” . . . we risk missing out on knowing God when we are intent on reaching resolution rather than appreciating the relationship. When we are too focused on outcomes, we. . . despise lament sessions and begin to question God’s heart toward us.”- Esther Fleece “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and […]
” ‘How long, Lord?’ in the Bible is seen as a powerful prayer of hope. Far from a complaint, this lament is a bold declaration that God is present, hears, and is powerful to act on our behalf.”- Esther Fleece “How long, LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen?”- Habakkuk 1:2 […]
“As Christians, when we lose lament we lose more than the journey of a full human experience . . . we lose the depth and goodness of the gospel.”- Walter Brueggeman, Psalmist’s Cry: Scripts for Embracing Laments Esther Fleece concludes Chapter 6 of No More Faking Fine with a reminder. God welcomes, honors, and hears our […]
“God’s loving presence is an absolute we can count on.”- Esther Fleece Esther Fleece begins Part 2 (“A New Way to Pray”) of No More Faking Fine with Chapter 6 (“Why?”). As Esther opens the chapter, she notes that questions we’re afraid to voice don’t go away. The howl of the soul cries “Why?” Yet, […]
“When we are secure in God’s love for us, when we know how He really feels about us, we are free to ask and tell Him anything . . . . And that is His hope for us exactly — to come to Him even, and especially, when life falls apart.”- Esther Fleece Esther Fleece […]
” . . . the discipline of lament requires going backward with God to process our pain, and it asks us to be honest about our pain in the present.”- Esther Fleece “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to […]
“All my efforts to maintain some semblance of control over my life and my emotions did not keep the enemy out, but they did keep God out.”- Esther Fleece In Chapter 4 (“A Surprising Path to Healing”) of No More Faking Fine, Esther Fleece notes that putting your past behind you doesn’t make it go […]
“When our words are few, God receives our groans as honest prayers before Him.”- Esther Fleece “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.”- Romans 8:22 Esther Fleece concludes Chapter 3 of No More Faking Fine with five words that apply to […]
“We all want to know the answer to the question of why we experience brokenness. It is human nature to wrap our heads around why something so terrible could happen to us. But when we do not lean into lament to wrestle with God over these questions, we will often turn to blame.”- Esther Fleece He […]
“Such is the snowball effect our coping mechanisms create as we try to avoid pain and instead fall into unhealthy patterns.”- Esther Fleece Esther Fleece concludes Chapter 2 of No More Faking Fine as she presents the fourth and fifth coping mechanisms used to short-circuit the healing process. 4. “I’ll just put my past behind […]
“So it is when our hearts are trained not to lament. We begin to see ourselves as the protectors and keepers of our hearts instead of leaving that responsibility to God in faith.”- Esther Fleece Today Esther Fleece continues Chapter 2 of No More Faking Fine. She talks about the third coping mechanism we use to […]
“We have lost the beauty in sorrow, so we try to get out of pain as quickly as possible. . . . But life will let all of us down, and we need a way to talk about it — a way we have lost along the way.”- Esther Fleece “For the Lord will not cast […]