Another Article from the pages of The Mansfield Enterprise...                                             
                                     
At Home with Loretta... 
It Never Stops…Hurting...Domestic Violence

   Some women go through abuse to protect their children, to save their lives or the lives of other family members. They pray no one ever knows... however, something always tells them everyone does. Somehow, they get through the madness, through the brutal beatings, through the heartless humiliation done to them and against them. They know they are not doing this alone because daily they pray fervently for help!

  
  However, sometimes when you pray for deliverance seemingly, it doesn't come..."How Lord can I take anymore beatings," you plead. Then, you find yourself praying death will end it all. You quickly block this thought from your mind as you think about the girls...what will happen to them? Will he beat them? Will be assault them too? "Oh Lord, please let me endure this abuse for the sake of my girls. I have to live...I want to live...Please don't let me leave them Lord...please don't let me die!"
  
  Hello, you know my name from blogging these few years...but what you don't know is... I was a victim of domestic violence!

  God answered my prayers! Somehow I made it through the years; even though the abuser is no longer here, I still live traumatized. Dreams and reminders are vividly persistent. 
  Screams leave my lips with sounds that are unfamiliar even to me as I awaken in the night terrified and in a cold sweat. It’s still very real in my mind and especially my dreams when I wake screaming for mercy only to realize it’s just a dream. 
 The profanity, the hurtful degrading words and degrading actions against my body and the bloody beatings  the name-calling all are indelible in my memory.

   The brutal beatings have left my body weakened with pain from broken bones that have obviously healed improperly. Doctor visits…unheard of for fear my secret will come out. And, if I did muster up courage to go...doors, falls, foreign objects and my clumsiness were the fists and feet that assaulted me.

  The disfigurements, especially the ones you can’t hide vulgarly stares back at you from mirrors. The diseases, others filth visited upon you make the affliction unbearable to live with. And when the depression set in, you pray this most foul existence ends.

                Children living in the home of an abuser

  You are even more horrified when your child grows up to use this same violence and abuse he’s witnessed against you. You pray it hasn't rubbed off on him, but in your heart, you know its true…inescapably so! 

I am so thankful that I have God in my life and I am living my life and walking in His way. Yes, I was a victim of domestic violence when I was younger. 

But, walking in the way of the Lord and having a husband like James has taught us both how He intend couples to live in harmony together. Now, I am a Survivor!

  This secret behind closed doors and shuttered windows is the worst against families in the history of its arrangement. Lives are shattered. It affects us all. It leaves its mark on innocent babies, children, teens, and adults. Abuse always hurt! 
  It is a pattern of behavior that’s used to establish power and control over one who is intimated by their abuser with threats, and acts of violence. Yes, domestic abuse knows no boundaries; it affects persons of all cultures, ages, education, religions, and nationality.

  Violence begins in the heart and mind. James 1:14,15 explains the way one act begins with how one thinks. So, the abuser needs to transform his way of thinking Romans 12:2.   God’s word has the power to change a person. It says, “So husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies, he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh Ephesians 5: 28, 29 (A part is quoted here). 1 Peter 3:7 tell husbands to assign his wife “honor as a weaker vessel”. 

  Our Creator purposed families to live in love and peace, not violence and smiling behind fear and pain. Men, husbands, fathers, “Use your “hands” and “hearts” to help and love your families, not to hurt them!

  Click on the chart above to see the signs Of domestic violence. Don't suffer in silence...report abuse! Domestic Violence is against the LAW REPORT IT TODAY!!
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What Brought Our Savoir To Tears

From the Pages of our hometown paper
the column...                                              
                           At Home with Loretta Thomas 

                               Jesus weeping 

   When a loved one dies, we naturally shed tears because we will miss him/her. Though Jesus had affection for Lazarus, he did not give way to tears because Lazarus died, rather he shed tears out of compassion for the bereaved, as indicated by the context of John’s account. (John 11:36)
  
  When our Lord Jesus first heard that Lazarus was sick he did not rush to Lazarus’ bedside to cure him. The account says: “When Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, then he actually remained two day in the place where he was.” (John 11:6) You are no doubt wondering, just as I, why did Jesus delay going to him? Well, he had a purpose in doing so. Notice what Jesus said in John 11:4. Now, can you see why Jesus waited to see Lazarus? 

