When Shadows Fall
A Jouney of Faith
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
The Brevity Of Life
Too often very few of us are equipped mentally, physically or emotionally for disaster. I for instance, know what it was like to feel safe and secure one second, and the next being tormented with fear. Disaster upsets everything around us. Within the blink of an eye you’re aware of the terrible fact, that without Christ, your world is unsafe and unsure. All you long for are answers to the questions flooding your mind. You long for strength to see you through whatever remains of your life.
When tragedy strikes, you feel that a part of you has been taken. Leaving you with emptiness and grief to bear. Loss is no doubt a deep and devastating valley. Grief is no respecter of persons. Loosing everything I owned brought overwhelming feelings of vulnerability and disbelief. I knew that my life and our world as we knew it--would never be the same. I couldn’t help at the time of the tornado wondering WHY and HOW this could happen? It also made me think that we encounter deep despair, because we assume that adversity will knock "someone else’s" door.
Some respond in anger when crisis strikes, accusing and blaming in order to cope. When tragedy hit I didn’t feel anger, but did succumb to guilt. My heart was broken by the fact that we had to "start over." But I couldn’t share my grief. People had DIED--And I was alive. That recurring thought passed through my mind for months. Finally, I came to understand that I was suffering from "survivors guilt," which is just as it says--enduring feelings of guilt and remorse for being a "survivor." But labeling my feelings brought little if no comfort to my heart. WHY was I alive? I couldn’t stop asking myself that question. All the while no mind could have possibly imagined just how grateful I was.
Today may I ask WHAT are YOU suffering from? Is there a battle raging in your heart that you can’t fight alone? Are you hurting? Are you sad? Are you feeling overwhelmed by the your weight of your worries? Are you afraid? Are you tired? If you have answered yes to any one of these questions I encourage you to let God enfold you in His love . . . Begin by allowing Him to hold your tomorrows . . .
LET GOD HOLD YOUR TOMORROWS!
Unlock the bolted door inside,
To make another start
Contentment comes from setting free
The things that bind your heart.
C.Luthey
I PLACE MY TRUST IN THEE
When I fail to do my best and worry taunts at me
Let me first surrender Lord, and place my trust in Thee.
When I fall beside the way, with not the strength to stand,
Let me first remember Lord, to quickly take Your hand.
When my tears are falling fast from being troubled so
Let me trust your grace for me wherever my feet shall go.
When I cannot understand injustice in this world,
Let me not lose faith in you, that I may be unfurled.
When my heart confronts the fear, my situation lost
Let the joy of victory Lord remain above all cost.
When the journey seems too long, and friends abandon me
Let me come to you in prayer, and place my trust in thee.
When I feel so all alone, nearly to the end, let me not forget you Lord
My priceless, precious friend.
And when you come with trumpets sound, there reward shall be
For all who kept you first dear Lord, and placed their trust in thee.
Christene Luthey
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
"All too often we take for granted our briefness of days The Bible says, "in the world you will have tribulation" [John 16:33] Through my personal testimony and passion for writing poetry When Shadows Fall on your life or mine, believe that we're never alone. May you find encouragement and strength When Shadows Fall . . . Chris Luthey Note: There are over 200 Poems and Prayers in this book written by the author, of hope and inspiration.
Until a personal tragedy or near-fatal incident
Makes us aware of our MORTALITY.
Those who are fortunate, come to the understanding that
LIFE IS BUT A VAPOR, and TIME no doubt is LIMITED.
WHEN SHADOWS FALL, we stand face to face with our humanity.
If we are attentive, we become aware of the separating line
Between God’s Love and Forgiveness and His Judgment of sin.
As our heart sees this reality
We suddenly realize the immense need to make peace with our Maker.
In this book you will explore the brevity of life
And the countless things we all take for granted.
This I've found is true. Throughout the past sixteen years for example,
I've experienced: A TORNADO (in which we lost our home and belongings).
"Lost" four grandparents, my father in law, and several friends,
My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer,
A drunk driver severely injured my husband,
And I recently learned our fourteen-year-old son
Has Hodgkin's Lymphoma (Cancer) . . .
I hope you will gain understanding from my experiences
Biblical insights and perhaps some solutions to your life's adversity?
For I could not begin to fully explain the triumph my life has known amidst these trials,
Since I've gained understanding of the
Process by which God uses suffering and loss in our lives
To produce within us perseverance, character and love.
"God knows the way I take" the Bible says, and he promises to never abandon us.
We must only yield to his will and submit our lives to the refining fires of God's
Soul searching forge. Then we will experience a deeper relationship with Him
And stand against the "storms" of life, with an unshakable faith"
About the Author
Childhood & Adolescent years
At the age of twenty-one I married my husband Scott.
- Nearly twenty years later we live in a small town in Pennsylvania.
- I have two teen-age children (a 17yr.old daughter/15yr. old son).
- I am a full time wife and mother.
- I've continued to write poetry, drawing inspiration from personal experiences, everyday life, family, and friends.
- In 1993 I published my first book of poems titled Window To My Soul.
- Since the publishing of my first book, I've spoken to various organizations regarding my near-death experience in the 1985 TORNADO, and the life changing influence it has had on me.
- Today my poems are being used and displayed in hospitals, pregnancy aid centers, nursing homes, bereavement, hospice, and funeral home libraries, organ and tissue donor organizations, fire departments, etc . . .
Currently
- I am 40 years old (born Dec. 12, 1960).
- Since 1996 I have home schooled our children using a Christian Curriculum.
- In addition to church activities; I write books and poetry.
- I belong to a local Volunteer Fire Department as an Emergency Medical Technician.
- I'm a C.P.R. Instructor and teach E.M.T. courses as a "Secondary Instructor."
- From 1994 to 1999 I served as a HOSPICE volunteer and Bereavement counselor with the Visiting Nurse Association.
- The past two years I've received education in disaster related incidents.
- I am currently a part of the Critical Incident Stress Debriefing Team in Eire.
Hobbies
- Writing poetry, spending time with my family and friends, photography, golfing, watercolor painting, stained glass projects, gardening/canning, walks along Lake Erie, and hiking through the woods.