Do you wish that you had more faith and sensed God more? Not only is it more than possible, God desires this for you. He wants you to know Him, and to experience Him, personally.

God’s Word tells us that real life—life that truly counts and becomes abundant, eternal life—is about knowing Him and Jesus, whom He sent to us (John 17:3).

This means that spiritual life is not simply hearing and acquiring spiritual truth secondhand from others. We need to do more than simply read spiritual books and listen to sermons. We must learn by doing. We must try and experiment. Even if our first our first attempts don’t look or feel like much, it’s part of the growth process.

When someone is learning to play an instrument, the first sounds aren’t usually melodious. When someone learns to paint, the first tries aren’t masterpieces. When someone learns to work with clay, the initial attempts are somewhat misshapen.

But the person who wants to be a musician, artist, or sculptor doesn’t quit. They keep trying and growing.

Spiritual practices, at first, can seem daunting and feel unnatural. When we first pray or read the Bible, we may feel uncomfortable, and self-conscious. That’s okay. God is cheering us on.

Read His Word. Pray. Talk to God and listen. Be quiet and listen for Him to speak. These activities open doors and windows, which allow us to experience God and His goodness more. Slowly, we will grow in these practices, in knowing God more, and in faith.

If we tend our seed of faith carefully, and keep seeking God, and keep following Him, our faith will grow and produce sweet fruit.

We must be patient.

For more ideas check out our article, Encouraging Ideas for Growing with God and Faith, located in our resources. (And don’t forget to sign up to receive our posts by email.)

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The posting of this article, Encouraging Ideas for Growing with God and Faith is a milestone! All of the resources mentioned on the last page of Dale’s book, Conspiracy of Grace, are now available:

Encouraging Ideas for Growing with God and Faith

Healthy and Unhealthy Family Patterns

How Grace & Truth Together Bring Healing (a True Story)        

12 Step and Counseling Resources

Besides continuing to work diligently on my writing to-do list, I’m learning to enjoy my big and small victories. This is a victory! Yay for me!

Yay for you, too, when you check out the article to help you grow in faith, and yay for you as you practice spiritual habits!

May you and I both grow in patient persistence and in knowing God more.

Do you wish your family acted differently? Do you wish your family was nicer or could communicate better? Do you find yourself repeating mistakes from your parents that you said you would never do?

God promises us that with Him all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).

This is true no matter what our family looks like.

In Dale Fiegland’s memoir, Conspiracy of Grace, we see the great miracles that God wants to do in our lives.

Dale was transformed from being a first-class troublemaker, and a former mafia runner and enforcer, to a kind and helpful man, and a loving counseling pastor. As a counselor and pastor, he has been able to help others identify painful family patterns, find healing, and live more enjoyable lives.

For us to experience God’s miracles, power, and grace so that we heal and grow, it’s necessary that we want to change. We must seek the Lord’s help, and sometimes the help of a counselor. (I’ve certainly benefited many times  in my own life from the wisdom and prayers of those who are wiser than me.)

Healthy and Unhealthy Family Patterns is a brief article and chart now in our resource section. It’s not intended to overwhelm you. Rather, simply see if it gives you a fresh perspective and specific area that you can address and work on in your own life.

May you be blessed to heal and grow with God’s loving miracles, even beyond what you can imagine.

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This article, Healthy and Unhealthy Family Patterns is a promised resource mentioned in the book, Conspiracy of Grace (in Appendix C and on the last page).

The books being given away include:

Seeking the Lord

A Perfect Fit

Conspiracy of Grace

No Matter What, It’s a Good Day When

How Will I Know the Way

It’s always a good day for a good read!

We continue to receive enthusiastic stories and feedback from readers who find the book encouraging, funny, and life-changing. In addition, Yvonne at Pear Creative (our cover designer) created intriguing business cards. You can see them here:

The warm response to the book and the book cards gave me a great idea and some surprising boldness. I carry a few book cards in my pocket and share them with strangers like they’re Life Savers!

When I’m running errands, I engage people with the simple question, “Do you like to read?” Even individuals who aren’t big readers don’t want to miss what I have to share and want to know more. Excitedly, I relate highlights of Dale’s amazing story and hand them a card. So far, everyone has responded positively to the story of a Mafia man turned pastor, and ask questions.

Talking about Dale’s book is gratifying because it’s a unique and intriguing story. Plus, I know it can be life-changing and God can speak to people through it.

