Lady Traveler : 08/01/2014

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Traveling to a place where there is HOPE

My brother's garden in Zion 2009*

Unto the upright there arises
light in the darkness;
He is gracious, and full of compassion.
Psalm 112.4

There is so much turmoil happening in the world that

I my day-to-day problems seem trivial.

Just when things start settling down a bit,

there's another news flash

(this week, in the state of Missouri),

the continuing conflict between Gaza and Israel,

Russia and Ukraine,

ISIS terrorist genocides and the
be-heading of an American journalist,

and the suicide of comedian/actor Robin Williams.

Flying over island off Belize 2010*

Its hard for me to sit at my computer to

write, re-write, and edit my next novel,

Lady on the Run

when the world is crumbling around us.

Does anyone else feel this way?

So I haven't written much lately,

but I've been doing a lot of thinking and praying.

Mostly praying.

I know there are many people out there in Blogland

who are hurting.

Your situation seems hopeless,

like Robin Williams.

You may be fighting depression.

Or worse.

But wait!

There is help.

You just have to reach out and ask for it.

To start somewhere, in the privacy of your home,
I ask you to PLEASE

go to our church website, www.newspring.cc

go to bottom of page to Sermons, click on the Overwhelmed message #2

"Spanx, Sickness and Suicide"

It may save you.

(Pastor Perry Noble shares his personal journey

with depression and suicidal thoughts;

yes, pastors are human too).

Our former hometown, Huntington Beach, CA*

Why am I sharing this?

To promote my church?

No.

I want to reach out a hand to let you know that someone cares.

I care.

Jesus cares.

Crying out for help--

--from others and from God--

may be the strongest moment of our lives.

Hope comes with help from God and others.

Costa Rica 2014*

If you're not be experiencing

anxiety, depression or suicidal thoughts,

you may know someone who is.

Reach out in love, not condemnation.

You may be the one who changes their direction.

*i thought a few of my nature photos would make you sigh, smile, and feel that there is HOPE.

www.sharonleaf.com

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

...if I perish, I perish....

(I wrote this post in 2014. Since that time, since the recent terrorist attacks, the French Jews are now making Aliyah (moving) by the hundreds, possible thousands, to Israel. Thus my reason for reposting while I finish my recent post. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.)

WWII ship, MS Restoration, at sea

...and who knoweth whether thou art come

to the kingdom for such a time as this?

Esther 4:14

ON A SERIOUS NOTE:
Have you ever wondered why you are living now

rather than in the 1800's, the 1900's, or earlier?

I have.

Personally, I'm glad I didn't have to wear those long, bulky skirts, wash my laundry by hand, and walk fifty feet to an outhouse.
(oh my, I just realized that there are those who still
do the above...hope I didn't offend anyone!)

Lately, however, another thought has crossed my mind.

God has called me to live in these last days for a purpose.

For such a time as this.

WWII ship MS Restoration

FLASHBACK:

God planted a love for Israel in Rob's heart

in the early '70's when he lived on the West Bank.

God planted a love for Israel in my heart

in 1991 when I was in Bible school in Sweden.

Rob and I were volunteers on the
MS Restoration for fourteen months in 1994-95.

This old WWII ship was put in moth balls
by the government after WW2.
Why?

For such a time as this.

Together, we transported Russian Jews

from Sochi, Russia to Haifa, Israel.

Seattle, WA to Stockholm, Sweden;
Shoreham, England to Athens, Greece;
Black Sea to Israel

He protected us on our entire journey
and among the nations

through which we traveled. Joshua 24:17

We stand with Israel

Whether or not you believe the Bible,

you only have to watch the news or read the newspapers

to see a rising in anti-Semitism.

Thousands of Jews all over the world

have begun their journey (aliyah) to Israel.

We don't have the full picture yet,

but God's Word predicts certain events
shall begin to take place in Israel in the last days.

Don't take my word for it;
read God's Word for yourself.

I KNOW ONE THING:

I have been created for such a time as this
to take a stand for Israel.

And like Esther declared,
if I perish, I perish
(Esther 4:7)

When Esther was asked to go before the king
to save the Jewish people,
she had to make a decision:
Put her life on the line,
or keep quiet and live.
We don't know what would have happened
if she had said no to the request,
but she said YES,
and the Jews were saved.

LESSON:
Is this YOUR moment? -- If it is, then don't miss it!

QUESTION:

Do you want God's blessings or curses?

I made my decision in 1992;

Hope you will too.

I will bless them that bless thee,
and curse him that curseth thee...
Genesis 12:3

I Will Stand with Israel Ralley
Charleston, SC 2012

Read the book of Esther, a very inspiring story of adventure and making right decisions.

