FAITH ... Shaken or Being Destroyed

In the beginning of June, I switched from "breath of God" to "faith" in The Blue Book, which started me in search of ... 

"Keeping the Faith"

[image credit: Pastor Jeff]

God’s gift of faith is like a flame, and when the embers of the fire have cooled you must fan them again and keep them ablaze. 2 Timothy 1:7 Voice

[All the boxed portion below indicates that it's not mine, as is the case with anything "boxed" so that part is from the Heffrons at 80s Church]
{I ended up removing almost all of their devotion except mainly the "Takeaways to Live By"}

 The reason that I ended up on this "search" to 80s Church in the 1st place, was because John Heffron is the author of my favorite 2025 devotional book that I read daily & share the prayer & verse at YV; & since I'm at day 175 or beyond when I post this, I thought I should find out who this author is; since I was not familiar with him, & he's a popular comedian.

Surprisingly, although the title of his book does not include any of my 2025 One Words; 

almost every single devotional prayer has one of the One Words: 

TRUST

And this motivates me daily to be

"Keeping the Faith" 

so I ended up reading by subscribing

AND 

these "TAKEAWAYS to Live By" in this devo

are so perfect for me!😉 

This is the same setup as in his book:

Scripture, devotion, prayer, takeaway

And like I said, I really like!

 

So I'm glad that I did subscribe because

The 80s Church reminds me of another book I enjoyed reading when 

I had Kindle Unlimited that did something similar with oldie songs & devotions; 

"Retirement Rocks"

{although so far, that has not been my personal experience with retiring}

[50 Devotions with many Oldie Songs as Titles]

"Faith That Endures!" John Heffron & Michelle Heffron - December 27, 2024  "... Today, let’s turn the dial to Billy Joel’s hit “Keeping the Faith” and discover how it connects with Hebrews 11:1-6.   "Keeping the Faith" song is by Billy Joel "This song is all about holding onto what’s good and true, even as life changes around us.  Let’s reflect on what it means to keep our faith alive and vibrant in our everyday walk with God." ... 🌟 Takeaways to Live By: 🌟 Faith is about trust – Trust God’s plan for your life, even when the road ahead seems unclear. He is faithful to guide and provide. Faith grows through perseverance – Challenges are an opportunity to deepen your reliance on God. Keep going, even when it’s hard. Faith requires action – Live out your faith in practical ways: through love, kindness, and a life that reflects God’s goodness.

It seems like the entire month of June, I have been on this search of FAITH, now that we are at the end of the month. Not because I lack faith (but that's possible), and not because I'm struggling in my faith (because faith is what keeps me going) but mostly because I really need to be "keeping the faith" and those 3 TAKEAWAYS to LIVE BY have encouraged me. I know that I am not alone. I confess that my faith is shaken and in crisis because of what's occurring.

Yet I'm sure that my struggles are not the same as your struggles or doubts, I just have so many questions and cannot cope with all the world events, especially in our own nation, mostly because I never ever thought I would see this happen. So here's where I begin to vent a little. It's beyond a Constitutional crisis! Our nation and our Constitution is in such a crisis of lawlessness; out of control, authorized by this current administration & now through this 980 page Bill being pushed through the Senate & Congress again is literally going to take from the poor & give to the rich; increase our debt to trillions while taking away healthcare, and so much more that our FAITH, like never before, will be tested & pushed to the brink. We cannot ignore this or be blind to it. We no longer have three functioning branches in our government. 

The devastation will exceed our limits & not only faith will be a struggle, lives will be continually challenged, sources will be scarce & even people will loose their very lives by this. All it would have taken is a "No" vote from our politicians, and us. This is corruption at the highest. This should not be allowed. Power and greed are taking over. We can't be spectators because it will affect all of us drastically. We must be the "firewall" and ready to defend & stand up for what's right. There's an urgency in this faith issue, and we've been lied to, deceived and betrayed. People are suffering and many more will suffer in our nation & the world. The book of Revelation reveals so much but it does not cover this. I'm not lukewarm, I'm on fire. 

There just is too much cruelty & evil oozing out everywhere and as I see it, much of it was not just political but in the Church also. This move of Christian Nationalism and all that is happening with this "Big (totally not) Beautiful (but BS) Bill" and the unnecessary changes that will impact drastically so many lives & from what I've seen much of Project 2025 is carefully woven throughout this bill & so much evil & more destruction of greed, power & selfish supremacy to give the wealthy more and take from the poor & middle class so much from their daily cost of living to healthcare to human rights. And on & on ... that my faith (maybe not in Church & my beliefs) but in our humanity has been shaken beyond what I thought possible. This is my struggle & constant prayers to God, who is still on His throne, & He is in control, more powerful & only His authority reigns supreme; but He has not stopped this, which means He is allowing it for His Kingdom & Glory but then I read this from The Wounded Healer; or perhaps He's waiting for us, people of faith to rise up.

