August 12, 2025 • 32 mins
What happens when God calls a 60-something grandmother to hit the road in a transit van to create prophetic art for strangers? Sharon Elmendorf's extraordinary journey shows us that divine purpose often arrives in unexpected packages.
For nine years, Sharon and her husband have traversed America's highways in their meticulously organized van, following a clear directive: "stop for one, stop for some." Through watercolor art, she delivers messages that speak directly to people's hearts in ways she couldn't possibly know through human understanding alone. This radical mid-life transformation offers a powerful testament to following spiritual guidance, even when it leads to unfamiliar territory.
The conversation shifts to the universal challenge of mothering adult children. Sharon's wisdom, earned through raising four daughters and nurturing nineteen grandchildren, centers on a profound yet simple approach: "Don't say, but pray." She shares how her adult children have finally begun to understand her perspective now that they're raising their own families, with one daughter recently acknowledging, "Y'all didn't raise us that way. I am so sorry."
Most compelling is Sharon's vulnerable account of emotional healing. She describes a divine encounter where God used "the sword of the Spirit" to address unhealed wounds in her heart. When confronting her deepest pain, God surprised her by collecting the "soil" in a golden flowerpot, explaining, "this is the soil from which others will grow." This powerful metaphor illustrates how our most painful experiences become the foundation for helping others heal.
The episode concludes with Sharon's passionate endorsement of forgiveness as essential to wellbeing. Through her experience of being deeply wounded by slander, she learned that blessing those who hurt us "changes us first," gradually transforming resentment into genuine compassion.
Join us for this heartfelt conversation that weaves together themes of divine guidance, intergenerational wisdom, emotional healing, and the freedom that comes from living authentically in faith. Then visit esgreenhouse.com to connect with other women seeking growth and purpose.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to another episode of Rooted and Rising
Growth from the Greenhouse.
I'm so excited that you joinedus today and I hope you'll check
out our website atesgreenhousecom esgreenhouse for
excellent women who can findwe're here to support one
(00:20):
another, to build each other up.
And today I'm talking toanother friend, sharon.
Pronounce your last nameElmendorf Elmendorf yeah, yes,
elmendorf, and she and I hadsuch a great conversation at a
retreat yesterday that I justfelt like it would just
encourage you and build you up.
(00:41):
And so here we are.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
We'll see, we'll have another conversation?
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Yeah, we'll see.
So, sharon, why don't you justgive us a little bit of a
picture into the life you leadtoday?
Oh, because that's kind of fun.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
On the road.
On the road, a settling thathappened in my life and my
husband's still ruling from ohgosh, we're in our ninth year.
But what happened was that,suddenly, the story behind it,
that God sent us on the road todo prophetic art little pieces
of paper where people would playwith watercolor on it and it
(01:18):
was to stop for one or stop forsome was the direction that I
received, and it's been a crazyadventure because it could be
anybody anywhere, the mostunlikely thing she would think a
gray-headed woman would beasked by God to do, and it's
been one of the most exciting,wonderful things.
(01:40):
I love getting to do it.
So people will pay and then Godwill show a picture in it and
when the picture shows up, thenyou tell them and it speaks to
them and it'll be something thatthey'll understand that I don't
have to but I get to deliverthe message.
(02:00):
So that happened eight yearsago.
So we'll start the ninth nowand we travel all over America
and that's what we do and yourlittle band that you've built
out that band.
Yes, and it's amazing.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
One of the things that I loved when I saw that
band was your system oforganization.
Really, oh my gosh, oh my gosh,she opens up the back and
that's where her art suppliesare, oh yeah.
Inside everything has its spot,which really I probably would
(02:34):
be a disorganized person, exceptthat I learned that, like when
everything has a place, my lifeis not chaos.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Oh boy, you're deceived.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
No, it really helps me If I know where the keys go.
I can't tell you how many timesI've lost them.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Well, see I can start it and move it on the right.
Yeah, and my husband's acarpenter, or I was, and he's
retired now.
So when we started we only hada key of soul and that was
really fun because he rebuiltthe back and everything.
And about a year and a halflater, along came that van and
it was hail damaged and we gotthis van and he so it was a
(03:13):
transit van, a work van, so hebuilt nine drawers to the back,
nine drawers to the front, andso there's art supply on there.
But I have to gut it every nowand get a grip.
But yeah, it's been a lot offun well, it's got to be hard
too.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
Uh, I mean, there's a great fun to it, but, like you
said it, you have to redo itagain because you really have
very little space yes, yes, tolike to make the bed at night,
you've got to take well, that'smy fault.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
You take the pillows all up, boom to the front seat
privacy curtain, and so you see,in the front, everything goes
in, everything's up there.
Yeah, two little chairs set upand then we sit and have coffee
and stuff in the morning, andthen I'm bringing it all back
out.
But I love it, I loveeverything about it.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
The freedom it.
But I love it.
I love everything about it.
The freedom, it's so much fun.
You know when you think abouthow you were raised.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
I realized I was a cabin maker.
I was the little kid that wouldgo out and build my little fort
and stuff and bring my dolliesin.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
I did it, I love that I love the camping.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
It's so fun.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
And I found it, you know, like I was that kind of
kid.
But then I went years and yearsworking doing things you're
supposed to do.
But then when I was 60 I usedto think I'd fall off a mountain
so I couldn't hike.
But some girlfriends kind ofegged me did you say 60, or 16,
60, 60.
So I got married when I was 16.
(04:43):
So till then, till 16.
Well, so 60,.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
I started hiking again and kind of found that
little girl, that dimmer insideme, because I would have been
called a dimmer when I was young.
I love it.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
So tell me about like you know, a lot of times we
talk about things that hardperiods that we went through,
that God carried us through yes,that's amazing, and we couldn't
have made it without that, andwe do that.
We do that for you guys,because we want you to feel like
(05:18):
you're not the only one.
Oh no, as you go through thesehard things and for your faith
to grow so that you know thatGod's not going to ever leave
you.
He will never leave you, hewill get you through whatever
you're in the face, and so, yeah, so can you think of a time,
just maybe one time that waspretty significant in your life
that you'd like to share today,because we don't have enough
(05:38):
time Things that happened to me,just of something that was big
and significant and you had totrust God because there was
nothing else you could do.
I do that daily.
Well, that's true.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
You do, but you grew into that.
I grew into that because I wasraised in a home where the mom
wasn't real healthy and Daddywas at work and I had two older
brothers, and because Momcouldn't attend to me.
When I was little, I wasn't atschool yet.
It's go out and play, and wewere in.
Mom couldn't attend to me.