To order Lady and the Sea: go to www.sharonleaf.com or www.amazon.com

Comfort...or Challenge? Decisions that direct your journey

I was living a comfortable life in Southern California when the opportunity came for my husband and I to volunteer on a World War II ship to transport Russian Jews from Sochi, Russia, to Haifa, Israel. Rob jumped at the chance to live on a World War II ship for 14 months, but this 48-year-old lady panicked. You see, I couldn't swim, so I had to face my biggest fear--water. Sailing across the Atlantic was my worst nightmare, so I had to make the decision: Comfort, or CONFRONT my fear. Comfort, or step up to the CHALLENGE. After much prayer and inner conflict, I inhaled a deep breath of faith, waved farewell to my safe shore, and dived into a new ocean.

I had gotten my sea legs by day four, when out of nowhere, off the gulf of Mexico, the MS Restoration caught the tail-end of Hurricane Hector. Panicked, I dropped my cleaning bucket and staggered to our cabin and jumped in my bunk. My life jacket fell from the rafter above, so I grabbed it, wrapped it tightly around me, and prayed as I fastened each buckle. If I had been Catholic, this would have been the perfect time to repeat the rosary. Instead, I cried out, "God, help me! Remember, I can't swim!"

As the ocean's surge tossed the ship with a vengeance, my Bible fell off an overhead shelf and landed on my bunk. With trembling hands I thumbed through the pages until I stopped at Isaiah 43. I tried drowning the sound of the waves beating against steel by shouting, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you." While the Pacific raged, it was God's peace that flooded me, and I knew we would somehow survive Hector.

I had read this scripture before, but it had never given me as much comfort as it did that day at sea. I love how God gives us the right words of encouragement at just the right moment.

Now, back home on dry land, whenever I feel challenged, I recall the sound of the ocean's mighty roar, and I quote Isaiah 43:16, and once again, I am at peace.

A Season for Love...my short love story

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1

For the single, for the lonely, there is hope, and a season.

Here is my seasonal love story:

The year, 1984. Forty-one-years-old. Two failed marriages. The recent loss of my beloved Mother. 1987, life didn't look too promising. After working all day, I'd come home, and after a three-mile run and a cold shower, I'd indulge myself in my latest adventure-filled book. But this night I threw the book across the room. "God, please tell me there's more!" Then the phone rang. It was my friend, Tia, begging me to accompany her to a new singles meeting at a nearby church.

"I don't want to go alone," Tia moaned. After surviving her own divorce, she was tired of dating too many I-like-you-I'll-call-you guys. That's why I'd given up dating months ago. Stop-looking-and-let-God was my new motto, thus the reason for my nightly runs and cold showers. Tia, on the other hand, had been visiting churches with large singles ministries. "You have to go with me," Tia pleaded, so what could I say?

So the next night Tia headed for the front row. I insisted on the seats nearest the back door. I yawned as a young slightly-built blonde announced their upcoming March beach trip, and I glanced at my watch as the mild-mannered speaker closed the meeting. The only intriguing part of the evening was a tall, tanned, blue-eyed man wearing cowboy boots who was giving directions and moving chairs. Stop-looking-and-let-God I reminded myself. It didn't matter anyway. I had no plans of returning.

The following Thursday night I was half way out the front door for my evening run when the phone rang. "Ignore it," I whispered, but something inside said, Answer it.

"I'm Rob and I'm calling to thank you for attending our meeting last Friday night." Within minutes we were talking like we knew each other. Now I was curious.

"Are you the guy in the cowboy boots?" That made my heart skip a beat?

"Guilty," he answered.

My heart began to pound as I dove in. I had nothing to lose. "I was married sixteen years."

"I was married sixteen years too."

"I have a twenty-year-old daughter."

"So do I."

This will cause the conversation to come to a screeching halt. "I also have a thirteen-year-old son," I added.

"Me too."

An hour later he asked, "Will you come to our meeting tomorrow night?"

What could I say?

The next evening I scoped the room, but the cowboy was nowhere in sight. I turned to make my exit, but as my shaky hand pushed the door handle, a voice inside said, Don't leave! I reluctantly found a seat on the back row, and unknowingly, the handsome cowboy sat in front of me. I tapped his shoulder. I had nothing to lose.

"Are you Rob?"

"Yes. Are you Sharon?"

I nodded.

I returned that night to check out the stranger who invaded my life over the telephone. Little did I know that the next season of my life had just begun.

I proposed a year later.

What could he say?

A major moral to this story: Always answer your phone. You never know who is on the other end.

(For more details, read LADY and the SEA, a novel based on a true story--mine. www.sharonleaf.com. Available on Amazon.com and e-books.

Pages

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Traveling to a place where there is HOPE

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

...if I perish, I perish....