I'm trying to keep my eyes on Jesus, however too much of what has & is happening, similar to the Crusades, is done with the sword in one hand & the Bible in the other ... and hell has been unleashed in our country & spiraling evil throughout the world (even death in far too many places). My heart aches yet I cannot turn a blind eye away from the Truths in Jesus' teaching  and the biggest one for me right now is Jesus, as the anchor for my soul. But how do I keep the faith? 

Originally before 2025 began I had gotten a devotional because one of the One Words that came to me, that I was sure was it - my 2025 One Word should be ANCHOR (not Hope, because I had done that once) and not even ABIDE or TRUST because at that time I just needed reinforcement that Jesus would/could/should be the very "ANCHOR for My SOUL". But I left that beautiful image & devotional book on my shelf, and anchored myself to TRUST and ABIDE. Yet somehow, they all seem to intertwine with FAITH, this faith being shaken & I'm holding on to the core values that Jesus gave us, starting with His Compassion, His Love, His Grace and so many other wonderful attributes that the Church is forgetting as the main message. 

I'm so very thankful that with the selection of a new Pope (in the Roman Catholic Church), Pope Leo XIV, we are seeing someone who will stand up to some of this. And Pope Leo XIV has. I can only hope. This past week, I have seen some messages coming forth from the Vatican city and so I believe that this American/Peruvian Pope will continue to speak to the souls of this nation & our world. Meanwhile ... I'll keep my FAITH...at least try & do what I can.

“Trusting Creator is the solid ground our hope rests on. It means we can be sure of the things we do not yet see.” ‭‭(Hebrews) To the People of the Tribes of Wrestles with Creator‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬ ‭FNVNT‬‬ (First Nations Version New Testament)

Or in more familiar versions of Hebrews‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬‭:

“Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.” NLT‬‬

“Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen.” TPT‬‬

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” NIV‬‬

"Faith is the assurance of things you have hoped for, the absolute conviction that there are realities you’ve never seen." VOICE

"...TOGETHER

Let's put our

FAITH

into action

and become the change

our world so urgently needs."

~Jim Wallis, Executive Director

Center on Faith and Justice

🙏

"Jesus, You see past my words.

You know where my heart has resisted You,

and where I've said the right things but stayed still.

Today, I don't want to perform

FAITH

but I want to live it." ...

from Pastor Jody McKewen

[there's more to the prayer & also his message]

{I shared him back here}

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I even went back to watch

Audacious Faith

Part 1 & Part 2

and then discovered an older series

Crazyr Faith

playlist from 3 years ago

{currently many online churches pastors seem to be on vacation}

except I did start out with my local churches online

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WOW and now today, The Wounded Healer (Pastor Paul Dazet) substack shares "FAITH that doesn't Flaunt, the Hidden Wisdom of God" [1 Corinthians 2] which reminds me of another 80s Church on a Bon Jovi song ("You Give Love a Bad Name") "Guarding Your Heart and Faith"

So Much BETWEEN ... HERE & NOW & the NOT YET

In my earlier "In BETWEEN" blog post, I shared about my new interest in Substack & how it probably would not like me referring to it as a new form of blogging, but if you followed 2 links I gave there, or this one, you'll see it is meant for bloggers (and the other one was for getting started). I guess you could say that I'm "in BETWEEN" Blogger (to continue my style of writing) here & there (Substack), mostly for reading at this point on a variety of topics. I shared some of my favorites in that previous blog post, but I have many more. 

Back then, I did not emphasize why I like each one and I don't plan to do that today. There's probably an explanation in the "terms" about sharing content from there, or maybe I could ask the "writers" for their permission before I share; or just link, like I did and the option is yours. However, I've done none of the above (yet), but as I read the one from June 21st, I found myself sympathizing, empathizing, and placing my heart broken self BETWEEN their life & the lives we live here, wondering as awful as I see our country as it's being divided, destroyed, and so many despicable events being dealt with on a daily basis; we have not yet had to deal with the pain that his country is facing daily, and has had to fight since the invasion by another country in 2014 and yet again since 2022 (February 24). 

