paravanes:meditations

  (c) Deborah Evans It is during the summer, during times of family gatherings or special events, and during holidays that many of us who live or have lived with parental alienation become aware of how difficult and life changing this experience can be. I am sharing this post for the third time because this continues to be one of the most read and commented posts on the blog. I hope you will find a clear vision of life beyond parental alienation. My prayer is that if parental alienation is part of your story, it will be only a chapter and not the defining theme of your life. ********************** This is an encore post. This post was originally published in 2013, but continues to be one of the most popular posts on the site. In this post, I am writing from my personal experiences and observations. I am not an attorney, counselor, court employee, social worker, or therapist. I am writing as a woman of faith who has witnessed this phenomenon. When this post was originally published,...

  (c) Deborah Evans Do you honor your spirit, your will, your imagination, your mind, your dreams? Honor the body in which all of these reside. The Bible doesn't teach of a resurrection experience that involves humans becoming angels  or disembodied spirits flying through the air. Certain artists have crafted these images, but you can't find this concept in the Bible. Genesis teaches us God literally breathed the "breath of life" into the human body. Genesis also teaches us God shaped the human body intentionally.  Read Genesis 2:4-7. Regarding the resurrection, Paul the apostle writes this in the New Testament: "So it will be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown (buried) is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body." (Read 1 Corinthians 15:42-44). Here, Paul describes the truth that many of u...

(c) Deborah Evans If you trust popular media reports, Mother's Day is a time of celebration, gatherings, flowers, gifts, dinners, and remembrance of happy times that have perhaps passed. If you live in the United States, popular culture tells us this weekend is a time to celebrate. Honestly, Mother's Day is not a time of celebration for everyone. There are many honest, authentic reasons why this weekend challenges many people. If you are a woman, these are some reasons why Mother's Day may be a painful challenge for you: you always wanted children, but never had (or cannot have) a child; you had a child who died prematurely or unexpectedly, you are alienated from your child (young child or adult child), you had a medical procedure that ended the life of your child, you have been disappointed by failures and frustration in the process of adopting or fostering a child, you are a worthy but non-custodial mom, your child is flailing and failing while attempting to live a meanin...

This is the question a good friend asked me years ago . We were discussing the state of humanity, the state of the world. Then, the question popped up. I was surprised by this. As I thought about the question for a few minutes I realized there could only be one answer. The answer was: nothing . I would do nothing differently. Perhaps I would mourn and regret (see Genesis 6:5-6) the failures of humanity, but I would do nothing differently. This is the only answer for the one who follows Christ. To give any other answer suggests I think I know more than God, can see options God cannot see, or can coordinate outcomes in ways God cannot.  That, of course, is ridiculous. I am sensible enough to understand I don't know more than God knows. Nor do I see (or can create) limitless options from the current situation. I have no power to coordinate outcomes involving dozens of variables across time and space. But, it is not ridiculous to know and feel sadness when I think about how severely w...

(c) Deborah Evans A meditation for  the next week on what Jesus Christ will do for you: When you see the One who is Truth and follow Him, the false and fearful beliefs begin to fade, and finally die. Amen.

(c) Deborah Evans The resurrected Jesus did at least four specific things for his followers. I will summarize them for you. Look for these actions in your life and think of ways to expand the effects of these actions.  1. Jesus personally demonstrated his power and answered doubts his followers may have had about him. In Matthew 20:19-29, Jesus passes through locked doors to join his disciples and then reveals his wounds, uniquely verifying his identity. No imposter could completely copy or hijack his identity because what Jesus displayed was totally unique to him as both human and God. Also, read Luke 24:36-44. 2. Jesus personally passed his life energy to his followers by breathing on them and baptizing them with the Holy Spirit. In John 20:22-23, Jesus baptizes his followers with the Holy Spirit. Note the traits and actions of these Holy Spirit baptized followers: the power and persistence to follow Jesus completely right up to the moment of death, the courage to own...

(c) Deborah Evans When Jesus says you cannot follow him unless you "deny yourself" (Matthew 16:24+25), he doesn't mean for you to neglect your well-being, your fitness and health, or your mind. What he does mean is you must give up the life this broken world wants to give you: the life you have when someone is more important than Jesus, the life you have when there's no time for the Bible and fellowship with other believers, the life you have when you're too busy to pray. Denying yourself means ripping the unholy (habits, people, priorities) from your life and keeping the unholy out of your life. Self care isn't sinful. Your body and mind are designed by God and are gifts from God. Designed to glorify God and to house other gifts of God, your body and mind require self care in order for you to carry out God's will for you in this life. Rest, good food, exercise, positive social connections, and life long learning are all forms of self care that...