I don't like confrontation at all but I understand that there are times it is needed and I have to lean into God to set the boundaries and give me the courage to confront. Keith was on the road a lot when our kids were young and setting boundaries and not caving was critical for me and for them. But all rules and boundaries have to be filtered through the lens of grace. So love can be tough with a side of gentle I think. I'm not talking about abuse - that's on a very different level. But I firmly believe that God doesn't want us to be doormats. He wants us to fight for right while loving at the same time. Not easy. Thanks for the beautiful beach walk - I can't wait to see the ocean again soon.
Well Donny this was beautiful. First I have to say where you where walking was so peaceful the sound of waves coming in and moving into the shoreline was lovely.
I am not a confrontational person in fact I hide from confrontation, it gives me great anxiety I can’t handle it. I do try to set boundaries now that I’m older. I grew up in a very confrontational family except for me it caused me a lot of stress 🙏🙏
This is why I put my faith n God to help me thru any confrontation coming my way ...thank you for your prayers 🙏
Hey Donnie I really love this prayer walk I have been in abuse relationship and it's not an easy thing 🙏🙏 my dad always told me that there is a thing of tough love and I told about my pain pill problem and at first I didn't want to go to rehab and he told me if I didn't go then he was taken me back to jail but I finally went and after it was over he told me that it was the hardest thing he ever had to do!! I guess that was my suffering but my getting my life back made me so happy 🙏🙏 Donnie please keep praying for me I'm having to problems and one is a health problem 🙏🙏 Thank you so so much for what you do cause it has really helped me ❤️ ❤️🙏🙏
Thank you Donny for this beautiful prayer walk. The gentle waves made it very soothing and meditative while the subject matter was incredibly thought provoking. When thinking of joy and suffering I have always held to the belief that happiness is not circumstances but rather cause, commitment and Christ. The cause is the mission of serving Jesus, committed to looking to Him for guidance. If we are committed to that in our life and make that our mission joy will come from that service. There may be suffering to endure or confrontation to be had but our reward will be eternal joy.
I listened intently to you with this prayer walk. I know one person who sticks to her guns, there’s no confrontation and you always know where she stands and I believe Jesus is always standing behind her. Her name is Elaine and she is in her 80’s. There was one person who was always confrontational and it wasn’t until I was grown knew he did not represent God at all. The last two plus weeks for me have been a huge test of how much I can endure with my 30 year old daughter. She has begun to see things my way, or God’s indirectly. I step away to search God’s heart to know how to respond to her. Love drives me. Prayer walks reward me. God used you and one no confrontational to bring me back to center.
Donny, enjoyed the walk today along the beach, looked a bit chilly and windy. I’m a person that does not like confrontation, try to avoid it as much as possible. There are times when it can’t be avoided, it is then I outline my approach to make the situation less stressful and use a caring approach. Yes, kids need boundaries, they do better when there are boundaries. My husband was in the Navy, was often gone when our kids were little, so many times it was solo parenting, having boundaries made with consequences helped in those times. I feel boundaries are needed in our lives, but within limits and set with loving care. Love isn’t always easy or gentle, sometimes it’s hard. Sometimes love can cause suffering, then that suffering can then bring joy. When my husband passed my feeling of loss was immense, when I moved passed that I was able to appreciate the joy I had with my husband and the memories we made.
Last week I shared about a concern in my life, I’m still praying for guidance. Right now I feel God is telling me I should wait for now. Thanks for your continued prayers.
Raw indeed.... but perfectly timed! God speaks to us through others sometimes 🙏 I listened to the 1st book of Samuel today and my exact thoughts were “what if we all had Faith like David?” To face any situation with Gods assurance & protection against us!!!! Wow ... Thank you Donny . I’m working on my faith daily, I’m falling in love with the purity and faithfulness in Gods love for US ALL... because I know their is no greater love than HIS!!! I’m thankful God led me to this group of amazing friends/family 🙏❤️
My personal feeling is that true love is definitely not gentle, and possibly nothing like the love we have been conditioned to believe in. True love is when we are able to be authentic in each of our interactions with others- without fear of reprisal. I've struggled with holding boundaries in relationships and have been afraid of confrontation in the past - interestingly I often choose rather confrontational friends. I am recognising that those in my inner circle often reflect to me what I would like to incorporate in my own life. I l loved this prayer walk, thanks so much for sharing your thoughts.
