Dear Reader

Dear Reader,

Today is March 18, 2014. That would make it Totally Terrific Testimonial Tell All Tuesday! This is my tell all:  It was my belief that the third book God put on my heart to publish would be out before the end of this month. So many obstacles have occurred since the editing process for book two in February that I am not sure You Are Worthy Too: Angels, Answers, Signs & Wonders will be available before months end. I do know the evil one does not want this one to hit the shelves.

An element I had wondered how I would write is what I have written this morning. In each book, I include a Dear Reader letter. I feel it lets the reader know I truly have heart in the game. It is a more personal call out to them than the true life events I share. To me they are truly a very important element of my books if not the most important one.

With this book I was not sure what I was meant to say in my dear reader letter. I knew of one thing that needed to be a part of my letter, but how to take that and stretch it into a letter when it was simply a single truth, well that was an entirely different matter. That brings me to today:

This morning I knew God wanted me up early. Funny enough, a dream I had just prior was so real I was able to share a point of view with Mike because of it without him getting bitter or offensive.

When Mike woke me up at 5:15 AM to ask if I had seen his gloves, I went to look for them. I asked him where he last saw them and he insisted he had left them in his helmet and now they were gone! I wasn't angry at all that he'd woken me up because I already knew in my heart God wanted me up. In my sleepiness and honestly disobedience I was trying to deny what I felt to be the case.

When Mike decided we had looked everywhere that the children may have hidden his gloves, he apologized for getting me up so early. I confessed that God wanted me up anyway so he had done me a favor as I was being disobedient. I was pretty sure Mike had been used to force me to get up. He kind of laughed me off until he went to leave. When he went to put his helmet on his head, he found his gloves inside. He looked at me astonished and said, "God really did want you up."

Everything about this morning makes me smile. It is God that took away the pain that made me dread each morning. That in itself is a wonder. I still hurt a little ~ perhaps a gentle reminder of how life used to be.

I marvel at God and His ways. We all often complain about how God works and his timing, but do not see how weak willed we truly are. In all Honestly, God has been extremely patient with me. All awful moments in my life were never the end of the world. They were just awful moments. I also have many moments I treasure. Some of them, the ones I feel called to share in this volume God put on my heart to share, are within this book.

My next book coming out will be entitled 'In the Midst of Spiritual Warfare'. I thought it would be my second book but it has become my fourth. That just may be so that I am more prepared to write what God wants in it than I was prior to writing my second book and starting my third!

I have been under the craziest attacks since I began piecing this book together. In every way I have been under assault. It has been eye opening amazing to watch God come through for me in all aspects. Each time I have found myself no worse off and perhaps even a step ahead, just in another way, as I have continually walked faithfully in the Spirit come what may. I find myself instantly praying as I have felt myself pulled away from the fruit of the Spirit. I quickly call upon God to carry me through. Refusing to fret and worry as I am bombarded with fiery arrows by being on alert and picking up my sword. By recognizing the enemy at work and being dressed for battle, I go into the fight calling out, "My Lord help me."

I pray as you read this book what you walk away with is an unshakeable faith. A faith that anytime anything in your life begins to take place that your heart frets, you panic, any form of fear or distress weigh in upon you, you find yourself on your knees. You do not always have to be on your knees in a physical sense but that is your posture in a heartfelt sense. You will recognize that force of fear upon you deeply and you will pray in a way that you speak from your heart and He will answer.

If you have read my first two books you know I am NO 'angel'. Yet, when I was at the end, knowing on my own I was not going to make it, I called upon the Lord from my knees. I was desperate but seeking. I wanted help but did not realize quite yet that I was forgiven. It took me a bunch of reading and listening to have that light come on. In all honesty, it was three years down the road before I was able to believe and KNOW I was forgiven. As if I heard Jesus himself say that it was done.

I was at a weekend event called the Great Banquet. I see how God put me there right when I was meant to be there. I was asked to write down anything I felt kept me from the Lord and I wrote it all down. I said them all out loud. I knew in my heart I had repented for all of them. Until that day, I was still convinced that I was unworthy of forgiveness.

When I took that paper with me into the next room, there were 3 crosses on the ground. I went to the one in the middle, picked up my hammer and with three blasts drove that 16 right into that post nailing it all on the cross that Jesus was nailed to as a sacrifice for all sinners. As a carpenters daughter one thing I know is how to drive a nail. It was as if I broke every chain Satan had on me as I drove that nail deeper and deeper. With my final blow I knew I was free and belonged to Christ. I wear my ring and my cross to this day. They remind me of the vow I made; to spend the rest of my life sharing the good news.

We have a way out of this place many truthfully call hell. I get why so many refuse to believe that God is in Heaven cheering them on. I too believed I had fallen too far to ever be picked back up let alone though of. That is a lie! If you seek, you will find but you truly have to seek. You have to give God the best of you every day. You have to rely on Him when trouble hits. As you do these things you allow Him to show Himself to you. We are blind to the heavenly realm. It is beyond our understanding. It just is. I have been blessed to have seen both a person and my Winnebago shrouded in indescribable lights. As if surrounded in a ceiling of diamonds. I wish that mental image did due justice but it truthfully doesn't. More Beautiful than you can imagine. Those two stories as well as how God got me jogging, bending and jumping again as well as strong enough to pick up my littlest one are all shared in my next book.

I leave you with a smile on my face this morning for I have fretted about what I was going to put in my dear reader letter. It is, after all, a very important component of all my books. I want you to know I am truly interested in helping you find your unwavering faith. It is a vital part of your armor and in my opinion one of the coolest elements of your suit!

As you read my book you will see that I have had run ins with angels. As a word of caution, do not get caught up in the angels themselves. Remember that it is God that created them. Should you find yourself amazed or curious about them be more amazed and curious about their Maker. He is the one that sends the angels to you.