When I was little, I wasn't atschool yet.
It's go out and play, yeah, andwe were in the country.
So I went back.
(06:09):
My dad you know I'm 78, orabout to be anyway so we were
talking World War II yeah, I wasright after.
But all the men came withbackpacks and whatnot and they
had these little fry pans thatpull over.
Okay, I would go in the house,I'd get bacon and those kitchen
matches and newspaper and Iwould hike out in the woods and
(06:31):
I'd build the fire.
I'm not even in school, yeah,yeah, and I would.
I'd cook my bacon and eat ithalf raw on the way.
That's awesome.
But you look back on that andyou learn to create.
Yeah, you learn to create andmake by what you find, because
that was life.
If I wanted to build a fort,then, or my, my little house,
(06:54):
yeah, and then I had to go findthe materials uh, heart that
just fit right in.
When I look back, I realize allthat stuff has played out so
much in my life and what thingsthat I needed to do, things that
came along later as a grown up.
And you find a way to make itwork.
(07:15):
You get creative because, oh,we need this.
And if we don't have it, whatcan we devise?
Speaker 1 (07:22):
That's what makes you have little problems.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Well, would you write that one down too?
Yeah, I will.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
I want to show this to my husband.
Yes, yes, yes, I'm a problemsolver.
You're organized, you'recreative.
Yeah, whoa, whoa.
So like, did you ever—I'm surethere are more than one but did
you ever face a time where youreally did feel helpless, but
then you reached out to God,feel like I'm on?
Speaker 2 (07:49):
the end?
Yes, absolutely.
And can you talk to us?
Yes, the whole reason we endedup on the road was that I have
19 grandkids now.
At that time I think there were14.
And there are a lot of thingsthat can happen in that big of a
family and they're not allpretty.
And I had come to a place I wasvery near going over there.
(08:14):
I love that.
Sometimes you just have to takethe leap and build your wings
as you go down.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
She's reading a little bit.
I'm going.
Yes, ma'am, yeah, I'm going tojust pull that out.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
You're flapping like an eagle.
Please let it work.
See, I'm supposed to soar likean eagle.
No, yeah, and the reason wewere in Nebraska and that's
where God called us was becausethey were dear, dear friends of
sitcom said come and it was timeto go.
(08:46):
So you were living close tokids before that.
Kids are very close, all aroundme.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
All the very close Now they're 19,.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
And there weren't that many of them at the time.
So my phone's dinking, that'sokay, my watch, anyway, it was
there that God called us.
But yes, I was about to crashbecause the difficulties had—or
the challenges in the family hadbecome pretty great with kids
(09:14):
and whatnot, and this is bitsand mirrors back.
Now you look at me and go oh,praise God.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
No, but that's—you know, we talk a little bit when
I talk to women, oh you meanpast wounds and stuff, no, but
we talk about raising.
Like, how do you mother adultchildren and it's a really tough
thing to do, because theyreally want their own way, which
we did too, because they reallywant their own way, which we
(09:46):
did too they want to go theirown way.
But you see places where, oh mygosh, don't do that.
But if you say that, they'renot going to receive it.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
That's saying it's often don't say but pray.
Yes say, but pray Don't sayanything but be that there, and
that is why.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
I learned that.
Finally, I think I frustratedthem in the beginning, just
trying to give them advice andit wasn't.
But this is the thing whenyou're an adult child, I feel
like they see it as your mom issaying you're a failure and
they're having to tell you howto do it.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Oh, there's one thing about it.
We have four daughters andthere's one thing about we have
four daughters and there's onething about it.
They have always honored us,they've always respected us and
to this day they'll go sit onthe lap.
You know, yeah, that's good.
And growing up when theyespecially in teens if they did
something wrong they couldn'tkeep a secret and they'd come in
and sit over.
I'm going to pour out this,catch your breath.
(10:46):
But they've always loved us andhonored us.
Listen to us, no, but I love it.
Now, where they are, it wasn'tvery long ago, just a few months
ago, and we were standing inour kitchen and she said Mom,
dad, I have no idea why.
I've always wondered, but Idon't know why I made the
(11:08):
choices I made.
Y'all didn't raise us that way.
No, we didn't.
But she said I am so sorrybecause now they've got kids,
and I think each one of them has, and one of them the other day
said Mama, it was Mother's Day.
I get it now.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
I think we all go through that.
I mean, oh my gosh, I had toapologize to my mom.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Oh my gosh, I don't know if I can say this or not,
but I'm going to.
My parents are buried inBandary, texas, a little hill
country town up here, and wewere with a motorcycle not a
game, but a CMA Christianmotorcycle here.
And we were with a motorcyclenot a game, but a cma christian
motorcycle and we were comingthrough bandera and I said I'll
meet y'all down at the dairyqueen, where they're going, and
my parents are buried here.
(11:51):
I need to go talk to them.
And I said so I went over tothe cemetery and, um, I had it
out with my mom and I'm standingthere.
I'm going where were y'all?
Why didn't you do this and thisand this and this?
And I went phew, man.
And I start going off to get onthe motorcycle and go ahead and
leave.
And the Lord said go back.
(12:13):
So I went, okay.
So I went back and so I went.
Why when were you?
And I'm not thinking Mama wassick, daddy's working.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
Yeah, not from your perspective yet.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
Yeah, so I softened it, but I had it again, walked
back to the motorcycle, said no,go back again, and that time it
went.
Mama Daddy, thank you so much.
You did everything you could.
We were such boogers, we werereal rascals, do you know?
Speaker 1 (12:43):
we have four too.
We have two girls on both sides, the youngest and the oldest,
and then two boys in the middle.
I loved that.
They were wild and strong, butit came with the struggle,
because I was strong and I didnot want them getting hurt and
(13:06):
they were going to get hurtBecause I loved that part of
them, but I also didn't want tosee them suffer.
No, we never do, but there aretimes they're going to.
They have to Because we live inthe earth, we're not going to
figure out.
God never promised us thattimes they're going to.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
They have to, yeah, because we live in the earth.
We're not yet.
We're going to have to figureout.
God never promised us thatwe're not going to go through
stuff but it's going to work forgood on the long run.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
Yeah, it is, and ours are wrong now too, and we have
I feel like we have greatrelationships.
Probably one of the hardesttimes for me is just figuring,
navigating that so that I couldlet them be themselves and also
still try to intervene when Isaw them heading for danger, and
(13:47):
I feel like they took it a lotof the times as I was judging
them and I wasn't.
I was just, oh, I love this one.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
I love this one when they say this is my decision.
It doesn't impact anybody butmyself.
