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Into Abundance
Connecting hearts to the riches in Christ
Hi Marie,
I have never followed a blog before so am not familiar with protocol or etiquette, so am asking for patience and forgiveness if I post things in the wrong place! I just read your post on fulfillment and was going to leave a comment, but lost my way in the rabbit trail I created while reading through your posts. Anyway, the point being, I have seen fulfillment since rededicating my life to Christ. He has shown up in friendships, children and a sense of peace that has been missing for several years. Notice that I didn’t say fulfillment was present due to church attendance, doing the “right” thing, therapy or finding the right job. The fulfillment came when I entered into relationship with my savior. When I talked to him and listened to what He has to say. I can’t thank you enough for contacting me on Facebook and for sharing this site with me. You have been a role model and an example of so many things for me, even if you never knew it. Thank you for letting Christ’s love shine through you!
Excellent post. God is going to use you greatly in this, I think. I have a friend whose son is in the Air Force out there (We’re in PA). He’s a Christian and was going to go to the Batman movie last night. He decided not to go. Two of his Air Force friends went and were shot. His roommate also went and has not returned either. No word on whether these guys are still alive.
I am so sorry that happened to you and your girls. However I am grateful and amazed by your faith and grace. It is people like you that remind me god is good. Thank you!
Thank you, Marie, for sharing what happened to you and for how you encourage us who read your story not to lose faith. What a beautiful gift. I pray that you and your family get some much needed sleep. It would be only natural for you to have nightmares when you do finally sleep. Your mind will have to cope with what happened. I’ll be praying they don’t come, but if they do, God comfort you. Much love, Sister.
I read your beautiful testimony with my husband. We are praying that God will allow your bodies to rest in Him and get the sleep you need. Thank you for sharing your heart.
Thank you so much for making this blog. I just found it and so far I like it alot. You have an incredible story to tell about the shooting in Colorado, and Im praying that God would use it to glorify Him and lead people to the Cross. Im also praying that God would send peace and rest to you and your family after going through so much, and that He would use this to grow in your walk with Him. Thank you so much.
I was just waking up when I heard about the news and was still not quite comprehending it right away; thinking it was a suicide bombing over in the middle east after reading that so many had died.
I’m not here to judge or criticize anybody in this situation; I wanted to thank you for your words of wisdom. It’s a great strengthener, reinforcing what seems like common sense. Thank you for reminding me about the positive things in times like these & about the things that really matter.
I am not a blogger, but i seen your blog link being passed around face book. Just so you know I read this and honestly it made me realize that i need to change my life around. I want to become closer to god again, as I once was. Thank you so much for your blog, it has personally impacted me. I know you must be getting so many of ” thank you’s” but this has really impacted me tonight. Thank you so much.
Your post gave me goosebumps, Lindsey. It takes courage to go back, but HE ALWAYS TAKES US BACK! God bless you!
Thank you for writting such words of faith and encouragement. I was talking with my husband tonight, and its so easy to get caught up in fear. But wow, to go through that tragedy and still have hope, even more hope in Jesus, is being a radiant light. I will pray for sleep. Read all of Psalm 91…talks about our shelter, and rest. Thank you again for this post, it makes me have hope through the darkest news stories and tragedies. Let Jesus shine out of the darkness, and give your girls peace as well. Peace in Christ:)
“God is always good.
Man is not.
Don’t get the two confused.”
Thank you for those excellent words and for the valuable reflections in your entire post. A friend of mine linked your blog to his facebook page so that’s how I happened upon it. One of the victims in this shooting was in Toronto and was in the Toronto Eaton’s Center moments before we had our own shooting here recently. She escaped that tragedy only to end up in yours. People ask all kinds of questions but for the first time I read a Toronto columnist who actually suggested churches might have something to offer. He said, “It means funding programs with a proven record of building up the nuclear family — such as those now offered independently by many black evangelical churches that emphasize sexual restraint, delayed gratification, marriage, self-esteem, financial and family planning.”
I have prayed for you and your family that God might give you rest even as he has fired you up about the reason you are on this earth.
Thank you.
Karl Janzen
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario (near Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
I just emailed you, but I’m feeling very antsy about this and hope to hear from you soon. I’m a writer for KSL.com, and would love to bring more attention to this blog post. It’s needed, in my opinion. Hope to hear from you soon.
I’m praying for you right now, as I read through your blog – for sweet rest and sleep, for God’s comfort and peace.
I found your blog through a friend on Facebook. I have already shared the two versus you quoted on my Facebook as an answer to how people go on from here, as well as a link to your blog. Thank you for sharing and “Lord, please forgive us of all our sins, and I pray for peace to come upon you and your family for a good night’s rest. Amen.”
Thank you for sharing your message . you touched my heart , as I cannot imagine how you felt only your message speaks loud and clear. hope you are all resting 🙂 Thank you! ‘ sweet sleep”
Love & Prayers 🙂
It is by Grace you have been Saved. Scripture made alive in this blog entry.
Thankful for how God has molded you.
A friend of mine shared your blog on Facebook and I’m glad she did 🙂 Reading your perspective of the event made me smile. It is refreshing to witness how God truly is able to keep His children safe from any harm. My favorite and most comforting scripture to read is Psalm 91 since it reminds me that no matter the situation or what time of day or night, we do not have to be afraid. The scripture your youngest daughter said, further comforted me and settled my heart and spirit, which is something I needed since my husband and our young family recently moved to CO and were just visiting the mall, a few days ago. With SO much violence going on in the world, all I can do is smile knowing that God is willing and able to keep what has been given to Him 😀 God bless you for following His heart 🙂
It’s my 1st time to visit your blog and I’m already inspired to grow as mom! Thank you for sharing creatively! You really write so well 😀 Please continue sharing God’s lessons in your life and know that you are really positively influencing young moms like me 🙂 God bless you and your family!
