Singing Robin
Bird on a Wire
I’m not a bird watcher
but I could not
help myself today.
They attracted my
attention, and bid me
to go for my camera.
Begging to be shot
I gave in to their
tweets and chatter.
For The Birds!
Madison County Scenes – Poosey
Feeding time on the farm
fenced in
Rabbit Run
Barn on Burton Lane
The tree that reaches the sky
Rough Ride
Smooth Ride – Just my style
Ridge
Jeff’s old house
The best place for cookies in the 60′s!
Another sunset
Someone lived here, can’t remember who though.
Susie’s House
Duck on the Lake
Sunset on the farm
I can’t help it, but I’m a nature lover and proud of it – not a nature worshiper. I’m a worshiper of the ONE who created the beauty of this earth. My pictures are just simple examples of nature at its best.
Madison County Kentucky
Madison County Scenes
That Rainy Day Feeling Again
Ollie’s Grand Opening promised lot’s of low priced items for sale. Mike and I decided to take a drive to the new discount store in Richmond to search for bargains. After spending about thirty minutes in the store, we had found a few things and was on our way out.
When we first arrived and exited our parked vehicle, I mentioned that I was leaving my rain coat in the truck, and asked if Mike would come after the truck and pick me up if it was raining when we came out. I didn’t want to get wet and the ominous looking sky threatened a good soaking. Mike assured me that he would indeed pick me up in front of the store.
Sure enough, Mike being the gentleman that he is, kept his word and left me in front of the store to go get the truck. It was raining a slow gentle rain. Suddenly the sky opened up and rain poured out on the earth much like a firefighter “pouring” water on a fire – with the same kind of force.
Now here comes the “life is never dull for me kind of moment.” Mike pulled up to the front of the store – without an awning, mind you, and kept his nice dry butt planted in the driver’s seat, while I stood waiting for him to get out and help me unload the cart. I assumed he would unload it after quickly ushering me into the truck – out of the pouring rain. But, no he didn’t. instead he sat there while the rain beat down upon me, soaking me and my clothes. When I finally understood that he wasn’t moving – the man would not even make eye contact with me, I did grab a plastic bag and pulled it over my head like a scarf. At least my hair was dry!
After I finally was sitting in the front passenger seat, I calmly called him some not so very nice names! Being the Christian that I am, I only used words like; jerk and crazy. We really had a good laugh and in his defense, he kept saying, “I went after the truck for you.” He really didn’t realize that I was getting as soaked as much as I did.
Life is never dull for me.
Refuge for Women
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Imagine with me if you will that you just received a phone call from your daughter, sister, niece, or a close female friend who admitted she was working in the adult entertainment industry. More specifically, she was working as a stripper. After the shock, disgust, tears and grief has settled in, you try to understand why. There are many questions and you encourage her to leave that world behind. She tells you she wants out and has actually tried, but the drugs, the men and the need for money continues to drag her back into it.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a phone number of an organization that could help get her out and who could offer her a safe place, with counseling and life skills training?
My friend _______ is a woman who has been caught up into the adult entertainment industry, working as a stripper. She is currently trying to get her life back together. She graciously connected me with the founder of http://www.refugeforwomen.org/, Ked Frank who allocated some time to talk to me, not only for me to learn about the ministry, but also the need for it. Ked says that in Kentucky alone there are five thousand women working in the adult entertainment industry. Some of course, are satisfied with their lifestyle choice, but many of these women are bruised, alone and searching for a way out.
While Ked was on staff at www.southlandchristian.org/in Lexington Kentucky, a member came to him to discuss a ministry she started a few years earlier. She and her daughter started the ministry by taking home cooked meals to the strip clubs. They would go into the back door and feed the girls who seldom enjoyed home cooked meals. She soon had others helping and that program went from a mother and daughter ministry to over 200 volunteers. These women forged friendships and bonds with the strippers and served as a witness to Christ’s love for them. When the mother came to him for help, she said there needed to be a next step – a place for the women to go who wanted to leave that world behind.