Speaker 1 (14:09):
Oh, oh, oh, oh oh.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
And now they're going .
I get it now, but no, it washard.
There were very, very hardtimes, and some of it like, oh,
they might see this one day.
So I want to say, well, butit's okay.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
You know it's like okay if they see it, just to
know that right now we look backand we say, wow, y'all turned
out so awesomely.
You are people that I loveknowing.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
I do, I do, I totally enjoy my daughters.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
And they've raised my kids.
Almost all of my grandchildrenare raised and they are
extraordinary.
They're extraordinary humanbeings, and so that is like.
I love hindsight.
I love to be able to look backand see.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
It's a lifesaver.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
They've promised that my generations, when they are
old, they'll seek him.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Yeah, they take up their time right.
This is my prayer for where Ilive.
I said, for all the hell I'dhave it.
My children have break down thecommunity.
I claim that they will becannons for the kingdom of God
before this is over.
And I'm seeing that start tohappen and I love it.
Oh, Mother's Day was wonderfulbecause I had so many of them
(15:30):
with me.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Oh, that's great.
So did y'all go there to goback.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
Well, we all live close, but we like to.
At certain times we all gotogether and rent a place on the
beach or down, and so we allgather there and have games and
cook out and stuff like that.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
That's great.
I probably need to get somerecommendations from you because
it's gotten to where we're sucha huge group Getting bigger and
bigger, but it's also beenseasons of high school stuff.
Oh, I know.
And the kids are just so busythat there's just no time for
that yeah exactly Like there's agraduation party.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
Yeah, there's this on Monday and there's a May.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
But the older ones are getting to a stage where I
think they'd enjoy it.
And now so many are about tograduate.
We have two graduating thisyear, two graduating next year,
two more that are just right ontheir heels, and then they'll
all be, except for the veryyoungest that I'm picking up in
a minute.
They're all grown-ups, they'realmost grown-ups.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
They're grown-ups making their way, it's true, and
those are great children.
Those last ones, one's a greatand one's a grand grand, and
they were both born in september, and so we got little tinies.
Uh, still going on, I have a Ihave a great, my first great.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
You're months old.
Well, that's that, girls, thisis apple cider vinegar.
I've been trying to tell peopleyes, you put apple cider
vinegar on your hair.
It may not work after it'salready all turned gray, but you
don't know.
Um, mine was starting to turnlike get gray all over it when I
(17:08):
was 30 and I read an articleabout the reason why the
premature grain comes becauseyour follicles have well.
It could be that too, but myfollicles have well.
It could be that too, but myfollicles have bacteria in them
from all the products, hairproducts and what's in there.
And so I started washing my hairwith apple cider vinegar once a
(17:28):
month.
I left it on and all of asudden the gray went away, and I
still have about the sameamount of gray that I had when I
was 10.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
I don't mind it oh.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
I don't mind it.
Speaker 2 (17:39):
Two of my daughters are stylists and have done New
York runway.
They're like they really are.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
They really have done .
Speaker 2 (17:48):
New York runway.
I go like this I'm going girls,your mama is your advertisement
.
Do something with this I'm outthere walking and they know I'm
your mother and you better takecare of your mother.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
Well, it's beautiful and it's very thick.
That's what mine is too.
I've got a lot of hair and it'sapple-type vinegar.
I'm just telling you it makesit healthier.
Speaker 2 (18:14):
Like, everybody should do it just to keep their
scalp healthy.
I'm going to have to talk aboutthat.
What's?
Where are y'all, yeah,sandbagging on me?
What's?
Speaker 1 (18:21):
going on.
Well, I don't even think theydo it, but my hairdresser's like
how is your hair doing this?
Speaker 2 (18:27):
They are.
We got off.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
Robert takes one daughter and I take the other
joined our conversation today tohear about this woman that's
traveling the country, and youmay see her in a white cargo van
traveling one of these days thehighways and byways and, if you
get the chance, stop along theway and just be part of her, her
(18:51):
prophetic gift, because it'sreally we do it.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
We have the site.
We were talking a web page's.
It called yeah, let's Facebookpage.
If you'll give that to me in atext afterwards, I'll make sure
that they post it at the bottomso that everybody can see it,
because if I am getting close,if it's posted and I want
direction we're going, then Iwould, I'd hang up with you and
you could hang on and y'allcould say y'all both know me.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
Yeah, so yesterday we were talking about something
and I just thought it was likean amazing conversation.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
Oh, it's when you went.
Oh, I wanted to interview.
Yes, it was about the sword andgoing and picking my old wounds
.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
Oh, okay, okay.
So we've talked on the showbefore about stony parts of our
heart, and you know I worryabout that for us.
I want us to get rid of thosestony areas in our heart, and
where they get there is whensomebody hurts us, and then
really this happens in your bodytoo.
Calcification happens where aninjury occurred and that
(19:53):
calcification keeps blood fromflowing.
It keeps your nerves fromworking good, and the same thing
keeps blood from flowing.
It keeps your nerves fromworking good, and the same thing
God tells us happens in ourheart.
We hold on to an offense,somebody hurt us, we don't let
it go, we feel like we'reentitled to it, but all we're
doing is hurting ourselves andover time it gets stony.
(20:13):
God needs to replace that stonypiece of our hearts with flesh.
Speaker 2 (20:24):
And you were talking to me about this beautiful
picture and I would like you toshare.
What happened was I was drivingup to Kansas and I said Holy
Spirit, let's have a talk andyou pick the subject.
And you know, when I said Ihear the Lord in your spirit,
you hear what he's saying, andwhat I heard was we're going to
revisit old wounds, and Irebuked it.
Know what?
When I said I hear the lord,that in your spirit, you hear
what he's saying, and and what Iheard was we're going to
revisit old wounds, and Irebuked it, I said oh no, we're
(20:46):
not that is not god and we arenot going there.
But we did and, um, what it waswas there were places in my
heart that had never reallyhealed.
I covered it over and I'd beengoing on but it still wasn't
healed.
(21:06):
But what he did was he took thesword and the spirit and he
took the point of it and hewould point it right at my heart
and it had a covering on it.
The wound was deep, it had acovering on it, but he would and
open the covering and then Icould see that it was really
super infected.
It was just really ugly.
(21:29):
And he told me to picturebeautiful, crystal clear water
like you'd see in the islands.
You know that beautiful stuff,that it's real clear.
Picture that bubbling up andflushing all of that stuff out.
And then he said tell me whenyou're finished.
So I said okay, so I'mpicturing it while I'm driving
(21:50):
along.
I picture crystal clear water.