I pray this book finds you building your own relationship with the Lord. As a child I talked His ear off and asked many questions. It was when I mistrusted Him that I cut myself off. I truly was that teenager with the worst attitude toward my loving Father for a decade. Then for two more decades I was convinced I had to find a way to work my way to forgiveness and worthiness. I was so lost. The truth was hidden from me by my own misunderstanding and lack of effort. Don't repeat my behavior then, repeat my behavior now. For as boldly as I talked to God as a child, I talk to Him today. As much as I depended on Him then, I depend on Him now. He is my Lord and Savior and He loves me. Should I be weak, I call upon Him for strength. When I feel myself becoming who I was through anger or frustration, I quickly realize I am in the flesh, and I do not like how it feels at all. I give my situation to God and let it go. Often I walk away for a moment and quickly call out to God to help me with my tongue. I pray you get here too, because here is where life becomes amazing.

With that, I leave you with this final statement; Be blessed AND BE A BLESSING

Wendy, Walks with God,
Mom of Many

© WendyGlidden, You Are Worthy Too: Angels, Answers, Signs and Wonders 2014

How to Nourish One's Faith!

It's marvelously magnificent miraculous Monday and it is the last one we'll have this year! What a crazy year this one has been for me. From finally getting it through my head that God forgave me for all my sins way before I was even born and had had the chance to sin, to the truth that He has forgiven every transgression I will commit until the day I die. That in itself was major!

The big deal for me this year would have to have been the testing of my faith. As I begin to put various posts together for my first e-book, I have of course been going back and reading much of what I have shared this year. I am amazed at what all I have witnessed even though it was through Faith that God always has me that carried me through it. Regardless, when you look in the rear view mirror, your faith can sometimes be increased. This is definitely the case for me.

One of the most amazing things I witnessed this last year would have to be the change in my brother. God led me to help him last year. I even blogged about it for I had no idea how I could help him. As it turned out God needed me to pray for him.

You see, back in 1998, my brother went into a stress center and came out diagnosed as bipolar II. I never thought that was the correct diagnosis for my brother but I had no say when it came to him. For 15 long years my brother was not my brother. The medicine they placed him on turned him into a drone. Every now and then, he'd stop taking all that medication and sadly he would always land himself in some type of trouble and find himself placed on even worse medication. The kind of medication that I believe throws a person in a deep dark well that they cannot communicate from. Therefore, when they do come out, they have years of thoughts all trying to come out at once. I knew in my heart that was the case for my brother but finding someone in the medical field willing to take the time to listen and actually figure things out is next to impossible. That is, until you reach out to God for help. I had enough faith that I did as I was led to do by the spirit and I prayed for my brother as well as anyone else that might be fighting the same type of demon. This took place right before Christmas for the details of all of this are in a post where I was trying to view Christmas in a different way. I think I called it Mas Christ in an attempt to add more of the teaching of Jesus into not only that one day but all year long.

Shortly after I prayed for my brother, he was incarcerated for the first time in his life. Personally I hated it, but I knew God is always faithful and I knew he uses anything bad for something good so, I continued to pray for him to receive true help in the medical field. He was released from jail late January of this year and our sister had him move in with her for she lived in one of two counties where they have a medical establishment set up that is designed to truly help a person, not just over medicate them. The only thing we needed was for my brother to comply on his own to go see them. That did not happen so, I continued to pray for him. Within the first month of living with my sister, my brother had a panic attack and called 911. Very quickly the staff knew he needed the help of this facility and they took him there. As it turns out, my brother is not bipolar and he truly was being medicated incorrectly. Today my brother is himself again. He has his own place, he smiles and laughs and is capable of living a normal life. No longer held in the bondage of over medication with no hope out of the dark well he'd been cast into. This was a gigantic reminder for me that God is always faithful and He truly loves all of us.

This morning I awoke refreshed and excited for this next big step I am taking. When I arrived at work and opened my email, this is the encouraging word I found courtesy of K-Love:

Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him. ~ 1 Corinthians 16:11, NLT

If I was to give anyone advice, I think this would be it in a nutshell. I know many people get in a jam, they throw up a half heartfelt prayer, but it has no faith within it. They base their belief in God's power on the results they allow themselves to see and sadly many buy into some lie about God not being for them or not being powerful enough or even worse that He is not good or faithful. My heart breaks for them.

Faith is something that truly grows over time. It can begin with a burst, but it is something you need to nourish. How do you nourish Faith? By feeding it with the Word of God, continually seeking and praying, and opening your eyes a little wider so you can see the silver lining around things. 

Satan will do anything and everything to destroy your faith. I know this for I allowed the father of lies to keep me busy and off track for decades. Read my story and you will quickly see how even those full of faith can be tricked through the evil one's connivery.

Over the weekend, I began a new journey. All year I have been saying I want to write a book, I need to write a book. Now I can actually say, "I have begun the process of having my book edited and prepared for publishing!" I am not going to get it done before the end of this year, but I will have more than one published by this time next year!

How did it all begin? I stepped out in Faith 

Be blessed and be a blessing 

Wendy, walks with God,
Mom of Many

© Wendy Glidden 2013

I Am FREE!! Do You Know Who You Are in Christ?

Today is Terrific Testimonial Tell All Tuesday! My tell all testimony is this. KNOW WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST!! It will completely change life as you know it. I was reminded of so many things this morning as I opened my mail and checked out a status update from a few of my uplifting friends out there on Facebook. I started out by reading a status update from a special friend of mine. I will be seeing her tonight at the monthly meeting for her ministry 'Hagar's Fountain of Hope'. Interestingly enough I met her by going to an event she was putting on last year. I went because the girl that had returned my wallet to me with a message from God had invited me to it. Funny enough, they are sisters. I didn't even know that until I went to my first monthly meeting this past January. I have attended the meetings every month since then. It's awesome to have a strong group of God loving women to surround yourself with. It truly helps to keep your focus on the things that are important. I'm super excited to share with them how I have shed 23 1/2 inches of fat off of the main areas of my body since the last time we hung out! I still have to double that loss to get to my final goal but you could certainly say I'm busting a move toward that goal!! I will share this, it's truly about nutrition and after three years of marketing in the wellness field, I have learned a boatload about nutrition. Add that with my experience with various types of exercise and I am absolutely killing it. I must openly admit that this all began with a heartfelt prayer for my health to be given back to me. I truly believe that as long as my passion is for the Lord, He will indeed honor His promise and give me the desires of my heart. I have been witnessing desire after desire come to fruition. It is very hard to deny the truth of God's word when it manifests itself around you constantly. Honestly, it makes me feel like I'm getting a constant edge on this faith thing! My faith overflows. I love our Father for he is always Faithful, even when we aren't 100% faithful ourselves. His love is amazing. His grace is amazing. He IS AMAZING. My heart breaks for all who have not found their way home. For all who are longing for a relationship with the Lord but don't know where to start. Start in His word. Start with simple prayer. Talk to Him as if you would a friend. When trouble smacks you in the face, before you pick up the phone to vent or discuss with a friend, I encourage you to get to your knees and connect with God. The more you seek Him, the more you will recognize Him. You see, He is already around you, watching and waiting for you to invite Him in so He can better help you. The Father of Lies will always be working on destroying that relationship for when you draw close to the Lord, he loses more of his power. This does not make him happy and he will work harder at taking you out of your happy zone. Don't allow him to take that from you. Make sure to put on your proper fighting attire every day. If you are not sure what this is, I covered it pretty well last week. Check out my blog entitled 'Are you Dressed for Daily Battle? Here's the link:  http://youareworthytoo.blogspot.com/2013/10/are-you-dressed-for-daily-battle.html 