Your blog is filled with Godly wisdom. I am praying for you, your family and everyone involved with the theater shooting.
Thank you for your blog. It was such a great testimony of faith and hope in the midst of tragedy. I can’t imagine how life would be if I didn’t have the hope and faith in God, and a relationship with His Son Jesus who died on the cross for our sins an rose on the third day an lives forevermore!
I pray God give you rest and that you won’t suffer of nightmares. Be blessed and continue to shine for Jesus! I love you! I also pray for the precious families who lost a loved one.
Marie, of course I just “happened” upon the facebook post which let me to your blog. First, I’m praying for you, your girls and your family – I know the family and friends are so grateful that you three are safe and sound. Also praying for the others. Thank you for sharing this and so quickly – I pray it does help to manifest truth that God is good – all the time…All the time, God is good. On Him we can rely – not on man.
Be blessed!
Sheri
Your comments are right on….God is Sovergn but man still has a choice as we have seen. Thanks for the comments and that God has put you in a place of example…to share His mercies…
Thank you for sharing this with the world and for ministering to my heart! You show a perfect example of how simple faith is! Praying for you all and those who have lost.
Thank you! May the Lord bless you and your family now and forever. And yes, God is good!
We serve a sovereign God! I am praising Him for the safety of both you and your children–and for your sweet testimony. Dionne, Seattle WA
Read your post and you are so right…God is always good! May God bless you and give your family peace. I can’t imagine the horror of such an event. My prayers are with all of you at his time.
Marie, this is such an amazing post. God bless you and your family for not keeping quiet about God’s love and compassion.
Marie
Thank you for sharing your faith. I know it will impact many as they contemplate the tragedy of July 20th. You hit it right oh the head. God is always good, Man is not. Praise God for His protection for your family. Thank God for the wonderful servants who stepped up to help out.
Thank you for sharing this Godly perspective. I think you should submit it to People magazine, Readers Disgest, and/or Guideposts where it can touch and help many others.
I second this. This is exactly the kind of message that needs to be seen in the general media.
Dear Marie, I have been so moved by the stories that are coming from this heinous tragedy. I love the human spirit and more than that, I love the ability of our Lord to bring peace and comfort to those that are hurting beyond measure. I, too, am a SAHM and I am proud of you for your bravery and for having the presence of mind to pray over your daughters and everyone in that theater. I have no doubt you will continue to shine God’s light and love in what, at times, seems to be a very dark place.Your gift from God is your ability to communicate in a loving, humorous and very readable manner (and I bet you’re a really fun Mom!) This Mom of 3 is praying for you and your sweet daughters to have rest and true peace that only Jesus can provide. I’m grateful you are all still here. All My Love, Joan Miller-Henderson
Praying that you get some rest.
I’m not going to read all, or any for that matter, of the comments people have made on your posts. #1 I simply don’t have the time right now, and #2 I get mad when people get mean with the “pen” and I don’t want to come across anything that will make me mad. 🙂
I can’t imagine your experience but I know God has purpose in everything He does, and when things happen out of man’s sin nature away from the perfect will of God, I know that God uses even those horrible things for the good of His children and for His glory. This incident will be no different I’m sure.
Anyway, all that to say, I didn’t read the comment about “champing” vs “chomping” (I don’t have time to hunt for it) but both words mean basically the same thing. I’m a country girl…raised on Texas ranches and I’ve watched a horse “chomp” at his bit more than once. If you were to use the term “champing” in my circle of friends, they would wonder what in the world you were talking about. 🙂 I’m a writer so I can appreciate the proper word usage, but good grief–get real–we write for our readers. I think you were understood. I’ve been known to correct another person’s word usage, but not in a post like yours. There were more uplifting things to say as a comment.
May God comfort you, your family, and all those whose lives have been forever altered in these past few days.
Lavonda
Thank You for this Blog. I am always amazed at how wrong the mass media is, when it comes to GOD’s followers. We may be outnumbered when it comes to counting individuals, but we are never the under dogs. GOD’s power is ours to use, his power of Faith, his power of Forgiveness, his power of Healing, and most of all, his power to Love. I and my family are praying for all and anyone who has been effected by this tragic event. GOD Bless
Christians realize that God, through Adam and Eve, gave us free agency. Therefore this killer in Aurora chose to do the acts of unthinkable harm. God, through his only begotten Son, gives us the option of believing in Jesus atonement or choosing not to. I am with you in my belief in Jesus Christ. I feel secure in the knowledge that the soles lost in Aurora were welcomed into the bosom of our Lord without question. I pray for all left behind that they can and will be comforted knowing Jesus cares.
Thank you so much….
Jack
On the trail to Paradise
Thank you for the having the courage to pray out loud! I’m certain the enemy was stilled when your act of boldness addressed the foolishness of his plans! May God continue to be glorified. I was deeply moved by the conviction of your testimony and could not restrain the tears that come from knowing and being reminded that ‘He is Good’.
God’s richest and greatest to you and your family!!
Thank you for sharing this Marie. We are praying for you and everyone who was in that theater. Your daughters are lucky to have a mother like you. May God bless you and give you peace. Amen.