And I said, oh, yeah, it'sflowing over the top now.
And he said okay, and he sealedit off.
And then he took the next oneand I'm going okay, and we went
through these things that I hadcovered over, but they had never
really been healed.
But then it came to this otherone and I went oh no, oh no,
(22:12):
don't go there.
That one, oh, not that one,lord, not that one, it's the
worst of the worst.
And he went there and he openedit up and when I looked in it
was I won't even mention, it wasso horribly fouled up and
filthy and all infested andstuff I never.
(22:33):
I just couldn't look at it,couldn't look at it and it just
remained that way.
So I said how are you evergoing to get all of that out?
It looks like impossible.
And how could you be sure youcould get every bit of it?
And I said it'd take a pointytrowel to dig in there.
And I said what are you goingto use?
And he said a pointy trowel.
(22:56):
And he started digging in myheart in that place.
But he was putting it in agolden flower pot and I went
what are you doing?
Get rid of it.
And I said what are you doing?
And he kept putting it in andhe said this is the soil from
which others will grow.
And it was like, oh, like, shutthe back door, so nothing's
(23:21):
wasted, everything was workingfor good.
And he did that and when he gotit all out and it went in that
golden pot.
This one didn't get flushed out.
This one got it so clean.
Gemstones cut, gemstonesstarted falling and going into
that wound and just filled it upAll these beautiful gemstones.
(23:44):
I'm laughing on it now and Icould still look at it because
he never closed it off.
It's just full of gemstones andit was a beautiful thing.
This happened years ago.
I'll never forget it.
That's awesome, and so that'swhere he left it.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
So there are so many things, so many things in life.
You know that he, our father,does speak.
He speaks to all of us we.
If you listen, you'll hear him.
He's a still quiet voice inyour own heart, but you
recognize him if you'll listenand you need to trust in that.
You need to trust him becausethere's so many miracles that I
(24:21):
could tell you and share, andmaybe one of these days we'll do
in a conversation, uh, aboutlistening to him and being able
to do things beyond anything Icould have imagined.
He talks in so many differentways.
Yes, he does.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
And it can be in nature, it can be in a way.
Oh yeah, he does, he shows youhe delights in it.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
Yes, he delights in it.
He wants to have a relationshipwith you and he wants to heal
you.
But he is very tender with us.
He writes for us to say okay.
He asks, he's not rude, he'sjust he asks and he says, okay,
(25:01):
are you ready?
She asked.
She said, holy spirit, what areyou talking about today?
and then he came in and and whenshe, when she said wait, then
he waited until she was ready,and so you don't have to be
afraid.
I've just heard so many peoplealong the way.
Well, if I were to tell God todo whatever he needs to do in my
(25:23):
life, it would be terrible, andI just want to say it's not.
He loves us so much we're inthe terrible place until we get
our heart healed.
Speaker 2 (25:33):
We have to trust it and I struggle with it all the
time, actually in one degree oranother, but you love me that
much.
Speaker 1 (25:44):
You know like that he does.
Speaker 2 (25:46):
And he loves you, not just us, he's not a respecter
of persons.
He loves his daughters.
I became a Christian.
I was alcoholic two packs a dayand we're going to paint this
room and all of a sudden mybrother shows up and he's been
to this Bible study and I'mgoing.
(26:08):
He's in a suit and I hadn'tseen him.
I'm like what are you doing?
And I don't know.
It was God, because he knowsthe timing, when to deal with
this.
And he said you and Robert needto come.
It is amazing.
And when he said that, it'slike God took a switch and just
(26:29):
went in my head and the nextmorning I couldn't get my hands
on a Bible quick enough and Iwas looking.
I know I have one.
My grandma gave me one and eversince then I was 25 years old
and I'm about to be 78.
And I have been rabid love theBible in the Bible.
And in the beginning I was inthe Bible, pulled it in front of
(26:52):
the fireplace, brand new, andI've got my wines there and my
cigarettes over here.
Speaker 1 (26:59):
I'm not going to ask you to talk about it.
Yeah, he doesn't wait for us.
He loves us.
Speaker 2 (27:04):
He said we'll get there, we'll get there, so we're
coming to the end here.
Is this all right, or are youall still with us?
Speaker 1 (27:11):
And I always ask do you have a piece of advice, one
small piece of advice that youwould give to younger women in
any area, that you'd like toshare with our audience today?
Speaker 2 (27:27):
I went blank.
That's okay.
Let me think.
There's so many things, justpick the first one that comes to
your heart.
If I could go back and do now.
If you could just encourage themin their walk, really that he
does not give up on you and heloves you through every single
(27:48):
thing you've ever been through.
He wasn't there off there, hewas actually here, but he takes
everything along the way, eventhe worst, and if we grab onto
him, those things begin to formwithin us a character that can
(28:13):
only and it's uniquely you andit's uniquely you, it's uniquely
me but looking back now andseeing, wow, he was there all
the time.
Yes, and he knows, he knows andhe sees us, he knows us, he
didn't ever not, and that he didnot say we would never go
(28:35):
through things, but I this is mylove.
The scripture says for the joyheld out before Jesus, he
endured the cross, he lookedpast this, that he was going to
go through this and passeverything, and he saw on the
other side wait till they seethat, wait till this, wait till
that you know.
(28:55):
And he went through thatknowing that there's a whole
other thing.
We're in a classroom, we're incollege, some are getting their
PhD, we are being trained.
If everything had always goneperfect, why would we need Jesus
?
That's right, and here we are,and so we can thank him and
praise him for it.
Thank you, lord.
Yes, and I'll tell you this Onelittle thing.
(29:19):
One little thing, because yougot it wrapped up there.
You got me wound upForgive-ness, yes, do not, do
not hold a grudge.
And I did go something slanderand all that kind of stuff and
it ripped me up good, I wentfrom a size 10 to a zero.
It hurt me so bad but in thereand I begged.
(29:42):
God, please let me go and talk.
They're listening to a lot.
Please let me go.
And he would say one day he saidI was a lamb, led to slaughter
and I opened up my mouth.
He was teaching me how tohandle injustice.
We have to learn how to handlethat stuff.
And he says pray for the enemy,pray for those that
(30:02):
despitefully use you, becausewhen you pray for them you think
I don't want to pray for them.
I want to bless them.
Bless your enemy.
I don't want to do that.
It actually will change themand it changes us first.
It changes us.
It grounds us and we us.
It grounds us and we startfeeling better about ourselves.
But there comes a time when youkeep doing that, you say Laura,
(30:23):
bless them.
Today, I bless them, I blesstheir family, I bless everybody.