So back to where I started, my friend was talking about how she did not always use her title 'minister'. She commented that when someone else introduces her they mention all her titles and she is thinking, "Dang, I want to meet that girl!" and then she realizes it's her. So today she mentioned all the titles she is described as when others are introducing her and it reminded me of this song by Matthew West. You know I went and found it for you! Please take the time to listen and understand this is who you are in Christ:

I love this song. When it comes on the radio, every one of my children sing it LOUDLY with me!! Great words to hear from the mouths of your babes!! Count me loving life and living it abundantly just the way my Savior intended me to!! Speaking of my Savior and all He has taken care of for me, here is today's encouraging word by K-Love:

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

~ Acts, NLT 

Many people will say oh you will be saved as long as you believe in God or you do more good than bad or what ever it is that they come up with. It's right there in God's word that the only way you can be saved is through Jesus Christ. I would encourage you that if this topic is a struggle for you that you seriously give Jesus a true look. I encourage you to pray for wisdom on the matter and read the gospels. Follow the gospel of Luke for the first one you read. You will realize all four gospels share the life of Jesus from a slightly different angel for they are writing to different sects of society. Many of the things the four share are almost word for word. What makes the gospel of Luke the best to follow for the first one you read is that he is the only one that writes it all in chronological order. As you read it, you will come to understand that Jesus fulfilled messianic miracles prophesied about in the Old Testament and your belief level in who He is will grow. For a mere human to complete just 8 would be phenomenal. However Jesus completed many more than that. To save me a little time, I cheated and found what I think is the best written article of facts regarding this. Feel free to check it out for yourself. http://christianity.about.com/od/biblefactsandlists/a/Prophecies-Jesus.htm

It is my prayer that you recognize the truth and become a follower of Christ yourself.

Father, today I pray that the evil one is bound from those in search of the truth. May his lies be kept silent from the ears of all who are searching for salvation. May they come to know your son, our Messiah, Jesus Christ. May they too begin to follow Him and share the good news with others. May the workers grow, may the fields be harvested. May we work as the body of Christ as you intended us to. I want to thank you for all you have done when it comes to strengthening my faith and all my many blessings. You are so kind and loving and your grace amazes me daily, hourly, minute by minute. I am so blessed to have the relationship I do with you. I never want to be disconnected from you again. Thank you for clearly laying out the armor I will need every day to protect myself from the dangers of this world. Thank you for the wisdom you have shared. Thank you for the freedom I have. To be able to openly read your word where ever I am. So many of my brothers and sisters do not have such freedom. Go to them Father and lift them in your loving arms. Shine your light so that doubters are changed into believers. May the truth be so clear even the blind are given perfect sight. In Jesus name I pray. Amen

** For the full story of my wallet being returned these are the links to the two blogs that cover this testimony. May you find yourself blessed in reading them.

1. http://youareworthytoo.blogspot.com/2012/12/show-me-sign.html
2. http://youareworthytoo.blogspot.com/2013/07/unpacking-treasure-show-me-sign-part-ii.html

Wendy, walks with God,
Mom of Many

© Wendy Glidden 2013

Dissed, Disowned, Disgraced, and Darn Near Destitute!

Recently God inspired me with 4 really awesome titles that I would LOVE to blog on. However, some things have a larger impact when they are read in a true order of events. This era of my life falls into that category. These are events I do not look forward reliving. But they paint my life with the true colors it has contained. I hope what you find in the mix is encouragement. With that being said, I ended my blog "How I fell in love with Mike" pregnant with twin girls and falling deeper and deeper in love so quickly I felt as if I was tumbling down a mountain with no end in sight.

Other than Mike and I, NO ONE was happy with us being together. I knew it would happen. The judgement. He was younger. He wasn't right for me. He was only using me. The objections came hard and quick.

Guys are guys and when it came to the men at Glidden Fence not one of them liked that Mike had won my attention. Without a doubt, they set out to alienate him. The word was no one cared for his attitude and they did not want Mike on their crew. At this time Mike was placed on a crew with his father. Mike loved his dad and I felt bad knowing how Larry trash talked Mike down almost daily to me and my father.  Larry was one of our Repair Crew Leaders and he also was the one that ran the majority of anytime repair calls. Mike, being a helper on his father's crew, ended up having an altercation one morning with Larry right after it was announced that I was pregnant and prior to the knowledge I was having twins. Mike quit that day. I was caught off guard by his rash move and it was my first view at Mike's unreasoning anger and stubbornness.

My father went so far as to pull me into his office after that and encouraged me to walk away from Mike and marry one of our workers named Gabrielle. His view was Gabrielle had been in love with me forever and he would treat me right. My father was right about Gabrielle and how he felt about me. I already knew that. He was sweet and kind and if able would have hung the moon for me, but I did not see him as more than a brother or a friend. I listened to my father and when he was done politely told him I'd ponder what he had said. Larry came in the office and informed me Mike would most likely go back to Florida. He said I'd be better off raising my child without him anyway.

