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Divine Works of our Lord

3/20/2015

2 Comments

 
I have moments where the need to write is so overwhelming I must stop what I am doing and start clicking the keys of the keyboard. Tonight, I have no particular topic or purpose but to simply write. Usually, I have something that's been put on my heart so heavy I must get it out. Tonight, I'm simply in awe of God's work and it's inspiring me to say a little something about it.

Over the last 5 years, I have witnessed the hands of our Lord work in my life. It started when I sat down to write Safe Under the Willow. God was preparing me for a specific reason. A reason, I didn't quite understand until 4 years later and even now I don't know the entirety of it all. And to be honest, I was humbled tonight after I learned it wasn't just my life that involved that purpose but many other lives-lives I never knew about 5 years ago or even 6 months ago. 

When I first started writing, I knew that I wanted to help people with truth from my story. To offer those who read it words so powerful it etched into their hearts hope and meaning. I wanted people to reach for God so they knew where to find healing and restoration. Now, months before it's release, I still want that only the fire has ignited into an inferno- it's the need to use my testimony to help others. 

Last year around this time, I spoke at a benefit dinner regarding domestic violence. It was the very first time every bringing my story out to the public and I was a nervous wreck. And I certainly wasn't aware of why God had me doing such a task I felt I wasn't capable of doing. After everything was said and done, I knew God had a special calling for me to submit to. I trusted in Him giving Him every piece of me that I could offer; my body, my mind, my heart. All to HIM. I plunged into a ministry head first and again, He was preparing me for what was in store next. I was called away from that- it hurt, I didn't understand, and I wasn't sure what to expect next. And I wasn't only called away from that ministry, I was also called to a different church. I was devastated thinking how much I loved where I was...I didn't want to leave. Until... well until one Sunday in November. The kids and I were ready for church and about to walk out the door. That's when God moved my husband to say, "Hey, do you mind if we go to another church today?" I prayed for guidance from our Father knowing He knew what I should do. I knew this was His answer- so I welcomed the invitation to go to another church with open arms. That morning the pastor kept talking about someone he knew that was leaving a ministry. I believe he said about three times this wasn't what he wanted to preach about this morning but he felt God laying this on his heart so heavy he had to talk about it. And I knew exactly the reasoning behind it. It was my answer. The guidance I was desperately seeking. So we began attending that church regularly (and still do). A couple Sundays had passed and I finally worked up the courage to talk to the Pastor about the first sermon I heard from him. Here is another pivotal point in the divine works of our Lord. This was the reasoning to why I was called away. 
John 12:26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

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A new ministry is about to start because of that move to another church. It's not mine, it's not the churches- this is God's ministry to serve those in need of healing and restoration due to domestic abuse. Refuge Under the Willow is something I have dreamed about starting for 5 years. When I was writing Safe Under the Willow, it was always a desire I had to work in a ministry such as this. Here we are after half a decade, about to start things up. Wow! I believe Saturday will be a special one in regards to all this. The church is hosting a women's breakfast and God has blessed me with being their guest speaker. It's an incredible honor and I have prayed asking God to help me deliver the message He wants me to give. Everything is prepared as far as what I will say and I keep praying the Holy Spirit will anoint me to touch others in a way God knows they need it. 

Tonight, I was shown just a glimpse of something bigger than I originally thought this was all about. You see my friends, God doesn't just work in one persons life- He works in all of us. I was truly humbled as I listened to the words of a woman who told me to stay obedient to the Lord. To follow His lead because there's something bigger in store that we can't even imagine. She confided that when the Pastor told her I spoke to him, she shook in her seat. Shook?? I don't know what all this means but I do know it's the divine works of our Lord that is paving the way to bring glory to His name!! 



Father God, I pray for your guidance and gentle hand leading the way. Lord I know that whatever you have planned, it's your will and I will try to follow the path to the best of my ability. Thank you Jesus for the mercy and salvation you have given to each of us. I open my body, heart, and mind to use me for your divine works. Fill me with your Holy Spirit so that I may have the courage to speak my testimony so that others may find Christ as their savior. To seek your refuge in a world that has become rampant with evil. Let your light shine so bright in me that it drowns out the darkness and brings others to your Holiness. So that they too can have the redemption and proclaim you as Christ their Lord! -Amen 

-Shannon 
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Perfection

2/10/2015

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There's no doubt: I am a perfectionist. I expect myself to not make mistakes.  I know  in this earthly selfish world, I will never be perfect. Romans 3:23 NLT reinforces that saying, 
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard."
So, if scripture tells us that everyone falls short, why do I strive for perfection in all that I do? I have battled within my mind why I feel the need to not screw up. So, I turned to God and prayed and prayed. Last year I finally received an answer. 

