God: A Redeemer of Shame

Written by Rhonda Frye on October 5, 2022. Posted in Inspiration.

Guilt and Shame. Ugh! Don’t those two words make you want to close your eyes and mumble, “please, no!” I feel my cheeks grow warm at the thought of those two words. Guilt is heavy. Guilt makes our heads droop. But Shame? UGH! Shame has a way of shutting us down and shutting our mouths. I’ve been thinking about shame- and how it works in our lives. Shame is a pillow that snuffs the voice. It’s the hand over the mouth. I read an article recently that asked what shame tastes like, sounds like, and smells like. This is what I wrote in my journal: Shame tastes like lukewarm water—or maybe a bland...

Prayer For Refreshing

Written by Rhonda Frye on October 5, 2022. Posted in Prayer.

Father of Life, King of Mercy, Lord of Grace, YOU are the author and sustainer of everything good. From You flows a river of Holy Love. I’m stepping out into Your waters with an open soul. Wash my heart, rinse my mind with Your pure, clean, refreshing stream until it seeps into every dry crack and crevice in the depths of my being. Sweep me away in Your current. I want to go with You because, “Wherever the river flows every living creature that swarms will live and there will be many fish once these waters reach there. It will become fresh and everything will live where the river goes.” Ezekiel...

Mercy-The Heart of the Gospel

Written by Rhonda Frye on September 23, 2022. Posted in Inspiration.

The Gospel is about receiving the mercy of Christ. There is no way one can save him/herself. It is only through mercy God extends His love and grace to offer salvation. Without it, we’re doomed. Mercy is a big deal. Mercy is at the heart of the Gospel. And since that is so, extending mercy to others is a mark of a true, born-again believer. If our Gospel isn’t oozing with mercy, it may be a good time to re-evaluate. There is no way around it. The Gospel is all about otherness. No doubt, some folks may say, the Gospel is all about repentance and the forgiveness of sins. Some folks may...

Where The River Flows: My Ordination Story

Written by Rhonda Frye on September 9, 2022. Posted in Inspiration.

Although I can’t remember the exact day, I remember these exact words: “Rhonda, I’m inviting you to come into the deep water with me.” Although I didn’t hear the words with my ears, I heard them loud and clear in my heart, and recognized the voice of the Holy Spirit. At the time, I didn’t know exactly what He meant, but I knew right away, that invitation didn’t just come out of the blue. In fact, His words were timed perfectly after reading Ezekiel 47, which followed an intense period of time of seeking God and His will for my life. Ezekiel tells of a vision he...

Come on- God Isn’t Shady

Written by Rhonda Frye on November 10, 2021. Posted in Inspiration.

God isn’t shady. God isn’t sketchy. God isn’t incompetent. God isn’t impotent. God isn’t deaf nor blind. But why are we skeptical and suspicious? Why do we shrug Him off? Why do we doubt Him? Sometimes we treat God as if He’s out there somewhere floating in distant shadows unaware, but even if He were right there in front of us, we’d probably still think He doesn’t know what He’s doing. It is interesting to think that God’s other created beings don’t have a problem with taking Him at His word, but we less-intelligent humans, think we know it all, or at least know...

Strength For Those People

Written by Rhonda Frye on October 8, 2021. Posted in Inspiration.

Weary? Me too. The events of the past year or so has taken its toll on everybody. The everyday challenges of life are enough, right? Maybe you’re like me–tired. This past week God spoke to my heart about weariness and renewal while I was on vacation. As I sat on the sand staring at the ocean just enjoying His presence, a bald eagle flew past me and landed high in a tree a few feet away. He was majestic, strong, confident and fierce. I zoomed in with my iPhone admiring him for the longest time. I had never seen an eagle that close—if ever, and definitely never at the beach. A crowd...

Author: Rhonda Frye