Mike assured me he wasn't going anywhere. He applied for work everywhere and ended up with a job waiting tables at TGIF. Spring came and we had so many calls that Larry began running all of the anytime repair calls. By mid April he was diagnosed with throat cancer and was needing time off for doctor appointments. When this happened I had to go into overdrive when it came to running estimates and for the first time in a year I was the one to go back to look at fences that we were building. In a nutshell I noticed a new trend that I did not care for. I stormed into the office and inquired to Jeff if he had seen what I was seeing. He stated yes but he had gotten no where when he had voiced an opinion. I love my dad to death but he has a blind spot when it comes to his "All time Favorites". It kills me because if he would have listened to not only me but my grandmother on two specific occasions things would have panned out much different. Alas that was not the case.

Mike is not the only stubborn, bull headed person in our household. I hold the title myself! I decided to take matters into my own hands. As the guys that finished our wood fences strolled in I had a diagram on the dry erase board. I asked them to show me where the nails went into the 2x4s as well as into the 1x6 boards. Needless to say, they indicated what I had seen. You would not think nails wrongly placed would matter, but in my mind they did. I could spot a Glidden Fence from across a yard by the nail pattern. It's just an extra touch, but I loved the way it looked. Clean and professional. I showed the guys the way it is supposed to be done and then asked, "Who taught you to do it that way?" They all agreed it was Mauricio, Gabrielle's younger brother. I did not care for Mauricio due to an incident that transpired between us when I was 20 years old or there about. If you have ever heard the term, "He's scum." that is how I viewed Mauricio. My father, on the other hand, LOVED him. He even introduced him to people as his son. My father had seriously mentioned to my step mother during my divorce from Jeff that he thought I should marry Mauricio all the way back then! In his mind it was a brilliant plan.

Anyway, I was angry that Mauricio was teaching the guys the wrong way to build a Glidden Fence as my father himself taught Mauricio everything he knew about building fence as well as why we built the way we did. When Mauricio walked in I asked him to show me where he placed the nails. He drew the two nails to toe nail on my diagram and I looked at him and said, "You know that is not how my father taught you to do it, why have you changed this?" He did not answer me. I went on to ask, "What about the finish nails?" He threw the marker down spun and elbowed me in the stomach as stated he did not have to listen to me when it came to building fence.

Now, if you have read my story from the beginning, you know that I used to play basket ball. My father had taught me how to throw an elbow without being caught. Mauricio had just jabbed me with that very elbow move! I would like to say I rose above the situation, but that would be a lie. I caught him in the hallway and with one hand had him pinned against the wall lifting him slightly off the ground. I was telling him how rude it was to hit a pregnant girl and how he did have to listen to me when Bill heard the commotion and came around the corner. "Wendy!" Bill exclaimed, "Put him down!" I looked back at Bill and Mauricio's crew men were behind him as well. I let Mauricio go and Bill said, "Let's talk this out."

Mauricio sat in a chair and I was stating loudly how I felt about his workmanship. He jumped up and got in my face and said, "You want me to yell at you?" I smiled, took a step forward, dipped down slightly so that we were nose to nose and said, "Yes, Mauricio, that's exactly what I want. Please yell at me." He promptly sat back down. When I finished telling him what would be expected of him from this point forward, he informed me he was putting in his two weeks notice. I said, "Perfect! I want it in writing."

Bill said, "Wendy!" I spun and looked at him and asked, "What?" I turned back to Mauricio and continued, "Seriously, I want it in writing."

Bill suggested we call it a night so that cooler heads could prevail and mentioned we could discuss this all tomorrow.  Unfortunately my first call the next day was scheduled at 7:30 so I was not able to be in the office when everyone arrived for my day started an hour before theirs. When I did have a chance that afternoon, I came into my father's office, closed the door and said, "Hey, I had a situation with Mauricio last night." My father told me he already knew all about it. I asked if he knew about the nail pattern and what all and he kind of shoo shood me like he sometimes does. I replied, "Dad, if he doesn't build our way, how can I look people in the eye and tell them we build the best? If you don't put your foot down, I can't sell for you." That next day I was pulled out of sales and placed behind a desk again. Within a week, all of the men had taken Mauricio's orders to heart. None of them were to talk to me. If they did they would have to deal with Mauricio. It was so insane they wouldn't even call in underground cable cuts into the office. They called Bill, who had to relay the message to me. When I pointed out the ridiculousness of the situation, my father told me I needed to rejoice for this was the first time all the men were united and he loved it. I, on the other hand, did not love it at all.

Yunior, who loved both Mike and I and who detested Mauricio for how he treated his sister, was throwing a birthday party and we were all invited. It was at the party that one of the men, one I had helped with back taxes and filing for citizenship, asked my son William if he was coming back to work that summer. When William told him he was, he was asked who's side he was on. When William inquired as to what they meant, they informed him that if he was on their side, they were looking forward to his return. However, if he was on my side, it would be best for him not to return.

I was so hot about that implied threat that I went to my father and told him what was said and how I felt about where things stood. Bear in mind at this point I was 20 weeks pregnant with twins and slightly emotional. Again my father poo pood my thoughts and feelings. He informed me that I must be mistaken as to what was said and told me to leave it alone.

Following Mike's lead, after my 24 week check up, I put in my two weeks notice and informed my father I was going to be ordered to bed rest at 28 weeks. I knew with the lack of sales I was not going to have due to being put behind a desk, my pay was going to be cut by over half. I was going to lose my house regardless and I just wanted to get as far away from Glidden Fence as possible. What I had viewed as a part of me no longer loved or valued me. I cried every morning on my way to work those last few days because of how alienated and unnecessary I felt. Mike wanted me to be done that next day. I informed him I needed to stay long enough to train someone on how things were. I ended up agreeing to stay another week. I trained my replacement a total of 1 and 1/2 days!

Mike claimed we would be better off moving to Florida. There was nothing holding us here. Mark was currently incarcerated for a year and I had thought he was going to file for divorce as he had stated you could file for free when you are in jail. With him safely behind bars I reasoned he had no right to keep me from moving and knowing how violent he was I liked the thought of us being far out of his reach when he was released. Mike insisted his mom would be there for support as well as the rest of his family.