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I certainly don't want to stop trying to please our Lord. In fact, I make an effort to become better each and every single day. Sure, I mess up. Yes, I fall short of His glory. But if I don't try, I'll never grow. I won't be challenged and become stagnant- content without purpose, without a fire in my heart that I so desperately need. That inferno that burns within my heart for Christ is what keeps me reaching for higher ground. It's what drives my desire to please our Lord. 

There are several passages that speak about perfection and serving God to the best of our abilities. I'd like to share a few with you. 

Romans 6:20-23 NLT
When you were slaves of sin, you were free from obligation to do right. And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 6:20-23 tells tell us as believers, we are obligated to seek the Truth and do what is right. We are ashamed of our past sins and when we mess us, we again feel guilty and want to do better. So, we genuinely ask for forgiveness and because Jesus died on the cross, we are forgiven. 

Let's take a look at Romans 12:11 NLT

Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. 
Lazy... NEVER.BE.LAZY. Powerful words Romans tells us there. One more from Romans (This book is PACKED FULL of wonderful wisdom!) Let's look at Romans 12:2 NLT

Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Seeking God in all that we do will bring an entirely new perspective. His wisdom, His will, His love, His Holiness will be bestowed upon us. When we look to our Father, He will answer our pleas and His perfection will shine through us. 

Do I ever want to stop striving for perfection? Absolutely not. 
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Refuge

1/24/2015

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REFUGE The word was adamant to obtain my attention this evening before Bible study. So, I asked myself- "What is it about this word that I need to know?" According to The Merriam Webster dictionary the meaning is: noun 1. shelter or protection from danger or trouble 2. a place that provides shelter or protection. This meaning I have known since...well probably since I could read. I knew this particular word was meant for me to do something with. How could I possibly do something with a word? After all, it's just a word. And the age old saying rambled through my thoughts: "Stick and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me." I'll be the first to stand up and say- that's a lie! It's one way to soothe hurt feelings. It's a blanket of uselessness offering no true warmth and giving a false sense to the person attempting to comfort a saddened soul. Words can be many things: inspiring, truthful, thankful, grateful, encouraging. On the other spectrum words can be just down right mean, condescending, belligerent, and disgraceful. I, myself, have spat out words of hate and anger. As I am getting older, I realize the importance of words and just how they impact those around me. I choose to be different. I choose to inspire. I choose to encourage. I also am honest and will speak the truth even when it hurts as long as it isn't brutal. Yes, I have learned to filter myself and think before I speak. I still mess up at times- I'm a work in progress.     

We come back to refuge. Before the study started, I had a few minutes to ponder what and why I needed to know this. I opened my Bible (NLT Study Bible) and flipped to the back to find refuge listed in the dictionary/concordances with various verses that quoted the word. It listed 8 different scriptures that contained refuge. Quickly with assertiveness, I flipped to the Psalm's since it had the most noted and I was reading Psalmsprior to the word being burned into my thoughts. 

Psalm 2:12 Submit to God's royal son, or he will become angry, and you will be destroyed in the midst of all your activities-for his anger flares up in an instant. But what joy for all who take refuge in him. 

It's a verse of warning and comfort-oxymoron right? Not really. God is giving his followers a heads up. He's saying hey you- I'm sending my son Jesus and you better listen to him or I'm going to get really mad. You saw what I did to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, let that be a warning. And to those who do listen, you'll find joy and he will protect you. 

I then moved on to the next verse I found.

Psalm 5:11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. 


Wow- can you even imagine FOREVER?! I tried- I can't. Happy, singing (although hopefully I get a new voice cause let me tell you- I crack windows! not good folks...not good). We will praise our Maker for all eternity. 

The next scripture I flipped to is what made the puzzle pieces finally fit together. 

2 Samuel 22:2-4 He sang: "The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence. I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies." 


Did you see it? It's right there!! He is my refuge...the one who saves me from violence. Violence... Domestic violence... Safe Under the Willow...Jillian Davenport.... sound familiar? 

