And So...the Lord Waits

By Gina Crusor-Price

Is it time to take off the mask? Are you overdue for that change? Is it time to conquer the impossible?

Here, Gina invites you into her world of transparency, where you will reach into her personal space as she reveals her years of wilderness wanderings. She does this by gradually and unashamedly exposing her past personal struggles and failures. Most importantly, Gina extends to you those spiritual resolves that brought her victories. Perhaps you've made a regrettable choice or...perhaps you find yourself in awkward territory, or…perhaps your directions have become muddled by the storms of life. In this book you can: - Gently confront and work through challenging emotions  - Receive soul-settling assurances to move you forward - Learn to embrace awkwardness with hope - Jot your thoughts on the very pages you will read

Here Gina shares note-worthy and challenging wisdom that will surely aid you on your pathway. Her life is presented as a continuous and personal journey, with the paths we choose as crucial to our destiny.

Here you are invited to share and benefit from her God-given victories, and unending hope in the love of God.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gina Crusor-Price
• Release date: Aug 26, 2019
• ISBN: 9781733401616

Book preview

And So...

the Lord Waits

A Journal of Prodigal Reflections

––––––––

Gina Crusor-Price, Ph.D.

Copyright © 2019 Gina Crusor-Price

All rights reserved.

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture is taken from the KING JAMES VERSION (KJV): KING JAMES VERSION, public domain.

Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Scriptures marked NLT are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW LIVING TRANSLATION (NLT): Scriptures taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW LIVING TRANSLATION, Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DEDICATION

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

FOREWORD

IS GOD WAITING ON YOU?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

FINALLY, IS THIS FOR YOU?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DEDICATION

I dedicate this book to my home church

~  Faith Christian Center ~

For always showing me what God’s love looks like,

and for being there with me through it all....

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First I give all glory and honor unto the Lord my God, my Savior Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit of God who lives in me, teaches me, directs me, chastens me, instructs me, guides me, understands me, and assures me of His unending and unconditional love. I can’t express how thankful I am that nothing will separate me from the love of God...absolutely nothing.

So many have supported this literary effort in different ways. There aren’t enough thanks to give my husband, Reverend Dr. Charles Price, whose love and support gives me the space to be myself, and who lets me spend time in the gray zone until I can see my way through. I want to thank my dad and ‘bonus’ mom, Jack and Sondra Crusor, for always believing the best outcomes for me, being there for me, and encouraging me forward with this book. I appreciate my children, Myles and Matthew, for always seeing the best in me, and always believing the best for me. I want to thank my siblings for hanging in there with me and understanding me (sometimes tolerating me!) in the toughest times. I can’t express enough gratitude for my pastors, Pastor Freddie Hughes and Co-Pastor Joanne Hughes, whose love, mentoring, insight, encouragement, and foundations of faith have brought tremendous spiritual growth and stability in my life. I want to also thank the ministers and congregation of my church, Faith Christian Center, for their consistent support and contagious joy from the day I walked into the church, almost 15 years ago. I want to thank the book reviewer, Shannan Harper, whose inspiration and resources launched my beginnings as an author, and who is an endless source of knowledge and wisdom and availability in the world of reading. To my editor, Marsha Malcolm, you are worth more than your weight in gold. Thank you for your patience and wisdom with me as an emerging author, and for holding my hand tightly in the process (and repeatedly answering my questions).

I can’t complete these acknowledgements without thanking my Mom, Barbara Werner, although her home is now in heaven. As an elementary education teacher and professional librarian, she pushed my reading and writing skills beyond my believable limits, and always believed I could do anything, saying, I’ve never seen anyone land on their feet like you, Gina. I love and miss you, Mom. Thank you so very much.

FOREWORD

In the midst of experiencing heartache, loneliness, increasing insecurities, self-defeating actions, and repetitive mistakes wrought by continuing to follow a path that was in direct opposition to her Christian faith, with a heavy heart, Dr. Gina Crusor-Price began journaling her story which, unbeknownst to her, would be the impetus for this book. Realizing the path she was following was not the path that God had foreordained for her life, Dr. Price painstakingly persevered in journaling her deep-seated feelings of guilt, regret, and plaguing doubts; and she even penned her plaintive, repentant prayers in hopes of relieving the continual frustrations and anxieties that were the results of her compromised relationship with God and the hopeless, prodigal journey that she was traveling.

While treading this prodigal path, although Dr. Price ‘conditionally’ believed the Truth that God was with her and would never leave her, she was not actively acknowledging His presence. Therefore, because of simply being aware of God’s promises but not fully accessing them, there was no way that she could eradicate the feelings