I add brothers) that were abused in childhood is truly a gift to us. This gift came at a very high price of pain from the giver and should not be easily discarded. I admit I read through Thin Places very fast the first time so I could just know Mary’s story; now I will read it again!

You should, too!

* 2007 study by the U.S. Department of Justice
Read on for something Mary wrote about her book:

“The end result is story: mine. It’s the story of a little girl who faced sexual abuse, neglect, drug-using parents, fear, death of a parent, and a host of other malevolence. And yet it’s a hope-filled story, where the bright light of God’s climactic redemption outshines the dark places. It’s a story of God’s nearness when I thought I’d nearly lose my mind and will to live. How grateful I am for the beautiful love of Jesus, how dearly He chose frail me to shame the wise. It’s really His story after all.”
Finally, I say this about sweet Mary:
"For My hand made all these things, Thus all these things came into being," declares the LORD. "But to this one I will look, Mary who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word. Isaiah 66:2