The Benefits of Active Waiting

The Benefits of Active Waiting

waitingWaiting wastes time. Or does it?

 

Do you ever feel irritated as a stoplight turns red-green-yellow then red again, and you’re still not through the intersection? Me, too! Inching along tests my patience. Through all of those times of

Read More

8 Responses to The Benefits of Active Waiting

  • Active waiting is a great way to pray and people watch. Getting frustrated will never have the line moving any faster LOL.

  • What a timely message from my dear friend for years, Holli! I am trying to be actively waiting now ..we have recently moved to Brazil and it feels like all I do is wait! For permanent housing, a new car. Our belongings from the US, for covid to go away, for internet, for food, for anything to settle my heart and distract from missing our family~~especially during the holidays. I confess that I spend an inordinate amount of time on social media or doing brain games…especially compared to time in prayer or scripture reading! Thank you, Holli, for the encouraging words of hope in my journey of “waiting”! Love and miss you!❤🇧🇷

  • Thank you Holli for reminding us of the opportunities and benefits in waiting. Waiting doesn’t have to be a “nothing” but can be a very important “something”.

    • Thank you, Marilyn. Waiting, for me, is often a surrender of my “hurry up and fix it” mode. I find new beauty and blessings in the moments (or years) of waiting.

  • Certainly something to ponder. Waiting can be excruciating or it can be a great experience like when you wait for a baby to be born.

    • I agree, it is often difficult! Nothing I do to hurry the waiting process ever produces a better outcome than God’s timing.

Leave a Reply

Is Hearing the Same as Listening Well?

Is Hearing the Same as Listening Well?

listenMine ears, though deaf in this world, listen for Your words. Softly, whispering my name. Closing my eyes in prayer I turn my ear to You, straining to hear Your sweet voice.*

*You can find the full poem here: Incline
Read More

One Response to Is Hearing the Same as Listening Well?

  • I too am hard of hearing, conversational hearing. I hear most sounds just fine. But understanding the spoken word is very hard, tiring, and draining at times. I dread phone calls the most. Large group meeting drain me as I spend all of my energy trying to understand every word that is being spoken by the person up front, even if they use a microphone. I work very hard to not just hear a person but to listen, understand them. I try hard to not listen to react or respond. When I do that I realized I truly never really listened to them I just heard them. Since I have been attending a lot of Zooms I realize even with earbuds in i see myself tilting my head at an angle as I do that when I don’t wear ear buds but even with the help to hear better with the ear buds I am still tilting my head toward the computer monitor 🙂 Inclining my ear to listen closely.

Leave a Reply

Mindset: Is Yours Fixed or Growing?

Mindset: Is Yours Fixed or Growing?

So often you hear the cliché’ “where the mind leads the heart will follow.” I will not refute that. What I will say is that we often do not truly make the connection. I can honestly say I did not

Read More

Leave a Reply

Following Dreams

Following Dreams

dreamsDreams and goals about my future filled my childhood diary. Along with hopes, prayers, and of course the frustrations of life. I dreamed of becoming a missionary and teacher. My passion for teaching developed early as I looked up to

Read More

2 Responses to Following Dreams

  • Great job, my friend! Thank you for the encouragement and inspiration!

  • Wow…..I got teary reading this. As your friend, I was privileged to be able to watch as you navigated some of those challenges that you wrote about. I have always been inspired at how you handle struggles with such passion and purpose. I am overjoyed that the two of you have connected and are partnering on some projects together! Melony and Carmela, both of you have individually impacted my family in ways that I can never repay. God is using you both in mighty ways through your gifts of teaching and loving people. I am blessed to call you friends. All my love to both of you!

Leave a Reply

Our Attitude Gives Us the Opportunity to Rise

Our Attitude Gives Us the Opportunity to Rise

Our attitude, if it’s a positive one, gives us the opportunity to rise. Negative attitudes don’t offer those same opportunities. I believe attitude plays a vital role in life.

