Feb 2, 2019

Hold My Heart

























Hold my heart my sisters
When I'm thinking of you
When sadness comes
And I'm feeling down
And I don't know what to do.

Lift my heart my sisters
Take all my sadness away
The times shared
Are no longer there
You are part of my yesterdays.

Hug my heart my sisters
From the heavens above
Near to my side
May you always abide
My sisters my angels my love.

Written By; Lorie A. Yocum
Copyright © 2008-2019
All Rights Reserved.












Water Of Life



Water of life
Life to my spirit
Changing me...
As I draw near it.

Water of life
Life to my soul
Healing me...
Making me whole.

Water of life
Life to my heart
Giving me...
A brand new start.

Water of life
Life so refreshing
Filling me...
With life everlasting

Water of life
Flowing freely in me
Using me...
To bring glory to thee.

Written By; Lorie A. Yocum

Copyright © 2008-2019
All Rights Reserved.



May 17, 2018

Love Is Jesus


Love took me in when I was lost
Love died for me and paid the cost.

Love never once gave up on me
Love saw the best that I could be.

Love washed all my sins away
Love purified my heart one day.

Love took away all hurt and pain
Love made my soul whole again

Love lives and dwells inside of me
Love is Jesus, who set me free.

Love has already paid the price
Love is Jesus, giver of life

Copyright © 2008 Written By: Lorie A. Yocum

Jan 3, 2017

In The Flight Of Angels



    

In the flight of night, angels come down to earth
There are duties to be fulfilled, miracles to work.
In the flight of night, they come to comfort the sick
To pray for the broken hearted, hopeless, and weak.
To watch over each one, that someone is praying for
The lonely, a sick child, or a disease with no cure.
God sends his angels, and he assigns each one
They closely listen, to all that he needs done.

Each person has a  special angel, watching over them

From the time they are born and until their life ends.
Thank God for his angels so obedient and faithful
We appreciate each one, and we are forever grateful.

That his angels are always with us and they truly care...
Be careful you might be entertaining angels unaware.


Written By: Lorie A. Yocum © 2012-2019

Apr 11, 2016

Lord, Send Me

Isaiah 6:8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives. Isaiah 61:1


These past weeks I have been studying, praying, and preparing, for my workshop which I will be leading at our Women's Retreat. I have done many workshops, but this one seems the most challenging of them all. I had to write a description of my workshop for the program here it is:

Sistah Soldier.. Basic Training 101 Empowering Women For Spiritual warfare.


Commanding Officer: Jesus Christ
Platoon Leader: Holy Spirit
Training Instructor: Me

A Sistah Soldier: Does not give-up, she will not turn around, she is a soldier in God’s Army, marching heaven bound.

What does it take to become a Sistah soldier.
What does the Lord require of her
What does she need to be equipped for the battle.
How can she reclaim what rightfully belongs to her, that the enemy has stolen, and held captive for so long.


Together we will find answers to these questions and more.
Empowering you to face each battle with courage and strength.
To make a difference wherever he places you.
A special award awaits those completing their Sistah Soldier basic training 101.


I know this workshop will be intense, no holding back, I promised the Lord that much. He took me deep into revelations and the holy spirit directed me into places that only he could lead me. The hidden secrets in dark places, I felt his words so deep within as I read his word, telling me this is what was he had been preparing me for. He said you've been trained by experience, tried by adversity, and tested by fire. Now is the time, your time as my servant, for you have been faithful in the little things.

Behold I release you now fully in the spirit of my might and my power to go forth in boldness. This has always been your desire, your soul cries. I heard you and you never gave up on these desires, you never gave up on me, but most important of all you never gave up on you. Go in my strength, have your prayer warriors interceding on your behalf, you are worthy because you are my soldier.

Maybe you are wondering why these words spoke so deeply to my spirit, it's because my desire and passion has always been to minister to women. The Lord paved the way for me to be able to fulfill this desire by allowing me to be involved with some of most broken women I would ever meet. Women of all ages, in prison, homeless, on the streets, those with addictions, battling mental illnesses, abused physically, emotionally, mentally, leaving so many of them feeling so unworthy, ashamed, and with no self confidence at all.