I call forth the destinies thatyou've meant for them to have,
that they don't miss it, theymove into it, and I'll just let
it run on and I'll feel like,yes, and then it got where.
Wow, I really mean it.
And then it was well, I wouldlove to sit down with Starbucks
(30:45):
and catch up on what I want andyou do and it's good.
Forgiveness is huge.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
So, sharon, thanks for coming and spending some
time with me.
She was on the road and Igrabbed her in.
I'm glad you guys joined ustoday.
I hope you'll consider sharingour podcast and coming to Ease
Greenhouse and becoming part ofour community.
We're at the very beginning.
We're planting seeds right nowfor growth in our lives and your
(31:16):
lives and the generations thatfollow us, and I believe that
God wants you to be part of it.
So, esgreenhousecom, go joinand then come back and listen to
our podcast every Tuesday.
Thank you for today.
Welcome to another episode of Rooted and Rising
Growth from the Greenhouse.
I'm so excited that you joinedus today and I hope you'll check
out our website atesgreenhousecom esgreenhouse for
excellent women who can findwe're here to support one
(00:20):
another, to build each other up.
And today I'm talking toanother friend, sharon.
Pronounce your last nameElmendorf Elmendorf yeah, yes,
elmendorf, and she and I hadsuch a great conversation at a
retreat yesterday that I justfelt like it would just
encourage you and build you up.
(00:41):
And so here we are.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
We'll see, we'll have another conversation?
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Yeah, we'll see.
So, sharon, why don't you justgive us a little bit of a
picture into the life you leadtoday?
Oh, because that's kind of fun.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
On the road.
On the road, a settling thathappened in my life and my
husband's still ruling from ohgosh, we're in our ninth year.
But what happened was that,suddenly, the story behind it,
that God sent us on the road todo prophetic art little pieces
of paper where people would playwith watercolor on it and it
(01:18):
was to stop for one or stop forsome was the direction that I
received, and it's been a crazyadventure because it could be
anybody anywhere, the mostunlikely thing she would think a
gray-headed woman would beasked by God to do, and it's
been one of the most exciting,wonderful things.
(01:40):
I love getting to do it.
So people will pay and then Godwill show a picture in it and
when the picture shows up, thenyou tell them and it speaks to
them and it'll be something thatthey'll understand that I don't
have to but I get to deliverthe message.
(02:00):
So that happened eight yearsago.
So we'll start the ninth nowand we travel all over America
and that's what we do and yourlittle band that you've built
out that band.
Yes, and it's amazing.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
One of the things that I loved when I saw that
band was your system oforganization.
Really, oh my gosh, oh my gosh,she opens up the back and
that's where her art suppliesare, oh yeah.
Inside everything has its spot,which really I probably would
(02:34):
be a disorganized person, exceptthat I learned that, like when
everything has a place, my lifeis not chaos.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Oh boy, you're deceived.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
No, it really helps me If I know where the keys go.
I can't tell you how many timesI've lost them.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Well, see I can start it and move it on the right.
Yeah, and my husband's acarpenter, or I was, and he's
retired now.
So when we started we only hada key of soul and that was
really fun because he rebuiltthe back and everything.
And about a year and a halflater, along came that van and
it was hail damaged and we gotthis van and he so it was a
(03:13):
transit van, a work van, so hebuilt nine drawers to the back,
nine drawers to the front, andso there's art supply on there.
But I have to gut it every nowand get a grip.
But yeah, it's been a lot offun well, it's got to be hard
too.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
Uh, I mean, there's a great fun to it, but, like you
said it, you have to redo itagain because you really have
very little space yes, yes, tolike to make the bed at night,
you've got to take well, that'smy fault.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
You take the pillows all up, boom to the front seat
privacy curtain, and so you see,in the front, everything goes
in, everything's up there.
Yeah, two little chairs set upand then we sit and have coffee
and stuff in the morning, andthen I'm bringing it all back
out.
But I love it, I loveeverything about it.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
The freedom it.
But I love it.
I love everything about it.
The freedom, it's so much fun.
You know when you think abouthow you were raised.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
I realized I was a cabin maker.
I was the little kid that wouldgo out and build my little fort
and stuff and bring my dolliesin.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
I did it, I love that I love the camping.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
It's so fun.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
And I found it, you know, like I was that kind of
kid.
But then I went years and yearsworking doing things you're
supposed to do.
But then when I was 60 I usedto think I'd fall off a mountain
so I couldn't hike.
But some girlfriends kind ofegged me did you say 60, or 16,
60, 60.
So I got married when I was 16.
(04:43):
So till then, till 16.
Well, so 60,.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
I started hiking again and kind of found that
little girl, that dimmer insideme, because I would have been
called a dimmer when I was young.
I love it.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
So tell me about like you know, a lot of times we
talk about things that hardperiods that we went through,
that God carried us through yes,that's amazing, and we couldn't
have made it without that, andwe do that.
We do that for you guys,because we want you to feel like
(05:18):
you're not the only one.
Oh no, as you go through thesehard things and for your faith
to grow so that you know thatGod's not going to ever leave
you.
He will never leave you, hewill get you through whatever
you're in the face, and so, yeah, so can you think of a time,
just maybe one time that waspretty significant in your life
that you'd like to share today,because we don't have enough
(05:38):
time Things that happened to me,just of something that was big
and significant and you had totrust God because there was
nothing else you could do.
I do that daily.
Well, that's true.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
You do, but you grew into that.
I grew into that because I wasraised in a home where the mom
wasn't real healthy and Daddywas at work and I had two older
brothers, and because Momcouldn't attend to me.
When I was little, I wasn't atschool yet.
It's go out and play, and wewere in.
Mom couldn't attend to me.
When I was little, I wasn't atschool yet.
It's go out and play, yeah, andwe were in the country.
So I went back.
(06:09):
My dad you know I'm 78, orabout to be anyway so we were
talking World War II yeah, I wasright after.
But all the men came withbackpacks and whatnot and they
had these little fry pans thatpull over.
Okay, I would go in the house,I'd get bacon and those kitchen
matches and newspaper and Iwould hike out in the woods and
(06:31):
I'd build the fire.
I'm not even in school, yeah,yeah, and I would.
I'd cook my bacon and eat ithalf raw on the way.
That's awesome.
But you look back on that andyou learn to create.
Yeah, you learn to create andmake by what you find, because
that was life.
If I wanted to build a fort,then, or my, my little house,
(06:54):
yeah, and then I had to go findthe materials uh, heart that
just fit right in.