Life BETWEEN freedom and occupation, with someone else in control & continually destroying & taking their land because of wrong, corrupt & misplaced thinking & belief of the invading country's leader and the lies that were given to his country as the rationale. Not at all the place, I (nor they) would choose to live in the BETWEEN, but because it's their country, they fight to defend their homeland. I have a great deal of respect for every single person from this country, whether they stayed or had to move to safety in another place (or country). I cannot imagine the horrors of their daily nightmare that they have had to endure & remain in the fight, with the destruction all around and now insurmountable attacks escalating, but their spirit is not broken. Yet mine is & my heartbreak increases each time I read from his Substack.

<>

YET

This is not at all the idea of BETWEEN for this week's 

{and sharing from it is not the point or reason that I came to blog at this time}

perhaps I will add some still later from The Blue Book

yet I think we get plenty in the book & now on JB's blog

"Room to Flourish" 

[Archive mostly, back in September of 2012 currently]

Jim Branch on day 1 basically explained 

the space

BETWEEN

that sacred space

 

"... It is the space where you must trust the heart of God alone for your life."... Jim Branch, October, 2005

I came because I want to share
a glimpse into this country
as they live
BETWEEN
in that sacred space of
"WAR, LOVE and SURVIVAL"
in Ukraine
from actually 2 of Viktor Kravchuk's
amazing, heart felt stories from
  June 21st and June 24th, 2025
respectively

"Here Comes the Sun, Even in a World like This" {this part is almost all the way to the end of his 'story', but the rest is awe-inspiring,  in fact, reading it again I had tears falling} "...And let me tell you something that I’ve learned these last 3 years. You don’t need to live in a war zone to feel like you're fighting one. You can be fighting a serious disease. You can be mourning someone you lost. You can be struggling to pay your rent, sleeping in your car, sending job applications for two years and getting silence in return. You can be skipping meals to make it through the week. You can be feeling invisible. Facing something that doesn’t make the headlines, but breaks you just the same. And still, the same sun that rises over Kyiv rises for you. Even if your war isn’t on the news, it’s real. Your particular war. From here, from this wounded country, I tell you that the only way out is through the heart. The only way forward is through warmth. Through connection.  Through the smallest choice to believe in something again. To tell yourself it’s all right. Not because it is, but because it needs to be." ~Viktor Kravchuk

I do not think that I would have the strength or hope, like thisif our country was in that same position.
But, for me, as I see it,WE AREjust a different kind of invasion & absolute destructiona battle for our SOULS

"We Live in What's Left of a Map"  "They erased our lines, but not our lives" "THEY SAY PUTIN IS LAUNCHING his “summer offensive.” That he’s trying to break our morale. That he wants a map with just enough red ink to call it a victory. They’re not wrong. But what they still don’t understand, and I don’t know how to make them, is that we don’t live by the map anymore. We live in what’s left." ~Viktor Kravchuk

because "WE are..." (in Viktor's words)

"... decidedly, absolutely, completely, undeniably together in this fight." "I feel a surge of emotion every time I see our flag in a window abroad. Thank you so so much!"~Viktor Kravchuk

I thank you, Viktor Kravchuk & others like you! I admire & respect your views.🇺🇦 Your flag is flown in our house & outside!
Your words break my heart
yet convict my spirit
to stand together with others
to guard the flame of
freedom, liberty & justice for all
<>

It was as I was reading the rest of this second one (before the quote) that I had a sudden flash of how every day of their lives since 2014 and even more since 2022 (3 solid years) of full scale invasion, the Ukrainians live in their "sacred space" BETWEEN possible "life & death"; "peace, or more missile & drone attacks"; BETWEEN much of what Jim Branch had written too ...

"... between letting go and being taken hold of…between the old & familiar and the new & unknown … between control & agenda and dependence & detachment."... ~ Jim Branch, October, 2005

but on a whole different level than WE do

and it just struck me

how very precious our very breath & daily freedom

that we are given - have truly been

and 

like Ukraine

it's being slowly 

(yet very quickly & methodically, before we see it for what it is)

taken & destroyed;

our grip is being pried open

and our very minds & thoughts are being deceived

from all sides because

we too are being bombarded by the enemy

<>

I take no pleasure in writing my weak words lacking courage

for such a time as this

however

in reading words from others on

SUBSTACK

my eyes have been opened

{I almost wrote without any hesitation the following}

"... mine eyes have seen the 

GLORY ..."