Because he had experience in working at a Refuge for Men program in Ohio, he knew how the program should work. A friend donated an old farmhouse for use by the Refuge. It was remodeled and redesigned using volunteers and donated supplies. They soon became a non-profit organization and Ked left Southland as a staff member to become Executive Director of Refuge for Women. The house completed for under $20,000.00, had room for seven women.
According to their website http://www.refugeforwomen.org/ “The Refuge for Women is a twelve-month holistic journey for women who wish to leave the adult entertainment industry. There is no charge to guests as they live and work together as a family towards healing. During their time at The Refuge, women will develop and work on a “Life Plan” – focusing on physical and emotional health, spiritual growth, education, and life skills necessary for a stable and productive life. As women complete their time with us, they will have the opportunity to serve other women in the industry through ministry internships, or may choose to pursue resources towards further education and stable employment.”
Ked says that some women come into the program, but finds it too difficult to either abide by the strict rules, or they just can’t take the next step. He likens their hesitation to John 6 where Jesus was teaching on the mountain.
John 6: 60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” 61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65 He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him.” 66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. (NIV)
When the level of commitment goes up, it becomes too hard and the people walk away. As the commitment becomes harder, then it is human nature to walk away and give up. It is hard to change patterns. Jesus knew from the beginning what they would do. He knew some would find it difficult to follow his teachings.
Ked also knows that this program, which by the way is not just a program for Kentucky, will not help every woman in the adult entertainment business who says they want out. It will help only those willing to make the commitment it takes. National average is a 10% success rate in programs such as this. The girls in the industry feel that even as bad as it is, as bad as they are being treated, they are comfortable in their chaos. They are trying to survive – the thought of something better gets harder and harder to see. They don’t know how to do anything else.
Consider the following information found on the website http://www.refugeforwomen.org/ :
- The sex industry is a 97 billion worldwide business annually
- There are more strip clubs in the United States than any other nation in the world.
- There are 3,829 adult cabarets nationwide, employing over 500,000 people.
- Statistics show that a single gentlemen’s club in a major metropolitan area averages between $10-20 million per year in gross revenues. A small club in a rural area (Less than 5000 square feet) can generate over a million dollars, while cities in secondary markets such as Cleveland or Pittsburgh have clubs that gross approximately $2 million per year.
- The number of major strip clubs nearly doubled between 1987 and 1992, and by 1997 there were around 3000 clubs nationally. The industry is estimated to be a 15 billion dollar business, with the annual revenues of strip clubs ranging from $500,000 to over 5 million (Hanna, 2005; Schlosser, 1997).
- A study of exotic dancers found that 100% had been physically assaulted in the clubs where they were employed, with a prevalence ranging from 3-15 times over the course of their involvement in exotic dancing. Violence included physical assault, attempted vaginal penetration, attempted rape, and rape (Holsopple, 1999).
- In another study, 51.2% of women working as exotic dancers were threatened with a weapon (Raphael & Shapiro, 2004).
- Between 66-90% of women in the sex industry were sexually abused as children.
- More women are employed by the sex industry than any other time in history.
- Compared to the general population, women in the sex industry experience higher rates of: substance abuse issues, rape and violent assault, sexually transmitted diseases, domestic violence, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
It is obvious this is an area where Christians need to focus some time and energy. For too long now, this has been a taboo area for Christians. It is a prime opportunity to show God’s love, grace and redemption.
Consider words of ___________ from one of her updates on a social network,
“I’m not a perfect girl; my hair doesn’t always stay in place. I spill a lot of things. I’m pretty clumsy and sometimes I have a broken heart and maybe some days nothing goes right but when I think about it and take a step back to remember how amazing life truly is and maybe, just maybe I like being imperfect.”
“When I say I am a Christian, I’m not trying to be strong. I’m professing that I’m weak and need His strength to carry on.”