When I look back, I realize allthat stuff has played out so
much in my life and what thingsthat I needed to do, things that
came along later as a grown up.
And you find a way to make itwork.
(07:15):
You get creative because, oh,we need this.
And if we don't have it, whatcan we devise?
Speaker 1 (07:22):
That's what makes you have little problems.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Well, would you write that one down too?
Yeah, I will.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
I want to show this to my husband.
Yes, yes, yes, I'm a problemsolver.
You're organized, you'recreative.
Yeah, whoa, whoa.
So like, did you ever—I'm surethere are more than one but did
you ever face a time where youreally did feel helpless, but
then you reached out to God,feel like I'm on?
Speaker 2 (07:49):
the end?
Yes, absolutely.
And can you talk to us?
Yes, the whole reason we endedup on the road was that I have
19 grandkids now.
At that time I think there were14.
And there are a lot of thingsthat can happen in that big of a
family and they're not allpretty.
And I had come to a place I wasvery near going over there.
(08:14):
I love that.
Sometimes you just have to takethe leap and build your wings
as you go down.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
She's reading a little bit.
I'm going.
Yes, ma'am, yeah, I'm going tojust pull that out.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
You're flapping like an eagle.
Please let it work.
See, I'm supposed to soar likean eagle.
No, yeah, and the reason wewere in Nebraska and that's
where God called us was becausethey were dear, dear friends of
sitcom said come and it was timeto go.
(08:46):
So you were living close tokids before that.
Kids are very close, all aroundme.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
All the very close Now they're 19,.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
And there weren't that many of them at the time.
So my phone's dinking, that'sokay, my watch, anyway, it was
there that God called us.
But yes, I was about to crashbecause the difficulties had—or
the challenges in the family hadbecome pretty great with kids
(09:14):
and whatnot, and this is bitsand mirrors back.
Now you look at me and go oh,praise God.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
No, but that's—you know, we talk a little bit when
I talk to women, oh you meanpast wounds and stuff, no, but
we talk about raising.
Like, how do you mother adultchildren and it's a really tough
thing to do, because theyreally want their own way, which
we did too, because they reallywant their own way, which we
(09:46):
did too they want to go theirown way.
But you see places where, oh mygosh, don't do that.
But if you say that, they'renot going to receive it.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
That's saying it's often don't say but pray.
Yes say, but pray Don't sayanything but be that there, and
that is why.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
I learned that.
Finally, I think I frustratedthem in the beginning, just
trying to give them advice andit wasn't.
But this is the thing whenyou're an adult child, I feel
like they see it as your mom issaying you're a failure and
they're having to tell you howto do it.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Oh, there's one thing about it.
We have four daughters andthere's one thing about we have
four daughters and there's onething about it.
They have always honored us,they've always respected us and
to this day they'll go sit onthe lap.
You know, yeah, that's good.
And growing up when theyespecially in teens if they did
something wrong they couldn'tkeep a secret and they'd come in
and sit over.
I'm going to pour out this,catch your breath.
(10:46):
But they've always loved us andhonored us.
Listen to us, no, but I love it.
Now, where they are, it wasn'tvery long ago, just a few months
ago, and we were standing inour kitchen and she said Mom,
dad, I have no idea why.
I've always wondered, but Idon't know why I made the
(11:08):
choices I made.
Y'all didn't raise us that way.
No, we didn't.
But she said I am so sorrybecause now they've got kids,
and I think each one of them has, and one of them the other day
said Mama, it was Mother's Day.
I get it now.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
I think we all go through that.
I mean, oh my gosh, I had toapologize to my mom.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Oh my gosh, I don't know if I can say this or not,
but I'm going to.
My parents are buried inBandary, texas, a little hill
country town up here, and wewere with a motorcycle not a
game, but a CMA Christianmotorcycle here.
And we were with a motorcyclenot a game, but a cma christian
motorcycle and we were comingthrough bandera and I said I'll
meet y'all down at the dairyqueen, where they're going, and
my parents are buried here.
(11:51):
I need to go talk to them.
And I said so I went over tothe cemetery and, um, I had it
out with my mom and I'm standingthere.
I'm going where were y'all?
Why didn't you do this and thisand this and this?
And I went phew, man.
And I start going off to get onthe motorcycle and go ahead and
leave.
And the Lord said go back.
(12:13):
So I went, okay.
So I went back and so I went.
Why when were you?
And I'm not thinking Mama wassick, daddy's working.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
Yeah, not from your perspective yet.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
Yeah, so I softened it, but I had it again, walked
back to the motorcycle, said no,go back again, and that time it
went.
Mama Daddy, thank you so much.
You did everything you could.
We were such boogers, we werereal rascals, do you know?
Speaker 1 (12:43):
we have four too.
We have two girls on both sides, the youngest and the oldest,
and then two boys in the middle.
I loved that.
They were wild and strong, butit came with the struggle,
because I was strong and I didnot want them getting hurt and
(13:06):
they were going to get hurtBecause I loved that part of
them, but I also didn't want tosee them suffer.
No, we never do, but there aretimes they're going to.
They have to Because we live inthe earth, we're not going to
figure out.
God never promised us thattimes they're going to.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
They have to, yeah, because we live in the earth.
We're not yet.
We're going to have to figureout.
God never promised us thatwe're not going to go through
stuff but it's going to work forgood on the long run.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
Yeah, it is, and ours are wrong now too, and we have
I feel like we have greatrelationships.
Probably one of the hardesttimes for me is just figuring,
navigating that so that I couldlet them be themselves and also
still try to intervene when Isaw them heading for danger, and
(13:47):
I feel like they took it a lotof the times as I was judging
them and I wasn't.
I was just, oh, I love this one.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
I love this one when they say this is my decision.
It doesn't impact anybody butmyself.
Speaker 1 (14:09):
Oh, oh, oh, oh oh.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
And now they're going .
I get it now, but no, it washard.
There were very, very hardtimes, and some of it like, oh,
they might see this one day.
So I want to say, well, butit's okay.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
You know it's like okay if they see it, just to
know that right now we look backand we say, wow, y'all turned
out so awesomely.
You are people that I loveknowing.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
I do, I do, I totally enjoy my daughters.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
And they've raised my kids.
Almost all of my grandchildrenare raised and they are
extraordinary.
They're extraordinary humanbeings, and so that is like.
I love hindsight.
I love to be able to look backand see.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
It's a lifesaver.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
They've promised that my generations, when they are
old, they'll seek him.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Yeah, they take up their time right.
This is my prayer for where Ilive.
I said, for all the hell I'dhave it.
My children have break down thecommunity.
