I love you guys in this blog community so much. And I hope to heaven it goes without saying that I love my extended family. Lord have mercy, oh so much. But every now and then we are challenged to figure out how to demonstrate a balanced love to all of the above. This is my attempt and it will no doubt fall short of the place I wish it would land. I remember Kay Arthur telling a group at a Deeper Still event (in the Q&A segment) how painful it is to be totally misunderstood by something said or quoted out of context. She said, “If I somehow get my words wrong, haven’t we been together long enough for you to know my heart??” It hit me so powerfully.
My hope is that, if I somehow miss the mark and don’t find that perfect balance between honoring this flock and honoring my family, I hope so much each entity has been with me long enough to know my heart. I have never been more honored by a series appearing on this blog than my beloved sister Gay’s 7 installments. They were, each one, completely genuine and written in complete honesty. And they all still stand as a testament to the inconceivable power, grace, and healing of God.
But her story goes on.
And so do the rest of ours.
And life is hard, the devil is mean, the flesh gets weak, but the love of God stays strong.
I simply write today to say that you will never waste a prayer on anyone around here. We are all flesh and blood, weak in our natural selves, but (many of us) deeply committed to our pursuit of Christ. We’re not playing a game here. He is everything to us. Our joy. Our Strength. Our Refuge when we’re hurting. Our Rock when we’re rocking.
We established this blog with an unwavering commitment to remaining real in our witness and in our encouragement and exhortation. Thus far, we have to my knowledge held onto that commitment for dear life and, goodness knows, that’s a praise to God alone. This post is just an attempt to continue in that vein. We want to stay real with you. And what’s real is that Gay’s story is still being written even amid a painful turn of events and by the faithful God who spoke her name before the foundation of the world.
And my story is still being written. And I know your hearts well enough to imagine that right now you would say, “And mine, too.”
I wish it was tidier but it’s not. Gay has suffered a hard blow. I am heartbroken for her and also just plain heartbroken. One of these days there will be a next chapter from Gay, whether it’s here or elsewhere. It will not negate a single one she’s written. It will simply add to. It also does not negate a single thing I wrote or shared in Mercy Triumphs. I love her so much. I know you love her, too. We do not condemn here. We do not shame. We believe that our God can conquer all, recover all, redeem all, and use all.
I wish we could have it more together around here sometimes, sisters, but we remain completely cast upon our Savior and we live one day at a time. I love you immensely and I thank you for your patience with us. We are works in progress, all of us. Would you be so gracious not to press too hard for more details right now? To tell you the truth, they’re in flux and less than clear anyway. Let’s just leave some space for the beautiful healing mercies of God and let most of our talk take place from our knees.
You mean something to me. Something down deep. I want so much to serve you responsibly.
With much love,
Beth
Praying for you all. If the truth be known we all have our own “stuff” to deal with. Whether in our own immediate family or extended family. And if not for the grace and mercy of God that could so be any of us. The one thing I will forever love about you and your ministry… you are real and are not afraid to show it. You inspire us to be real too. I loved Gay’s story and have not doubt the words she wrote touched countless lives. God uses all of us not because we have it together but in spite of us. Our untidy selves. I love you and yours.
Oh Beth I love you all so much too and am SO sorry for you all – those blows of the enemy can be so painful and debilitating – reminds me of something you shared about David when they had been so high on the excitement of the Ark being returned to it’s rightful place and then in the midst of the rejoicing, two of his men were stuck down for not following God’s instructions in transporting it. You said something about how hard the fall is when we hit bottom from such a height of celebration.
It’s after midnight here but I had to jump on and encourage you after reading your post. PSALM 40 – over & over, Psalm 40 is what got me through the third (over a period of 15 yrs) and most recent descent of our son back into the pit of depression and his addiction after almost 2 years of being clean. He had been doing SO well and the fall was so hard and painful. Several weeks ago, I was compelled to get on my face and cry out to God to illuminate the darkness. It wasn’t five minutes before God turned on the spotlight with a call from my son – broken as he shared horrific and painful details of the depth to which he’d fallen including being mugged and almost killed the evening before. But the most incredible peace came over me as I saw God’s faithful hand bringing him to the place of crying out for rescue.