You see when I asked the Lord to use me to help women, I had no idea he would lead me to minister to these precious women first. I saw myself ministering to women in a nice church setting, or sitting in a lovely living room sipping tea, and being involved with women in ministry committees. But God had other plans and I said okay Lord have your way in my life, send me and I will go.

God knows where we are needed to do his will, and sometimes it will be in places we may not want to be at, or go to, it may be with people we may not feel comfortable being around. I discovered after all these years what the Lord was trying to make me see. These women did not wake up one morning and decide to become addicts, to live on the streets, to be abused, end up in prison, to battle a mental illness, and so forth.

These were once little girls, teenagers, women who once lived normal lives, sure majority came from broken homes, or grew up in a bad environment. But many of them also came from good homes, grew up in a good neighborhood. They lived in the suburbs, had a family, kids, husbands, and the house with a picket fence. Some were involved in their church committees and functions, and yes some were wives, and daughters of pastors. They were also young women who came from respected families, and very well educated.

What changed their lives? well spiritual warfare is real, the enemy is real, he does not discriminate, his mission is to steal, kill and destroy. No one is immune, it knows no boundaries, color, culture, or age, this spiritual battle cannot be fought with earthly weapons. We as women must be equipped and always ready to face the enemy, we must be prepared at all times, for we wrestle not against flesh but the spirit of adversity that comes against us all.

So what is it that God has been preparing me for? To represent him once again in a room full of woman, the only difference is that some of these women will not be from a broken environment. There will be women who may have never experienced such brokenness as the others, or may have never lived in such an environment


But they too have had their share of struggles and issues in life, and I get to share a message of hope with them all. The Lord also prepared me awhile back, because today women very close to my heart are now struggling in these broken places, and I am able to be a support for them today.

My point is that we are all God's creations, he loves us all, he does not discriminate as well. Let's not be so quick to judge, or look down on that sistah who in on the streets, who is homeless, addicted, or experiencing depression or other mental disorders. She is someone's daughter child, sister, mother, and wife, but most of all she is a child and daughter of the king.

We need to remember whatever backgrounds we all come from good, or bad, we are all fighting a battle of our own. Let us pray for one another, and unite, as sistah soldiers for the Lord. Coming together in one accord. The battle is not mind or yours, we must stand together and fight the fight, with Jesus Christ the Lord.

I am planning on doing a number of posts regarding spiritual battle.
Next weekend I will be at the retreat, and will share more with you on Sistah Soldiers Basic Training 101, when I get back on Sunday. Pray my strength in the Lord to do what he has prepared me to accomplish for him for such a time as this.


God Bless: Sistah Soldier Lorie: Reporting For Duty!


Nov 14, 2012

The Gift Of Peace

I share this with you in hopes that as you seek to find true inner peace no matter what age you are, for we are never to young or too old to claim the peace that the Lord intends for us to have not only in our hearts but also in our lives today. 

This lesson in my journey of finding peace through my own personal experience, to have peace of mind is something that does not happen overnight, it comes over time and part of the steps of entering into this peace consists of letting go of past hurts, anger, and guilt. 

It requires surrendering oneself to live fully and lovingly in the present with faith, in yourself, and in the Lord. So many times all that has happened to us during our childhood, and young adult years, we continue to carry with us even till today. Not only has our faith been tested but every part of our being.

Sometimes the past can cloud the present and prevent us from seeing tomorrow, pain, fears, and worries, create noises in our mind, and doubt in our heart. We lose precious moments in time when we look backwards too long, and keep wondering why.

Of course sometimes we need to go back to see what has happened so we can come to terms and make peace with them before we can move forward. But when we constantly look back and dwell there to long, we end up missing the joys and moments of today. I have discovered the three parts of me, which represents the different phases in my life.