I had the great idea of giving away Conspiracy of Grace book cards to anyone who would like them. Simply email me at RobbiCary@outlook.com with your address, and I’ll send you some cards by mail for you to pass out. Email me and say hi! Feel free to share what Conspiracy of Grace has meant to you.

If you haven’t heard about Conspiracy of Grace, you can read more about it here.

Blessings to you as you seek Christ and live for Him!

“Conspiracy of Grace: A Wild Tale of Transformation is the story of a Mafia runner turned pastor. Conspiracy of Grace is a tale of hope with a powerful message for everyone: God is capable of turning things around and transforming our lives in far greater ways than we can imagine. The author of this book is a living testament to that hope. No wonder the book opens with the author declaring how stunned and surprised he is at how God loves him, blesses him, and wants him to know Him.

Told in a voice that is clear and engaging, albeit compassionate, this book is a testimony of God’s love and the power of that love. The authors are not preachy, but in a style that is conversational, they unveil the power of God’s love to readers with the testimony of one sinner. It pulls the reader in and compels them to think about their personal relationship with God, showing them the inscrutable ways of God’s loving-kindness.” –ReadersFavorite.com by Jose Cornelio

I also want to thank you for being a part of our Conspiracy of Grace ministry team and for your continued prayers that God will use this book and our writing ministry to change lives.

Blessings to you in your week ahead! May you see God’s love for you in a special way this week.

Listen to Dale being interviewed by Aimee Cabo on The Cure radio show. Dale shares about his painful childhood abuse, fighting to protect himself, and becoming an enforcer for the Mafia and an alcoholic. It wasn’t until Dale’s life was a total wreck that he finally sought God and His Help. The Lord began transforming Dale and his life and topped off His good work with leading Dale to become a counseling pastor who—with much grace, biblical truth, and a few crazy stories—has brought life-changing assistance to many people who have sought his help. We see in Dale’s life a great example of one of Scriptures amazing promises: as we seek the Lord, He lovingly brings miracles and blessings out of every pain and difficulty.

The Cure radio show & podcast
Aimee Cabo hosts The Cure radio and podcast show that provides wisdom and hope to those who have experienced abuse and trauma. Aimee overcame her own traumatic childhood abuse with faith, honesty, and loving-kindness from others. At age 15, the Miami media dubbed hers “The Case from Hell”—a sexual abuse case that pitted her parents against Aimee and her sister. Through her radio show and memoir, along with the assistance of the guests on her show, Aimee encourages others to seek help, know they are loved, have faith, and persevere.

If you have any ideas for helping me promote the book and encouraging people to post reviews on Amazon please let me know.

For those of you who would like to pray for this project, current prayer requests include:

• That God will use Dale’s book to touch lives and hearts
• That I will easily get into the groove of sharing and posting updates through this website and on Facebook
• That I finish all the details to update this website

Blessings to all! Live His grace!

I have a very smart friend who has great spiritual insight. I look to him for good counsel. He’s a fully trained and licensed Pastor and counselor, and he has a PH.D.! He’s also a college professor. Like I said, he’s smart and wise. But even he said while speaking to his fellow Christian college professors on spiritual growth — “Most days, I feel like a kindergartener.”

I’m in good company, then, because I, too, have a lot to learn in all things God.

Here’s my list on PRAYER to remind myself of and grow in:

1)      Remember when to pray: Always.

I forget to take everything to God. I tend to have a positive attitude thinking that everything will be great, or fine, and that I have it figured out and under control. Boy – is that belief misplaced! I forget to pray until I’ve made the situation and a mess and grown weary from trying to accomplish my plans and goals.

 Lord God, help me to remember to turn everything over to you with prayer. Help me to remember sooner, rather than later, to seek you in all things. Help me to remember to pray, pray, pray.

2)      Identify good things to pray for.

Knowing what to pray for is hard, because the real problem is often, not what I think it is. I usually think the problem is my PROBLEM or someone else, when in fact, it might be me. At the very least, there is usually some specific area, something, that God wants me to grow in, or do, or pray for.

It’s great to pray for miracles, whether for myself or others, but there are a lot of other good things to pray for, as well. These include growth, wisdom, insight, guidance, protection, strength, grace, and love in action.

Lord God, give me greater spiritual understanding and wisdom in knowing what to pray for, especially when fear and confusion tend to make me not want to think about a tough situation. Help me to pause and brainstorm some good blessings to pray for that you might want to bring in to a situation. Help me to ask you what to pray for.

