<![CDATA[Passing Through the  Fire - Blog]]>Mon, 29 Apr 2024 11:47:56 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[March 30th, 2015]]>Mon, 30 Mar 2015 23:50:14 GMThttp://passingthroughthefire.org/blog/march-30th-20152
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]]><![CDATA[ Prayer]]>Thu, 02 Jan 2014 03:23:49 GMThttp://passingthroughthefire.org/blog/prayerPicture

This week I had many emails from people who are discouraged and literally ready to give up. This is my prayer for them.



Father, give them wisdom to understand that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. Give them supernatural power and wisdom to not only handle their crisis, but to understand the meaning of suffering.  Lord, help them to leave the past behind and instead of chasing after old desires, to develop new desires pleasing to You.  


It is often the darkest just before the dawn.  Lord, remind them of their higher purpose in life and encourage them to press on. 


Amen
]]><![CDATA[The Choice]]>Mon, 18 Nov 2013 22:59:56 GMThttp://passingthroughthefire.org/blog/the-choicePicture
This is a letter from my niece whose young son recently committed suicide.
        **********************
This is a mother’s worst nightmare. I am on an emotional roller coaster.  Prior to knowing Christ as my Lord and savior, I struggled with fear. This unknown fear would keep me awake night after night, leaving me exhausted much of the time. After becoming a Christ follower in October 1997, this lingering fear vanished. But now, it is back. This fearsome evil has gained ground.

My son’s death was an act of evil. I am disappointed in myself for not being able to prevent it, even though I am not sure what I could have done in my circumstances. I hear these voices inside, like a roaring lion screaming at me, “If only you had been more sensitive towards him; if only you had tried harder to understand him; if only you had been a better mother; if only you had helped him….”   And worst of all, the accusing voice growls, “how can you call yourself a follower of Christ when your son died like that, and you didn’t do enough to save him?”

I know enough from the word of God to scream back at the voices. “God knows the end from the  beginning. He knew me before the foundation of the earth. He loves me and called me to be His own. Nothing I do can separate me from His love.” Yes, I know the answers, nevertheless, the battle is ongoing in my mind and I am exhausted.  There are days that I pray to God to take me home.

Even though I know this evil cannot touch me, it is not easy to feel its presence and not be effected by it. I am bombarded with these questions. In anger I ask –where was God when my son was suffering? God is all powerful; He could have saved him.  Why didn’t He? Is God even there? Maybe we are on our own after all!  Maybe we are better off relying on our own logic than to believe a super natural almighty God that allowed His son to suffer and die for us? Why would someone else pay for what I have done wrong? That doesn’t even seem fair….!

Wrapped up in my cocoon, my only hope was my family. To uplift my spirit, my husband decided to take me on a road trip to Lake Tahoe.  The beauty and serenity of the lake always brought peace. It held a special place in my heart. After a day of rest and reflection in the mountains, suddenly I was hit with a question— now what? “Now, that you are alone and scared in the valley of the shadow of death—now what?” “Will you choose to deny everything you believe and go on; or will you choose to believe despite your suffering, loneliness and pain?”  The truth always finds its way to bring us to the light.

A choice was set before me. Did God’s love have the power to save me from this pit?  With tears running down my face, I realized I could not go on without His love. After all, what else is there beside His love? Yes, I have so many unanswered questions. I am not in a good place; I feel God has let me down. I don’t feel Him; I don’t hear Him, but I choose to love Him. I choose to obey Him; I choose to humble myself before Him.

And that’s when it hit me: THIS IS THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF LIFE!  That’s why we are here on this earth, to choose God over evil, to say yes to Him and love Him with all our being. We were made in His image to love the way He loves no matter what the circumstances; no matter how difficult it gets.  There is nothing that can separate me from the love of God and that is why my life still has meaning; that is why I can smile again, love again, forgive myself again, and love others. Loving Him heals me! And that is the power of His love!

Roya

]]><![CDATA[There Is More To Come!]]>Tue, 26 Feb 2013 22:15:29 GMThttp://passingthroughthefire.org/blog/there-is-more-to-comeIn the Bible, the Lord used dreams for various reasons. There were times when God used a dream to reveal prophecy. Other times dreams were used to give a warning, to encourage, or to communicate a wonderful promise or a clear direction. The fulfillment of the dreams sometimes occurred many years later after various events transpired; and the meaning of the dreams were not always immediately apparent.

 Not all dreams bear a message from God. Most dreams are natural and have nothing to do with communications with God. Yet I believe today, God uses dreams to convey a message to us personally. With that in mind, I write the following.

I spent a few days at a women’s retreat in the Georgia Mountains earlier this month.  A banquet awaited us as we arrived that evening. The facilities were basic but the tables were elegantly decorated. Observing the surroundings, the lavishly decorated tables with variety of sumptuous food, the anticipative looks on the women’s faces, and the energy in the air—I had a distinct feeling that I had experienced this event in the past. Suddenly a dream I had many years ago came to mind. On the last night of the retreat, I had an opportunity to share my dream with everyone there.

(from my journal)

April 2003

I was at a banquet along with many other women.  The table was marvelously decorated with all kinds of food in shapes and colors unfound on this earth. “This food must be from heaven.” I thought.  As we sat at the table, the Chef came out.  He had prepared all the food by himself! Everyone applauded. My friend sitting next to me whispered in my ear, “He is loaded.”  “Why then is he cooking for us?” I thought.  The chef turned and looked into my eyes and with a loving smile said, “There is more to come.”  He was still cooking! In the dream suddenly I realized that the chef was actually Jesus.