My friend and guest blogger, Amminy Daniel, was raised in Southern

Read More

2 Responses to Our Attitude Gives Us the Opportunity to Rise

  • Thank you for the reminder that even in our struggles, a positive response can shift our focus to the opportunities that await on the other side of the valley. God is with us in our struggles and our successes. So thankful your surgery went well!

  • This was so good! I have kept a positive attitude all during this time of COVID and I have had nothing but peace. I have kept the same attitude all during the election period too. My friends see my calmness during these times and some of them just can not understand why I am not full of anxiety and fear. I remind them it is because of two things; my attitude choosing to not panic and because my peace comes from Jesus. Even after telling them this they still continue to live with fear and anxiety.

Seek the Stillness of Nature

Seek the Stillness of Nature

nature

Erin at Red Rock Canyon in Nevada

Nature is my favorite place to connect with God. I lift my eyes to the bright, crystal clear blue sky above and take a deep breath. The combination of the clean air with

Read More

2 Responses to Seek the Stillness of Nature

  • Thank you for the beautiful reminder of how God expresses his love to us through nature. It makes me want to be more mindful of it. I tend to see the snakes and spiders that live in nature rather than the beauty. I’m gonna tweak my thinking about the outdoors and look beyond the creepy crawlers. I’m going to focus my attention on His beauty. Thank you for a refreshing perspective. Take care of you. Lovingly, Diane

100palooza!

100palooza!

100palooza!

“What is 100palooza?” you ask. It’s a CELEBRATION of 100 blog posts since starting my overcomer blog in January of 2013!

100 posts about fighting to overcome life’s tough challenges, which include music reviews, 66 incredible overcomer stories, and

Read More

20 Responses to 100palooza!

  • Love this!! The stories you’re sharing are touching so many! Thank you for all you do!!

  • Great job Mel!!! I hope this will yield many new subscribers so all the great OVERCOMER stories will be read and people benefit from them in a mighty way!!!

  • I’m so excited for you ?? I just love you ?

  • I’m so thankful that The Lord allowed our paths to cross! I’m so excited for you!!!

  • Enjoy reading your blog. It is truly a blessing to many!

  • You are such an inspiration to us all. As a victim of domestic violence I gain strength from people like you. You are truly a blessing.

  • You are amazing! I”ve shared your website so others can attest to how wonderful you are and your talented writing!

  • So excited for you, friend! Congratulations and thanks for sharing my story. I’m honored to be one of the 100 posts!

  • Melony you have done such an amazing job with your writings of overcomers. You have a gift from God and you are using it to give back to him. May God continue to richly bless you in your endeavors.

  • Thank you Melony for all the encouragement that you have given me. As I continue to heal and help others heal. You are such a strong inspiration to so many! I know that God has let our paths cross for a great reason and I am so proud that he did. God bless you and the wonderful job that you do! Love you and all the Overcomers, we are becoming one voice so everyone can hear us ROAR!

    • Thank you for your kind words, Teressa! It was an honor to interview you. You are helping others in POWERFUL ways! And yes, these Overcomers are ROARING!! Love you, sweet friend!

Leave a Reply

Struggle Is the Way

Struggle Is the Way

Credit: peterpilt.com – “Sometimes There Aren’t Enough Rocks”

If I were to tell you struggle is the way to strength, you might throw rocks at me. I know hearing the truth often hurts, so aim well.

I’m cowering and peeping

Read More

0 Responses to Struggle Is the Way

  • This reminds me – your mess becomes your message. We can walk out of the brokenness and into wholeness with God’s transforming love.

    • Yes, Maureen! Exactly! My mess of facing many health challenges and fighting to overcome them has definitely become my message.

  • Some people ignore or resist the struggle by distracting themselves. But eventually you have to go through it and grow. When you get to the other side of it, you often find out that’s where you were supposed to be all along. I love Ephesians 3:20. “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” Thanks for this lovely post! Glad you enjoyed the conference! And hope you are well!

    • Ephesians 3:20 is the perfect scripture to go along with knowing struggle is a necessary part of growth. He definitely can do more than we can think of or imagine with our struggles.