In SUW Jillian seeks refuge tucking herself under the branches of her beloved weeping willow tree. Why is this tree so important? It's the one place she can go to and find comfort when all those demons claw at her heart threatening to annihilate the life she has worked so hard to have: happiness, acceptance, and love. But most importantly, this is God offering her refuge. Jillian remained faithful to the Creator and in turn He offered her protection. A peace that can only be achieved by her faith. God was her rock, her safety, her savior- she found the refuge under the willow that He offered her and she praised Him for the grace and love received. 

Why was refuge a big deal tonight? Because he saved me from violence...
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2 Years 2 Long: a recap of 2010-2014

1/24/2015

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This is a new website so I thought I would start out with a synopsis of what my life has been about. Please note: This has been taken from my previous blog.

2 Years 2 Long
It's incredible how fast time slips by without a realization of how much actually occurs. It's been a long two...yes TWO+ years since my last blog post. That makes me incredibly sad to think about. I see it fitting that I recap from the starting point until now of how Safe Under the Willow became to be. I'll warn you now; this will probably be a long one!


Year 2010
After years of trying to write a novel and many failed attempts, it all hit me after I turned 30 of exactly how I wanted to create my opening scene. After all, that's what held me back all those years before. Up to that point, it just didn't work for me. Every opening was mediocre, at least in my opinion. My birthday came and I hit a turning point in my life. I knew that something (not physically but certainly emotionally and spiritually) had changed however; I wasn't sure exactly how much of an impact it would actually have. I was driving to work one day and the scene all sort of played in my head like a movie trailer. "Brilliant," I thought! How did it all happen? I believe God showed me the way- I had written 2 poems years before. One was titled, The Ticking Clock and the 2nd titled Let's Play Life. Two of which, in my opinion, were some of my best works and can be found on the Poems Page of this blog. I meshed both together and wrote the opening scene....BOOM!  The pounding of my heart was rampant at this point as I realized I actually have something I was proud of and knew it was special.


Year 2011

The book took 2 years to write...then 2 years sitting and waiting....I see a trend...


2011 consisted of me staying up extremely late and going to bed right before the rooster crowed only to wake back up in a couple hours for work and kids...it was very long, very tiring days and nights. IT WAS WORTH IT!!!


Year 2012
September 30th marked the day that I completed the rough draft of Safe Under the Willow. The night I finished writing was absolutely exhilarating! My initial intention and how I had it laid out when writing (before I finished) was having 12 chapters. Chapter 12 became a monster of a chapter filled with a ton of surprises and even a couple gasps from myself as I re-read what I had written. After thorough thinking and analyzing, I decided it was best to split the chapter into two... there's that "2" again...


There it was written...sitting in computer memory...sitting....


I knew I needed an editor. To my surprise, I had found an editor who said they were willing to edit the book... unfortunately, that didn't work out. No hard feelings- just wasn't the right time or person to do the work. 2012 closed with me still hoping to have 
the book out to the public sooner than later by the beginning of 2013. I worked on editing SUW myself knowing I wasn't qualified enough. During that time, I reflected on many things, including my family. Here's a FB post I wrote in Oct. 2012: "Re-reading the beginning chapters of Safe Under the Willow, (before I knew Jeanie couldn't play sports due to her eye condition) here's my thought for the night:

When we have children, we create dreams and images in our mind as to who we think or want our child to be once they are older. Sometimes, God has a different agenda in mind...one far better than what you could ever dream of. So even though my daughter may never be the star pitcher or have a killer spike, she offers more to the world than any home run a person can hit...she's my daughter, she's my heart, she's my inspiration."


Year 2013
Where to begin with 2013? Wow! Clearly- the book was never published. However, God was working on other small miracles and a couple very difficult lessons to learn. I came to the conclusion that getting SUW published just wasn't the right time yet. I set it aside and focused on more important things...my family. One of my favorite FB posts that year was this: "While driving, Jeanie and I were talking about how she loved this person and that person. I thought to myself, "Wow, a child's love is the purest of pure." To a child, it doesn't matter if it's a child; boy or girl, or an adult; woman or man. Love is love without having to be biased. Love is pure...And that my friends is a beautiful thing!"

My children amaze me daily. They make me laugh, cry, swell with pride, drive me crazy, keep me young at heart, exert all of my energy, teach me, but most of all- show me how to love. I recall the scripture as I think of this:Then he said, "I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven." -Matthew 18:3 NLT. The more I live, the more I know this is true. When and only when we strip ourselves of worldly thoughts and desires will we be able embrace and live the teachings given by our Lord. 


