It is my absolute delight to introduce you to Donna Lowe, my friend and my very first guest writer here at Buddy Breathing. Together we will continue to unpack the meaning, application and implications of forgiveness in our lives.
Donna and I have known each other for several years, walked the same path in some respects, mutually belonging to a number of communities, both real and virtual. I’ve watched Donna as she works out her purpose and life calling, and have been overjoyed to see her reach out to women through her teaching and ability to share God’s truth through her own life narrative. Donna is down to earth, but eternity minded. She is grounded in reality and saturated in God’s love. I’d love you to get to know her too.
LA: Hi Donna. What an exciting thing this is having you as my first guest blogger. Thank you for that. Can you share briefly who you are, what you are passionate about, a little bit about your online ministry etc.
Donna: Lesley Anne, thanks so much for inviting me.
It is truly an honor to be your guest blogger. That I am your first guest, is very humbling to me.
First and foremost I am a child of God. I am also a “W”ife and “M”other of three boys. My family dynamics are interesting to say the least. When our first two boys were 18 and 14, we were “shocked” to learn that we were expecting our third child. I say that very light hearted now but, at the time, the idea took some getting used to.
Two years ago my pal Kim Parker and I co-founded a ministry for women called For The Sake Of One. At that time we were co- directing a woman’s bible study at our church. It was in that situation that we saw God at work. We discovered that when women sat across the table from one another with a cup of coffee in hand, while digging deep into the Word of God, powerful things happened. It was a beautiful thing to witness, however, our discontent was knowing there were many women who couldn’t, or wouldn’t come to a church or home group.
Our ministry offers live event teaching, as well as online teaching through pod-casts, and blogs.
We host a social network called The Courtyard. The Courtyard is a place where women can come and explore questions of faith with one another, participate in live Bible study in our chat room, or join a special interest group, and do so in their pajamas if the want to.
The passion behind our ministry, came from a desire to see women find valuable Jesus centered teaching and connections with other women, in a safe and convenient venue.
We have developed Bible study curriculum, and recently we co-authored a book called, “Radical Love ~ Forever changed,” now available as an e-book on Amazon’s Kindle. We believe this book contains proof from our own lives, that we can all live with “joy” no matter what our life circumstances, because of the power of the Holy Spirit in us. We are presently seeking a literary agent and/or publisher for our book.
LA: And you are a blogger too. What is the focus of your blog and how can we find it?
Donna: Because God usually teaches me the important lessons through my own real life situations, my blogs usually come from those lessons. My heart longs for others to come to an understanding of the “Truth” and recognize the amazing freedom that can be found by following Jesus.
I am a testimony to the power of transformation, that truth of God’s Word brings. If anything I share from my own life circumstances will help another find that same transforming power, then I have also found my reward.
My blogs can be found on my website, For the Sake of Truth.
LA: When I asked if you’d like to write with me about the topic of forgiveness, you immediately said yes. Why is that topic so important to you?
Donna: Thanks for asking that question Lesley Anne.
I have had so many conversations, particularly with women, but I know it is just as true with men, about their struggle with forgiving others. Too many people are living as prisoners, because they cannot forgive past hurts. Jesus commanded that we forgive one another, but many of us simply do not know how!
As I shared with you earlier, the day you invited me to be your guest blogger I had been praying and asking God if I should write a series on forgiveness. I’m not kidding… within minutes of asking Him that question, you popped up on Facebook, and asked me if I would want to be a part of your series. I didn’t even have to question that your invitation was God’s answer to that prayer.
LA: Thank you so much, Donna. That is incredible and gives me butterflies in my stomach when I think of the potential in what we are doing here. Is there anything else you want to share with readers before we get into your first, in a series of impacting blogs, about forgiveness?
Donna: L.A., just a few years ago you and I sat across the table from one another weekly, because of a study we were both participating in. At that time we were both on a very similar journey. We both knew we wanted to, or perhaps even needed to, find a venue where we could pour out our hearts. We also had a
desire to use our passion to bless others. At that time neither of us knew what that looked like. We were both in a position of “waiting.”
The reason that this is such a privilege to me, to be your first guest, is that I was there when you were wrestling through “what to do.”
It has been very inspiring for me to watch you persevere until you found your “right” place. Now I get to be a part of what God is doing in and through your life. He wired you in a certain way, gave you a passion and a purpose, then blessed you with this venue. What an encouragement to anyone who is still in that place of “wondering or wrestling.” God has a purpose for every life, we just need to press on till we find our “right” place.
LA: Wow, thank you for those affirming words. Sometimes we forget where we’ve come from, and it’s good to know that we have made some headway and become more purposeful in our life journey. Most of all, it’s confirmation to me that God is my solid foundation, and He gives me the courage to take every step along the way. From tentative to bold steps… all are because of Him and for Him.
The next post will be Donna’s, titled Understanding Forgiveness – Part One.
With open hearts, we walk on.
Lesley-Anne
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