The Me of yesterday Who allowed the hurt and pain of old memories, kept me from making the best of my life.

The Me of today… This is who I am today, living my life in the present allows true personal growth, peace of mind, and room to grow. The past is gone, and future is yet to be.

The Me of tomorrow This is the hopeful part of me, you see, I may not know what tomorrow holds, but I know who holds my tomorrows.


Written By: Lorie A. Yocum


Life Lessons

I started a list of life's lessons, here I share some of my own life's lessons, as well as from others who have shared some of their lessons of life. And some wisdom pearls along the way.  I pray that you will be encouraged, inspired, and blessed, as you read each one. I will add more as I continue my blogging journey, Is there a life lesson that you would like to share?

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Don't take yourself so seriously.

5. You don't have to win every argument.

6. Cry with someone, it's more healing than crying alone.

7. It's OK to get angry with God, he can take it.

8. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

9. Make peace with your past, so you can go move on to the present.

10. It's OK to let your children see you cry.


11. Don't compare your life to others, you have no idea what their journey is all about.

12. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

13. Everything can change in the blink of an eye, but don't worry; God never blinks

14. Life is too short for long pity parties, get busy living, or get busy dying.

15. You can get through anything if you give God everything.

16. A writer writes, if you want to be a writer, write.

17. It's never too late to have a happy childhood, the second one is up to you and no one else.

18. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't give up.

19. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, use that special china, don't save it for a special 
occasion, everyday is special.

20. Be eccentric now, don't wait for old age to wear purple.

21. If you're holding on to the past, you can't enjoy the present.

22. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

23. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years will this matter?"

24. Always choose life.

25. Forgive .

26. Stop being a people pleaser, it's OK to say NO!

27. Time heals almost everything, you will know when it's time to move on, don't let anyone   tell you it's time to get over it. With the help of the Lord you will have peace enough to take that step.

28. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

29. In the end you will see that it really was about God, family, and good friends.

30. “BELIEVE in miracles."


31. God loves you because of who you are, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.

32. Whatever doesn't kill you, really does make you stronger.

33. Read the Psalms, they cover every human emotion.

34. Get outside every day, miracles are waiting everywhere.

35. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

36. Don't audit life, show up and make the most of it now.

37. Simplify.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Envy is a waste of time.

40. Prayer does change things.


41. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

42. Take a deep breath, it calms the mind.

43. If you don't ask, you don't get.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

46. You cannot make someone love you all you can do is be someone who can be 

loved the rest is up to them.

47. No matter how much you care about people, some people just won't care back.

48. Just because someone doesn’t love you the way you want them to it doesn’t mean they 
don’t love you with all they have.

49. It takes years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy .

50. It's not what you have in your life, but whom you have in your life.

51. Our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

52. We are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

53. Either you control your attitude or it controls you.

54. Sometimes when we get angry we have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give us the right to be cruel.

55. Maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them, and less to do with how many birthdays you have celebrated.

56. Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

57. No matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

58. It isn't always enough to be forgiven by others, sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

59. Two people can go through the same circumstances, yet each of their journey will be different.

60. The best is yet to come




61. Be your own kind of beautiful, beauty really is skin deep.

62. Dont rain on anyone else's parade, 

63. Dont be a Debbie Downer,  a Peter Pouter, or a Gabby Gossiper.

64 You are never too old for new beginnings, just start where you left off.

I Surrender All

find myself scribbling my thoughts in the wee hours of the morning. This was one of many I have written down during my journey with the Lord. I was going through some of my writings tonight, and it was as if the Lord led me back to this particular one. Oh how well my Father knows me, maybe there is something that is still lingering in my soul that I still need to surrender to him. I have asked him tonight to reveal it to me, just as the words of my favorite hymn says, All To Thee My Precious Savior I Surrender All.

My Journal Entry Titled: Midnight Cries...