{and I quickly thought}

"... of the coming of the

LORD"

{out of the recesses of my heart & soul arose those lyrics}

so I paused & gave reflection

that this is what I want

yet realized

what

we are truly seeing

is the exact opposite sadly

our world is in so much chaos & destruction

that abounds while we linger

BETWEEN

this kingdom & God's kingdom

"BETWEEN

the boat & Jesus"

BETWEEN

heaven & hell

{sadly for many, hell is right here, on this earth}

I read this in another favorite's reply to 

the author of "The Beautiful Mess"

that I read before I knew it was a Substack

" ... history has always lived in the valley

BETWEEN 

despair and defiance."

This gifted writer always writes with

power, truth & sound wisdom

from his life's experiences

but this

BETWEEN 

is where our country seems to be

as I read his full reply comment 

his use of

BETWEEN 

jumped off the page and his ending statement:

 

"We carry the flame - not because

we know it will light the whole world, 

but because it must not go out."

I'm sure Viktor agrees with this as I do!

<>

My words are not at all as encouraging 

as Viktor's always seem to be

and his FreedomLine Substack shares.

Because my heart is heavy, so very weighted

by all the grief, pain, despair 

and I don't even live in a war torn space (yet)

but I see it all around me 

in others & in other's states

as I live awakened to the utter tragedies & nightmares of many

BETWEEN

mine and the trampled vintage

of our divided nation

BUT

HIS TRUTH is MARCHING ON

<><><>

 for me, it's because

MY ONE WORDs for 2025

are

ABIDE and TRUST

{so I do & I will}

keep trying

<>

as I PRAY on REPEAT

OUR OPENING PRAYER

for this week

BETWEEN

 

"O Lord, our God, so much of this life is lived in between; between the now and the not yet, between arriving and departing, between birth and death and rebirth, between growing up and growing old, between questions and answers. Help us not to live only for some distant day when the in between will be no more, but help us to step into the mystery of that sacred space here and now—knowing that it will be a place of genuine change and true transformation. (JLB)

BETWEEN
PEACE & *WAR
[chaos, battles, struggles, conflict, disagreement, etc]
Let's choose
PEACE
for
ALL
not only for some
<>

Let's LIVE together in PEACE
not in a distant day, but now
by allowing others
the same freedom that we expect
to choose & live freely
Every human
deserves
respect & dignity
~ a sacred space ~
here & now
because
we were given free will
not to take, or force nor be forced, but to freely choose & be given the same fair chance to life & breath
<><><>

An ADDED Sidenote that I forgot to mention: at the end of Viktor's posts, he shares the following: {and of course, you know I have it, began reading it & really enjoy the literary connection to Dante's Divine Comedy (where Dante describes his travels through Hell, Purgatory & Heaven, written 1309-1321) but this, for me & in my opinion is better because it's current. It's not that long, like 75 pages, but well worth the time to read! Lately, I'm having trouble with my Kindle books opening, even with a new download of the app.}

📖 “The Divine Comedian: Ukraine’s Journey Through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise” is my (Viktor's) first book: about Ukraine, seen from inside the fire, and the hope that refuses to die. Download it for free (PDF & Kindle). 

In BETWEEN ...

I have begun recently reading a new form of "blogging" called Substack (which is my interpretation of it. I don't thing that Substack would call it this). I've encountered & discovered many "writers" and podcasters, etc. and quite often have wanted to share their writings here. Of course, I'm not at all sure of the copyright infringement, etc. yet I'm sure that I can link to them without any problems (at least I hope so). So many of them are so good! 

I'm going to start off with a Pastor from the Presbyterian Church {that I know nothing about} but he also lists "Franciscan" and "Walker of the Way". I'm a little familiar with the Catholic Church "Franciscan" that follow after St. Francis of Assisi (the Franciscans were founded & inspired by him). I'm not sure about what he means by "Walker of the Way" & a search was not helpful, however I definitely like it and would hope to classify myself as one who is a walker of the Way - being Jesus' Way (John 14:6). He shares reflections from scripture, calling them "Words on the Way". His name is Jody McKewen. {perhaps I should link him to his Church where you can read more}

[image credit: agents of light]

There's no particular reason, I chose his Substack first to share, except for the reason that this one stuck to me today when I got to the ending of a colorful splash with "We Need You" written on it, and although the first part of this title does not apply to me {perhaps it might for you} but the last part most definitely does "... A Word to the Hurt, the Weary and the Wanderer" and I certainly needed to hear what he shared & the part I underlined in the splash of color [it was Adobe Stock image] like painting splashes of 4 bright colors. 

His words in the beginning don't quite apply to me; the next part, 🌿I needed to read ... 🕊"The Gospel is personal but it's never private" and as he continued, I began to openly listen to the words written ... being spoken through a gentle Spirit. And I definitely agree with "... the Kingdom of God is the remedy." 