I saw this on fb just like so many others. It is exactly what needs to be shared to those who are “blaming God.” I was about to post something about this very topic but what better than to have someone who was actually there, share. I am reblogging your blog post and scheduled it for tomorrow. I hope you don’t mind. Thank you and praying for peace, comfort and joy for you, your family and all those who have been involved. Thank you for taking the time (during this time) to share! Blessings ~ Debbi
My niece posted your blog on my Facebook wall and I too want to thank you.
God has indeed spared you and your children for a mission and I can see you are not wasting any time in giving God the glory for all things.
I and my wife pray tonight that everyone has a abundant dose of peace that only God can provide and that you all rest in a miraculous way.
I hope to share your blog with my Sunday School class tomorrow.
Yes Ma’am,
I would like like to use part of your recent post regarding the shootings in my sermon Sunday morning if that is alright. I will be very respectful of what was said, and I am respectful of God’s Word. Thank you.
I can only imagine the fear and worry you must have gone through, especially for your children. A good mother protects her children and that is what you did. Thank you for drawing attention to the fact that God is real. He does love his children, but allows them to act on their own. He makes them accountable for their actions after giving them agency to act. It is a loving Father that has given us a gift of agency; the gift of making our own choices and growing and learning form them. that applies to both good and bad choices.
I hope you and your children recover. With God’s peace, I am sure you will.
Bless your heart! I’m shocked that you would receive mean or hateful words, but I shouldn’t be. As much as unbelievers hate us, they hate Jesus even more. Hang in there. You’ve touched many people and it will be exciting to find out some day in Heaven how many people came to believe in Jesus for eternal life because of your blog and because of this sad, sad event. Hang in there! You’re on the winning team! ☺ Your sister in Christ, Linda Jo
I guess I should have left my comment here rather than after your July 21st post.
I just went back and copied it to here. Feel free to delete it on your post page. This is my comment:
Thank you for your beautiful words of faith and Christ’s power to give us peace from within. From one of my favorite hymns, “I believe in Christ, He is my King. With all my heart, to Him I’ll sing…And while I strive through grief and pain, His voice is heard: ‘Ye shall obtain.'” I am deeply touched that in the face of evil, you turned toward your faith and are reminding others what really matters. I need that reassurance because I sorrow at the state of our world. We must remember to see our experience here through our spiritual eyes, to search for meaning and perspective, and most importantly, to help us remember we are all connected. God is love and wants more than anything for us to feel His love. Connection to one another and to a greater purpose is key in giving this life meaning. When we are connected, we feel love, we feel secure, we feel comfort, we feel acceptance, we feel beloning. This is God’s way. Without it, we are lost- we forget our purpose and cannot feel sustained. I fear for society as a whole- I fear too many have lost their connection and humanity. They seek for what can never quench and treat life with a passivity, selfishness, and sometimes ultimate disregard. Thank you for being a light and shining a light upon Christ and His teachings. Thank you for reminding us of what is real and what matters most. God bless you and all who have suffered at the hand of that man.
Thank you for sharing your powerful testimony with the world! You have planted many seeds, and I, for one, so appreciate it. God bless you and your family many times over!!!
Rebecca
Feeling extremely blessed to have found your blog this evening. My family is praying for everyone in your community and all those who have been impacted by this tragedy. I will pray for you and your daughters to get some peaceful rest. God surely is ALWAYS good!!
It wasn’t your time yet! God isn’t done with you yet, here on earth.
I am certain God will give you and your family restful, restorative and peaceful sleep because prayers are going out in abundance. Thank you for your words. God bless you.
Kim
Orlando, Florida
Praying for you and your family to have sweet sleep and be used even more by our mighty GOD. Thank you Jesus for your love, mercy and peace.
God bless you, your daughters, and all of Aurora, CO. Thank you for sharing your faith and your experience. How anyone could call you selfish is beyond me. (well except for the cheesecakes… and what Mom doesn’t stash one treat or another… you DESERVE that cheesecakes today!)
First time reading your blog after finding a link to it on my friend “Sarcalogical Perspectives” FB page. Thanks for sharing your testimony…both your eyewitness account and your testimony of God’ grace and mercy.
Thank you for shining Christ’s light during this tragic time for so many around the country- especially Colorado. I love to see our Savior lifted high! Praise God that you allow God to use you as his vessel as you share your story. May God quiet you and your daughters with his love!
YOU GO, fellow imperfect ambassador for the living God. 😉 We are praying for you all as we can empathize. Phil 2:15 “… so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.” Way to shine on, girl.
An excellent article from who knows our Lord personally. Hopefully this will bring more people to a knowledge of the one who loved us enough to die for us! Love to the skies, Nancy
Love this blog i was referred to your shooting post by Christian author karen kingsbury. Keep on keeping on and thanks for sharing
Your story & your incredible faith are inspiring! I pray that you & your family will continue to use your experience to help bring others to Christ 🙂 I think it’s good that you are not allowing it to stop you from experiencing everyday things. My husband proposed to me on 9/16/2001 as he had been planning for several months. It was a very scary time, but he felt it was so important to go forward as planned. By God’s grace, we are about to celebrate our 10th anniversary this fall!!!