3)      Remember to be patient and not give up.

Part of praying is learning to wait patiently on God and waiting with hope (positive expectancy). When we practice the spiritual art of waiting with grace on God, it is imbued with power. We give God time to work and to change circumstances, us, and others. Usually, I’m praying for an immediate miracle. No muss. No fuss. Sooner, rather than later. No need to wait or grow.

There have been prayers that I gave up on God ever answering, until I realized He was still at work on them years later! (Forgive me, God.) I need to continue to grow in patience and in allowing God time and grace to work on others and myself. Jesus gave His twelve disciples time to grow, ponder, and wrestle with truth, and He does the same with people and with His disciples, today.

Oh Lord God, may I see and know your good patience towards me!

4)      Grow in asking and in quieting my spirit to hear His answers.

Several years ago someone shared with me the article, How to Listen to God by James E Batterson. Mr. Batterson starts with the premise that we must first know that God is alive and desires for us to have a relationship with Him.

Then he gives us some simple instructions. We can seek to hear God by quieting our spirit and listening for His voice. He shares how to filter, consider, and test the thoughts that come to our mind against God’s Word. He reminds us to follow through on the instructions and impressions that pass the test as being from God.

Lord God, help to ask you questions and then, help me to wait, quiet my spirit, and my striving so that I might hear your Spirit speak to me.  Help me to follow through on instructions from you. May I always grow in knowing and relying on you.

May you and I both grow in knowing God and in living out this good promise from Him-

We can solve other people’s problems, but not so much our own. How can we possibly shine forth and be used by God in our current painful problems? Yet, we’re exactly where God can do His wonderfully unique and great work on our behalf as we call on Him.

In fact, that problem wall that you’ve been hitting your head against? That might be God. It’s often the way He shows us something He wants us to see. All the while, you’ve been looking around for a way of escape.

Certainly we are to pray for relief and for our burden to be lifted, but there is often more we are to seek. Besides relief, we are to seek God. We are to grow in our understanding of Him in our difficulties. This means listening to Him and growing. Sometimes there is something we are to do different than we have been doing. When we learn or do whatever it is, (even messily), that’s when God’s glory and power are most evident!

Here are some reasons God allows our trails and some things He often has in mind for us to learn in them:

A)    God wants us to learn to lean on Him. This doesn’t come naturally. Our perplexing, baffling, painful problems are intended to drive us to seek God and cry out for His intervention. Otherwise, we have it quite under control, thank you very much. We often want God to fix the problem, when He wants to show us something. Leaning on God is often messy, especially in the beginning. It often begins with desperate simple prayers like, “Please, God help. I have no idea what to do. I’ve tried everything and seem to be making things worse. Show me what I need to know or do.”

 B)     Sometimes God wants us to see ourselves as we truly are—with our sins that bind and hinder us, our needs, and our places we need to grow. We are to see our total incapability, but first we have to come to the end of ourselves and our own resources. This can take time, because we can be quite resourceful when it comes to avoiding honestly looking at ourselves. So seeing our weaknesses, failings, and needs and then seeking God (and His solution, strength or guidance) is a good thing. Discovering the brick wall of our limitations is often the only thing that can make us seek God and apply His solutions and truth.

C)     If you’re seeking God, He may have you where you are so that you can shine His light into that current dark circumstance. Sometimes He does not put His children who have His light, among others who also shine. Sometimes, you find yourself alone. It’s all the more reason He needs your light to be a reflection of Him in that dark, lonely place. It’s all the more reason, you have to lean on Him.

D)    He may have you where you are as a testing place and a training ground. In this case, as you lean on Him and grow in His truth, you can be pretty sure, He has greater works planned for you. Be faithful. Don’t give up.

E)     Pray for a miracle. These may be quick or slow miracles. Either way, keep your eyes on Him with thankfulness for His intended goodness on your behalf. Determine to stay true to God and pliable to His Spirit.

Whatever your circumstances, look to the Bible for an example of someone to emulate. Find someone from the Bible, as inspiration, someone who demonstrated faithfulness and a positive, right response in their difficulties.

               “The people of God who pray and trust in His unseen presence will rise up triumphantly.”   -Building Faith with Bible Pathway Dr. John Hash

Got problems? Seek God and He can do His best work in and through you, no matter what your difficulties.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”  Matthew 7:7-8  NIV