Wow it was no accident that this was the day & time I finally was able to listen to your prayer walk! As I commented on Anne’s substack today I needed to hear this! I love how God works through others to teach us things or get our attention about things we need to learn or dig deeper on! Thank you Donny for another great prayer walk & beautiful setting😉
Great topic in a beautiful ocean setting. Your scripture reading at the end says it all, “Looking to Jesus…” You have asked whether love is gentle? It is clear from Scripture that God is love and we believe that Jesus is God. So, looking to Jesus we get our answer! Yes, God is gentle, as Jesus demonstrated throughout his life as recorded in the Gospels. But at times He is not gentle at all, but confrontational, as when confronting the money changers at the temple. When we follow the Lord, we are gentle when necessary. This depends on the situation. Like others have shared, I am not at all confrontational and have never been that way, but that is not necessarily a good thing. There have been times when I have failed in this regard, choosing the peaceful, gentle way in situations where I should have not acted this way. Again, I must become more conscious of looking to Jesus in whatever circumstance I am in.
Thank you for the walk along the ocean. The waves were soothing. Confrontations are hard but push me into a corner or go after one of my family and mama bear comes to play. Love is hard but hey we weren’t promised easy. Leaning on our faith in the Lord will get us through. Love you.
Donny, thank you for this prayer walk. I am so amazed how God works or intervenes in my life between my daily devotionals and the subject matter of the prayer walks. My devotional this morning focused on Exodus 15 in which Miriam sang the song after God parted the Red Sea for them to cross. Even though they suffered, the joy and praise afterwards they sang was wonderful. In the devotional I read, there are several key phrases I really love. 1 Peter 1:8 was referenced which states "You believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy." It goes on to share if you think about it happiness is conditional, but joy is eternal. That's why we receive joy when we endure suffering. The devotional is Day 4 of "On Our Knees" from Phil Wickham. Miriam broke into song after God's deliverance as there is joy when we completely give ourselves to Jesus. It still fathoms how much suffering Jesus endured on the cross, yet he did so we could be forgiven from our sins and set free. Wow, when I think about that, it just gives me great joy.
Yes, I've suffered in my life, but as you say, there is joy in the end because each time I have grown from those experiences, and I can use that to help someone else.
I will add that I don't like confrontation at all, but especially in my work life, if I need to stand up for myself or hold someone accountable to get what is required from done, I will do so respectfully. On a personal level, I consider myself very fortunate to not have had to confront a friend or a loved one. I truly have been blessed on both a personal & professional level to not really have had to do this. I do think if the situation presented itself, I'm hoping I would.
Also, when we pray, I think it's important to be grateful and forever thankful. When we do that, it brings joy to God and should bring to our own hearts. Life is forever changing just as life Jesus changed all the time for Him, but he always maintained that loving, gentle spirit.
I try to remember even when I'm down or stressed out, that with Christ/God, all things are possible. He will help me through the pain or trial/struggle, if I make the conscious effort to let him.
Thank you for the prayer walk, and wishing you all of God's blessings in the New Year my friend!
Thanks for taking us on your walk beside the ocean. I like to put my noise machine to the waves sound to fall asleep too. As a parent to 4 boys tough love was important to me so I could raise good humans. They have thanked me for it so I know I did okay. I too was in a verbally abusive marriage. I stayed away from confrontation because it wasn’t worth it. It was very tough but I finally set myself free from that abuse. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. One day I looked to the sky and said Lord if I’m blessed with another 20 or 30 years is this the way you would want me to live? I heard a resounding NO. With healthy boundaries I have been free for 6 years and the happiest I have ever been in my life. It has also helped me in other areas of my life. I don’t mind confrontation of course I would rather not but it’s okay now and I usually pray before I go into it. I pray for all who are in those tough relationships they aren’t easy🙏❤️
I don't like confrontation at all but I understand that there are times it is needed and I have to lean into God to set the boundaries and give me the courage to confront. Keith was on the road a lot when our kids were young and setting boundaries and not caving was critical for me and for them. But all rules and boundaries have to be filtered through the lens of grace. So love can be tough with a side of gentle I think. I'm not talking about abuse - that's on a very different level. But I firmly believe that God doesn't want us to be doormats. He wants us to fight for right while loving at the same time. Not easy. Thanks for the beautiful beach walk - I can't wait to see the ocean again soon.