Thanks for sharing your post about the shooting i love your blog so far. I was referred to your post by Christian author Karen Kingsbury. Keep on keeping on:)
I don’t know you and am not a subscriber, but I want to tell you that I admire and am inspired by you and your family! In the face of horror, you still (perhaps just second nature due to your devotion) turned your faith to the Lord! I am praying for you and your family, as well as the other victims, their families, and friends. For so many, this is going to be a long road to recovery. Some may do fine at first, and possibly 20 years down the road face PTSD for some minute reason. I pray you and your family remain devoted to Christ and that the Lord will give you peace amidst all this horror you have all faced!
There will always be those who will hate you for your faith or question it. No matter the case, they just don’t seem to understand that you have someone on your side that is bigger than any force on the face of this world, or even in the universe. There are none so blind as those who will not see. God bless you and your family!
P.S. Just so you know…your blog is already a link on at least 6 of my friends’ FB pages – and I see it growing by the hour! Thank you for sharing such a blessing revealing God’s presence! It’s a reminder and a witness that to God be the glory for the great things He has done! (And continues to do!)
Your faith is a testimony of God’s grace in that horrendous situation. I am so happy you are alive to share this message. And I pray for those who didn’t survive and for those survivors who don’t know the Lord.
I was directed to your blog by the column on msnbc’s Cosmic Log. I have posted your blog to my facebook page with a link to the Cosmic Log article. I believe anyone who reads your story will be compelled by its’ authenticity. You are an expert witness. Your testimony is believable. Your motives are genuine. Numbers 6:24
How do I get to regularly read your blog?
Julie
Just amazing.
Thank you for sharing your faith in God’s Word. It brings hope and peace to many and opens door for others who have forgotten or do not know his His love.
I am deeply moved by your relevant and powerful testimony following your presence at the tragedy in Aurora. it must have been a frightening experience, horrifying. Your words portray an abiding faith in Jesus whether you were to live or to die. To some, this will be the singular most powerful witness they have ever heard. To others, like myself it is a HUGE encouragement to not give up where we are because my struggles are so small compared to what you just went through. Well done good and faithful servant.
God handed you a microphone, and you did well.
Even though I shouldn’t be surprised, I am surprised that anyone would respond to your post “so you still think God is merciful” with any kind of ugliness. That makes my heart hurt for you – all over again. I’m sorry.
I do not know you but I do know your words are very powerful. They reminded me of the difference between good and evil.
God Bless, and I am happy that you and your children are safe.
Your blog about 7.20.2012 is absolutely beautiful and so inspiring and humbling, thank you for your positive influence after such a horrible occurrence, so many hurting hearts.
I saw this blog as a post on a friend’s FB yesterday. As a Christian, I was so encouraged by your faithfulness despite the horrendous event you and so many others had to endure. I’ve never experienced anything remotely as frightening as what you all had to go through, but I hope if I ever do that I will have the same courage and complete trust in the goodness of God as you. One thing I love about the way the Lord works in the midst of tragedy, is He can be glorified through it through faithful believers like yourself. You posted your experience on your blog (I’m sorry, but until yesterday I didn’t know about it), but it was then re-posted on FB, and this morning at my church, Watermark Community Church in Dallas, one of our pastors read it to our entire congregation. We have three services with more than 7,000 members and a website where you can stream live the services to who knows how many other 1000s of people. I say all this, because what you said about the goodness of God was shared with a LOT of people who were all encouraged like me. In a moment when literally “all hell broke loose,” you choose to align yourself with our Lord who in turn took that faithfulness and used it to encourage more people than you probably ever thought about reaching. We never know how He’s going to use us, do we? But He is good, and powerful, and in complete control. And as you so aptly put it, God is always good. Man is not. May the Lord richly bless you, your family and your community as you strive to heal from this tragedy.
Dear Marie with a : )
I don’t know how I happened onto your blog I just “know” I was led. I’ll make this short. I am the wife of a CC pastor in the “Bible Belt”. The soil here is very hard and it make the ministry tough. I often catch myself praying “no compromise” because it would/can be so difficult not to backslide here. Finding your blog on the day of the shooting I know was NO coincidence. After reading it I left it “up” cuz I wanted to know more about this woman who stands for her God. You can only imagine my delight when I read today’s entry and discovered that you are a sister of like faith.
Thank you, Marie, for standing firm and for dealing gently with those who rail against you and Jesus. I wish we had more like you in our fellowship, and in the world. I’ve become a follower of your blog. You encourage me. Thank you sweet sister-in-Christ.
Scharry
We are praying for you for sleep, peace, and blessing. And also for the other families and the attacker. I lost my 13 year old son not long ago, and my 26 year old daughter turned her back on God because of it, saying God could have saved him. But God is good, all the time.
I read your blog in church here in Oregon, and many were touched. May God bless you and your family.
Marie, thank you for honoring God through your words. You are helping me remember to live the life God has given me and be grateful in all things. Love from a gal trying God again.
I would like to express my gratitude to you for the eloquent message that you were able to write after undergoing such severe trauma. The truth and sincerity of your words is undeniable. The love of Christ shines through your words and deeds. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families, your community, and also the family of the murderer who are suffering pain. May God bless you and your family.
In Christ,
Daryl Blanksma
Bozeman, MT
Marie, I praise God for you. He prepared you for this time, to be His beacon and shine like a star for Him in this dark world. I just wanted to thank you. Your sister in Christ, in Starkville, MS, Lori
No worries about a reply…;) I just wanted to let you know that your witness for our Lord has blessed me. I lifted you and your family up in prayer as you continue to deal with all that has happened. I am so grateful that God has given us the opportunity through you and this cursed/blessed thing called the internet to hear His words of comfort and undrerstanding. I am a Stage 4 Breast Cancer survivor so I know that peace that only the Almighty God can give us in times of fear and confusion. I praise Him for His sparing you and I thank Him for giving you the words to help heal the heart’s of so many. God bless you and your family. Thank you for giving to the Lord!
