Blended Broken Restored

Let's face it. One of the biggest challenges facing a number of single parents is the need for adequate finances. The need to have more money at the end of the month versus more month than money. The need to not have to look into the faces of our children when there's barely enough food to eat and bills are getting cut off left and right. The need to not have to face eviction because we have to choose between paying a bill instead of the rent. The need to be able to buy our children basic items like clothing and shoes when holes begin to show through the items that were already donated. These are just some basic needs. But it's a challenge to meet them. It's more than a notion. How do you handle finances when you're parenting solo and the job you have just doesn't cut it and child support is few and far between? First of all, I know it sounds cliche, but put it to prayer! God has a special place in his heart for the downtrodden. However, your prayers must be...

Nearly everyday The Lord gives us an opportunity to pour into the life of someone, whether it's our children, immediate family, friends, co-workers, or complete strangers. Dr. Richard Farmer gave us a powerful sermon at our church a few weeks ago that spoke to that very thing.  Let us so live that people get something good to imitate. ~Dr. Richard Farmer  But how do you do that as a parent? I think one of the most important roles anyone can have is that of a parent. That role carries a lot of responsibility! It's not an easy role but it's so important that God created a command with a promise attached to it! "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you". Exodus 20:12 The command is also found in Ephesians 6:1-3... Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.   Honor your father and mother  (which is the first commandment with a promise),   so that it may be well wi...

I woke up this morning thinking about what it was like raising boys as a single mom. As a matter of fact, a while ago I asked my oldest son what helped him weather the storms without his father consistently being in his life. He said that, although it didn't make him feel "completely whole", having mentors and activities helped him keep his mind off that fact and gave him a sense of normalcy because he had someone he could go to about "man" things. God knows exactly what we need when we need it. He didn't provide ME with a husband while my kids were growing up and I didn't go looking for one because that's not what I needed at that time. He provided my kids with a family of believers who took His word seriously because, at that time, I needed to rely totally on the Lord to be husband and father for our family. Psalm 68:5 - A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.  To this day, I don't know what th...

Whether it be a relationship, career, or financial matter, human beings most often seem to choose the pathway of life which we know is wrong for us. I can't comprehend why but also can't deny that I myself have sometimes chosen the wrong path when it comes to this life and the challenges it presents. Fortunately, having chosen God to be a part of my life and having taken the steps necessary to become more serious about my Christian walk was the wisest decision I could have ever made. This road allowed me to understand unwise choices and encouraged me to make wiser choices for the future in all aspects of my life. Coincidentally, while pondering on this subject, a friend sent me a wonderful email. It says this: Think about all that God is. God is peace, joy, strength, power, abundance, truth, and love. God is not pain, anger, fear, confusion, restriction, or destruction. So often we find ourselves in painful, frightening, and destructive situations that limit our freedom o...

I was going through some articles I'd written a while back and came across this poem I wrote with my daughter who was nine at the time. Thought I'd share! Tick-Tock, Tick-tock, the time is on the clock, Wake up, Wake up, its 7 oclock,  It's time for school, get out of bed,  Get on your clothes and step ahead, Brush your hair and wash your face, Comb the hair thats out of place, Pack your bag with all your books, Give your brothers dirty looks, Sit at the table with bacon and eggs, Put your napkin across your legs, Bow your head for a word of prayer, Thanking God for being there, Thanking Him for His saving grace, For sending His son to take MY place, Thank Him for the heavens above, Thank Him for His unfailing love, Thank Him for safety as we leave our home, Pray for others who have lost souls, This is the way we begin our day, As Christian soldiers, we lead the way. © 2003 Typhani H. Williams/Shellye L. Williams

Who is your Mr. Right? Is he tall, dark and handsome with a big bank account, a huge home and fancy car? Does he travel all over the world, is he known throughout the land? Or is he a man that walketh uprightly in the Lord, doing God’s will, makes a modest income, lives in a studio apartment and drives a Yugo to his mom'’s house around the corner, to work up the street, and back home again? Is your Mrs. Right tall, light-skinned and drop-dead gorgeous with her own business, own money and no kids? Does she offer to take you away to paradise whenever and wherever you would like? Or is she a woman who loves the Lord and serves Him with all her heart, a wonderful mother to her children who receives financial assistance to help her raise her children because their father decided to walk out on them one day? Being single is sometimes hard. Being a single parent may seem even harder. But God wants single parents to be in line with Him, abide in His word and get your priorities stra...

Years ago, my pastor began preaching a series on the 23rd Psalm. It was amazing to me that I had read and memorized this Psalm for years but had not really understood what the Psalmist was saying. At the time he did this series, I had been really struggling with things I did in the past that I feel had a lot to do with why I was a single parent. In my mind, I knew God had forgiven me, but I just could not seem to have peace. I felt that way because it seemed as if my past was lingering and trying to rise up in my present life. The pastor emphasized that sometimes God has to make us lie down in order to refresh and restore us. In the 23rd Psalm, David uses an anthropomorphism (“human terminology to describe a divine being”) to help us understand how the Lord makes us lie down. Like a shepherd takes care of his sheep, God takes care of his people, ensuring that where we lie down is green (comfortable) and still (quiet). However, you know, even after hearing these words and feeling goo...

Your love is a powerful weapon Holding me up, you say, Your money or your life I choose to give you my life. I surrender my life to you, Lord. I give it to You freely. No circumstance withstanding, No worldy things will I put before you You are my all, my everything. I wish to be in Your presence Listening to Your Spirit, In awe of Your majesty I wish to sit at Your feet Seeking Your wisdom daily I surrender my life to You, Lord. I give it to You freely. No fleshly desires withstanding Purify me, sanctify me Fill me with Your Spirit. Your love is a powerful weapon Holding me up, you say, Your money or your life I choose to give you my life. I surrender my all to You, Lord. I give it to You freely.

We are living in a world where, because of varying reasons, single parenting is growing at a tremendously rapid rate. Although I'm married now, as a single mom with over 13 years experience, I still sometimes experience great sadness about the situation. During that season of my life, it hurt most when I saw the position of my own children. Now, it hurts when I see other women going through it.  I look back over my life and realize how far God brought us and in the words of Darryl Coley - “"I just can’t tell it all"!” I realize that even though I'm married now, I can still encourage and minister to others because I've been where they are in some form or fashion. It is an encouragement for others to hear your testimony in order to support and encourage you when you feel beat up and broken down. That’s where a Single Parent Family Ministry comes in. Many times, people assume, scrutinize, misjudge and look down on single parents because they believe they are singl...