Where Do I Begin?

Each month, we will be sharing blogs from Angie’s archives. She was a prolific writer and wrote for many, many year, including publishing many books of her blogs. We are blessed to be able to continue to cherish her memory and read her thoughts, learn from her wisdom, and gather encouragement from her writings. We hope it will bless you also.

And what better place to start than at the beginning?

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From Angie’s Archives

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

where do i begin?

i really don't know where this blog will lead me. the blog is named from my diary days as a child. i would often write whatever happened that day and end it with 'and that's that.'

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Tuesday, July 26, 2011

if you believe it, you can do it

i am a big believer in confidence in yourself. i don't know if you're born with it, taught it, or its a learned response. i know i've achieved goals in my life despite my disabilities because of believing i'm as capable as the next guy. i've had others say 'you can't' or 'you won't'. that just pushes me to prove otherwise. so be your own best motivator, cheerleader and driver. others can encourage but its up to you ultimately.

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Thursday, July 28, 2011

wonder

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be (Psalm 139:14-15, NIV).

A friend of mine usually comes to visit on Thursdays with her son and newborn daughter. Their friendship is priceless. This verse comes to mind as I've seen the newborn come to be. She is wonderfully made so perfectly by God. Its amazing. I'm anxious to see what He has in store for all the days ordained for her.

A favorite song of mine is Wonder by natalie merchant. I relate to it in alot of ways. I have confounded doctors from different cities. Raised with love, faith and patience. We are each 'a wonder of God's own creation.'

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Angie's Testimony

Angelia K. Riffle Bridger, (52), went to her eternal home to be with her Lord and Savior on December 4, 2023. Angie is survived by her parents, Bobbie and Wayne Riffle, several aunts, nieces, nephews, cousins, numerous friends, and her beloved pets- Tux and Jack.

Though Angie was physically limited by a neuro-muscular disease all of her life, she was not limited in her great love for the Lord, friends and family, and animals. Angie graduated from Northern Illinois University with a degree in Microbiology and then worked for 5 years for the Missouri Department of Agriculture.

Anyone who knew Angie loved her and knew she loved the Lord. She was a generous person who liked to bring happiness to others; the world was a better place because of her.

This is her testimony:

From the beginning, I was raised in the church. As a child, I faced the weakness of this body that my soul was in. I found comfort in what I was being taught in the children’s church and other youth activities. I learned who Jesus was..my Creator, my Redeemer, my Savior for my sin debt. At the age of 9, I gave my life to the Lord and was baptized. I wanted to feel secure in knowing where I’d spend eternity if my life were to end and to have my own relationship with Christ.

At the age of 9, I had not really faced many temptations of the world, but I knew I was a sinner in need of grace to save me. As I grew older, I did have the Spirit of peace within me as I dealt with life’s trials of surgeries, being different than my friends and just life as a young girl in a wicked world. I found strength through prayer. My downfall was the belief in myself, as much as the Spirit within me.

Even when I was away from church, the desire to seek more of God remained in me. I know God has been working on my sanctification in many ways and opportunities. One example, a church student union at college allowed my scooter in their building. After making friends there, I ended up in a Bible study.

My life wasn’t a ‘total’ surrender to His will until the age of 30. I’m guilty of wanting what the world offered and ignoring the cost of it. God allowed me to have all that I wanted from the world…a marriage, a home, a career…but I failed to put Him first and above all things…therefore I reaped the consequences. I’m thankful for this discipline.

My life was at a crossroad of choice...will I hang onto my will or trust in His guiding? My world was stripped away and what I thought was my end…was actually my new beginning. I thank God for doing whatever it took..and yes it hurt a lot…to get my dependence centered on Him alone. I thank God that since age 9, I’ve never felt truly alone. I thank God that as much as I've failed Him and chosen the world, that He hasn’t given up on me and continues His good work in me. I thank God that I am forgiven because of His sacrifice. I thank God that I don’t fear death because of His resurrection and promises that He has prepared a place for me with Him.

-Angelia

Living in the Desert

Right now, I'm living in a season of adversity, and it's like I'm living out in the desert.  I feel alone at times, but truthfully I'm never really alone.  God is always with me and I've never been alone once in my life.  I may not can see him now, but He has always had a bigger picture for my life.  Not only that, but He has a bigger plan set in place to redeem me. I may face trials that shake me to my core, but I will never be separated from Him—not if I keep my eyes fixed firmly on Jesus.

