guest blog - Forever Beloved

January 2, 2020

Partner With Me

This little blog of mine, we’ve been through an awful lot together. My first ever blog entry was July 19, 2006. Fourteen years ago y’all. FOURTEEN. And it’s been such a blessing!

It was started as an outlet, a way to share my scrapbook pages and a way to keep in touch with family.

But then something happened.

As time went on, more and more people started reading.

A few months back, I glanced at my site meter. I saw something that was beyond anything I could have imagined. I have readers from Russia, Canada, China, United Kingdom, Germany, Philippines, France, Malaysia and so many other places!

And I realized, in that moment, that this blog is my Ministry.

God has done something I never, in a million years, would have imagined this country girl from a tiny town in central Pennsylvania doing. I have actually “went into the world” from my living room.

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Mark 16:15

I write blog posts to inspire others and make them smile; to share hope, grace and truth; to share my own mistakes and sins; to share my heart; and to share Jesus and His amazing love with others around the world.

And now I want to give you that chance as well.

I’m looking for people to partner with me in 2020. I’m looking for guest bloggers, products to review, businesses to promote and sponsorship!

Have you always wanted to try your hand at blogging, have a testimony to share or a gentle nudging at your heart to share something specific? And maybe you’re afraid to jump into maintaining a daily blog? Write a guest post for me! I’m looking to, hopefully, once a week feature a guest blog post here.

Maybe your an author with a book you’d love for me to review, or you have a small business and you’d love to get your name out there more.

I’m so super excited to connect, make new friends and work together with amazing people in the new year. There are so many amazing things to come with Forever Beloved this year, and I’m beyond excited to share that with you!

Shoot me an email at gypsytree@windstream.net or connect with me on my Forever Beloved Facebook page and lets chat about the details!

November 18, 2019

Blogvember Day Eighteen | Guest Post

For a complete list of The Blogvember Challenge prompts, click HERE!

November 18 – Share your space for the day and grab a guest post.

It is with such pleasure that I introduce today’s guest blog writer, Michael. And today we have the pleasure of hearing about holiday heartache from a mans perspective. He reached out to me recently and was interested in being a guest blogger this month, I jumped at the opportunity! Please give a warm Forever Beloved welcome to Michael! Show him how much you appreciate this post by sharing and commenting!

Coming into the Thanksgiving and Christmas season, it is easy to get ultra happy and down on people that don’t wish you a Happy Thanksgiving or Merry Christmas. It is not always because they don’t share your beliefs or views. They may have literally nothing to be happy about, and that this season reminds them of pain and heartache.

Sometimes people, through no choice of their own, may have no choice but to spend the holidays alone. Be it a tragic loss or separation. Put yourself in their shoes. As stressful as the holiday season is, imagine going through it with no one. And you are reminded constantly how much you have lost instead of what you have left. It’s easy to get depressed thinking of happy times gone by knowing they will not be happening again. Maybe a father or mother that is not able to be with their children, a soldier on deployment, an elderly neighbor that has been widowed. Someone that has lost family tragically. It is painful to think of. So maybe people aren’t as friendly as you think they should be, maybe not everyone smiles when you say Merry Christmas and returns with a Peace be with you, God bless. In some instances you may need to let it go. Pray silently, give freely and love openly.

Thank you and you all are Forever Beloved.

My name is Mike Edwards. I am 38 and I have two children, Lauren and Jason. When we can we like to fish, play backyard ball, listen to music, and watch movies. I am employed as a coal truck driver. I like to sing along with the radio when I drive and play “lightning round” with the guys I’m driving with. It’s a quick answer game that we made up.

January 24, 2019

Reconciling Love

{It is with such pleasure that I introduce today’s guest blog writer, Jim. And today we have the pleasure of hearing about marriage from a husbands perspective. He reached out to me recently and was interested in being a guest blogger, I jumped at the opportunity! His heart for Jesus is evident as you read his post. Please give a warm Forever Beloved welcome to Jim! Show him how much you appreciate this post by sharing and commenting!}

So, my first attempt at a blog. Hmm. I volunteered because I have a few things that consume my mind. Things that matter, to me anyway. What I have learned is sometimes through out hurt we become aware and empathetic to others who are suffering in situations similar to what we have been through.

So my first blog is about that. I’ll never forget it. We had gotten to a point where we didn’t communicate. Sitting across the room from one another I got the message “I don’t love you anymore”. Things had escalated. I knew she had a coworker who knew no boundaries and he was pursuing her. Sound familiar? Or close? I did a whole lot of finger pointing, yelling, swearing and acting like a total jerk. By the time reality set in, winning her heart back wasn’t happening.

We spent months in the same house, separated, not speaking unless it was about the boys. Yes boys! Three casualties of our lack of communication and selfishness.

So let me say this. As bad as things were, when separation and looming divorce comes you realize that when the Bible says in marriage two hearts a joined, THEY ARE. Because when the separation comes it starts to tear those joined hearts apart. It wrecked me and it hurt! I had always sworn I wouldn’t divorce.

Now separated, still married but in different homes. We gave up. And started doing things OUR way.

New relationships and partners with kids. Just causing more of a mental mess. Mind you, we were still married but just acting single. I finally gave up on that. I kept talking to God, I was attending a program called Divorce Care, which is amazing I might add!

God kept placing us in situations where we were together for periods of time. But we would return to our separate homes. I felt I knew what He was trying to tell me, but I kept refusing to listen because I was harboring unforgiveness. Even thought I kept praying His will, I was denying to allow it.

I was doing a little better financially and decided to put my race car back together. I was in the car struggling to get a part together when she came to pick the boys up. And she helped me get the part together. I completely believe this was a God moment. It put something in my heart.

I allowed my heart open.

During our middle sons birthday we were still separated. But I asked her to go to dinner with us. It wasn’t long after we were just texting and I just asked “Do you ever think about moving back home?!” and the answer was “Yes”! God was working in both of us. It’s not easy. Really no marriage, how great or bad, is ever easy all the time.

Sometimes the biggest thing that’s in the way of reconciling is ourselves.

Peace and Love! Jim

I’m Jim Bloom, a 45 years old husband to Renae and father three awesome boys…Caleb, Noah and Josh. I’m a self employed Graphic Designer / Signs and Vehicle Graphics.

We love to fish and hang out and torment one another. I play a little bass and rhythm guitar and try to sing now and then at Tri Country Church. My biggest hobby is racing. I drive and work on my own dirt street stock. Friday and Saturday summer nights are usually spent at the track.