Living in the Last Hour

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The end of another year…

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Irm

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It’s unbelievable how quickly this year has passed. On the last day of the year, I can say the Lord has been merciful. He has been gracious. He has shown favor to His servant. I am so thankful that the Lord is faithful.

This year has seen tremendous change and exciting travels. I can’t believe my daughter and I moved back into the city. I went through two jobs. My husband retired from his job of 33 years. We took a road trip to D.C., New York City, to the NC lighthouses, the Biltmore Estate in Asheville N.C., the Grand Canyon, the west coast, down to the Santa Monica Pier, up to the Redwoods, Yellowstone, White Sands, and so many other beautiful attractions. We even took a Whale Watching Tour in Seattle. It was an unbelievable experience! The camera lens could not capture the beauty our eyes beheld. My husband and I also renovated my old townhouse. It was one adventure after the other.

In 2018, the year of God’s favor I can reflect back and see the goodness of the Lord. This was the year of restoration. He has put this joy in my heart that cannot be quenched. There is a song in my heart that was never there before. After 20 years, the Lord had fulfilled His promise to restore everything the enemy had stolen. I am still in awe of how the Lord worked in my life to bring me to a place full of grace. The Lord not only blessed me, but He blessed my household. My daughters finally experienced the love of a father.

So to end the year, my youngest daughter elected to have a gastric bypass. She’s had problems with her weight since being diagnosed with Chiari Malformation in 2103. She had surgery to correct the malformation, but afterward had to take various meds to deal with HPB, leaking brain fluid and other ailments. She’s been a mess. This year she decided to have the surgery to help with the weight. When she gets that under control it should help with the other ailments. She will be in the hospital for a couple of days. She was able to take FMLA to recover and adjust to her new lifestyle. My husband and I are bringing in the New Year at the hospital, along with my daughter’s 5 y/o son and her oldest sister and fiancé. I did not want her to be alone on New Years Eve.

So as I say goodbye to another year I sit and reflect on all the Lord has brought me through. I remember the Diary of Christian Woman, a book I published in 2014. It was a collection of journals where I recorded my struggles through the years after my divorce. I can read it now and see how the Lord was teaching. I can see His mercy and abounding grace on every page.

I can look over at my husband, a man I fell in love with more than 30 years ago. I am awed at how the Lord orchestrated our reunion after so many years. I am in awe at his quiet and gentle spirit, so full of grace. He survived years of struggles without losing his compassion for others, without becoming resentful or bitter. God bless him.

So I wish everyone out there a happy and prosperous and very blessed New Year. I also pray for a year full of God’s goodness to share with others.

Be blessed! & HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

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Hello,

I’m Irma

Welcome to my little corner of the blog world. Here, I share my thoughts on Christianity, the things of God, and the ways He has shaped and guided my path through life. My journey with the Lord has been long and transformative, marked by moments of peace and joy and periods of uncertainty. I write, first and foremost, for myself—to process what the Lord so graciously reveals to me in Scripture. Sharing some of these truths has become a mission of sorts, via blogging. His word urges us to bear witness and encourage one another.

As I reflect on my own transformation, I can say that the church itself has transformed over the years and not necessarily for the good. I speak about my own experiences with the church. One lesson the Lord impressed upon me this year is that “truth is not always truth.” What do I mean by that? There have been times when I’ve shared a biblical insight, only to realize that other faithful believers interpret the same passage differently. In that instance, I find that the Lord reveals according to our understanding. When I share the need for a Damascus experience understandings diverged sharply. Believers that have been raised in the church do not feel that such an extreme experience is necessary for spiritual maturity. Our faith is truly shaped by our backgrounds. Spiritual journeys are not for everyone. This taught me that early socialization deeply colors our grasp of faith; what’s true for me may not resonate in the same way for someone else.

Similarly, lately I considered how “ignorance of Scripture was its own blessing,” I remembered my early walk with Christ. I had a blind faith. I knew little of doctrine or debate. I trusted the pastor. In those days, my faith and trust in the church and church leaders was simple—I accepted what was taught from the pulpit without questioning. I did not have the knowledge needed to question any teaching. There was a peace in not knowing all the controversies or complexities. As I grew and studied the scriptures, and did some additional research, as the Lord gave understanding, I found myself questioning everything I had been taught. I did not question my faith, or the existence of God. That ignorance, while limiting, protected me from confusion and doubt, allowing me to rest in childlike faith.

The church itself has seen many changes over the decades. Self-proclaimed prophets have introduced new doctrines, some bordering on heresy, while believers wrestle with their flesh and what it means to follow Christ in a society with so many freedoms. I remember a time, more than thirty years ago, when I trusted every word spoken in church. Now, I understand how easy it is to accept teachings that stray from biblical truth. The Scriptures warned us this would happen in the last days.

2 Timothy 4:2-4 (NKJV) “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.”

Current events—like the 2024 Election—have exposed deep flaws in American Christianity. Yet, through it all, Scripture assures me that God is sovereign. No wall built by human hands can withstand His judgment; no scheme crafted in darkness escapes His light. These lessons have become more real to me as I look back over my journals, filled with stories of God’s faithfulness during trials, tribulations and abundant grace. By sharing I hope those the Lord leads here will desire to seek God wholeheartedly, to find comfort knowing that He is always at work in our lives—often in ways we never considered.

Check out my books on Amazon for the Kindle App or in print.

Check out my latest title: Where are my Sheep? Available in Print & Kindle

The Diary of A Christian Woman

A Father Takes All: Four Generations of Growing up in Single Mother Homes – Grace Abounds

I Will Not Be Afraid: Living in the last Hour – Reflections of a Christian Woman

The Journey Endured: The Path to Meet God

Praise the God of the heavens!