I really do hope that "WE are building a kingdom of love" because I totally agree with him that "Jesus didn't come to escape the world. {although in these last few days, that's my thinking but not in the way that many choose to escape in substances, etc. but literally "escape" as in the flight response, but that's a complicated & messy story that no one needs, just one of those physiological reactions we humans have - (on an interesting side note: I also learned that it's been extended to more than just the original 2 of "fight or flight" and the 3rd one I recently encountered of "freeze" (which I totally get) but now another one has been added "fawn" which I have not experienced or know much about, but back to the content} ... (Jesus) "came to transform ..." (the world) and "He left us here not to be spectators, but builders." Yes, He did ... we are meant to be part of His Kingdom Builders. The words that follow by Pastor Jody are the words that I pray every believer would HEAR that follow "We are building a kingdom of love" ...

I really thought we were ... building God's Kingdom.

This, however, is not at all what I have seen or witnessed in this last decade. And now, as I look back, I seriously question this and if we are or ever were. It isn't doubt or disbelief, it's what I have been watching in complete stupefied society and the world unraveling & becoming more & more divided, divisive & so utterly deceived filled more & more with downright hatred & cruelty; blatant lies repeated & such distortions that I shake my head, hoping I will wake up from this horrendous nightmare ... but after last weekend here in Minnesota with the devastating, horrific tragedy upon tragedy that occurred against our lawmakers & intended for many more ... just leaves my jaw dropping in awe of such appalling & continuing to mount daily more & more unnecessary violence against other human beings that no longer have any sense of being decent, moral or humane. Certainly not like Jesus - at all! I weep & am numb from the complete shock as WE dehumanize one another. Certainly, not building the Kingdom that Jesus/God hopes that we would. I am overwhelmed and my heart breaks. Yes, I am Hurt. Yes, I am Weary. But, it really hurts to admit that I am now a Wanderer. I pray that I do wander as I try my best to follow Jesus' Way, because I do sincerely believe that "HE is the Way, the Truth and the Life ... " I know I'm not the only one drifting. How my heart aches to watch & hear the stories of people in LA & throughout our country, brought to their knees & face down to the ground by government officials (hardly any with compassion) and now our military under orders of ... {pray, Peggy, pray}

So I continue to read and seek uplifting people anywhere standing up for one another, truly loving like Jesus taught us. I need a Church that cares! I need to see a Church that is transforming this world. I need to see a Church separate from politics, but I don't mean that they are not people involved in politics - just not partisan or preaching a party but Truths from God's Word & than action that aligns with Jesus' teachings (certainly not with the Pharisees or Evil). What has happened to US? 

I close (and I hope it's ok because I certainly don't want to infringe on anyone's rights, copyright or other constitutional (human) rights) with the Prayer from Pastor Jody's well intended & heartfelt timely words from back in May.

"Jesus, Heal what hurts in us from the past. Stir what still hopes in us for the future. Gather us again—not as perfect people, but as people still learning how to love. Build Your Church with our questions and our courage. And let us find one another again in the breaking of the bread. Amen."

I also read a few "posts" from Christopher Hale todayabout Pope Leo XIV"Letters from Leo"{you know that I delight in this new Pope}
and 
quite a few others that inspire, encourage & offer truth
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One of the ones that led me to Substack besides
Asheritah & Kelly
was
Bruce Cooper, Canadian{caregiver to his wife Peggy with dementia}
(but he has had to "step away" for awhile now)
It's OK, I have plenty to read...
plus I truly enjoy reading
from Viktor K."Ukrainian. Living a war. Writing, sharing, turning raw experience into words. Here, the unfiltered expression of a life transformed.""War, Love & Survival in Ukraine"
Please keep him, his country & those living in Ukraine in your🙏
Rhonda & Mark Blessings(missionaries)there too
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As I move forward in the 

I am looking at doing 

BETWEEN

Day 1

(September 17, 2012 in Jim Branch's Blog Archive)
since I'm lingering 
"in between"
Jim Branch's Reading for Reflection from back in October of 2005shared on day 1 linked above or page 210 in book
Hoping to continue
ABIDING in Jesus
but I've finished the YV plan of 14 days and another one.
<>
*If you need more of the BETWEEN day links,let me know for days 2-7.
<>
I was hoping to write about 
June 21st today
but decided for now that
this was more appropriate for y'all. 
{especially when I heard the war news}

[Timeless Hebrew Tunes]

A PRAYER FOR PEACEfrom Pastor Jody McKewen also