May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

Hope. You cannot live without it. The question is: What have you placed your hope in? It’s easy to give the glib answer and say your expectations rest in the Lord. I recently discovered, much to my chagrin, a subtle error I was making in this regard.

For several years I prayed for a certain route of deliverance about a disturbing issue in my life. I thought my hope was in the Lord—I trusted Him to fix my problem, didn’t I? But one day I was forced to ask myself, “Do I want the Deliverer more than I want the deliverance?” The thought gave me pause. Yet if I truly want the Lord above all else, then I have Hope indeed. And in Him, unfulfilled dreams can live right alongside peace and joy. ~ Ruth

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

A Big Thank You To Our Volunteers! We appreciate you so much!!!

Website assistance: Deb Allen
Prayer Warriors: Amy Edwards, Dawn Taylor, Shelley Bayne, Victoria Gaines, Debra Gregory, Deb Allen, Kathy Ruckman
Research Assistance: Cheryl Levy
Business Card Distribution: Gloria Eyman, Tammie Gibson, Linda Goodline, Terry Lines, Linda Bumba, Joanne Sweeney, John and Robin Wellwood, Janet Seever, Connie Gilbert, April Boyer, Susan Maisch Tilney, Debbie Antonio, Tori Vigil, Allie Lapointe, Angela Smith, Kelly Wilson, Shelley Bayne, Cathy Babao, Christina Heidi Beiderbecke

SUBSCRIBE AND WIN

Subscribe to our monthly ezine and automatically qualify for our weekly drawings. This month’s door prize isBecause I Said Forever: Encouragement for Marriages, by Deb Kalmbach. Also, read her excellent article, The Old has Gone…The New has Come.

A HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BOOK: A recent study indicates that Christian marriages don’t fail as often as secular marriages— they fail more! Debbie Kalmbach, the wife of a recovering alcoholic, understands the longing to leave but offers Christian wives solid reasons to stay in a difficult marriage. This is not a “how to save your marriage” but more a guidebook for wives on how to save their ability to love, to honor their commitment to their husbands, and to maintain their faith in God while in marriages that may never live up to their dreams. Debbie tackles tough questions such as “Why won’t he go to counseling?” “Can I change him?” and “What do I do when I don’t feel in love anymore?” with a warm, compassionate approach sure to encourage and inspire every struggling wife.

CONGRATULATIONS TO LAST MONTH’S DOOR PRIZE WINNERS:

Lynn Mosher, Louisville, KY
Tammie Gibson, Columbia, MD
Agnes VanSpronsen, Carman, MB R0G 0J0
Cindy Mathews, Trussville, AL

Cool New Blog—Creation Photography

Deb Allen is providing a special type of blog for Comfort Cafe—short devotionals illustrated by beautiful photos she’s taken of nature. Enjoy her first edition at www.heartscribeforhim.com/CreationSpeaks1.htm. Also, read about how God did a miracle in her life at www.heartscribeforhim.com/2007May20.htm
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Healing Music

On stage in our coffee shop this month is a tremendously talented artist—Anna Gilbert. I’m a BIG fan of her music. Stop by for a listen.

LIFE STORIES

Jon’s Story will make your heart ache not only for Jon, but also for his parents who struggle to find a way to help their special needs child. Marianne Miles’ life story is the backdrop to her new column, Miles to Go.

Dealing with mental illness is a daunting challenge. Janet Seever advises to “Be aware of the symptoms and don’t pretend everything is ‘normal’ like I did for years.” Her story dealing with a bi-polar husband is packed full of wisdom and insight in Getting Off the Rollercoaster.

Joanne Lowe describes her unique story about depression and how she lived Under the Bed, literally.

Cheryline Lawson describes the anguish of Losing a Child but also the transforming action of hope.

ARTICLES

Do you feel like God has forgotten you? Maybe He doesn’t even care about your suffering like you once thought. Ruth Wood addresses these issues in When God Runs Late…By My Watch.

At the root of so many of our problems is the inability to release others of the wrongs done against us. Everyone should read Connie Schwartz’s article, A Time to Forgive.

With insight and compassion, Debbie Kalmbach writes about living with an alcoholic—a story of struggle and grace. Find new courage to continue in a difficult marriage God has called you to, by reading The Old Has Gone…The New Has Come. (For more excellent material from this author, also see the review of her book, Because I Said Forever: Encouragement for Marriages, featured above in this editor’s letter.)

New Column—Miles to Go
Marianne Miles is starting her new column for parents of special needs children. I am so excited about this new ministry we are able to offer through Comfort Cafe. Read Jon’s Story and you will see a woman who understands what you are going through. Don’t miss Miles to Go.

DEVOTIONALS

Do something you don’t feel like doing and be blessed is Gina Courtney’s message in My Flabby Flesh.

Anyone who has struggled with self-control around food will relate to Grabbing on to Hope, by Shelley L. Houston.

A terminal diagnosis, and Words of Sustenance, by Ann Vande Zande.

Surprised by a vicious verbal attack, Kristine K. Lowder found perspective and learned the importance of a Teach Me attitude.

Espresso for the Heart
Louise Bergmann DuMont, avid coffee drinker that she is, offers some good thoughts on Filters in our lives.

HUMOR, HUGS, AND HOPE

Cyndy Salzmann pokes a little fun at directionally overconfident husbands in To Each His Own Quest.

If you’ve ever been hounded by a committee person you will relate to Linda Schab’s humorous fictional account. Sharon goes to extremes to avoid Melissa in Part 1, Escape From Aisle 7.

THE HEALING HEARTH

A timely piece for Father’s day, Victoria Gaines shares a moving story of precious last moments with her father in Daddy’s Tears.

Looking for Writers

Our Help for the Hurting page at http://comfort-cafe.net/?page_id=237 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 at http://comfort-cafe.net/?page_id=118, then send your material to submissions@comfort-cafe.net.