I claim that they will becannons for the kingdom of God
before this is over.
And I'm seeing that start tohappen and I love it.
Oh, Mother's Day was wonderfulbecause I had so many of them
(15:30):
with me.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Oh, that's great.
So did y'all go there to goback.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
Well, we all live close, but we like to.
At certain times we all gotogether and rent a place on the
beach or down, and so we allgather there and have games and
cook out and stuff like that.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
That's great.
I probably need to get somerecommendations from you because
it's gotten to where we're sucha huge group Getting bigger and
bigger, but it's also beenseasons of high school stuff.
Oh, I know.
And the kids are just so busythat there's just no time for
that yeah exactly Like there's agraduation party.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
Yeah, there's this on Monday and there's a May.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
But the older ones are getting to a stage where I
think they'd enjoy it.
And now so many are about tograduate.
We have two graduating thisyear, two graduating next year,
two more that are just right ontheir heels, and then they'll
all be, except for the veryyoungest that I'm picking up in
a minute.
They're all grown-ups, they'realmost grown-ups.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
They're grown-ups making their way, it's true, and
those are great children.
Those last ones, one's a greatand one's a grand grand, and
they were both born in september, and so we got little tinies.
Uh, still going on, I have a Ihave a great, my first great.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
You're months old.
Well, that's that, girls, thisis apple cider vinegar.
I've been trying to tell peopleyes, you put apple cider
vinegar on your hair.
It may not work after it'salready all turned gray, but you
don't know.
Um, mine was starting to turnlike get gray all over it when I
(17:08):
was 30 and I read an articleabout the reason why the
premature grain comes becauseyour follicles have well.
It could be that too, but myfollicles have well.
It could be that too, but myfollicles have bacteria in them
from all the products, hairproducts and what's in there.
And so I started washing my hairwith apple cider vinegar once a
(17:28):
month.
I left it on and all of asudden the gray went away, and I
still have about the sameamount of gray that I had when I
was 10.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
I don't mind it oh.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
I don't mind it.
Speaker 2 (17:39):
Two of my daughters are stylists and have done New
York runway.
They're like they really are.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
They really have done .
Speaker 2 (17:48):
New York runway.
I go like this I'm going girls,your mama is your advertisement
.
Do something with this I'm outthere walking and they know I'm
your mother and you better takecare of your mother.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
Well, it's beautiful and it's very thick.
That's what mine is too.
I've got a lot of hair and it'sapple-type vinegar.
I'm just telling you it makesit healthier.
Speaker 2 (18:14):
Like, everybody should do it just to keep their
scalp healthy.
I'm going to have to talk aboutthat.
What's?
Where are y'all, yeah,sandbagging on me?
What's?
Speaker 1 (18:21):
going on.
Well, I don't even think theydo it, but my hairdresser's like
how is your hair doing this?
Speaker 2 (18:27):
They are.
We got off.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
Robert takes one daughter and I take the other
joined our conversation today tohear about this woman that's
traveling the country, and youmay see her in a white cargo van
traveling one of these days thehighways and byways and, if you
get the chance, stop along theway and just be part of her, her
(18:51):
prophetic gift, because it'sreally we do it.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
We have the site.
We were talking a web page's.
It called yeah, let's Facebookpage.
If you'll give that to me in atext afterwards, I'll make sure
that they post it at the bottomso that everybody can see it,
because if I am getting close,if it's posted and I want
direction we're going, then Iwould, I'd hang up with you and
you could hang on and y'allcould say y'all both know me.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
Yeah, so yesterday we were talking about something
and I just thought it was likean amazing conversation.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
Oh, it's when you went.
Oh, I wanted to interview.
Yes, it was about the sword andgoing and picking my old wounds
.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
Oh, okay, okay.
So we've talked on the showbefore about stony parts of our
heart, and you know I worryabout that for us.
I want us to get rid of thosestony areas in our heart, and
where they get there is whensomebody hurts us, and then
really this happens in your bodytoo.
Calcification happens where aninjury occurred and that
(19:53):
calcification keeps blood fromflowing.
It keeps your nerves fromworking good, and the same thing
keeps blood from flowing.
It keeps your nerves fromworking good, and the same thing
God tells us happens in ourheart.
We hold on to an offense,somebody hurt us, we don't let
it go, we feel like we'reentitled to it, but all we're
doing is hurting ourselves andover time it gets stony.
(20:13):
God needs to replace that stonypiece of our hearts with flesh.
Speaker 2 (20:24):
And you were talking to me about this beautiful
picture and I would like you toshare.
What happened was I was drivingup to Kansas and I said Holy
Spirit, let's have a talk andyou pick the subject.
And you know, when I said Ihear the Lord in your spirit,
you hear what he's saying, andwhat I heard was we're going to
revisit old wounds, and Irebuked it.
Know what?
When I said I hear the lord,that in your spirit, you hear
what he's saying, and and what Iheard was we're going to
revisit old wounds, and Irebuked it, I said oh no, we're
(20:46):
not that is not god and we arenot going there.
But we did and, um, what it waswas there were places in my
heart that had never reallyhealed.
I covered it over and I'd beengoing on but it still wasn't
healed.
(21:06):
But what he did was he took thesword and the spirit and he
took the point of it and hewould point it right at my heart
and it had a covering on it.
The wound was deep, it had acovering on it, but he would and
open the covering and then Icould see that it was really
super infected.
It was just really ugly.
(21:29):
And he told me to picturebeautiful, crystal clear water
like you'd see in the islands.
You know that beautiful stuff,that it's real clear.
Picture that bubbling up andflushing all of that stuff out.
And then he said tell me whenyou're finished.
So I said okay, so I'mpicturing it while I'm driving
(21:50):
along.
I picture crystal clear water.
And I said, oh, yeah, it'sflowing over the top now.
And he said okay, and he sealedit off.
And then he took the next oneand I'm going okay, and we went
through these things that I hadcovered over, but they had never
really been healed.
But then it came to this otherone and I went oh no, oh no,
(22:12):
don't go there.
That one, oh, not that one,lord, not that one, it's the
worst of the worst.
And he went there and he openedit up and when I looked in it
was I won't even mention, it wasso horribly fouled up and
filthy and all infested andstuff I never.
(22:33):
I just couldn't look at it,couldn't look at it and it just
remained that way.
So I said how are you evergoing to get all of that out?
It looks like impossible.
And how could you be sure youcould get every bit of it?
And I said it'd take a pointytrowel to dig in there.
And I said what are you goingto use?
And he said a pointy trowel.
(22:56):
And he started digging in myheart in that place.
