Jump Off the Front Porch

By Shannon A. Patterson

Have you come to a point in your life when the ordinary and familiar are no longer available to you and your life is in the middle of transition? Has it ever appeared as if your life is falling apart at the seams; be it from the loss of a loved one, the rejection of friends or even the end of a prosperous career? Are you finding that the bombardments of life’s issues are beginning to consume you and shake you to your core – that the stability of life is becoming unstable day by day? Is your faith the only thing left standing? Then jump! Jump Off The Front Porch is the empowerment resource that offers insight on how to move from the familiar and jump into the realm of promise and destiny.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Mar 27, 2015
• ISBN: 9781483425092

Book preview

Church

Prelude

W ho would ever get so frustrated and tired of their situation in life that they just go and jump off the front porch? Sounds quite silly and absurd, right? Well, jumping off the front porch, as crazy and ridiculous as it sounds, is a simple way of letting go of what is holding you back. It allows you to start over again. It’s a process of going through as you go through. When you jump off a bridge or tall building the end result, most of the time, is final and fatal. It is the end to an end. However, jumping off the front porch doesn’t put an end to your life. It just gives you a moment of setting yourself apart from the problem while you momentarily float in the air looking for a solution; and when you find one, you land back on your feet ready to continue going through as you go through.

This book was written with the intention that it would encourage, motivate, inspire, and ignite you to not give up in the fight—to not throw in the towel before the bell rings. Prayerfully the devotionals, stories, and words of encouragement contained herein will give you that extra push to jump off the porch, float in the air (carefree of your problem) and land safely on your feet ready to continue running the race you started.

This book was inspired from the many words of encouragement and motivation that I received from family and friends and The Word of God. So, as I went through these new obstacles, problems and transitions I realized the problem was bigger than me but not bigger than my God. For I realized I wasn’t meant to fight the battle: God is. So I learned how to go through the problem as I was going through the problem.

Chapter One

I’m on the Porch

Fall Into Your Arms

Lord, will You hold out Your arms that I may fall into them?

Lord, when I don’t understand, may I fall into Your arms?

Lord, when I’ve been beat up and beat down and almost beat out, may I fall into Your arms?

Lord, when family and friends have turned their backs on me, may I fall into Your arms?

Lord, when all I can hear is NO but my spirit says YES, may I fall into Your arms?

Lord, when I have tried to love my enemies and they still mistreat me, may I fall into Your arms?

Lord, when the enemies lay trap after trap in an effort to kill and destroy me, may I fall into Your arms?

Lord, when I have done all I can do and I can’t do any more, may I fall into Your arms?

In Your arms I find peace, comfort, serenity, security, a hiding place.

For when I fall I know with Your arms stretched out wide You will catch me, hold me, comfort me, reassure me, encourage me and love me in spite of ME.

Then You will lift me back to where You want me to be so that You may fulfill the purpose You have designed for me. So Lord I pray that I may fall into Your arms today and cast all my cares on You.

T he front porch is the entry just before the door, the place where people stand waiting in expectation for someone to open the front door to let them in. Normally, the front porch is elevated above the ground with a few steps leading up to it. My parent’s front porch is made