tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-305813602026-10-13T04:56:57.172-05:00Creating a Home Among the HomelessSteph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.comBlogger1318125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-26223875408575295322026-09-05T12:39:45.590-05:002026-09-05T12:39:45.590-05:00

 You are free to pack up every false word spoken over you. Take yourself to the imaginary post office in your mind and Return to Sender! May you be free to sit under what is TRUE today. TRUE TRUE, not your version of true. There is a voice much more accurate than others or our own. May those words be the first to reach your ears today.

Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-9997451496578160012026-09-01T11:42:18.027-05:002026-09-01T11:42:18.027-05:00

View this post on Instagram

Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-47520095598029355552026-08-29T13:16:00.000-05:002026-08-29T15:35:28.622-05:00

I lost a beautiful tree years ago. It was big and lovely. It was seventy feet tall and shaded the biggest part of our back yard. I loved that tree. There was a swing that hung from a huge branch. I swung with my husband there. I swung with my babies there. I swung with my daddy there before he moved to heaven. It was a special place to me.Huge storms and ants and a tornado made the tree unsafe.

Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-5785205101278567952025-06-15T20:01:00.004-05:002025-06-15T23:08:38.494-05:00

       Our healing group began a foray for hope by reading the first week of Healing from Codependency. The week’s topic was to think enough of ourselves. I struggled with those words. Think enough of yourself. We see the affirmation "I am enough." I’ve struggled with that as well. Am I? Do I even need to be? Isn’t God enough? I read a book about having a narcissistic

Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-56401730279635610282025-06-03T00:18:00.002-05:002025-06-03T13:56:51.545-05:00

 I recently read The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins. I gleaned quite a bit from reading it. The content reminded me of releasing co-dependency and being in life-coaching school. Mel boils everything down to a simple formula to let people act how they want to because we are not in control of them anyway. In fact, our control may be harming them. The second part of the theory is, ”Let me.” You

Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-78482342441505575432024-10-15T11:53:00.006-05:002024-10-15T22:43:49.359-05:00

 A friend lent me a book. Theo of Golden. I had just begun reading it. It’s about an artist and people being seen. It led me to think about this friend I made on a pilgrimage in Israel. She is much older than me and darling. We are an unlikely pair, but our hearts are knit together. We were on buses, in gardens, on windy cliffs. I lit a candle in a monastery for her in Haifa, Israel after

Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-54980692295656687042024-10-03T00:00:00.001-05:002024-10-03T00:00:00.115-05:00

Are you wanting your brain to form new, healthy pathways already? You are on the way to your brave future and your brain wants to travel in a familiar rut. It’s quite a bit of work to help your brain know that it is safe to operate in a new way. I’ve been paving a literal path in my back yard. It gives such a great visual because you can see that you aren’t just laying down stones and

Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-61084255641417224392024-10-02T00:00:00.001-05:002024-10-02T00:00:00.128-05:00

 The end of a flowering, flourishing season can feel sad. If you look closely you will see the next steps for your life. The earth literally cracks open with seeds. You have hope in your hand. From here, you dream of new things. You decide what you want to grow and where. You are given a gift to grow the life you love. As the ground is dormant and our lives are dormant, we can dream of and

Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-57865891875962100652024-10-01T00:00:00.001-05:002024-10-01T00:00:00.121-05:00

🍁 It is October 1st! Let’s commit our month to Jesus.  Jesus, thank you for autumn and the invitation to savor colors and flavors and company. We commit this October to You. Lead us to act in wisdom and kindness to those in our path. Give us the humility to follow where you lead and to receive what you generously give. Show us what you want for our October. May we sow beauty for your

Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-30295120525612606692024-07-16T14:15:00.000-05:002024-07-16T14:15:15.143-05:00

 A few years ago, I found myself in an unparalleled season of grief. I was completely collapsing under the weight of it and I had no idea how to get up. I had been counseling and studying God’s word for 20 years, but I could not navigate that valley. I felt a strong nudge to seek out a woman I had seen on a friend’s Instagram post and that led me to Life Mentoring School. I have known quite

Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-37324500551499306252022-10-02T21:56:00.002-05:002022-10-02T22:06:42.678-05:00

I encountered Jesus as a young child in a church pew in the balcony of an old country church. Through a lifetime of trial, I knew he was there. I did not always know or understand what he wanted of me, but I knew I was wanted. We could go through all of the pain and abuse of my life and unpack each tiny detail, but that is not what this is really about. I love what Frederick Buechner said, “Pain

Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-35011427031863151442021-05-26T15:04:00.000-05:002021-05-26T15:04:02.012-05:00

My story involves 6 miscarried babies (with a set of twins I went into early labor with to bury), 4 failed adoptions, 3 sibling deaths, abuse, infertility, and loads of trauma. Jesus took it all and made the things that should bring death usher in healing. My dear friend Emily took my story and placed it in the pages of her book. If you are struggling today, you’re not alone. Raising children is

Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-69590055304985565562020-08-20T12:35:00.003-05:002020-08-20T12:35:48.947-05:00

View this post on Instagram Several years ago I sat in a small auditorium in OKC learning how to bring reconciliation among classes and races. We learned to bring healing by giving place to people who have no place. We alleviate pain by offering a spot in our very lives. There were and are so many things I will never be able to wrap my mind

Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-725699907240772602020-08-08T15:36:00.002-05:002020-08-08T15:37:11.538-05:00

View this post on Instagram I might just love Kevan now. I did not have a single clue what this was about besides these guys carrying a man in a backpack across Europe. Upon opening the book, I saw that the forward was written by one of my favorite authors, Andrew Peterson. He had carried Kevan around the Warren and become a mentor to him.&

Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-22578391688463902092020-08-03T11:05:00.001-05:002020-08-03T11:05:42.833-05:00

View this post on Instagram One of my mom goals has been to create spaces that spark the imagination for my children. I used to only read theology books, but I came across a quote years ago that opened up my thinking. I can't tell it to you verbatim or who said it. The gist of it is that imagination is what helps us conceive of heaven and all of

Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-52978846979031866512020-07-27T11:41:00.002-05:002020-07-27T11:41:26.056-05:00

View this post on Instagram I picked up this book at an estate sale. Take all you want she said. I’ve been thinking about this woman who owned this book. I’ve wondered about her life. I’ve wondered about her family and I whispered a little prayer for them. She had a lovely settee and a popcorn ceiling and two mink coats. Apparently I own one now

Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-8473925275787306922020-07-17T14:36:00.000-05:002020-07-17T14:36:04.914-05:00

The Crushing Depths by Dani Pettrey My rating: 3 of 5 stars The Crushing Depths is a murder mystery set in the deep blue sea. It was a compelling story about a Coast Guard Investigation into a death on an oil rig. Many sub plots developed and more crimes needed to be solved. A helicopter crash into the ocean at night started this book off and kept me from sleeping. There was a lot of drama

Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-38354533562514967022020-07-11T14:16:00.002-05:002020-07-11T14:18:28.811-05:00

Stand All the Way Up: Stories of Staying In It When You Want to Burn It All Down by Sophie Hudson My rating: 5 of 5 stars Sophie has a calm, direct way of speaking that is nurturing to me. She tells stories that are lessons, but you would never know it. I read her book shortly after my brother died and the portion on her grief and losing her mama got me. Her humor always lifts my soul. The

Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-33027281328999710462020-07-06T11:22:00.000-05:002020-07-06T11:26:26.719-05:00

I read a book. I realize I have shocked you all. This particular book landed in my lap at an opportune time and seemed to fall right in line with every other book God has been using to talk me through grief lately. It fell right in line with the last 5 books I have read over the past month. This is not a shout out type of book review. This is how I saw the Lord speaking to me through another

Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-86029168751895483192020-06-23T12:46:00.001-05:002020-06-24T11:24:07.841-05:00

There are stages of grief. I think I may be in them all simultaneously. Denbigh pointed out that we have lost 18 people in our family in 17 years of marriage. That seems unfathomable and could account for why I feel like I have been run over by a truck. It's been a hard road. Sometimes grief is a deep loss of a person. Sometimes it is the aftershocks of the mess a person caused with what

Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-23231370078006462882020-06-02T12:28:00.001-05:002020-06-02T12:40:26.634-05:00

The Neglected C.S. Lewis: Exploring the Riches of His Most Overlooked Books by Mark Neal My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is one of those books that you read and feel like you have a mountain of homework in order to understand everything in it. Outside of Lewis' fiction and apologetic work, he has mounds of works that are largely overlooked. He is a man full of thoughtful opinions about the works

Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-56447596039163025602020-05-12T12:45:00.002-05:002020-05-12T12:45:30.825-05:00

The German Heiress by Anika Scott My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is an interesting and different view of WW2 from the vantage point of the German business owners and citizens who were threatened to comply with Hitler’s army. I had a bit of trouble getting going with this story. I’m not sure if I didn’t like what was happening or if the beginning didn’t flow to me. After I paced my way

Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-66886889946452456012020-04-22T13:12:00.000-05:002020-04-22T14:28:04.941-05:00

It's a gray day here. Gray days cause a quiet hush to fall on the land. They feel like tears. They aren't sad tears per se. I call them tears of presence. When a time of quiet comes and I can hear the gentle voice of the Lord, my eyes tend to water. It's a washing away of sorts. That meek and wild voice of God destroys old things and propagates new ones simply by speaking. Even though the exact

Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-17116162089324533612020-04-19T11:28:00.002-05:002020-04-19T11:47:26.157-05:00

I have been wanting to go to Bob Goff's Dream Big seminar for years, but the $3500 price tag was a huge deterrent to me. When I saw that he was opening up an online version for $200 during our quarantine, I immediately purchased it. I have to tell you that I am so glad I did it this way.  He tells you that if you go through the questions too quickly to do them again because

Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-29364305731257590182020-04-08T10:43:00.000-05:002020-04-08T10:43:21.080-05:00

On Friday I was on a ladder scraping paint off the back of our house. The rain started coming down, but I was tucked under the eaves so I stayed a few more minutes. I stood there thinking about all of the musicians that had died recently. We lost Kenny Rogers, Joe Diffie, and Bill Withers. As I was thinking of them, as loud as a person can hear internal words, I heard these words, "Grief

Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0