Three days before we hit the road, my father's home was robbed. They had taken a few valuables along with his emergency fund. I honestly believed it was Mauricio that had robbed my father as he knew more about his comings and goings. Never in a million years did I expect to be the one the blame would fall on.

We had arrived in Florida on June 20th, 2004. It was father's day and Mike's entire family was at his grandparent's home. You could say I did not feel the least bit welcomed by Mike's family. At the time I did not know Larry had stirred the bees nest by spreading the lie that Mike and I had robbed my father and were on our way to do the same to everyone there. That all came to light when I had not received my final paycheck in the mail and I called back home. I was informed by the new girl that my father was out of town until the next week. I asked her what crew William was on as he had elected to stay in Indiana with a friend of mine named Daniel. I was told he was with Larry. I called Larry's phone and low and behold, Daniel answered. I laughed and asked when he had started working for us. He told me he was Larry's driver now and immediately asked me if it was true that Mike and I were the one's to have robbed my father. I was BLOWN AWAY. I said, "What!?! NO!!! Why would you ask me that?!?" He informed me that was the rumor. I stammered, "I don't understand. Why would anyone think that?" He informed me that Mike's brother had been on a speaker phone and he had overheard him telling my dad that when we rolled into town he had told Mike he couldn't live with him and Mike had flashed a wad of cash at him and said he didn't need his help. I was floored. "That was my money!" I exclaimed, "Larry KNOWS I closed out my bank account. He KNEW just how much we were leaving with. Even dad knew I had left with a good amount of money. Surely he didn't believe such crap!" Before Daniel answered me, I heard Larry ask him who he was on the phone with. Daniel informed him it was me. Larry yelled at him for talking to me and got on the phone. I immediately asked Larry, "How on earth could you say such things about me? You know we left Indiana with over $3,000!" Larry proceeded to inform me I was getting what I deserved. He said I had abandoned Glidden Fence, he thought I was a bitch and not to ever call him again and he hung up on me."

I was stunned. When I finished drying my tears and returned to where we were staying that week, I informed Mike of everything. He was not shocked over what his father had said to me. That was the day I discovered that Larry had written to Mike about how much he couldn't stand me. He had informed Mike I was the daughter of his boss and I was the residential sales person and he just knew if he could get me out of the way he could be in my position. Mike was enamored with me before he ever met me because his father couldn't out do me and Mike had never seen his dad beat by anyone.

To this day, I honestly have to admit I liked Larry. Sure he had his faults but who doesn't. I forgave him for what he did to me. Not only did he convince my father Mike and I robbed him, not only did he inform all of Mike's family of this lie as well, as it turned out, it was Larry that had robbed my father.

When my father arrived back in town I tried to speak to him on the phone. He picked up long enough to yell at me that I was a liar. I was not getting my final paycheck. He knew that Mike and I had robbed him because Dave had confirmed as much. He went on to inform me that I was also cut off of the health insurance plan and as far as he was concerned I did not exist. Again I was hung up on and left in a state of shock.

You know how with Job you think, 'Surely it can't get any worse for this person!' yet it does get worse for Job. Well, before Mike and I left Indiana, a voice I now know comes from heaven, informed me I was going to lose all my money. I seriously considered changing my money over to travelers checks but after looking at the cost and hassle decided I would have Mike hold onto my money. After all, I was never warned about him losing any money. We were down to $1,836.00 and Mike was still without a job. Everything we were looking at to rent needed first, last and security deposit. We had officially been told we could not stay another day at the senior citizen trailer park we had been at for the last week as one of the older citizen's realized we had children and we were not old enough to be living there. We were on the verge of being homeless. In my anger over having to move out of the place we had been staying at, I took the unopened gallon of Milk I had and gave it to the lady I knew was the one raising cane about us staying there. I knocked on her door. When she answered I said, "I just wanted to thank you for your kindness. Milk is expensive and seeing how we are being put out on the street I thought you could use it. I hate to see it wasted." She took the milk and stated she was sorry about us having to leave but rules were rules. I must admit I secretly hoped she would be haunted by her own actions.

Mike decided we should let Tia and Travis play at the beach while we thought about our next move. We parked several blocks away as it was a busy day at the beach and walked to the changing house. Mike waited for me outside. When we got down to the water I took Tia and Travis into the water with me. I can still remember Mike frantically going through our stuff on the beach. I knew before he told me by his actions that he was missing something. He came to the edge of the water and stated he thought he must have left the wallet in the car because when he went to take it out of his pocket, he did not have it and it was not in our stuff. My stomach was turning. I recalled the warning. I knew it in my heart before he confirmed it when he returned from running back to the car. Someone had picked his pocket. All we had left was the change in the canister I had brought. Less than $100 worth and my wedding ring. We went to the police and made a report. I prayed that a kind stranger would find and return his wallet. That did not happen.

I am going to end this here, for to go further would carry me over to the next unpleasant title I have been given. I am grateful that God inspired me with 4 titles that really are awesome and I look forward to those.

I want to state again that I love my father. We are very close today. As far as Larry goes, to the day die, I will feel sorry for him.

Father today I come before you with gratitude for when the world turned it's back on me you indeed took care of all my needs. I ask in the name of all those who have been dissed, disowned, disgraced or have found themselves destitute for your peace and love to envelop them. I pray they feel your love and presence. I pray they find a ray of hope, a helping hand and belief in themselves as they come to know who they are in Christ. I pray families are kinder to one another. I pray the kindness of strangers increases. I pray more and more of us realize who we are in Christ. In Jesus name I pray. Amen

Wendy, mom of many

© Wendy Glidden, 2013

On My Knees

By the time I was pregnant with my 4^th child the ongoing joke was me and my fertility. I always got, “Have you figured out how that happens yet?” or “Do you know what causes this?” I am here to tell you that when God wants you to have a baby you are going to become pregnant. Now he also allows us free choice. And I took advantage of that more than once I am sad to admit but it is a truth about me. If someone were to ask me today what I’d change about my life, my answer would be this, “I would have kept all the babies God gave to me.”