It’s been over a month now since he cried out and the Lord lifted him out of the pit and put his feet on a firm rock and put a NEW SONG in his mouth, a SONG OF PRAISE to OUR GOD! It’s hard to fathom that he’s the same person he was just several weeks ago and the miraculous things the Lord has done in bringing Him restoration are mind-boggling! We are all shouting out a song of praise to God for His unending mercy, grace and faithfulness!
Just want to encourage you with God’s faithfulness! He’s not finished with any of us yet but will use our pain for His glory if we’ll let Him.
“Merciful Father, God of ALL hope, please fill Beth and Gay and all who love them with ALL PEACE and JOY as they TRUST in You so they will overflow with HOPE through the power of Your Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)
Gay, Beth, & all of the LPM team, Praying for you all & your families as well. You’re such a blessing to all of us sisters in Christ. Thank you for your honesty and all the time, energy, prayers, and comittment to the ministry and to Christ. Thinking of the song “We Will Overcome” – By the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of our testimony. I’m believing there will be a great testimony in your story to be written.
this reminds me of something I heard pastor frank Afcuso share..on how much God loves us. That God sees our story from beginning to end…and at any one point, when we are dispairing..or feeling we hit a hard blow….He sees what is coming….and like watching a movie we love over and over, he is saying…hold on…just watch is next….just see …
Praying for all of you, dear Beth.
That is beautiful . . . I want to remember that! Thank you!
Beth, my words would be inadequate, but the Truth never is. I’m claiming Ephesians 3:20 for Gay and your family… God is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine.
Praying so hard for our sister, Gay and you and your family right now! Claiming our loving and truth filled Jesus as Victor Yall are so loved! As my beloved namesake said, “There is no pit too deep that He is not deeper still!!!” – Corrie Ten Boom
Dear sweet Sister: I feel the heaviness in your heart, my knee is bent with words for God to wrap His arms around you, Gay and family. Feel His loving arms rock you and hear His words “I am your refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.” Claim His promise – shout it from the depths of your groaning. Beth you are such a blessing to so many. May you know you are love by many and we are here to walk this journey with you, Gay and your family. I admire your “realness”. Feel my hug and know I’m lifting all of you in prayer here in Indiana. To God be the Glory.
oh siesta mama, i read a lot of pain from this post. but please know how encouraging it is to everyone around you to be reminded that NO ONE has it all together! Christ is our strength always, but it never seems clearer than when everything done by our own strength is failing and falling apart. it seems this is a season spent on my knees…
My prayers are with your sister and your loved ones this evening.
Sorry to be so long but had to share one more thing – When God pulls us out of that pit and puts that New song of praise in our mouth, MANY WILL SEE and FEAR and PUT THEIR TRUST in the LORD! None of what Gay’s going through will be wasted – her testimony has already drawn many to trust the Lord and will continue to draw many more as He proves Himself faithful over & over & over again – Oh how I love Him!
You are ALL loved!!! We stand with your family, ALL of them — in the unfailing grace of God!!!!!!! You are loved…ALL of you!!!
Praying ( )
Lifting you and yours up in prayer right now, Beth. You are *so* loved ’round there parts.
Let Gay know (if she’s not reading this) that we still love her and hurt for her. Aren’t we blessed that God doesn’t love us only on our “Best of Days”? Prayers for you, Beth, because I can only imagine the pain you feel tonight….
So sorry…praying for Gay (and you and your family). Doesn’t matter what the details are because prayers are all that are necessary for this situation.