I believe the relationships I made at the retreat are so significant in my future that God gave me a dream about it.  

Begin journaling your profound dreams. Write down as much detail as you remember and the emotions the dream evoked. You never know when God maybe speaking to you!

]]><![CDATA[Hearing His Call]]>Fri, 11 Jan 2013 17:22:54 GMThttp://passingthroughthefire.org/blog/hearing-his-call( In honor of Susan Tocco)

Life is adventurous and exciting when we choose to surrender to Christ and follow His leading! 

God passionately loves us, and in His unique way, seeks after us. I had the honor of witnessing how God uniquely pursued Susan Tocco.

Friday, April 14, 2012

It was a beautiful sunny afternoon. I was sitting in my office, staring at the pile of mail screaming for my attention, while listening to flamenco music on Pandora.  Strunz & Farah, a Costa Rican and an Iranian musicians, together make magic with their acoustic guitars.

Suddenly, I saw an image: Donna, at dk Gallery! Donna was the owner of dk Gallery. Nestled on the historic downtown Marietta, dk Gallery was housed in a late 1800s storefront on the Marietta Square. The gallery was renovated to maintain the aesthetic charm of its glory days. Donna had an exquisite taste in art and her gallery represented emerging and established contemporary painters and sculptors of the South. The gallery had a unique and welcoming ambience for me. I visited dk Art Gallery quite often.

My book had just been published and I had promised Donna to give her a copy. I felt compelled to visit her. I asked Nahid, my assistant to drive me there. Twenty minutes later we parked in front of the gallery. Donna greeted me with the warmest smile as I wheeled into the gallery. We embraced Persian style, one kiss on each cheek.

 “You haven’t been here in a year! I was just talking about you with Linda yesterday! Did she send you here?” she said.

 “ Linda? No! She didn’t send me here. But… How do you know Linda?” 

“I just met her yesterday! She was visiting the gallery and we began talking and she started  telling me all about you, and I told her that I knew you.”, Donna said.

I gave her a copy of my book. She was excited!

“I’m leaving to go to the hospital to visit my friend, Susan who is on her death bed.” she said.

I immediately knew that this was a divine appointment! “That’s why I had to come here, for Susan.” I thought.  God had prompted me to come.

I told Donna to read to Susan chapter 26 ,The Reason for my Hope, which is all about heaven. “God wants her to know that He loves her.  That’s why I was sent here today!” I said.

That evening I send an email to Linda who had visited dk Gallery earlier. She wrote me back.

“ Wow, that is so beautiful! I had arrived early at the square Thursday evening to meet up with some friends passing through Atlanta for dinner and thought I would take a look at dk Gallery and I had never met the owner before. We started talking and I mentioned you and your paintings. She told me she knew you but hadn't seen you in over a year. I love how God connects His children for His purposes!”

Saturday, April 15, 2012

Email from Donna:

OH MY...  I took the book to my friend, Susan and she told me this morning it has changed her life and that she doesn’t want to die any more. She wants to live now! OH MY!

                                                                     **********

Donna invited me to join Susan and her friend Joan for lunch one day. It was after Susan was released from the hospital. We met at a restaurant near the Gallery. My eyes met Susan’s big blue eyes, as she showed me highlighted portions of my book and told me how it had re-kindled her joy for life! I prayed for God to heal her completely.

Susan passed away this month. She had battled with physical health for years and now, is in the arms of our Savior, completely healed.
Nasrin 1-10-13

]]><![CDATA[Acceptance]]>Mon, 03 Dec 2012 01:12:11 GMThttp://passingthroughthefire.org/blog/acceptanceChange in life is inevitable and much of our suffering
results from resisting change. Acceptance is the beginning
of adaptation to change. It has taken me years to learn to
redefine myself, not by the image I see in the mirror, but by
the person I am. We are so much more than the image we see.
We are so much more than the stuff we own. Our looks,
our clothes, our cars, or our jobs don’t make us who we are,
even though many of us think they do. If our identity is
based on these things, we may feel totally lost when we have
to give them up. These externals cannot define a human
being.

I had to learn to accept myself with all my physical
limitations and to make the most of my gifts and abilities.
Acceptance allowed me to have a greater appreciation for
those senses that were still available to me. It led to an
attitude change from defeat to victory, and from self-pity to
mastery. Acceptance allowed me to learn to love and embrace
the person I see in the mirror. It also set the stage for the
challenge of loving and accepting others.

Are there areas in your life that require acceptance? Begin by praying
the serenity prayer: “God, give me grace to accept with serenity the
things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and
wisdom to know the difference.”

]]><![CDATA[Expectations]]>Sat, 01 Dec 2012 21:42:43 GMThttp://passingthroughthefire.org/blog/expectationsYears of being dependent on others for my needs,
has taught me not to expect others to do everything my way.
My husband made me aware that I was becoming extremely
demanding and controlling. That’s what expectations do,
and when left unfulfilled they can lead to disappointment,
frustration, and anger. My expectations of others were
unrealistic in relationship to what they were capable of
providing.

If you want less frustration in your life, change
your expectations and begin to accept what you receive from
others as a privilege and not a right. I now appreciate what
my husband does for me, rather than expecting him to do it
just because he is my husband. Although sometimes I still
slip-up, I am more at peace and experience less frustration
when I show a grateful attitude instead. And you know
what? I discovered that once I adopted this new attitude,
people love to please me and do things for me!

]]><![CDATA[God with Us]]>Wed, 31 Oct 2012 21:32:03 GMThttp://passingthroughthefire.org/blog/god-with-us
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