Well Donny this was beautiful. First I have to say where you where walking was so peaceful the sound of waves coming in and moving into the shoreline was lovely.
I am not a confrontational person in fact I hide from confrontation, it gives me great anxiety I can’t handle it. I do try to set boundaries now that I’m older. I grew up in a very confrontational family except for me it caused me a lot of stress 🙏🙏
This is why I put my faith n God to help me thru any confrontation coming my way ...thank you for your prayers 🙏
Hey Donnie I really love this prayer walk I have been in abuse relationship and it's not an easy thing 🙏🙏 my dad always told me that there is a thing of tough love and I told about my pain pill problem and at first I didn't want to go to rehab and he told me if I didn't go then he was taken me back to jail but I finally went and after it was over he told me that it was the hardest thing he ever had to do!! I guess that was my suffering but my getting my life back made me so happy 🙏🙏 Donnie please keep praying for me I'm having to problems and one is a health problem 🙏🙏 Thank you so so much for what you do cause it has really helped me ❤️ ❤️🙏🙏
Thank you for sharing Robin. I am praying for you now
Thanks and praying for you 🙏
Robin, I will be praying for you as I’m now catching up on reading through the comments! 🙏❤️
Thanks and please pray for my son and a friend of mine and her mom 🙏🙏
I certainly will Robin!
Thanks
Praying for you Robin, I love you & chandler🙏❤️ remember John 3:16 (For God so loved the world..... )He loves you ! Stay strong in FAITH
Thanks yes I know 🙏🙏 love you
Thank you Donny for this beautiful prayer walk. The gentle waves made it very soothing and meditative while the subject matter was incredibly thought provoking. When thinking of joy and suffering I have always held to the belief that happiness is not circumstances but rather cause, commitment and Christ. The cause is the mission of serving Jesus, committed to looking to Him for guidance. If we are committed to that in our life and make that our mission joy will come from that service. There may be suffering to endure or confrontation to be had but our reward will be eternal joy.
I listened intently to you with this prayer walk. I know one person who sticks to her guns, there’s no confrontation and you always know where she stands and I believe Jesus is always standing behind her. Her name is Elaine and she is in her 80’s. There was one person who was always confrontational and it wasn’t until I was grown knew he did not represent God at all. The last two plus weeks for me have been a huge test of how much I can endure with my 30 year old daughter. She has begun to see things my way, or God’s indirectly. I step away to search God’s heart to know how to respond to her. Love drives me. Prayer walks reward me. God used you and one no confrontational to bring me back to center.
Donny, enjoyed the walk today along the beach, looked a bit chilly and windy. I’m a person that does not like confrontation, try to avoid it as much as possible. There are times when it can’t be avoided, it is then I outline my approach to make the situation less stressful and use a caring approach. Yes, kids need boundaries, they do better when there are boundaries. My husband was in the Navy, was often gone when our kids were little, so many times it was solo parenting, having boundaries made with consequences helped in those times. I feel boundaries are needed in our lives, but within limits and set with loving care. Love isn’t always easy or gentle, sometimes it’s hard. Sometimes love can cause suffering, then that suffering can then bring joy. When my husband passed my feeling of loss was immense, when I moved passed that I was able to appreciate the joy I had with my husband and the memories we made.
Last week I shared about a concern in my life, I’m still praying for guidance. Right now I feel God is telling me I should wait for now. Thanks for your continued prayers.
I am praying
Raw indeed.... but perfectly timed! God speaks to us through others sometimes 🙏 I listened to the 1st book of Samuel today and my exact thoughts were “what if we all had Faith like David?” To face any situation with Gods assurance & protection against us!!!! Wow ... Thank you Donny . I’m working on my faith daily, I’m falling in love with the purity and faithfulness in Gods love for US ALL... because I know their is no greater love than HIS!!! I’m thankful God led me to this group of amazing friends/family 🙏❤️
My personal feeling is that true love is definitely not gentle, and possibly nothing like the love we have been conditioned to believe in. True love is when we are able to be authentic in each of our interactions with others- without fear of reprisal. I've struggled with holding boundaries in relationships and have been afraid of confrontation in the past - interestingly I often choose rather confrontational friends. I am recognising that those in my inner circle often reflect to me what I would like to incorporate in my own life. I l loved this prayer walk, thanks so much for sharing your thoughts.