With that being said by the time I became pregnant with Jeffrey I was done having children. Carrying and birthing Delilah just about ‘killed’ me. Mike didn’t make life any easier. It was almost as if he became harder to live with each time our family grew.  I know this was due to the fact that my attention was diverted even more so with each new addition.

Regardless, as always, the jokes came at my expense anytime we were around family and friends. “So are you done now?” I would reply, “Yes. I think God and I have an understanding now. I’ve told him I just can’t handle another pregnancy.”

I don’t know of another girl who has tried harder to NOT get pregnant than me. I have conceived babies while using condoms, birth control pills, and birth control inserts. That brings me to Jeffrey . . .

My step-mother decided she wanted to have my sister’s children and my children over for the weekend. It was the first time Mike and I had had alone time since almost the beginning. It’s certainly the first time we had an entire weekend. The birth control we had been using was causing some issues and as directed we picked an alternate birth control to use for the next two months. This one was an insert kind. I should have read the fact that it is only 97.9% effective! Regardless it was the one we were using when Jeffrey was conceived.

With having time to just dote on each other . . . dote we did. I felt pregnant instantly.  I pushed that feeling aside and told myself I was being silly. I began praying that night to NOT be pregnant. The time for my cycle to start came and went with no visit from “Aunt Rose”. My prayer became more pleading and informing God how another baby was more than I could handle. I went to the store and bought a two pack of pregnancy tests. At this point I was 5 days late and full of dread. I did not read the directions I looked at the picture on the front. Two pink lines right next to each other meant I was pregnant was what the picture showed. I used it placed it in the sink and went into the kitchen to start dinner. I went back into the bathroom and was relieved to see two single pink lines one in the test window and one on the other side but not two together! I thought to myself negative! Now I should start. . . I reasoned that I was probably not starting because of my fear level. I still got on my knees that night and prayed to start so that I could stop worrying. Four days passed and still No “Aunt Rose”. That night I was in the bathroom again praying on my knees . . . crying praying for it had dawned on me that my first test was likely positive. You see, I read the directions this time and the two pink lines did not need to be next to each other . . . there just needed to be two of them. I was informing God how I wasn't strong enough to go through another pregnancy. I told him I would live with my fate but if it was within His will to take this baby and gift someone else I would appreciate that. In the midst of my pleading prayer I was shaken by a voice.

“Wendy! This baby is a Blessing! This is how you will put down your cigarettes. Get up off your knees. You hands will be so busy you will never miss that cigarette.” It was so loud and so just . . . well. . . how to say this… It was such a prominent absolute answer that I did get off my knees and stopped crying instantly. I was filled with such peace that mere words cannot give it justice.  I grabbed the test and opened it already knowing the answer but needing proof to show Mike. When he came home he went to our room first. I caught him in the doorway before he exited, showed him the test and said, “I’m pregnant.”

He looked at me completely dead panned and said, “We are not keeping it.”

I replied, “I don’t know who ‘we’ is but as far as I’m concerned there is no choice.” I spun and left him there. We did not talk about it again that night.

The next day I wrote down all of our bills not including basics like Gas, Cigarettes, Groceries, Health insurance, etc. and divided them in half. I showed them to Mike and told him. “I’m not going to be able to stay in sales. I will be put back behind a desk. You are going to have to help out financially and this is what I need from you. If you don’t give me this you can’t live here anymore.” It was the biggest battle of wills we had had to date. I ended up bringing him into the office with my father who Mike looks up to and had him be the moderator.

My father was shocked to know that this was even a battle. It was and it stayed a battle all the way until I walked out and left Mike.

Jeffrey has indeed been a blessing in more ways than I can count. He fills my life with laughter and joy that I can't even put into words. My heart sings when he is around <3. I did kick the cigarettes I had been praying to for strength to quit with no trouble at all just as I was told I would. My hands were indeed too busy and I never implemented a cigarette into my new routine. I thank God for taking that vice out of me even more so every time I see or hear about someone who is struggling with any kind of addiction.

 I’m not sure why God has me sharing all of this out of sequence but he gave this title to me last week and another title I still have to write and I willfully chose to believe I had misunderstood my assignment. As before, until I do as he has said it’s almost as if I am cut off from communication. I do not like not being in tune with God. I can’t imagine what life would be like had I never had all the contact I have over the years. I thought everyone heard God. I have come to learn that is not the case.

My prayer for anyone following my blog is this: May you build a relationship with our Heavenly Father. May you begin reading his word and believing in what you read. May the words make sense to you.

Blessing to all who are willing to try

 Wendy, Mom of Many

© Wendy Glidden 2013

Spare the Rod ~ Spoil the Child

This does not mean "beat your children". I consider the rod the "truth hammer". This basically means step up to the plate of parenting. Love your children but don't coddle them. Teach them about God and the Fear of God. Take your household back and do it through Love. Find a church that teaches . . . not one that preaches. If they aren't telling you every Sunday that the Holy Spirit resides inside of YOU, you are in the wrong place. Keep moving until you find this type of fellowship. Only there will you feel safe in sharing your shames. Isn't that why you go? If you only go to church to look good I say to you, "God is not fooled". He knows your heart.

As we go forward today many are still questioning the violence going on in the world. I say to you since the time of Adam and Eve evil was sown into our flesh. It is important that you think of God daily and give praise for every little element of your life that is good. The more you do, the happier you will become. I am not claiming that life will suddenly become easy and you will no longer have problems. That will not happen until we live in the Kingdom of God. We live in a fallen world right now. Pain is a part of it's fabric. People act on pain. Some cry . . . sadly some kill.

People are so eager to buy into God allowing or even worse causing bad things to happen. He is not the ruler of this fallen world. Satan is. God gave us free will. That means it is there for everyone . . . even those who allow the evil side to win the spiritual battle that wages inside all of us. Help your children win this raging battle while they are young and impressionable. It is vital that they learn about God. If you are a parent and you yourself do not have a relationship with God I say it's high time you got there. Do not seek a place that teaches a false religion. The church is inside of you but you go to a place where other's are for fellowship, support, encouragement, prayer and hopefully hugs and laughter as well. This fallen world beats us up daily. Just like no company will ever sway every person to purchase their product line, not everyone will build a relationship with God. That means evil will remain to be "a force to reckon with." When you go into battle don't you dress for it? Read the Holy Bible. Listen to Christian programs on the radio in the car. Fill your childrens head with the knowledge God and HIS love. They get more than enough knowledge of evil especailly if there is a TV in your home. Speaking of TV, the charmed ones are not the only people to have seen the work of demons. They are written about in the bible and they are here still today. When someone gives in to the dark side all you can do is pray for that person. You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make them drink!