Hi Marie. I am loving your blog posts. I found it because of your post about the shooting, that everyone has been sharing on facebook. But I started reading some of the others. You seem to have a wonderful talent for encouraging through words. I would love to “subscribe” or “follow” your blog, but could not find a button. I understand you have a lot of people to respond to and a lot of things to do, but if you could help me out when you have time, that would be awesome. Thank you so much.
And thank you for sharing your perspective from friday. I know it will definitely have an impact on many lives.
Thank you SO much for writing this! What an AWESOME way to glorify our Abba!!! =o)
Your post on July 20 hit the nail right on the head! Thank you for sharing, and God bless your family as you continue to recover. Our prayers are with you.
Marie – I have only recently stumbled across your blog after your account at the movie theater went viral. I am praying for your family, as well as so many others in Aurora. In the Wedgewood Church shooting of September 1999, I lost my niece – Cassie. Even after all of these years, I still remember that night vividly. Over and over I see the scripture being tested, and the truth being known — Genesis 50:20 “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.” There was true revival following this shooting, and my family saw many of our other family members and friends come to Christ.
I don’t know if this will help, but every time I begin to dwell and try to rewrite the events of September 15th, I recite this verse Psalm 19:14 “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight. Oh, Lord, you are my strength and my redeemer.”
Please do not feel like you need to respond; I will continue to pray for peace and healing for your community and home.
yes, the shooter was controlled by evil.. but….God protects his children!!!!
many are the trials of the Godly but, the Lord delivers us out of them all!!!!
Thank you! My prayers continue to be with you and those who are facing the days ahead.
Just wanted to let you know that I’m a fellow believer in Jesus Christ. I’m so glad that the Lord protected you and your daughters. It still bring tears to my eyes whenever I read or watch about the shooting. I can’t even imagine what you and your family is going through. Know that my prayers are with you and your daughters. I pray that you are able to sleep and it be peaceful. Know that my prayers and thoughts are with you and everyone else that was impacted by this horrendous act. May God bless, comfort, give you peace and shine His face upon you!
Thank you for sharing this story with all of us.We pray that rest and peace will soon return to heal this assault of war which has crashed into your lives.
Thank you so much for obeying God and using this incident to testify to His goodness! It was truly a blessing to read your post. Our sermon today was about Faithful Followers…..The points are reflected in what you said: “Have an active prayer life”; have a continual desire to call upon the name of Christ”; Have a daily expectation to be used of God”. God bless your richly and thank you for sharing your worship in a time of evil attack!
Thank you very much, Marie, for your posts. I absolutely love how you have found some light in this dark, tragic event. Your writing is very level headed and full of grace. And not that it sounds like it has, but don’t let haters grind you down!
Thank you sister in Christ!
Tyrone
Thank you for sharing this story with me. Our family has faced and still facing cancer in two of my four daughters. One is ok and the other still Stage four. People ask me, “how do you do it? I cannot imagine”. My beautiful daughters but my strength comes from the Holy Spirit to be strong for them and be healthier for them I dont blame God, I believe He is mercyful and loving. Without cancer in our family, we would have missed out on seeing people reach out in unconditional help to us. For me to tell them how I am strong and how I do it. We are not lucky, we are protected and blesses.
God spared you to spread your story and help people remain faithful no matter what. Satan and evil is the enemy but Christ is our redeemer. Praise God.. Gerry
You have articulated well the emotions when we are faced with evil in its naked form. Evil at it;s very heart is about choice. God can and does deal with the results of evil choices that we all make…it is never pretty, it is never neat…and we as people of his grace have to articulate our heart felt responses to the situations of life. Thank you for your openness to share your thoughts and what the Spirit of God has asked you to say. Well done.
Dear Sister In Christ….(I searched, in vain, for your name, so henceforth, I shall call you “Sister”). All of our lives are a gift from God. We were put here “For such a time as this”. As you stated, God can always make good come out of something so ugly it is unspeakable. I am sorry some took your words and twisted them, but then, that is our society, today. I clearly understood what you were saying, and I firmly believe God saved you, and your children, so that your testimony of His love and mercy could be spread to all the world! As a “now-renowned blogger”, I guess you’ll have to take the ugliness with the good. When you are confronted with the ugliness, remember Christ’s words to us…. “If the world hates, you, know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love it’s own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you”….John 15: 18 & 19. I am so thankful you all were spared! Now, go forth and proclaim our Lord’s love and mercy. I will be, happily, reading what you have to say!
You now have, thanks to our Mighty God, a platform from which to speak! HE will reap the harvest of souls, who may come forth, as a result of your messages! Don’t fret over what to say because, as you well know, the Holy Spirit will give you the words God wishes for you to speak to the world. God bless you!
You may claim NOT to be a theologian, but God clearly “composed” this post through your mind, heart, and fingers. I praise God for this theologically-correct response by a survivor of this brutal tragedy of evil (NOT GOD).
