The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land. Isaiah 58:11a

Recent transitions in my life—the empty nest, a potential move, hormonal health challenges—have placed me in a “sun-scorched land.” As I cross this desert, I fear losing my way spiritually.

It comforts me to know that the Lord has promised to guide me. More than that, He promises to meet my needs in this unfamiliar place.

But do you, like me, sometimes struggle to reach the provisions the Lord offers? For example, intellectually I know that He is the Spring of Living Water. Experientially, I have so much to learn about drinking deeply. But here are a couple of thoughts:

Imagine a spring gushing from the ground. To drink from it, you need to stoop down, perhaps even get on your hands and knees. So, too, in the spiritual realm we cannot drink from the Spring of Living Water standing up. We need to come with an attitude of humility before our thirst can be quenched in the Lord.

I live in the Pacific Northwest, a land flowing with beautiful rivers like the McKenzie and the Willamette. On a hot day, the pristine waters beckon you to swim. Similarly, the Lord invites us to plunge into the River of Life—communion with Him—with uninhibited, completely abandoned joy. Here we can drink deeply of His grace, peace, and love.

Immerse yourself in Him today,

Ruth

Welcome to Comfort Café, an ezine and resource center offering hope, help and healing for women.

BOOK REVIEW

With Healing Wings: Prayers for Those Who Hurt and Those Who Care
By Marsha Maurer, Author of In the Garden and A Fragrant Fullness

In a hospital waiting room, beside a sickbed, in physical pain or emotional distress, in dark hours of loneliness and depression, when relationships suffer, when hope or a dear one is lost, when aging, discouraged, anxious, angry, or tired, how do we cope with assaults to our wellbeing?

For those suffering and for caregivers, With Healing Wings gives voice to the anguish of illness, affliction, and heartache—and offers God’s own words of comfort, hope, and healing. Here are conversations with God to restore the health of body, mind, and spirit. As prayers rise heavenward, God’s peace alights With Healing Wings.

WIN A DOOR PRIZE THIS MONTH!!!

Subscribe to our monthly ezine and automatically qualify for our weekly drawings. Author Marsha Maurer is generously donating her book, With Healing Wings: Prayers for Those Who Hurt and Those Who Care (see book review above). To access the book directly at Amazon, see the following link.

The Lydia Project, Inc. make lovely tote bags for women undergoing cancer treatment. This month we are featuring an article about their wonderful ministry.

CONGRATULATIONS TO LAST MONTH’S DOOR PRIZE WINNERS:

Ashlyn Mansfield, Georgia
Dot Johnson, Ohio
Renee Youngberg, Minnesota
Tammi Johnson, Tennessee

LIFE STORIES

With thoughtful insight and perception, Patty Duncan writes a poignant story of life after divorce in Nothing At All!

DEVOTIONALS

Please note that Comfort Cafe’s blog, separate from our ezine, will publish a new devotional each week. If you would like to receive these automatically, subscribe here.

Espresso for the Heart: Louise Bergmann DuMont in Moving a Mountain—One Mole Hill at a Time shares an inspiring story of how an elderly woman living in a retirement home makes a difference in her world.

Violet Nesdoly illustrates in Blind to the Obvious how easily we miss seeing spiritual reality.

In an encounter with a huffy waitress who is Tipped Off, LaShawn Taylor learns a lesson in grace.

HUMOR, HUGS, AND HOPE

In Carpe Diem…and All That… Cyndy Salzmann gives you some tips for slowing down life and smelling the the roses…er, lilacs. You will be sure to enjoy her unopinionated view on eating (gasp) bacon!

ARTICLES

This article features the ministry of The Lydia Project, Inc., providing tote bags for women undergoing cancer treatment, and includes a beautiful poem by cancer survivor Amy Breitman.

Mary Yerkes shares helpful insights into suffering in The Gift of Pain.

Victoria Gaines highlights Dominie’s Marriage Advice.

THE HEALING HEARTH

In Unraveling His Treasures, Victoria Gaines shares how she learned to stop resenting her trials.

Looking for Writers

Our Help for the Hurting page lists all the topics we hope to address in the future. If you have a story or article that relates to one of these areas, I’d love to hear from you. Review our writer’s guidelines, then send submissions to info@ruthwoodandfriends.com.

Letters to the Editor, click here.

Blessings,

Ruth