I was that "unpopular" wierdo kid, that didn't fit in anywhere, in High School. I guess I never knew my place in life, until Jesus took me in. I've been rejected, misunderstood, left out, bullied, abused, scandalized, and labeled. In 2002 I got on a bus and left a marraige of sixteen years, that was fraught with abuse and heartache. In school, I used to be so afraid to stand in front of the class and speak, my hands woud visibily shake, and I could not look at my audience without being terrified.
Years later, I find myself leading a school music production, speaking in front of churches, and walking around with confidence, because I know the King of Kings is at my side.
My ministry, prayers and blogs are directed toward those who feel like they were never enough. You never fit in.
If I can help you in any way, if you need a special speaker to speak hope to the hurting, or if you would like a copy of my Testimony book (Grace to the Rescue) let me know. I am here for you. I have also published Grace to Grow, but I'm really not here to sell books. I want to help you. If you'd like a free book,
With Love, Laura
I can be reached at sisterzeal@yahoo.com
My Favorite animals are horses and dogs. Horses, because they are so beautful and have served mankind in so many different ways, throughout history. Dogs, because they are so loyal, faithful and true. I’ve had three dogs in the last few years. Happy was a Sheltie, adopted from the humane society, He lived with us for 15 years and had many happy days with us. Cooper, a Jack Russel Terrier Mix, came to live with us a few years later, and became happy’s constant companion. When Cooper’s health failed, I sat on the deck and cried every day because I missed him so much. About a month after his passing, we adopted Sadie, a Kelpie who was also in a shelter, and likely would not have found a home, as she had been brought back twice, for misbehaving. We have her to this day, and she is a wonderful and loyal friend.
Hi Everyone! Here is my latest book! I’ve got to tell you, the Lord himself told me to write it! I was very hesitant, thinking my desire to write it was evil somehow! But when I asked my husband he said “Yes go ahead.” Because honestly both of us are exposed in this book as the vulnerable and real human beings we are, travelling this life in Christ together. Praying daily over our marriage! So if you ever felt you are not perfect enough, or you didn’t pray enough (and still have some problems) this book might be for you!
Every day life as a Christian: It gets messy sometimes .How to pay the bills, believing for a miracle! I have a tire on my car right now that needs replaced, I wanted to travel, and can’t. Is it my fault?
Every time I go to the store the prices seem higher. What cost 5.00 a few months ago is 10.00. I had illness, unexpected this, unexpected that. I think ONE THING we need to remember today, is nothing surprises God. He saw it all coming……..
One of the reasons people love “prophetic words” is they want to know what’s coming. They are tired of being taken off gaurd. I know just recently I was struggling with something big I never saw coming and I wrestle with God over it. “Why Didn’t you TELL ME?”
I just can’t believe sometimes God “let this happen” (certain things) when I know he was powerful enough to stop it! The main thing is forgiving ourselves, for our part in the collateral damage. “if Only I had known Father” “I prayed, I asked you what to do! Why do I find myself in this MESS!!!? ……..
What we forget, is that God PAID the price through Jesus for your whole growing up process. When he said you are REDEEMED that means you are bought with a price (his Blood!!). And He is NOT going to let you go, just because you messed up. He gives us more grace, and when the time comes to give out Grace, yes he’s going to expect us to give it. None of this “I’m a self made person” and I had to “save myself” so YOU Do TOO!! ……He isn’t into all that.
He wants our testimony to be “I SAVED YOU” from yourself your mistakes, your disasters, your “own wisdom” and now you go, and preach my gospel of Grace to others. What you have been given “freely give”………
So Father, for every time my flesh rose up and wanted to punish anyone for hurting me, forgive me. I’ve hurt plenty of people in my time, when I was bumbling around being a “Messy Christian” ….Help me Recieve Grace, Give Grace, and preach the gospel of grace. We are saved by your Unmerritted Favor Father! May we never forget, and if we do “SPANK US!!” ….amen! Your friend and fellow traveller,
I have thought about writing this book for many years now. Every time I thought about it, I shelved the idea, thinking I was a bad person for even wanting to write such a thing. But here’s the truth: The stories of Tim and I and the journey of our marriage, (and the food fiascos that went with it), have made many women laugh with relief, because they too, had many adjustments to make before they could truly be “happily married.”
So, this is for you Tim, and for all the women or men out there who have struggled with this great thing called marriage. Just remember Tim, you’re the one who said, “If you need to throw me under the bus to help others, go ahead!” And I will add, if you want to do the same to me, write your own book! -Laura Grace Stainbrook: Sept 14, 2025.
Chapter 1: It was fun for awhile
When I first married Tim, I was so excited to bless him with my hard-won, acquired achievement. Cooking. That was almost twenty-five years ago.