Thank you so much for your testimony. I am one of the unknown thousands who found your blog on July 20th. We live in deep south Texas near South Padre Island. My husband is the pastor of a church here in Harlingen, TX. We took our family to the midnight showing of Batman here and of course on Friday morning was in shock to hear of what had happened in your city and have been praying for all of you since that moment. Your blog that day was a breath of fresh air and overflowing with God’s amazing love and grace and peace. Thank you. We found out yesterday that a couple in our church – their adult son was one of those shot in the theater that night and he is presently in a coma in ICU there in Aurora. His name is Dion. His parents spent all Friday and Saturday trying to figure out a way for them to be able to travel there to be with him but didn’t tell any of us until yesterday morning at church. My husband called our church to prayer for Dion and for everyone of you in Aurora. After church many of our members stepped up and provided the airfare and a great amount of financial help for them with their travel expenses and to stay by their son’s side – another amazing outpouring of the love of God. God is indeed good all the time. I am sorry that some people have been hateful to you in response to your blog and as I know you already know, Jesus tells us that the world will hate us because it hated him. So I just want to encourage you to stand firm in what God has called you to do and continue to share the truth of His word and His goodness. As you said, only He could have taken your small blog following and turned it into an audience of thousands and I’m sure will be a million or more…. May God abundantly bless you and your precious family with much needed rest and his abundant peace that passes all understanding. My friends and I are praying specifically for you and your family. We love you in Christ. ~Jennifer Hood
Thank you Marie. We will continue to pray for those innocent victims’ families, for those in the theater with you all and their families, and for this young man and his family. Praise God!
Marie, It is hard to believe with what you have been through, that people have actually written you hateful responses. However, as you said in your blog, “In His sovereignty, God made man in His image with the ability to choose good and evil. Unfortunately, sometimes man chooses evil.” I just wanted to thank you for your blog about your experience that frightful night. I am glad you shared from your heart, and I found your words to be helpful and faith inspiring. You don’t know me, but one of my friends shared your blog on Facebook, and I have since passed it down to others. You will probably never know, this side of heaven, why you and your daughters’ lives were spared, and others were not, that fateful night, but we do know that “All things work together for good, to those who love God; to those who are called according to His purpose. ” Hopefully, friends of mine and others around the world will come to Christ as a result of your words. God bless, Marilyn
P.S. Since you are obviously a praying woman, will you lift up daughter, Kimberly, in your prayers today? She is 27 and has had lifelong seizures due to a reaction to the DPT shot as an infant. She has improved greatly in the past year and a half while on a diet called the Modified Atlkins Diet for Seizures. However, while I was reading and responding to your post, she had 2 grand mal seizures. It appears that the evil one is trying to discourage us. I will be praying for peaceful sleep for you and your daughters as you recover from this ordeal.
My prayers are with you & your family for peace to rest & also for the those affected & their families. I also thank you for what you wrote in your blog, you have a gift of communicating God’s word to others & said it perfectly. May God continue to Bless you & show you HIS will for your life!
God Bless you for what you said !!
And May the Lord give you His Peace !!!!!!!
Lynn Lindsay
I had a friend send me a copy of your blog, and just want you to know that I agree with you 100%. I had no trouble figuring out what you were saying. When we know Christ personally, this is the way we think, or at least should think. Praying for you and your family, that healing from this trauma will take place quickly, and that God will use this mightily in your lives to reach a lost and dying world.
Wow, Marie, you have expressed yourself so beautifully! What a hard thing to do in the midst of this “terrible” ordeal! It is apparent you let the hand of the Almighty God
guide you as you penned down your post! It will minister to many, I’m sure!
Just curious, I heard you on Chris Fabry…what a blessing. I could not tell if he was saying Isom or Ison was your last name, and my maiden name is Isom, and I was just curious. I will be praying for your family during this difficult time. Pamela Soudry
God Bless you Marie, thankfully, God protected you and your girls. You are inspiring! I need to Blog, but don’t know where to start
Just wanted to say that I really appreciate your attitude and pray God’s blessing on you and your family. Thank you for being such a bright, shining light in a dark world.
I know you are overloaded with emails right now, but I just had to write a little note to let you know how much your blog has ministered to me over the past couple of days. Not just what you wrote, but the fact that you have had only 40 or so people following your blog until now. What an amazing story of God growing someone so beautifully and then revealing her to the world at just the right time. I am so tremendously blessed by you and the deep wisdom the our heavenly Father has rooted in you. From the bottom of my heart, thanks.
I just want you to know when I read your message I knew we were sisters in Christ. I am praying for you. As a specialist in victims of violent crime I would love to talk to you about what you are experiencing along with your family. I am sure you have plenty of people to talk to but I offer my humble services any time you would like to talk. Just message me at my email address and I would be honored. You perfectly worded what I have tried and failed to explain about our ever merciful God and I thank you. Please pray for the skeptically as they don’t know what they are saying. God bless you and your family as you travel the rough road of shock to acceptance. I am praying for peace and rest for you. It will come. In the meantime try to roll with your feelings; kind of like riding the wave. God bless you and hold you in His loving hands. Psalm 97 is my go to chapter when I am in the hard places. Love in Him Marie. You will not travel this journey alone.