Papa Grande, I pray for my sister Gay. Lord, be with her right now-wherever she is and whatever is going on. Lord, I pray that she would feel your love pouring over her. Lord, let her hear you whisper-“I love you. I’m pleased with you. When I died on that cross I forgave it all-anything you have done, will do, might do. I took it all. You are forgiven. You are precious to me” Papa, hold her close. Comfort her soul. Thank you for the blessing that her posts have been to my heart and my story. I thank you for your redemptive power and that you write beautiful stories often with heart wrenching plot twists. We thank you that you are God, you are sovereign and you make beautiful things. I pray that whatever this is would be a moment in the scheme of life and you would do a miracle in the Moore/Sweet sister Gay’s Family. No shame. No condemnation. No feeding the lies. We pray truth. Only truth and grace. And love. Amen.
I know the pit that forms in your stomach when someone you love suffers a blow. The prince of this earth is just down right nasty and lives to try and trip us up. However THE ONE who died for us…..”Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” Hebrews 7:25
Your sisters courage, bravery and triumph will remain and continue on as she remains in Him.
I have come to love you, this community and your beloved family so very very much. My heart is tender for you and what you all are going through. May His Peace, grace, and mercy flow freely.
Until HE shouts,
Celeste
Praying, Beth. Life may not be tidy, but His mercies are new, always.
Praying God’s grace and mercy and healing and strength on you and your family, Beth and Gay.
You are loved.
Dearest Beth, we stand with you and for you and Gay before the throne of Grace where we have a High Priest who is very well aware of all of our weaknesses and hurts and intercedes for us and lives to strengthen and comfort us…all and bring freedom.
I am espescially praying that all intimately touched by this will continue firm in Christ. I really do know how earth shaking this kind of thing can be…trust Him, trust Him, trust Him. These are words I have to repeat to myself often, but He is worthy.
Bless you.
Debbie
I have a sibling who is struggling with the exact same addiction that your precious sister is. It was the craziest and yet most comforting thing to our family that as Gay was telling her story in print, our family was living pieces of that same story in our daily life. Alcoholism is a vicious, awful disease. But it’s not big enough to trump the grace, love and healing power of our Jesus.
I have been clinging to the words of God spoken directly to me through this ministry for almost my whole entire life, starting as a child sitting on the floor of our living room while my mom did Breaking Free. Beth your bible studies came with me in my suitcase to college, and in my oversize purse to the office as I started my career, even with me on my honeymoon! This ministry, and the family surrounding it has blown the walls off of my love relationship with my savior and I am forever free because of God’s work through Living Proof.
In my soul I feel a deep connection to your ministry, but I’ve never reached out to you in any way before this post because I was a little star struck. 🙂 But I identiify so closely with Gay and Beth’s story that I have to say this- Do Not Be Discouraged. Your stories are wrecking balls through the chains of bondage that Satan has wrapped around the young, busy, overly stimulated, corporate minded ladies like myself. We are an extremely difficult group to get through to, but Gay so many of us can relate to you. And we love you for it! The Lord Your God is With You, He IS mighty to save and my family is standing with you in spirit and in prayer. Love you all and I can’t wait to meet each of you on the other side of glory!
We love because He first loved us- let those without sin cast the first stone! Praise God for His abundant grace over all of us and as we remember from where we have come we humbly kneel before our Holy and Merciful God whose love is unfailing and we bring you and your family before the throne of grace! Authenticity and honesty are precious gifts! xx
Shields up and swords drawn girls!!! This is WAR!!! Let’s surround this family that has so ministered to us in our own heartbreaks, and tell Gay we will hold her hands up to the LORD for her, tell her to hang on no matter what it is, God will see her through it……remember David said “ye though I walk THROUGH the valley of the shadow of death” wherever she is, no matter how bad it hurts, He loves her, and will bring her through too. I’ve been in that valley before too, Satan is beyond mean especially when you minister to people the way Gay has, with her story of hope, please give her a huge hug from me, and thank her telling for her story. Remember, “many are those that are with us than those that are with them” and we are more than conquerors!!! Hang on Gay, even if it’s with a tiny thread…..hang on, don’t doubt for a second He is with you and will keep you, and we are here for you too!!
This was beautiful!
We pour out our miseries God just hears a melody. Beautiful the mess we are, the honest cries of breaking hearts are better than a hallelujah sometimes ! — amy grant
We love you, Gay. WE love you. We LOVE you. We love YOU.