This is a girl truly touched by the grace of God and by loving Christians who were not afraid to get their hands dirty. At the moment, _________ is living temporarily in an old remodeled farmhouse, which is located in the middle of nowhere; getting the professional help she needs and is being helped by employees and volunteers connected to the http://www.refugeforwomen.org/ program.
To discover ways you can help, check out the Refuge for Women’s website.
Sipping Living Water
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Why does a Christian swallow the poison Satan offers? Aren’t we supposed to be strong in the Lord and able to fight off whatever Satan sends our way? When we are only Sipping the Living Water, our thirst isn’t quenched so we go elsewhere looking for something more. This is usually how we are ensnarled into the grip of Satan believing his lies and doing his bidding, regardless of how strong we perceive ourselves to be. In reality, our weakness and failures take hold, overwhelming us.
What are some things we could possibly consider as Satan’s poison? I’m not good enough or I’m not strong enough are examples of lies we believe. Out of these lies self-doubt and self-loathing are born. Nobody loves me, or I’m so alone are additional examples of our gullible beliefs. These beliefs causes even the best Christian to search for love in the wrong places.
What does a Christian who is Sipping the Living Water look like? First, I’d suggest if you look into the mirror, you might see a sipping kind of Christian. Very few Christians plunge into the Living Water. Most of us want to pretend we are there, pretend the water is rushing over us – protecting us from the lies Satan feeds us. But, it takes one negative thing to happen in our lives, then our weaknesses allow some of those lies to penetrate our lives and mind.
Other examples of Christians who are sippers are those who forgo reading the Bible, forgetting that God’s word is sharper than a two edged sword. We leave our weapon at home on a shelf. How then can we expect to fight Satan without our weapon of defense? Christians who neglect their prayer life also lessen their defenses. Those who abandon the practice of gathering together with other Christians in worship are most susceptible and likely to swallow Satan’s lies.
Many times in life, we find friends, family and acquaintances who succumb to the lies Satan offers. We have many examples of true-life happenings and events that show how Satan’s poison and lies can penetrate lives. The results often are detrimental to families, churches and friends of those involved.
Famed founder of the PTL Club, Jim Bakker didn’t start out swallowing Satan’s poison. When he began his ministry, it was just that, a ministry. According to www.wikipedia.org Bakker’s son Jay, who is now a minister, wrote of the PTL years in his book, Son of a Preacher, ”The world at large has focused on my parents’ preaching of prosperity, but…I heard a different message — one of forgiveness and the abundance of God’s love. I remember my dad always seating a mentally handicapped man in the front row and hugging him. And when vandals burned an African American church down, Dad made sure its parishioners got the funds to rebuild. His goal (my emphasis) was to make PTL a place where anyone with a need could walk in off the streets and have that need met.”
Jailed after being convicted of overselling timeshares to a hotel on the PTL grounds, his life was already in shambles from the admission that he committed adultery. Jim Bakker had time to think and reflect upon his actions. In his book, I was Wrong, he wrote, “I was appalled that I could have been so wrong, and I was deeply grateful that God had not struck me dead as a false prophet”
What is Living Water? He is the Living Water. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” John 7:38 (NIV)
I just love that verse. Maybe because I love creeks and streams so well, but maybe more than that, the thought of streams of living water flowing within me sounds so empowering. That stream of Living Water is my immunization against any poison Satan sends my way.
Casting Bread Upon The Water
My Book, Casting Bread Upon the Water sold out in the first printing. I just recieved the second printing and now have plenty of books available. If you failed to get your hands on a copy, let me know and I can give you details on how to order. You can also check my website www.darlensnyder.com to order via Paypal.
The book is about a country church – my home church and the community of Kirksville Kentucky where the church sits. It is history, but it also gives the readers an inside view of the making of a church – the successes and failures. I share memories of some members of the church as well as glimpse into the community. If you enjoy reading about people outside your own community and enjoy seeing how other people live or have lived, you will enjoy the book. There are also plenty of pictures.