  Let’s explain it a bit further. Death was not the “object” or end result of Lazarus’ sickness. Jesus intended to use Lazarus’ death “for the glory of God.” How? Jesus was about to perform a spectacular miracle by raising his dear friend from the grave! 
  In his discussion with his disciples on this occasion Jesus compared death to a sleeplike state. That is why he told them he was “journeying there to awaken Lazarus from sleep.” (John 11:11) To Jesus, raising Lazarus from the dead would be like a parent waking his child from a nap. So there was no reason for him to be pained over Lazarus’ death itself.
  
  What, then, moved Jesus to give way to tears? Again, the context provides the answer. When Jesus met Lazarus’ sister Mary and saw her and others weeping, he ‘groaned in the spirit.’ That was why “Jesus gave way to tears.” It greatly saddened Jesus to see his beloved friends stricken with grief. (John 11: 33, 35)
  This account demonstrates that Jesus has the power and ability to bring our loved ones back to life and health in the coming new world. It also helps us to appreciate that Jesus has fellow feelings for those who have lost loved ones to Adamic death. Another lesson we can learn from this account is that we should have compassion for those who are grieving over the death of their loved ones. 

   Jesus knew that he was going to resurrect Lazarus. Still, he gave way to tears, moved by his deep love and compassion for his friend. Likewise, our empathy may move us to “weep with people who weep.” (Romans 12:15) How appropriate, then, that Jesus set an example of showing sympathy for the bereaved by sincerely shedding tears even though he was about to raise Lazarus. 

  Too, what a wonderful promise from The Grand Creator… resurrecting our loved ones…Jesus demonstrated what the resurrection will mean for mankind in general…He will raise them from sleeping in death just as he did Lazarus to the possibility of an everlasting perfect life in a righteous new world! What a thrilling prospect for all who chose to live according to His way...    

The World As We Know It

Taken from the pages of the 
Mansfield Enterprise Newspaper By Loretta

Living in Today’s World

   Living in this world and in these times today are brutal…have you noticed? “In these last days it’s going to be hard to be a Christian.” Scripture tells us from 2 Timothy 3:1 LBV.

 Everything is and has changed so much we live in a morally depleted world! People just don’t have natural affection for others anymore. You know, feelings of empathy, because apathy rules! Lying, stealing cheating are all normal occurrences. They have no self-control; they are fierce brutal against their fellow man. 
  
  Look at the recent crime perpetrated against another right here among us, and how the victim’s remains were hidden. How an eight year old took his 90 year old's life after watching a game. Who can forget the young singer Miley C vulgar performance on national TV? Gyrating sexual suggestive moves in a flesh colored skimpy attire that made even other entertainers react shocked. How degrading…an enormous insult against all women’s dignity, and decency! What was your reaction? And, the male singer with his vulgar words that are beeped to a song…appalling!   
  
  Lastly, the horrific crime of using chemicals in Syria against women and children…how inhumane! This merciless brutal atrocity was shown on television…Oh the suffering and their pain was too hard to watch! All because of man’s hatred…they supposedly have a form of Godly devotion but, are proving false to its power. The True God would never approve such carnage in the name of Worship! Instead of following in the footsteps of Christ, they are blindly following men to their end. Jeremiah 10:23. 
  
  Besides this crime and violence…there are home invasions, kidnappings, and now we have to protect our precious pets from being snatched also. What’s next? You and I well know there isn’t anything or anyone here on earth that will/can change the scene of this world. There has to be a higher power just as it was back in Noah’s day and all other times when our God intervened. Would you agree man will never be able to put an end to what’s happening in the world today?

 People have changes…their views, morals, personalities and the world has too. Language is another area that has drastically changes. One noted celebrity Katie C commented, “Others around her are quite comfortable with today’s language…since when is cursing in public okay?” What has happened to standards? That F*** word is so disgusting to me! However, most have no problems with hearing or using it! It rolls of their tongues with the greatest of ease. Isn't it obvious…the more curse words that are used the less shocking it is hearing them to most. With some, every other word form their mouth is a curse word. You see and hear them everywhere…TV, internet, social medias. 
  
  The casual use of cursing is a prominent sign of the changes we are living with in this old world. The way we interact with one another is indicative of how we treat and respect each other. 

  Don’t expect respect from others…if you don’t have respect for yourself! Does this make sense? Yes, changes are good even beneficial but, cursing/profanity is not. 
Read Ephesians 5: 1-3 & Colossians 3: 8 both in the NIV. 

  Go to: http://www.mansfieldenterprise.com/ my hometown newspaper to see what's happening in our small town and meet our town folk...