If you ask anyone who's dealt with their fair share of valleys in their life with chaos and heartbreak, then they'll probably tell you that while it was a difficult chapter, they saw God moving in their hearts and in their character more than ever.  I can say that's true for the two years it took for me to find a job after college graduation.  I sent out countless resumes and went on interview after interview but I didn't give up on God's plan for me or on myself.  He came through with the perfect job for me that was right for those 5 years of my life.

So, now God's plan for me involves 'waiting'.  Anyone who knows me knows that waiting is not my strong suit.  I'm impatient, to say it mildly.  When we go through a long, hard season where we feel like God is distant, we don't know what His big-picture plan is. We simply have to trust and move forward the best we can. God knows what He was doing back then, so why don't I trust in His plan for me now?  Because, I have to be still and know that He is God, not I.

"It's often those moments of obscurity and doubt that we come face to face with God Himself."

"If we've learned anything about God, is that He makes beauty out of our brokenness."

"When God makes a promise, He never forgets."

After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward." But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” ~ Genesis 15:1-3.

When the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. ~ Genesis 15:4-6

When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking fire-pot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadiof Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates—the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.”
~ Genesis 15:17-19

"If we remember the story of Abraham and Sarah, this is the perfect example of a couple navigating the "desert" of life. They had previously been promised by God that they would be fruitful and blessed. After years and years of infertility, Abraham and Sarah must have been wrestling with all those tough emotions. Guilt, doubt, despair, anger, loneliness. Still, they continued to hold on to hope and wait on the Lord."

What a great story of waiting and a promise fulfilled. When my time 'in the desert' is over, I will come out stronger and He will have blessed me beyond my imagination. I just have to cling to my faith, my hope and my trust in Him. Whether I'm on a mountain or in a valley, God is worthy of my praise in every season of this life. God always knows what He is doing and God is good, all the time and all the time, God is good.

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Broken

I begin this blog with the acknowledgement that I've reached the end of myself.  There is a blessing from Jesus that comes from that, which is Him meeting me there in my brokenness.  The first beattitude that Jesus talks about on The Sermon on the Mount is in Matthew 5:3,  "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."  He redefines what happiness truly means.  We can chase after our desires but real happiness comes in pleasing Jesus.  Right now I feel bummed because I'm not getting to do what I want without an aide to help me, but when I finish this blog on my own then I will be truly happy that I did something pleasing for the Lord.

Psalm 14:18, "The Lord is near the brokenhearted; He saves those crushed in spirit."

We need to be beautifully broken before the Lord.  When we are, He will draw us nearer to Him and put us back together as He sees fit.  We first have to trust Him with our brokenness, then we can be restored thru Him to be what He wants us to be and do what is pleasing in His sight.

Psalm 37:4, "Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart."

How many people confuse 'the desires of their heart' with what God really means, is in the verse is 'a relationship with Jesus Christ"?  "That verse does not say “God will give you the desires of your heart because you delight in Him”. Instead, the verse commands us to “Delight yourself in the Lord” and then He will fulfill your desires because He is the only One who can satisfy your heart." [gracecalling.com]

How many of us would like an easy life?  Jesus promised that we would suffer in our trials, but that He would also give us peace in them.  John 16:33, "These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

In all of our found brokenness, God's love for us never decreases.  He will never forsake His children.  Even tho we may struggle through our trials, would we not give up our desires, if it's not Jesus' will?

John 1:24, "Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit."

When we willingly submit our lives to Christ, then we glorify Him with our testimonies and bear fruit in this broken world.  Even if our life isn’t what we hoped for, God will not abandon us or leave us in tribulation. Isaiah 29:11 states, “‘For I know the plans I have for you’, declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

As for myself, I built my life on dreams and desires of my own. Now that all of that has left me, I've concentrated my life more on what God wants from me.  This will be my 1356th blog since 2011.  These are more important to God, than any number of tests I took in school or lab tests I ran at work.  These blogs have also drawn me nearer to Christ , than anything I've ever done.  My blog collection has truly been a source of happiness for me.

Remember, in all of our pain and sufferings, it is Christ who calls us and in Him are our desires truly satisfied.

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Grace

''Grace, grace, God's grace... grace that is greater than all my sin.''  

Are we grace givers or fault finders?  We are not called to be like other Christians, but to be like Christ.  His way is the only way.

We are all sinners.  The dirt and gold co-exist, but how deep do we dig and what are we looking for in others?  Relationships are built on mutual respect and love for one another, despite the differences we all have.

Because I am so dependent on others, I often have to let go of 'my way' of thinking or otherwise I'd be a fault finder to someone else's way of doing something.  Jesus is the only one who has lived this life perfectly.  He is our role model, and no one else.  We must humble ourselves because the moment you think you've got it all together, is the moment you just lost it.