You’re stuck with all of us Sisters/Siestas FOREVER.
Amen!
Praying now.
Love you much.
Beth, Your openness is such a beautiful thing!! That is what I love about you!!! You are so real! Each of our lives are filled with disappointments and setbacks, and it is so inspiring to see you humble yourself with your truth and honesty and take a place beside each of us in the trenches to fight this battle we are all a part of. You and Gay have a group of mighty prayer warriors to stand beside you and fight!! And fight we will till our knees wear away!!!! God bless you all. May He pour His grace all over you and Gay, and your families!!
Oh Beth, I am not good with words like you are and you don’t even know me to hear my heart…but I so respect your honesty, humbleness, and courage to be vunerable and so love you. My heart has been so heavy for you these last few days. I will continue to pray for you and Gay with a heart that hurts for you all. The enemy is so ruthless, but God!! What a testimony to God’s power and goodness and mercy, Gay’s written testimony IS. None of us would want to stop frame our life’s story during certain scenes and seasons of life. I am so thankful God is not done with us yet and story doesn’t end here. Praying for God’s mercy to triumph.
I will pray. Thank you for your openness and honesty.
Weeping will not last…and joy will come again. Thank you Beth for your example of protective transparency. To Him be the glory.
We are not ignorant of satan’s schemes. We are falling on our faces, knowing that He is able to guard all that we entrust to Him. He is able to renew the weary with strength. He is able to level the high places and build up the low places. He will do it. And He will get the glory.
Precious Beth-
He is good.
He never fails.
He loves you.
He loves Gay.
He is King.
He has overcome.
He has secured our victory.
He makes all things new.
His mercies are new every morning.
He casts our sins as far as the east is from the west.
He knew our every sin before we were even conceived.
He sent His Son. His Son. His perfect Son.
His Son loved Him perfectly.
His Son obeyed perfectly.
His Son bore wrath.
His Son gave us His righteousness.
It’s enough.
For you in how you manage the responsibility of service.
For your sister in how she faces this (truly no matter what it is).
For each one who reads this. You have taught His sufficiency well.
Rest and know that you are living proof that mercy triumphs and through His hand in that work, mercy triumphs here.
Praying for this. Much love.
On my face talking with Daddy God, for ALL OF US. Love you, Sweet Sista 🙂
Sending you, Gay, and the rest of your family love, hugs, and most of all, prayer. When I finally came through an 8 year period of destruction in my life, I remember one night looking at my mom and asking her how she ever got through this situation and she simply replied “I prayed. It was the only thing left to do.” It has been said on here many time before, But God. That still reigns true. He is STILL the God of unlimited grace and mercy. The Holy Spirit is still in us being our comforter and councilor. My pastors wife offered this line tonight. “It will all be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, then it’s not the end.” While that is a nice sentiment, it is tidy, and as you say, life is not. This also offers us a great hope, however. Everything on this earth, including each person, who God has known, planned for, and called before the foundations of the earth, has a purpose. That is our great hope. Gay is still alive and therefore still full of purpose.
One of the reasons I believe God is able to use you so profoundly is that you are willing to be open and honest. I thank you for that. You are in my prayers, dear one. I am trusting and believing with you that the God of peace holds you, Gay, and all of us in His mighty right hand. I pray that His perfect will be established in each of your lives day by day and that He releases His peace that passes all understanding in all your lives, as you give this situation, and yourselves to Him, knowing in the end He works ALL things, including those that were meant for our distruction, for the good and that our momentary light afflictions (even when they don’t seem momentary or light) are producing an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison.
With love that is both deep and wide.
Praying for you all. Yes, many of us have untidy lives; thank God for His grace.
Dear sweet Beth, just want to say I am praying for you and Gay and all your family. And more than that I know Jesus is reaching, oh so much! Rest your weary self, close under the shadow of His wing.
Much love, Emma
If there was one thing that impressed me most when I saw you on video for the first time, it was how real you are. Even when I’ve strongly disagreed with your interpretation of Scripture, I never doubted your sincerity or your genuine love for the Lord. I’m praying over this blow to your family, whatever it is.