Wow it was no accident that this was the day & time I finally was able to listen to your prayer walk! As I commented on Anne’s substack today I needed to hear this! I love how God works through others to teach us things or get our attention about things we need to learn or dig deeper on! Thank you Donny for another great prayer walk & beautiful setting😉
Great topic in a beautiful ocean setting. Your scripture reading at the end says it all, “Looking to Jesus…” You have asked whether love is gentle? It is clear from Scripture that God is love and we believe that Jesus is God. So, looking to Jesus we get our answer! Yes, God is gentle, as Jesus demonstrated throughout his life as recorded in the Gospels. But at times He is not gentle at all, but confrontational, as when confronting the money changers at the temple. When we follow the Lord, we are gentle when necessary. This depends on the situation. Like others have shared, I am not at all confrontational and have never been that way, but that is not necessarily a good thing. There have been times when I have failed in this regard, choosing the peaceful, gentle way in situations where I should have not acted this way. Again, I must become more conscious of looking to Jesus in whatever circumstance I am in.
Thank you for the walk along the ocean. The waves were soothing. Confrontations are hard but push me into a corner or go after one of my family and mama bear comes to play. Love is hard but hey we weren’t promised easy. Leaning on our faith in the Lord will get us through. Love you.
Donny, thank you for this prayer walk. I am so amazed how God works or intervenes in my life between my daily devotionals and the subject matter of the prayer walks. My devotional this morning focused on Exodus 15 in which Miriam sang the song after God parted the Red Sea for them to cross. Even though they suffered, the joy and praise afterwards they sang was wonderful. In the devotional I read, there are several key phrases I really love. 1 Peter 1:8 was referenced which states "You believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy." It goes on to share if you think about it happiness is conditional, but joy is eternal. That's why we receive joy when we endure suffering. The devotional is Day 4 of "On Our Knees" from Phil Wickham. Miriam broke into song after God's deliverance as there is joy when we completely give ourselves to Jesus. It still fathoms how much suffering Jesus endured on the cross, yet he did so we could be forgiven from our sins and set free. Wow, when I think about that, it just gives me great joy.
Yes, I've suffered in my life, but as you say, there is joy in the end because each time I have grown from those experiences, and I can use that to help someone else.
I will add that I don't like confrontation at all, but especially in my work life, if I need to stand up for myself or hold someone accountable to get what is required from done, I will do so respectfully. On a personal level, I consider myself very fortunate to not have had to confront a friend or a loved one. I truly have been blessed on both a personal & professional level to not really have had to do this. I do think if the situation presented itself, I'm hoping I would.
Also, when we pray, I think it's important to be grateful and forever thankful. When we do that, it brings joy to God and should bring to our own hearts. Life is forever changing just as life Jesus changed all the time for Him, but he always maintained that loving, gentle spirit.
I try to remember even when I'm down or stressed out, that with Christ/God, all things are possible. He will help me through the pain or trial/struggle, if I make the conscious effort to let him.
Thank you for the prayer walk, and wishing you all of God's blessings in the New Year my friend!
Thanks Donny for this beautiful prayer walk. My faith in God gets stronger and stronger every day. Thanks so much for your prayers walks.🙏🏻
Thanks for taking us on your walk beside the ocean. I like to put my noise machine to the waves sound to fall asleep too. As a parent to 4 boys tough love was important to me so I could raise good humans. They have thanked me for it so I know I did okay. I too was in a verbally abusive marriage. I stayed away from confrontation because it wasn’t worth it. It was very tough but I finally set myself free from that abuse. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. One day I looked to the sky and said Lord if I’m blessed with another 20 or 30 years is this the way you would want me to live? I heard a resounding NO. With healthy boundaries I have been free for 6 years and the happiest I have ever been in my life. It has also helped me in other areas of my life. I don’t mind confrontation of course I would rather not but it’s okay now and I usually pray before I go into it. I pray for all who are in those tough relationships they aren’t easy🙏❤️
Love all your comments and scriptures you share with us.
Hey I can't stand conflations but it seems like no matter how hard I try it always seem to find me one way or another 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