Here is another great book I am reading. Beauty Marks, by Linda Barrick.
  So good! I would all most have to say the best one yet out of the books I have recently been reading. I absolutely loved her first book too called, Miracle for Jen. A terrible and tragic accident her family suffered, but the their continued story since is so amazing and  beautiful. I  just love seeing how God is using their accident, their lives, and story for his glory and in great powerful ways.
The Barrick family is a wonderful source of inspiration to me. In this book I love how Linda says we need to turn our pain into purpose, and our wounds  into beauty marks. Which we can only do through Christ.
 
 If you haven't heard of this family or would like to know more about them, their story, and their ministry that is changing  countless lives just google the Jen Barrick Family or look them up on YouTube.

  I was thinking about answered prayers, and how they don't always look like  we think they should.
​ If we pray for something specific and it does not happen the way we prayed, then we can sometimes get the feeling that those prayers went unanswered.
   I know though that God hears and answers all our prayers. He loves His children and cares about our needs.  But His answers may not always be what we want, when we want, or how we want. Instead He does even better! He gives us what is best for us and it is often way more above and beyond what we could possibly ask. Though for a time it may seem like unanswered prayer.
 
 Why I thought of this just today, is because I was thinking of 2 prayers of mine that nearly seemed to me to be unanswered prayers. When I gave it a bit more thought though, I knew it was'nt that they were not answered, it just that it wasn't the way I wanted or when I wanted.
 The one prayer was for God to send people to our Christian Library. I had felt on my heart over a year ago to start a little library here on our place with all of our great Christian books we have. And so we did. We got this little portable building from my mom and dad, gave it a  few coats of purple paint. Painted in large letters on the front of it, Renfroe's Christian Library. Put a sign out at the end of our drive way, as well as poster down where we get our mail in our little community, and on face book, etc... And then waited expectantly for people to come check out our Library and burrow a book! Tine went by and no body came. More time went by and still nobody. Now over a year later still no one regularly coming. We have had  couple of our friends and and few neighbors in all that time, but that is it. I keep praying, and praying. And i try to be patience, I really do. Now we are in the process of building a new Library building, one that is winterized and that we can heat. Last winter I just packed up the books and brought them in the house for the winter. I look forward to getting in finished and moving our books over to the our new building! But it would be nice to have some people coming by to get books. I will keep praying!
  The next prayer was for many ladies to come to the Ladies Retreat I am planning. A couple months after the loss of our son Clayton, I was praying and thinking about other families we had heard about who had also experienced the tragic loss of a child, and I felt on my heart to organize a ladies retreat for these moms and ladies. So I started praying about it. And planning. And praying for a speaker. And I found one very quickly who fit the description I prayed for. And I got excited seeing God at work in this. And I continued to make plans and find a good location, and kept praying for God's guidance and direction. And stared putting the word out in every way I could think of. And prayed for God to send the ladies who would be blessed by this event. But now here we are with less than 4 months to go, and have no one registered and no one even saying they will go. And I did not mention I had several changes I had to make since I have been planning this. So it is easy to feel like just giving up. But I will keep praying!

 I will keep praying and trusting my Father that He has a plan I don't see. I will trust Him that He knows best. After-all I am confident He was the one who put these ideas on my heart. So Hes got this.
   Our prayers are never unanswered!
​In Him, Mae

 My latest read. I keep coming across these good books on others experiences of loss, so I order it in. Read it. And share about it here.
 I really like this one. A short book and quick easy read. My heart goes out to this young couple for the loss of their 2 babies. Very good book of hope through the mist of pain and sorrow.
 To read more about this book, and to order yourself a copy, just look it up on Amazon as I did.
  In Him, Mae

  Here is a book I just ordered in from Amazon. I have just started reading it and it looks like a very good one on dealing grief and the loss of a loved one. The author, Paula Stephens, experienced the loss of her dad to  cancer when she was in her teens, and then years later, her young adult son. So she shares of her experiences and what she learned and what help her through the grieving. I haven't got far in the book, but looks like it should be very good and helpful to me. I have read other books as well of grief and other families experience with tragic loss. They have been a blessing to me.
  As I come across other books or materials that are helpful to me I will share them here too for others. I want to be an encouragement to other moms going through similar situations.
 In Him, Mae

  Yes, God always hears us. Always. He hears and He cares. And He is moving on your behalf.
  In difficult times, when you don't see how you can make it, just tuck in closer to Him. He will hold you in His arms. He loves you and understands what you are going through. No matter what it is going through. Whether it is the loss of child like us, or anything else. He knows. He hears. And He cares. 
 Just trust Him.
In Him, Mae