Today let's pray for the parents who are raw with emotion. I know that pain too well. My oldest son lost a child. He was only 18 and his daughter was only 3 months old. I held him while he howled in pain. Just recalling that memory has my eyes overflowing, my heart swelling and I am overwhelmed myself.

Once again I sit here crying and my fingers have stopped. I am going to go back to bed and cuddle with my youngest for another hour and then we are off to have fellowship ourselves.

May you have a blessed day <3

Wendy, Mom of Many


Copyright © 2013 [ Wendy L Glidden ] All Rights Reserved.

Too Angry to Process the Assualt with LOVE

I warn you to guard yourself from allowing anger to be the leading emotion in your life. First it blinds you. It allows you to become self righteous. There is a time for anger but it is short and rarely sweet. Please, if you get nothing else out of this get that. Anger is the foothold the evil one needs to have entrance into your heart. You do NOT want him even getting close to that! So when you feel anger coming on I urge you to get down on your knees and give that to God. That is different than "Giving it to God." Let me see if I can somehow elaborate on this through my story. Let's begin with this:

Footnotes and Fillins from my previous post: Grounded for loosing my virgintiy

1. Yes I was grounded for something I did not do BUT I did misbehave
2. My punishment did not fit the crime BUT I did risk my life I brought the trouble on myself by disobeying.
3. I was angry at God for allowing such an awful thing to happen to me.
4. As a child and here in my telling, I did not give sufficient praise for the amazing story Mrs. Compton shared.

# 4 deserves more details. It was while I was losing my mind due to being questioned if I was making all of this up by Chris . . . remember I couldn't talk. Guy guy guy, Gun gun gun, Me me me was literally all I could say. I had nothing else. I could barely form those words at the moment. Anyway that is when Mrs and Mr Compton came to the door. Mrs. Compton was very worried about me. I could hear it in her voice. She asked Chris if I'd told her what happened? I can't remember what Chris said. . . the numbness was taking over . . . I heard her tell Chris she was so mad at herself for not insisting louder that they turn around. When they had pulled in the driveway she just couldn't get out. She insisted they go back and make sure I was okay. God told her she must. Now I am so thankful that God was watching out for me because that whole thing could have been so much worse. I may not have made it out alive. As it was I was barely touched. Some women have stories that will leave you in absolute tears over their pain. When they raced off I didn't realize it was to get this man. He lost them on a high speed chase on the back roads she infromed my step mother. He didn't have a license plate so there was nothing more than a description of the car and I couldn't tell the police anything more than he was old and naked his empty hand had a flaw with it and he had a gun. I didn't tell any of them he'd punched me with it. They might want to look at me and there was not way I could bare that. This amazing woman LISTENED to God. God told her to go back for me and she refused to get out of the car until they did just that. I was in shock when that was all revealed. I was far from able to cope, my vital signs were proof of that. By the time I got in my room I wanted to die and that was the state I was in when I heard my father's cruel assessment of the situation. I was angry.

When anger is your leading emotion you are headed for trouble. It clouds your mind. It closes off part of you heart. It can and will cause you so much more trouble. You HAVE to let it go for your own protection. Ask God for help even if it is him you are angry with. It is okay to talk to God and share how you feel. He will help you heal if you reach out to him. Sadly it is in our anger that we lose confidence in his mighty power. It is mighty because through him all things can be done. If somehow you have interpreted his mighty power to be a destructive force you do not know the father. He does all things through LOVE. We are just confused by the whole "fear God" line. The fear comes from other's warnings to you. They were warning you to Fear God like you would your own parents. Not because he will do awful things to you. God LOVES YOU. He LOVES ALL OF US!

So, there I was on my way back to school. I felt empty, lost, alone. I was to ashamed to share what had happened to me with anyone. I walked into my biology class and sat in my seat. Everyone shuffled into the room and then the bell rang. Mr. Denari one of my favorite teachers ever was not at his desk . . . when his substitute walked in I could not breath. My heart was pounding in my chest so hard. Everyone else was happy to see him. They called him ABC goldfish. Now to me he was my perpetrator. He looked like him. The guy that molested me had something wrong with the hand that wasn't holding his gun . . . it was semi locked in a position is the best way I can describe it . . . it was the only odd thing about him I remembered. I couldn't sit in my seat I stood up and blurted some excuse and bolted out of the room. Mrs. Compton must have warned her son to just keep an eye on me. . . I think he came out of the room and followed me. I stopped and turned and said you know don't you? He did. I begged him to tell no one. I somehow don't think that was necessary. In my heart I know his mother had covered that subject with him. I never wanted to go to court. I did not ever want to relive what had happened. There was no way I could ever get "Justice" for what he did to me. There is a reason you've heard, "Vengeance is mine saith the Lord." again so misinterpreted . . . it just means he'll take care of healing this person his way. Trust me when you come before God and confess you sins he doesn't beat you over the head. He explodes your heart with the truth. Not literally but the emotions you go through as you face the truths of any harms you have caused others. . . you will beat yourself up. It is the hardest punishment you'll ever "live" through. Better for you to go through it now than later. It's also why you are warned to confess your sins. The Catholic religion has really messed that one up with the whole confessional thing. If you think you can waltz into a little cubical and confess your sins to another human being, get assigned a few prayers to say and walla you are good to go, You are a fool. You can share your turmoil with another human being yes. It may help you work through your pain BUT you can only be forgiven by going to the father and allowing Him to convict you. That whole confession element is left over from before the veil was torn. You, you yourself, no one else in the room is required. You alone are responsible for YOUR relationship with God. I urge you to get to know him. I urge you to understand the term Godly Man. A Godly man can never be "Your Punisher".  A Godly man can help you come before God but he is not your middle man. Sorry but if you don't go before the Father nothing else can wash away your sins. You can face Him in life or death the choice is yours but you WILL face him. You will have to "walk through the fire". As hard as it is to do that while alive, it is better. You see once you do this your life changes for the better. YOU open Yourself up to Him. YOU Allow Him entrance into your life. You open the door. He has always been there. He's just waiting for you to call upon him.