But he was putting it in agolden flower pot and I went
what are you doing?
Get rid of it.
And I said what are you doing?
And he kept putting it in andhe said this is the soil from
which others will grow.
And it was like, oh, like, shutthe back door, so nothing's
(23:21):
wasted, everything was workingfor good.
And he did that and when he gotit all out and it went in that
golden pot.
This one didn't get flushed out.
This one got it so clean.
Gemstones cut, gemstonesstarted falling and going into
that wound and just filled it upAll these beautiful gemstones.
(23:44):
I'm laughing on it now and Icould still look at it because
he never closed it off.
It's just full of gemstones andit was a beautiful thing.
This happened years ago.
I'll never forget it.
That's awesome, and so that'swhere he left it.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
So there are so many things, so many things in life.
You know that he, our father,does speak.
He speaks to all of us we.
If you listen, you'll hear him.
He's a still quiet voice inyour own heart, but you
recognize him if you'll listenand you need to trust in that.
You need to trust him becausethere's so many miracles that I
(24:21):
could tell you and share, andmaybe one of these days we'll do
in a conversation, uh, aboutlistening to him and being able
to do things beyond anything Icould have imagined.
He talks in so many differentways.
Yes, he does.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
And it can be in nature, it can be in a way.
Oh yeah, he does, he shows youhe delights in it.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
Yes, he delights in it.
He wants to have a relationshipwith you and he wants to heal
you.
But he is very tender with us.
He writes for us to say okay.
He asks, he's not rude, he'sjust he asks and he says, okay,
(25:01):
are you ready?
She asked.
She said, holy spirit, what areyou talking about today?
and then he came in and and whenshe, when she said wait, then
he waited until she was ready,and so you don't have to be
afraid.
I've just heard so many peoplealong the way.
Well, if I were to tell God todo whatever he needs to do in my
(25:23):
life, it would be terrible, andI just want to say it's not.
He loves us so much we're inthe terrible place until we get
our heart healed.
Speaker 2 (25:33):
We have to trust it and I struggle with it all the
time, actually in one degree oranother, but you love me that
much.
Speaker 1 (25:44):
You know like that he does.
Speaker 2 (25:46):
And he loves you, not just us, he's not a respecter
of persons.
He loves his daughters.
I became a Christian.
I was alcoholic two packs a dayand we're going to paint this
room and all of a sudden mybrother shows up and he's been
to this Bible study and I'mgoing.
(26:08):
He's in a suit and I hadn'tseen him.
I'm like what are you doing?
And I don't know.
It was God, because he knowsthe timing, when to deal with
this.
And he said you and Robert needto come.
It is amazing.
And when he said that, it'slike God took a switch and just
(26:29):
went in my head and the nextmorning I couldn't get my hands
on a Bible quick enough and Iwas looking.
I know I have one.
My grandma gave me one and eversince then I was 25 years old
and I'm about to be 78.
And I have been rabid love theBible in the Bible.
And in the beginning I was inthe Bible, pulled it in front of
(26:52):
the fireplace, brand new, andI've got my wines there and my
cigarettes over here.
Speaker 1 (26:59):
I'm not going to ask you to talk about it.
Yeah, he doesn't wait for us.
He loves us.
Speaker 2 (27:04):
He said we'll get there, we'll get there, so we're
coming to the end here.
Is this all right, or are youall still with us?
Speaker 1 (27:11):
And I always ask do you have a piece of advice, one
small piece of advice that youwould give to younger women in
any area, that you'd like toshare with our audience today?
Speaker 2 (27:27):
I went blank.
That's okay.
Let me think.
There's so many things, justpick the first one that comes to
your heart.
If I could go back and do now.
If you could just encourage themin their walk, really that he
does not give up on you and heloves you through every single
(27:48):
thing you've ever been through.
He wasn't there off there, hewas actually here, but he takes
everything along the way, eventhe worst, and if we grab onto
him, those things begin to formwithin us a character that can
(28:13):
only and it's uniquely you andit's uniquely you, it's uniquely
me but looking back now andseeing, wow, he was there all
the time.
Yes, and he knows, he knows andhe sees us, he knows us, he
didn't ever not, and that he didnot say we would never go
(28:35):
through things, but I this is mylove.
The scripture says for the joyheld out before Jesus, he
endured the cross, he lookedpast this, that he was going to
go through this and passeverything, and he saw on the
other side wait till they seethat, wait till this, wait till
that you know.
(28:55):
And he went through thatknowing that there's a whole
other thing.
We're in a classroom, we're incollege, some are getting their
PhD, we are being trained.
If everything had always goneperfect, why would we need Jesus
?
That's right, and here we are,and so we can thank him and
praise him for it.
Thank you, lord.
Yes, and I'll tell you this Onelittle thing.
(29:19):
One little thing, because yougot it wrapped up there.
You got me wound upForgive-ness, yes, do not, do
not hold a grudge.
And I did go something slanderand all that kind of stuff and
it ripped me up good, I wentfrom a size 10 to a zero.
It hurt me so bad but in thereand I begged.
(29:42):
God, please let me go and talk.
They're listening to a lot.
Please let me go.
And he would say one day he saidI was a lamb, led to slaughter
and I opened up my mouth.
He was teaching me how tohandle injustice.
We have to learn how to handlethat stuff.
And he says pray for the enemy,pray for those that
(30:02):
despitefully use you, becausewhen you pray for them you think
I don't want to pray for them.
I want to bless them.
Bless your enemy.
I don't want to do that.
It actually will change themand it changes us first.
It changes us.
It grounds us and we us.
It grounds us and we startfeeling better about ourselves.
But there comes a time when youkeep doing that, you say Laura,
(30:23):
bless them.
Today, I bless them, I blesstheir family, I bless everybody.
I call forth the destinies thatyou've meant for them to have,
that they don't miss it, theymove into it, and I'll just let
it run on and I'll feel like,yes, and then it got where.
Wow, I really mean it.
And then it was well, I wouldlove to sit down with Starbucks
(30:45):
and catch up on what I want andyou do and it's good.
Forgiveness is huge.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
So, sharon, thanks for coming and spending some
time with me.
She was on the road and Igrabbed her in.
I'm glad you guys joined ustoday.
I hope you'll consider sharingour podcast and coming to Ease
Greenhouse and becoming part ofour community.
We're at the very beginning.
We're planting seeds right nowfor growth in our lives and your
(31:16):
lives and the generations thatfollow us, and I believe that
God wants you to be part of it.
So, esgreenhousecom, go joinand then come back and listen to
our podcast every Tuesday.
Thank you for today.
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