<![CDATA[Scorza Sanctuary - Blog]]>Wed, 17 Apr 2024 14:28:42 -0500Weebly<![CDATA[My Prayer Journey - Rest in the Shadow]]>Wed, 20 Mar 2024 16:02:29 GMThttp://barbarascorza.com/blog/my-prayer-journey-rest-in-the-shadowIn recent weeks, God has been asking me if I trust Him. I say yes each time. But sometimes it feels like He's trying to help me to see things in myself that I can't yet recognize.

I feel like this trust He's asking of me is also linked to my prayer life. I can look back over many years and see how my prayer life has grown, but it feels like He is calling me to a deeper growth and dependence on Him.

In 2024 I said I wanted more, "More in 2024."  And He is a gracious God and will give us the desires of our hearts when our desires align with His desires for our life.

So, I do want more and more of God. And He is showing me that more and more of Him requires sacrifice, love and obedience. He's asking me to trust Him. In order to trust, I must know what He's asking of me. No, I don't mean I must know all the details, but I must know the way.

I think of Abram when he was told to leave. He didn't know exactly where he was to go, but it was clear he was to go.

I am intentional in my time with Him. I try to pause to ask Him into everything I do. I hide His words in my heart, so somethings are on autopilot because I am led by the light He has already placed before my path.
​So my prayer today is:
Lord, help me. You have shown yourself to me, your character is undeniable and yet there are days I put my trust in me. I doubt what you can do because I view you through my limitations.

Lord, please forgive me . Lord, help me in my unbelief. Please reveal yourself to my children. Lord let them have eyes to see and ears to hear and a heart to accept You. For you reveal your love, existence and majesty everyday. Admittedly, I just miss it. Like running through stop signs or a red light because my mind is elsewhere and my eyes lose focus and is unable to see what is prominently there.

Lord, hurt and brokenness causes us to erect barriers. Please pour your love in the crevasses of my brokenness. Bandage my hurt with your healing balm of truth.

In the name of Jesus, Lord I pray for deliverance from the lies of the world.
Psalm 91:1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
]]><![CDATA[Friday, January 15, 1965 - A Story of Hope]]>Mon, 15 Jan 2024 17:20:10 GMThttp://barbarascorza.com/blog/friday-january-15-1965-a-story-of-hopeMy mom was 41 years old on Friday, January 15, 1965, just 23 short days away from her 42nd birthday.

My dad was born in 1919. I think in August, but I'm not sure. My mom and dad were married in 1946, again, I have no idea of the date.

They had been married 18 or 19 years before they had any children and the doctors thought my mom had a tumor when she was actually pregnant with me.
But on January 15, 1965 she went to the hospital to have a beautiful baby girl. Yes, I am talking about me.

So, let’s back up a little bit. ​

My dad had a heart attack and had spent several months in the hospital. During that time, my mom had begun to feel sick. So, she went to the clinic. The doctor told her she had a tumor and would need to have surgery.

Because my dad was sick, she said she could not have surgery. It would have to be postponed until he was better. During her follow up doctor's appointment, she saw a different doctor who told her she didn't need surgery and it would be over in several months. 

He was joking that she was pregnant and in a few months she would have a baby and her tumor would be no more, but the joke went completely over her head because pregnancy was never a thought. 

And then just 13 months after my birth, my dad died from a massive heart attack walking into their bedroom, to get his wallet.

Some things we just don’t know!

My mom was married to my dad for almost 20 years. Most of that time, he was battling alcoholism, as he fought the demons he carried with him after his time in battle, during WWII. This couple didn't have any children and not even one pregnancy before me. My dad had had a heart attack and was recovering. He had given his life to Christ and was a recovering alcoholic.

So, why when the road was beginning to look a little brighter, just 13 short months after my birth would my mom lose her husband. Why would his daughter, that he loved so much, never get to know him.

I can't say that I have all the answers, but I do have three facts of the good that came from it.
First, after my dad's heart attack, he stopped drinking. Secondly, he also asked Christ into his life. That's where the real living began. Now, perhaps due to him taking better care of himself, they were able to conceive. But a third good thing is they had me.

My mom had loved my dad, but still struggled with his alcoholism for a long time and now it was behind them. She was able to see him, and remember him in a different light. God knew He was going to take my dad home and He was patient enough to allow him to live long enough to turn to Him, so that heaven would be his everlasting home. And God knowing that my mom would be without her husband, loved her enough to send her a daughter.

Losing her husband and raising a daughter on her own wasn't easy, but it was gracious. God didn’t leave her alone.

So much has happened in the past 59 years. Way too much to even offer a set of bulleted points to follow, but I do know God has been right there, through it all.

I was blessed to have my mom in my life for 47 years. My dad died in February 1966 and my mom died in March 2012.

In my 59 years, I could talk about degrees and accomplishments, but in the end, all that matters is what we do for Christ. So, I would rather share my bumps and bruises that have brought me closer to Christ and the relationships that I've made along the way.

In my 59 years,
  • I had two sons, I was married and divorced.
  • I've raised three grandchildren.
  • I've buried my son and my mom.
  • I've watched my kids grow up and become productive citizens.
  • I've survived Hurricane Katrina.
  • I've relocated to a city that has embraced me with open arms.
  • I've got to meet my first great-granddaughter
  • I’ve built relationships that will last forever, because we are all sisters and brothers in Christ, so even when this life is over, we will live together forever in the presence of God.
​There are lots of things I don't know, but there is one thing I do, "I'm blessed and here for a purpose."
So, today, as I celebrate my 59th birthday, I celebrate God. I cherish His love for me and I want to live out of that overflow, as I love others.
​
Remember, this life is but a brief vapor, even if you live to be 100 years old, it’s nothing compared to forever. And I really want to live with you forever, so if you don’t know Christ, ask me about Him. Invite Him into your life. So, whether I leave you here or you leave me, it will just be until we meet again.
]]><![CDATA[While We're Waiting]]>Wed, 13 Dec 2023 15:31:25 GMThttp://barbarascorza.com/blog/while-were-waiting
Picture
Cover Photo from While We're Waiting Website
You may have heard me talk about this wonderful organization called "While We're Waiting." I didn't know it existed until I was looking to have a retreat for grieving parents in January 2024, the first year anniversary of my podcast. My Morning Thought.

I put some surveys out, trying to see if there was a need and to hear from grieving parents. A sweet friend, Judy Cromwell, connected me to a friend, Paula Lively,  who had lost a child. She actually told me about While We're Waiting.

I went to the site and God was gracious and allowed me to attend one of their weekend retreats. If you've lost a child, I recommend you consider attending one. It is healing for the soul. 

Jill, one of the co-founders of While We're Waiting does a weekly podcast. You get to hear from parents who have lost a child. Losing a child is one of the hardest things in life. There is absolutely no way to prepare for it; even if they had been sick all their lives, you live in hope and seek to give them the best life you possibly can.

But giving them the best is giving the Christ and you being firmly rooted in Christ. Then you can know you being without them is just until you meet again. And While We're Waiting, you can live with the hope that they are in the presence of God, who chose you as parents for them.

Jill interviewed me for the podcast and this week and next, you can hear our conversation.

Go and take a listen. Don't hear me; glean what God might be saying to you. And listen to others. They are all very encouraging.

Thank you Jill and all, for all you do.

Here is the link to the podcast.

Here is a link to their website.
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