  • As a mom it made me think about how hard it is to watch your children struggle, you want to protect them, but you know that they can only learn from struggling. We watch them grow from everyday struggles to harder ones as they continue through the years, but we never really give ourselves the same grace when we struggle. We, at times, may be embarrassed if we are struggling or feel like we are failing at life if we acknowledge struggles, but you don’t learn from things that are easy. You learn from times when we are vulnerable and struggling.

    • Very well said, Angie. It has been hard to watch my boys struggle, but I know what they learn from those times will carry them far in life. I believe God designed struggles as opportunities for our growth. We may not like those opportunities, but they equip us for the next struggle that lands in our path.

  • Wonderful Melony, thanks for writing and posting for us!
    God’s word is truth just like He told us it is and also when we are weak, we are strong through Christ Jesus are two other scripture reinforcers…. Jn 14:6 and 2 Cor 12:9
    God bless and keep you and yours,

  • Struggles in life can be very challenging. We all have them and face them. We must stay focused on the positive.

Leave a Reply

Website Makeover!

Website Makeover!

It’s been five years since I launched melonybrown.com to share the stories of courageous women who fight to overcome. It has been an INCREDIBLE JOURNEY! And one in which I plan to continue! So, it was time (really past time)

Read More

0 Responses to Website Makeover!

  • Looking good!

  • Melony,
    I know this must have been quite an amount of work, but it is so worth it. It looks great! Congrats!.

  • It is awesome Melony! I know you have put alot of work into making it just what you want. I am so excited to see what the future holds for you!

    • Thanks, Tracie! Thank you for sharing your incredible story as you are part of the future of this ministry, too!

  • I’m not real familiar with the old website but this one looks user friendly, organized and fun. I’m looking forward to reading all the beautiful stories you have written about the many challenges we face in this life. I’m encouraged by what I have read so far. I’m honored to have you write my story Melony. Who better to share it than a gifted writer like you. Thumbs up to the new look of the website. Can’t wait to get more familiar with it.

  • Your new site looks wonderful!!! I look forward to continuing to check it out and read your wonderful stories! Blessings!

  • Looks good, Melony. I like it!

  • Hey friend!! Everything on here looks GREAT and very user-friendly! Your passion and heart for your ministry is so evident on these pages. I love you and I can’t wait to see you soon!

Leave a Reply

5 Reasons to Take a Silent Retreat at a Monastery

5 Reasons to Take a Silent Retreat at a Monastery

The Monastery of the Holy Spirit

Years ago, I would often retreat to our cabin in the North Georgia Mountains to sit on the front porch to spend time with God. His creation is where I feel closest to Him.

Read More

0 Responses to 5 Reasons to Take a Silent Retreat at a Monastery

  • I have been needing to do this myself. I have heard how refreshing silence is in our crazy world. Thanks for your insight and recommendation Melony!

  • I am so happy for your wonderful experiences while on the Silent Retreat!!! I want now to read the book you mentioned, The Circle Maker, sounds wonderful and foundational! Thanks so much for sharing the 5 reasons and the monks chanting, I enjoyed hearing them, too!!! Maybe I will be able to go one day. I feel closest to God at the beach until then…….

  • Wow, pretty profound stuff. Very interesting and intriguing for me to read your words. I have a few questions for you so will ring you up soon. I often feel I STAY at a crossroad and the monastery is not that far away. Your encapsulazation of the time there made me want that experience. Thanks for sharing. Will catch up with you soon!
    (BTW, how did you have a conversation with the monk? Guess it was after
    ‘Silence time’ was over?)

  • I’m late in responding, but I completely agree with all that you’ve written, Melony! The monastery has become a special place to me. My favorite moments are during the first prayer time…I’m able to take a deep breath and allow the words chanted by the monks fall over me like a blanket. I feel immersed in the word of God. The silence is a welcome retreat in my noisy life. I would encourage anyone and everyone to find their way to the monastery. You will love it.

  • I think God gives us quiet places to be able to stop and really meditate and enjoy the beauty of the earth. It is so awesome and majestic. How could you not believe in God.

Leave a Reply