Brenda
Marie, That your for your testimony!!!! Janie
Marie, thank you for blogging. My friend, and fellow blogger noted you in an email, so I thought I’d read your blog. One, it was truly a blessing to read how God ministered to you and your daughters during the shooting. Two, I am a blogger with very few followers, and at times have been so discouraged, even though I know it is what God has planted in my heart to do. I was humbled when I read your blog, and needed to hear, “Don’t give up!” You are right. We don’t know when God will use our next blog to touch and minister to someone. My prayer for you and your daughters is Psalm 91. Be blessed. ~ Diane
What a wonderful reaction to a horrible event. Yes, your post is uplifting and positive. I agree with your prayer for the victims, their families and those that witnessed the ordeal as they are victims too. I pray that what the devil meant for evil that God turn it around for something good in everyone’s life there and everywhere. All to His Honor and Glory.
oh my! This is a wonderful read….and so true! Thank you for putting this in perfect perspective. We live in a world today where so many choose to blame God for all the bad things happening today and yet when something good happens they don’t give Him credit either. God is God in the Valley as well as on the Mountain. He loves us through all circumstances and has given us the promise that He is with us and He will never leave us. He loves us enough to allow us to make our choices…good or bad. God bless you…we will pray for you and your family. We pray for sleep and we pray for peace and comfort to you and your daughters and to all the families affected by this horrible tragedy.
You are not selfish. You are a mom and moms get their kids away from danger. You have a heart for people – not just people’s lives, but people’s souls – the heart of a person that God has made. Through your bravery many lives have been touched for Christ. You were not there by mere coinsidence, I believe; although I am so sorry anyone had to endure such fear and torment, wondering if in that moment they will leave this world for the next by the hands of another. You are a strong, strong woman by the grace and love of God. I am praying for you and all the others that some good will come from such a heartless act.
Thank you for your words and the great message you’ve sent as a follower of God. I’m sorry for what happened to you but from my own personal experiences I know that God can use terrible circumstances to do so much good – I look to Joseph for inspiration there. I’m glad that you and your family are OK, and I will pray that God will continue to use you to glorify His name in this tragedy.
Thank you for your beautiful post!
Your post about the killing is right on. So many people (even Christians) blame Our Lord for the works of evil. Not so. 2 Cor 4:4 In your post you mentioned you sometimes don’t say things properly. nonsense i think you do a great job. Hint: twisting is part of what people prior to Jesus in them are like in thoughts, actions,deeds. Keep on Family of God.
I am praying for all of you! Give yourself time to heal and know HE is faithful and will strengthen you. IF you want to sleep, buy some Lavender Oil from Vit Cottage and rub it on your big toes and on your ears. Great for relaxing….
Debbie T.
I heard the radio interview a few days ago concerning your experiences. I am thankful your family is doing well and hope for a compete emotional / spiritual recovery by the youngest daughter . Thank you expressing your faith in the manor you have . Many / most complicate their relationship with God with over use of words and emotions . I will pray many find the example communicated by you as worth pursuing in finding God through Jesus Christ as their Savior .
God bless you for speaking truth!
You are my hero. You did exactly what any Christian mother would have done. There is no condemnation in our Lord Jesus. Thanking the Lord that you and your children made it out of there alive and that you are sharing your faith in our Savior with the world.
Susan Decuir
Carrollton, TX
Marie, I plan to quote your “So you still think God is merciful” in a few days during my Sunday morning sermon if that is ok with you? Greg
I’d love to be friends with you. You are an amazing Mom.
Debbie
God Bless you and your family!!!! Love what you wrote and the beautiful way you are responding to the ugly replies from some lost and hurting people.
I recived your blog through a friend. I read it with great appreciation. I agree totally that God is good, man sometimes is evil. God took the risk in the very beginning in giving man freedom of choice. Who’s fault is it, when man makes unwise decisions. Any and every sin hurts others. We need to be mindful, that this old world is not home. This world was not intended to be so good that we would not want to leave it. Thank you.
I was referred to your blog by Tawra and Jill and Michael at the Living on a Dime newsletter (after several years reading about them they are like old family friends). I’ve signed up for your posts and updates, and look forward to your posts. My story is different, and yet some of it is the same. Please continue your writing and overlook any negative comments you may recieve. I’m sure I’m not the only one who is finding hope and inspiration in your writing. Thank you.
I’m glad you decided to continue to blog. I can imagine the stress that comes with your increased followers. I will say that I reposted your blog on the theater incident, so I guess I am partly to blame for your new found fame. I reposted it, though, because I was humbled by your reactions. I told my all of 5 followers that I could only pray that I would put all my faith in God at a moment such as that. I can say, if asked, that I would. But would I? Is my faith that strong? Seeing a faith that strong in action, seeing Jesus in you, increased my faith sevenfold. For that, I thank you. I am a fairly new follower of Christ, so Christians such as yourself professing their faith serves to strengthen mine and makes me more willing to share mine with others. Was that God’s plan for you? We’ll know for sure someday. Until then, I selfishly say Thank You. I’ll be following, even if your followers begins to drop down to it’s original number. But even then, you can count them, plus one.
Is there a way to follow your posts on facebook? I would love to read more about what you have to say. I realize that you have many, many comments to read and may or may not get to this one, but I would love to follow you. I am just not usually on this blog site. Thanks in advance.
May God continue to bless you and your family.
~Pamela
I appreciate your honesty and humilty. Others who have survived horrendous ordeals have struggled with feelings of guilt for still being alive while so many around them died. Your words rang true as you said (paraphrase) you were no more deserving to be allowed to live, but it is a gift from God. I sense you will attempt to live it to the full. I hope I can do that.
