Friday, November 12, 2004

An Amazing Moment for me

As I showed my frustration towards her inability to stop this terrible habit (that I feel I started her on) I looked at her face and saw so much deeper than I ever have before. She wasn't upset, I don't think, but she was so solemn and for the first time I saw inside this girl who is just like me. She's a girl, a child, with a heart, soul, thoughts just as my own. When someone speaks to her harshly, she would feel just as I would when someone speaks harshly at me. My heart froze, my mind raced & and words stopped short. How must I look to her? How must she feel sensing the disappointment in my tone and words over such a silly thing. Why did it take me so long to see depper into my children? Why do we react SO quickly & sharply to their mistakes, to their actions and energies? Sometimes I think they are almost like foreigners to us. We expect so much out of them but do not look beyond their faces and into their hearts. Why have I never seen behind their outter layers and into their heart? They're so beautiful on the outside, we dote on their beauty, making them so handsome and beautiful for others to look at and we feel so proud. But their inner beauty needs to be nurtured, to be loved and cultivated. She needs to see God in me! The God that is loving with a limitless love, the God that is patient with me. She needs to see God in me!

Thursday, November 04, 2004

Amazing how time flies!

I finally decided after woman's fellowship last night that I really needed to start my blogging...so that I could really think through this amazing book that we are reading. There is so much to absorb and think about I thought it would be fun to blog about it just in case someone else might be interested in this amazing book. I was completely shocked to see that I created this blog 6 months ago!!! WoW!

The book that our (St. Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church Women's Fellowship) group is reading is called "In Thy Presence" by Fr. Lev Gillet. It is published by St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, just in case you find yourself wanting a copy for yourself.

The first 75 pages of this book are devoted to God's "Limitless Love". Just think about that for one moment. Can we ever really comprehend His LIMITLESS Love? Limitless! Limitless...do we know how to love with limitless love let alone feel the limitless love of our Creator? It is written as if God is speaking to us. It is eloquent and poetic...simply beautiful!


"Whoever thou mayest be, whatsoever thou mayest be, says the Lord Love, at this very moment, My hand rests on thee.
This gesture means that I love thee and that I call thee."

No matter the circumstances in my life, no matter where I am or what I am doing, God is loving ME!!! Loving YOU!!!

Wednesday, May 19, 2004

Here I am!

Okay, so I've finally given in and joined the crowd of bloggers. I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to talk about but would like to possibly share and talk about some of the things that I have been reading. I've been reading some amazing things lately and they have had a profound effect on me.

Here is a little bit about me.
My name is Susan Sophia Ferrenberg, my patron saint as you have probably guessed is St. Sophia, mother of Faith, Hope and Love. I'm an Orthodox Christian of 2 1/2 years with my amazing husband James (who is NOT a stranger to the blogging world-Paradosis), my lovely daughters KelseyAnna(7) and Charissa(4 1/2) and my two little boys Nicholas(3) and Joseph(almost 2). (Can you guess at about where we became Orthodox?) We live in Bothell, WA and worship at St. Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church with many wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ.

I am amazed daily at God's blessings and can only hope and pray that I will never take them for granted. God is good and truly amazing. May I be able to share adequately my feelings and beliefs with any who happen upon this way.

Lord have mercy!

In Christ,
SusanSophia