I also began working on a mural on my living room wall. Trees became the theme, displaying my love of them visually throughout our living room. I finished the mural 1 day shy of 1 year to the date that I started it. I still have to add photos to complete our "Family Tree".

Year 2014
2014 was a year of discovery, change, and new experiences. The journey that began the shift happened at the end of March. I had heard of a local ministry helping victims of domestic violence. It certainly sparked my interest considering the book I had written was based on abuse. A fundraiser dinner was scheduled so I decided to attend. Then something happened that was- well beyond my control or even thought process. An opportunity was coming within my reach. Public speaking was a dream that I had pondered after I had written SUW but in my mind, it wasn't my thing- I could never stand in front of a crowd and give a testimony regarding my own childhood. It was a nice thought- an exciting wish if you may...but never a reality. I was too afraid- what would people think of me? The image I had worked so hard to build would be destroyed. That "good girl" look would be tainted. I shouldn't. I couldn't. I wouldn't. Oh wait...I did...I'll try to describe that night- that magical, heart changing, glorious evening that released all of my pain-all of my hatred-all of my fear. That testimony changed my life. It was an anointing from God himself that I will forever be grateful for. The words I spoke were steady, passionate, powerful and full of love. I recall scanning the room while speaking. A pregnant mother about to give birth that I had never met before was sitting in the middle of the room. Tears poured down her cheeks. She had no clue but her tears spoke volumes to me that night. I know my words touched her in a way only God knew they should. A pastor had went home and apologized to his wife. Another woman thanked me for opening her eyes to how her daughter felt for years. There were numerous "thank you's" hugs, and tears. "You helped me," was a three word sentence that confirmed to me that I did the right thing. God used me in a powerful way that evening. I'll never forget the feeling I got because of it. My heart soared to the Heaven's above. From that day forward, I knew my purpose...God's will for me. I was and still am incredibly humbled by His love and compassion. 


Heading into the third quarter of 2014, I hit a detour. A very unplanned, didn't want to alter my course, you can't be serious, kind of roadblock. It brought me to my knees, tears were shed, friendships were permanently tarnished, and a decision was made that I didn't agree with but knew I had do. Being pulled from one of the things that I knew- I KNEW- was supposed to be...Reluctantly but eventually being obedient to His way, I took a step back. It was the hardest, most difficult decision I have had to make in a long time. It sucked, still does. I survived only because His strength carried me through. By the middle of the eleventh month, I started to become whole again. I wrote a poem during that time that I do plan on sharing but not until I figure out if there will be a sequel to Safe Under the Willow. Yes, ladies and gentlemen...a sequel! I haven't decided yet if there will be a second book or a decently sized epilogue to SUW. We shall see and an announcement will be made. Another piece of absolutely fabulous news is I finally found the right editor! She currently has SUW and is scheduled to finish in early February. The plan of Safe Under the Willow is to self-publish using Amazon Kindle and POD (Print on demand). Unless of course, I miraculously get picked up by some big book publisher or Hollywood calls me begging for my manuscript! Highly unlikely, so anticipate a release in March 2015. I also have another exciting tid bit of news but I'll keep that up my sleeve until a later date. God has shown me a glimpse of the amazing opportunities He has in store for 2015 and I am incredibly appreciative of His love and generosity! 

January 1, 2015
There is so much more I want to tell you all about and I look forward to writing future posts! As I reflect back on 2014, I'm in awe of all the countless blessings I have been granted. My husband of 12 years is my best friend that I adore and love with all of my heart. Both of my children are absolutely incredible with such tender caring hearts, each offering such wondrous gifts to this world. A modest home made of wood, filled with love and laughter with God as our center. I have a family who loves us unconditionally. Two amazing women that I am proud to call my best friends and a slew of other friends that I'm blessed to have in my life. A dream job many would be envious of. A book that I poured my heart and soul into that sat dormant for two years and has suddenly been brought to life. And one other thing that I will keep in my back pocket for now. Blessed? Immensely. Thankful? Every breath I take of every day of my life!
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    I'm a 30 something year old wife and mother of two. I have been married to my wonderful husband for over a decade. We live a simple country life and the Lord has given us many blessings. My passions in life are faith, family, and writing. When I turned 30, I knew that I had a story inside that was begging to be released. I started to writing Safe Under the Willow in 2010 and the rough draft was completed in 2012. It's due to be released in the Spring/Summer of 2015.  

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