Good morning,
A friend of mine sent me a link to your blog and I appreciate your insights a lot. I wanted to tell you, since I am and have been for years, a writer, that things have changed a lot in the book publishing industry. Like the music industry, a lot of power has been put back into the hands of the artists who produce the work. Don’t worry. I don’t work for any businesses. I freelance. I just wanted to encourage you that if you were to put your thoughts together in book form, you no longer have to find a big name publisher or even try to fork out the money for a vanity press. Publish through Amazon. There are a variety of cost effective (and even no cost) ways to do this these days. People can order a hard copy or download your book to their kindles. 70% of the profits go to the author as opposed to about 30% if you land a ‘publisher’. I don’t know if I will ever publish through a big name again… unless they’re really really nice and offer me a deal where I actually earn a living through my work. You probably don’t aspire to selling a million copies, but since you already have a thriving blog with many followers, you could link to the book easily here and ta-da! You marketed yourself. Just a thought. If enough people start nagging you to do a book, this would be a viable way to do it and don’t let the old school thinkers say, “Oh. You can’t do that. You won’t be taken seriously.” You’re not aspiring to be the next Margaret Atwood. You’re writing for the joy of it and if you have an audience that desires to have your work in their hands… wow… could this be one of your ‘fragments’? Just wanted to encourage you that this is not as difficult or complicated as it used to be. Lovely thing, these interwebs! God bless you!
Marie,
I just read ‘Sorrow and Strength’ … I am sorry for the loss of your mother. It is something I think of all too often as my mother’s health is not the best. Death is such a foreign idea to us, I think because we are eternal spirits. Inside we know that death shouldn’t be … and for us and your mom it really is a shadow of death … because we are eternal. But the temporary loss in the ‘now’ is difficult and harsh. I was studying Jesus at the grave of Lazarus and decided to look into the original Greek language of John 11:38.
Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.
I was very caught with “groaning in Himself” … Groaning … embrimaomai (that’s a mouth full) means to be very angry, to be moved with indignation. Like a snorting horse when pawing the ground … which is an angry horse. So, Jesus was very mad at death, the death of Lazarus. But, he had allowed him to die by waiting before he came them because of Lazarus’ sickness! I believe he wanted to use this death to show that he was Lord even over death, and that it was never intended by God. God never wanted death to enter the picture, and very soon death will be vanquished!
So, I guess I just want to encourage you while you work through your struggles and emotions to lean into Jesus (which I am sure you are doing) and give yourself grace for this time.
May God’s comforting presence wash over you every moment of your day.
Your sister in Christ … Linda
Marie,
Thank you for sharing with us in your post today that deals with depression. I found you randomly just a few weeks before the theatre shooting and have followed you since. I appreciate so much your honesty and willingness to share all that you have been through – past and present. Please know that you are helping so many by allowing us to connect and bring perspective into our own lives through your words that descrive your experiences. You are loved and appreciated. I hope (and know) that with God’s love you will come out of the current depression.
Brenda
good post…all we have ever is Jesus…nothing else. A prayer to the Father for you right now.
For me, depression is usually a pit stop on the road to acceptance…usually the need to accept something I don’t want to admit about my self, but ultimately something I need to accept from Christ.
Peace.
Good morning. My daughter, my son’s girlfriend, and I are registered to attend the Mother Daughter Retreat in Louisiana next weekend and are excited to hear what the Lord has for you and your daughters to share with us. Hope your travels are blessed and we look forward to meeting you.
Hi Marie ! I hope you enjoyed your visit to Louisiana this past weekend. I know it was overwhelming, but you were such a blessing. Kristen, Kellie, and I have spoken several times about how your testimony gives such hope that the Lord is faithful in all our days. I am thrilled to have found your blog online. I look forward to reading your beautiful words after you have discovered the marvelous world of grandparenting. You are in for the sweetest journey yet!
Marie,
I have always enjoyed reading your blogs. I was one of the ones that found your blog when you wrote after the shooting, and proceeded to tell everyone I knew about it. I don’t think I’ve missed one since! I’m thankful that you use your God given talent in a way that touches my heart, and I’m sure the hearts of many.You write in a way that’s so easy for me to read, and I admire your transparency.
When I went to your website earlier this week to see if you had yet posted anything new, I gotta say, I was a bit crushed to see your website locked down. I’m glad you came back and ‘said goodbye’ 🙂 I understand that you have to go where you felt let by the Lord, and you will be missed!
I pray that God blesses you in your future endeavors, and with your family. I hope I get to read your book someday!
Your friend in Christ,
Jamie
I cannot remember how I found your blog – it must have been from a posting of a friend on facebook. I have followed it eversince and so I shall be sad that you are not going to continue with it. I did try to find you on facebook, but it told me there was no such page. Perhaps you can tell me how I can keep up with articles. Thank you and Good Luck with your future writings
Good day, Marie,
As I was cleaning up my computer the other day, I came across your post from July 2012 which I have saved. Can’t remember exactly where I first saw it. However, just to let you know that I have used that to encourage many others in the LORD. As we see the Day of the LORD coming, we need to keep things in perspective, fresh, and encouring our sisters and brothers to not lose faith in the ONLY HOPE this world has…Jesus! So, to encourage you, the words that you shared from your heart still resounds, even after three years! Once again, at a brunch for my home church’s Volunteer Receptionists [I am one of them, too!], I shared a wee bit of your blog. And now, I’ll continue to pass it along to them. No matter what the world may give us, we NEED Jesus to help it all make sense.
Having read the latest response entry above, I hope you are just “done for now,” but that you never “finish” until Jesus comes! Many blessings to you and your family!
j. debra
Looking forward to meeting you one day . . . here, there, or in the air!
Oops…4th line down above…mis-spelled “encourage” our sisters… 8*)