Gay will come through. She is loved and held by a God so rich in grace and mercy and love and compassion that we cannot comprehend the depth and breadth of it. Her testimony gave me, struggling with bulimia for 25 years, SO much strength and courage to fight back. Of course satan will attack those who threaten his realm, but God does not allow His children to be sifted unless He knows they can come through. Gay is being held tightly in our prayers, and so are all of you at this time.
Love and prayers for Gay and all your family.
Praying with fervent humbleness “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive MERCY and find GRACE to help us in our time of need”
Hebrews 4:16
Lifting Gay up before the Lord.
having experienced so many family members who have walked through the difficult process of recovery, who have stumbled and fallen, some who have gotten back up and other who dig deeper into their pit, i am so sorry. sorry for the pain your family will be experiencing. sorry for the turmoil gay will be experiencing. i pray that she and your entire family experience healing and release from this terrible demon, it’s my daily prayer for many of my family members as well. bless you for your honesty and transparency and truth.
When we ALL see who we are in the Light of Jesus, we have no room to judge anyone. We all need a helping hand, reaching out to lift us up, not in judgement but in Love. JESUS paid it ALL, we did not one thing of ourselves. We have room only to pray, love, and be there when others need us. So sorry for the hurts right now, we are all here to pray and love you through this, no matter what it is. May the LORD who heals, bind the broken hearts, heal the wounds, calm the stormy seas, and bring peace to troubled hearts. Praying with Love and thankfulness for His abiding Grace for each one of us! ♥
I’M BELIEVING GOD !!!!!!!!!!!!
Praying, praying, praying! I know so many people that were touched by her story. She was in the front line.
“Because (she) loves Me…. Psalm 91:14-16 (NIV)
This will be to presume some–it will tell a moment in ‘my story’ that turned into a moment longer. But I’ll keep it brief.
All details aside from all of it–I was three years into a christian walk. Life was sunshiny. I’d finished my degree. My ‘baby’ was almost 4 which made life a little easier too. I’d done what I couldn’t do. Really I had. God had.
I had an idea what I wanted–what I might have/should have (in my mind) wanted all those years ago anyway. My, as I’ve come to see it RECENTLY, false positive, security. A husband. Primarily as husband, but a home and more kids would be nice too.
I would marry FIRST. Like I SHOULD HAVE done. Like the Bible said was right. You know.
One man. One moment. One choice.
One book–Transforming Grace. Jerry Bridges.
One heartbreak–that brought with a mirror into which I could look and see a crushed heart.
The first years: God loved me. Flat and plain as that.
The years til now: God STILL loves me. This wasn’t (like they told me as a kid) ‘shape up or ship out.’
The years to come: BELIEVE GOD. He forgave me–I’m forgiven. He imparted to my soul dignity–be dignified, and heaven help me DON’T let anyone else treat me as undignified. He came to set me free–be free.
I’m only just beginning this. I had a lot to cover the first 6 years. Had no idea. But BELIEVING GOD is for me–its for Gay–Beth, you did it and you do it and you wrote it down and spoke it for us and I (we) thank you–
And Transforming Grace–a gentle book by a seemingly gentle man–So if other writers can be ‘advertised’ here–please consider this post. The book was Jesus tipping my shamed chin up and saying, “Sweetheart–I love you. Hear me please–please, I love you.”
Sin separates us from our Lord but hear this one thing–lack of it never draws us to Him. Jesus draws us.
Praying for you and your family and for Gay’s restoration.
During my quiet time this morning, I read from 2 Corinthians 1, Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Compassion and the God of all comfort. I just let that thought sink in that He is the Father of Compassion and the God of all comfort. And I was thankful. Your family is in my prayers.
God knows the details… He knows our hearts… And we don’t need the details or the drama to lift you up. I am humbled and honored to pray for you and your sister. Please know you are lifted to He who is able to save!
Praying for Gay and for you and her whole family.
From one who has slipped into her own pit many times herself, praying.