I thought I was going to share more of my story but I have no more to say at the moment. This was what he wanted me to share with you today.

It is my prayer for you that you begin to open yourself up if you are a non believer. Dig deep into where your disbelief . . . your mistrust of God stems from. It takes courage to acknowledge you KNOW God personally. We live in a world of self empowerment. You my friend are nothing more than a vapor. When you realize that truth of that and then realize God is right here with you . . . he resides IN YOU, you will be able to begin living an abundant life!

Much Love,
Wendy, Mom of Many

How I Learned About God!

Dec 7th, 2012

The evil one has had much influence in my life. Many as they have read the opening story in the Holy Bible have convicted Eve of all that is wrong in the world. Heck the truth is many men in the world lay all the blame of everything at her feet. Perhaps that is why many of them, those that have yet to find themselves in Christ, think their role in life is to be “The Punisher”. I think a woman’s biggest obstacle in life is that sometimes we think TOO much and ironically at the same time we willingly trust TOO quickly. The evil one is shrewd. If he has tricked you then you must forgive Eve for being tricked. I can’t even fathom what life was like in the beginning. I believe that Satan was a trusted friend to Eve. Logically they were only warned to stay away from the Tree of Knowledge. I have never read about a warning to Eve or Adam about the serpent. . . Have you?

What I am saying is simply this. “Forgive yourself of all Your mistakes, even if in your heart you KNEW better before committing them.”  We walk in the flesh my friends. It is why we are warned in Ephesians to wear our spiritual armor daily for we are in the midst of a Spiritual Battle every day!  The Bible is our go to advice for all the troubles this fallen world has to throw at us.  It is God’s Word. Read It daily for protection against your own “fleshly nature”.

The evil one has already amped up the Fear Machine and pointed it in my direction. I will pray for protection and strength daily as I reveal who I was. I know in my heart that God has protected me from absolute destruction my entire life. I know with his strength I will be able to walk through the fire. He loves me as he also Loves You. Jesus, his only begotten son carried the cross for all of us. Oh if you don’t know Jesus yet you must! You will never meet a more clever, humorous, kind, wise, gentle, LOVING Teacher in all your life.

Here we go . . . with a deep breath of Faith I am leaping off the ledge:

My first memory of others praying over Me dates back to the 3rd or 4th year of my life.It is how I developed my deep distaste for 7up. Soda was something I never got! I needed to take medicine that I hated and my reward was a whole can of 7up all to myself. To this day 7up tastes like that awful medicine. Crushed pills. I could barely swallow . . . my tonsils were so huge they were closing the passage of air to my lungs. The gist was my life was in danger. People were praying for me. I am sure it was my Aunt Janet’s prayers that were the most impressive. She never failed to awe me with her strength my entire life. Obviously my life was saved for here I am 40 years later sharing my incredible journey with you!

My first memory of Praying to God on my own behalf would be somewhere around the 7th or 8th year of my life. I was spending the summer with my father and step mother. Have you ever heard that saying, “Do as I say . . . not as I do”? Yea, I kind of thought you might have. As many parents did back then, our parents smoked. My brother who is only 10 months and 10 days younger than me had grabbed some smokes and a lighter and invited me to join him for some fun. At the time my father lived in a stilt cabin located in a park with all the amenities. We went down to the swings and he lit the first one and gave it to me. We hung out laughing and being kids and of course smoking those cigarettes . . . we didn’t inhale . . . YET! But we knew we were cool! Of course our stepmother was observing us out of the window. We came home not knowing we had been caught. The punishment was about to begin. She informed us if we wanted to smoke we were going to smoke like adults. We learned how to inhale . . . she wasn’t having any of this silliness with puffing! One after another she lit them. I think it was on the 3^rd one I began throwing up.  We were both promising we’d never smoke again just let us stop. She pushed it a little further but finally left us in our room waiting for our father to come home so she could inform him of our improper behavior. You see we weren’t only caught smoking. We were also in trouble for theft!

To this day I don’t know if my father actually “beat my brother’s butt” I just know I was terrified by the sound. I swear to you, that stilt cabin was shaking! I was trembling with fear! I was crying. My step mother had me in the kitchen with her. Tommy, being the one who confessed to taking the cigarettes, was the first to go before our father. To this day I am amazed at the advice she gave me.  You must know my step mother does not believe in God or his only begotten son. I think I am the only one allowed to praise God without repercussion around her simply because she cannot deny this story!  With that being said she looked at me and said, “Your only chance of not being spanked is to pray to God to save you.” I don’t know if I’ve said a more passionate heartfelt prayer than my first one but I promise you it is the passionate ones that have been answered in the most obvious ways… my biggest signs from God have followed my most heartfelt prayers. That is not to say I have gotten what I have prayed for! What I have received are answers and signs meant to provide me with relief or guidance. 

When I went before my father, he looked at me for a moment. I was so terrified I began begging to be forgiven and I was a mess! My father simply said, “Wendy, I don’t know why I’m not going to spank you but I’m not. Something is telling me it is not needed.” God had SAVED me! How cool is that?! From that day forth God was my Best Friend. I talked to him like a best friend. For hours sometimes!  I promised to help any and all he sent my way. I was going to help him save the world!

You would think with a beginning like that I would NEVER decide I could outwit God . . . I ask you, which of us has not thought we could outwit our parents? Trust me you are not alone in that one! I just took that a step further. I thought I could outsmart the creator of all! Today I laugh about that . . . God and I are chummy again. I know he smiles upon me. I am back to talking to him daily. Life is sooooo Abundant my friends when you grasp the truth. It takes some of us longer than others to get it! Forgive yourself!

I am sitting here with a smile on my face . . . the words have stopped flowing and I do have work to do for my earthly boss as well. I leave you here for now until the words flow again. Have a BLESSED day my friends. Our Father loves all of us . . . even those who have yet to see the truth or hear it!

Wendy, Mom of Many