I was getting ready for bed, It’s after midnight this seems to be the hours of openness and receiving for me so I received once more. Not holding anything back as my soul cries out for courage and
strength, I think this is the deepest I have ever allowed the Lord to come down to this part of my soul

The places of my inner most cries, not quite ready to allow him fully into a few areas yet but he waits as he always does so patiently and listens to those cries within. I know he cries as well with that part of me, he longs so much to reach down and embrace me in that place deep within.

He knows I’m not quite ready to release them fully, I myself do not know all what my soul needs to let go of. I am sure it will be okay when the time comes. I find that I would not change a thing besides it’s not mine to change.

It is a soul cry and my soul had her way, the holy spirit had his way, we embraced and I was comforted. Looking back over this entry I see how far I have grown in my trust of letting go and letting the Lord have his way even more in my life.

My gentle and patient father waited till I was ready to allow him into the areas of my life that once was off limits, yet he already knew what was in those off limit places in my soul. He lovingly waited till I was ready and he entered in.

Written By: Lorie A. Yocum

Dec 13, 2011

God Is In Control

I know in all things that happens God's in Control
In every part of my body, my mind, spirit, and soul.
I stopped trying to wonder why or even understand
Instead I just continue to leave it all in his hands.

I am reminded of his promises I hold on to so dear
It helps to comfort me when I begin to worry or fear.
His word is my peace and strength through storms
I snuggle in the palm of his hands so safe and warm.

Lord keep the Joy within me no matter what comes
Help me find daily pleasures and treasure each one.
Let me always see a sunset as a clean slate to show
That when the sunrises I can begin again and grow.

Yes I know in all things that happens God is in control
He will never leave nor forsake me through life's toils.
When I start to feel overwhelmed in his word I'm told
He will lift my burdens and help me carry every load.



Written By: Lorie A. Yocum
Copyright © 2011- 2019 
Used With Permission Only

Nov 21, 2011

The Splendor Of Joys




Oh the Joys that each day brings
Filled with many splendid things.
The beauty of a colorful sunrise
Unfolding before our very eyes.


Color that's filled with pure delight
What a magnificent, beautiful sight.
The rainbows splendor after the rain
Brings out pastels of colors ordained.


True seekers of most every kind
Feel the thrills of a splendid find.
Be it new. used, or very very old
Stirs up curiosity of stories untold.


The splendor of flowers oh so sweet
Nestled all together as if in a retreat.
Each uniquely created with such care
Oh the splendor of Joys everywhere.

Written By: Lorie A. Yocum
Copyright © 2011- 2015 


Oct 23, 2011

The Part Of Me

Heal me O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me ,and I shall be saved ,For thou art my Praise Jeremiah 17:14

 I sometimes cannot clearly comprehend nor understand the me who I am ..

At times I just close my eyes, trying to imagine, where all this is going.
So many feelings arise inside, even my dreams don't make any sense.
When I close my eyes to sleep , they creep up, and find their way in.
When I awake, I am still, trying to make sense of it all, but I cannot.
 
I wish people would understand ...

The part of me that's so very very tired of being tired.
The part of me that just longs to be whole and well again.
The part of me that always holds on to hope and healing.
The part of me that that has limitations and has to say no.
The part of me that that just needs to be alone at times.

The part of me that needs to create, create, create.
The part of me that loves to dance before the Lord
To sing, just sing, like the song bird within my soul ...
Needing to be set free.
 
The me that sometimes feels deserted and misunderstood.
The me that still needs you my friends, and your prayers.
The me that needs even more patience, and understanding.
The me that gets frustrated with myself, more than anyone else.
The me that wonders, and at times, will ask  why me?
 
Don't get me wrong, I love me, and the creator of my soul.
I cherish my me moments, my me time alone, and life.
Even though I might not understand God's plan for me
I won't ever live a life of defeat or feelings of self pity.

Maybe I will never ever fully understand but its' okay
As a poet, and writer, such as myself  can convey...
Writing my thoughts, and sharing them along the way.


Written By: Lorie A. Yocum
Copyright © 2011-2019