We talked about expectations, and I remember asking him, before we got married, what are the most important things to you, as far as what you expect from a wife?
Tim, (a man of few words) said, “Feed me.” I wanted him to elaborate, so I asked, “What kinds of food do you like?” “I’m not picky, “He said, “Not very fond of chicken, but other than that, I’ll eat about anything.” Whether he meant to or not, it’s probably the single “untruth” he ever told me. Although, I don’t believe it was deliberate.
Having been married before, and having that marriage end in divorce, for very justifiable reasons, I really had no experience being married to someone “normal” who would keep a job, go to work, and basically promised to always do that if I would “wake him up” and “feed him.” It seemed simple enough to me.
I was feeling relief that there was no pressure to be the perfect wife, so I did what Laura always does; I went the extra mile and offered him all my services on a silver platter.
Life was grand. Tim liked sausage, with buttered toast, (real butter) and 2 or three over-medium eggs. His first job, he had to leave at 6 am, so I was up at 5 am to drink my coffee, wake up, and start cooking. I was so joyful to be married to him, and eager to please.
The best part was the compliments, like “You are so good to me, thank you, those eggs are perfect.” I was undaunted when he pointed out he’d really like his toast to “not’ be cut in half. I was learning what my husband liked, and excited to be faithful and give my best.
I remember making his favorite potato salad, complete with green olives, very hard to slice up perfectly, and there were a lot of eggs to boil and peel for his mom’s famous salad.
Now, keep in mind, I never liked cooking, did not ever have a fun time with it, but I had prayed for years to become more virtuous, and learn to at least have joy in the process.
I have noticed, some women do love cooking, but I was not one of them. Still, the bible says to strive for excellence, and I was determined to be an excellent cook.
The first year, things were wonderful, as I would look forward to Tim’s happy face as I made all his favorite meals, and being a woman who thrives on affirmation, I was just so happy when he’d want seconds and tell me how wonderful dinner was.
I didn’t realize how praise motivated I was, until one day, Tim just didn’t say “Thank you,” that was good, anymore.
Which led to me asking why, which led to some fierce discussions.
“Did you like it?” I asked, missing the usual compliment.
“Yes, it was good, Tim said, “but there was not as much cheese as last time.”
I got all defensive. “We were low on cheese, you know it’s expensive,” I said.
“That’s fine, you asked, so I told you.”
I was feeling deflated, at that moment. Dark clouds gathering around my mind, the enemies’ minions whispering, “He’s sick of you already.”
And I’ll tell you something I did not realize then, but I see it now. Maternal voices from my past had already planted the seed, when it was said “I feel sorry for your husband when you get married, you don’t want to do anything the right way.”
I was not aware those bad seeds had already been planted, leading to my reaction.
I started a fight with Tim. “Well, why can’t you just say thank you, instead of mentioning how much cheese the dinner was lacking?”
“You asked,” He said, “If you don’t want the truth, don’t ask me.”
Let the refining begin, and it certainly did, with or without an invitation.
This is the backdrop of the story, which ends in mutual understanding, acceptance of one another, and grace to grow (up) together in Christ.
The characters in this story are Laura-the sensitive feeler, who needs reassurance she’s not a failure, married to Tim the truth-teller, who refuses to have emotional arguments.
And the refining fire, in this case, happens to be their disagreements about how food ought to be prepared, as well as a few other topics that might get thrown into the mix.
In the first year of our marriage, as with most people, we were very focused on being extra nice to each other, not always telling the truth, and wanting to keep the euphoric newness of our relationship alive.
As time went on, as with all marriages, the raw truth of who we really are will come to the surface. Why? Because nobody can pretend forever. I’m not going to write a book that is not honest. I’m not going to tell you if you do A, B and C, you will have a perfect marriage.
Are you ready for this? I dare you not to judge either one of us! Laughing, as I write this.
Certainly, God is a God of rescue. Just this morning, he rescued me from “my own thoughts.” I was doing dishes and I heard him say “Go outside and have coffee with me.” I sat down with my bible and he gave me this passage: Psalm 143:11-12 Which says “for your names’ sake, bring me out of trouble.” (Rescue!!!)
Whether you are in real danger or your mind is just troubled, God is in the business of rescuing us from whatever we need rescue from!
Anxiety, fear, overwhelming illness, Having no food to eat. I still remember him rescuing me when I was sitting by the side of the road with a flat tire (just not long ago). My friend Missy has a story I’d love her to share of God using her to help rescue two people out on the lake and their lives were in danger! She was just out trying to have a nice time with her hubby and didn’t expect that scenario.
His wisdom rescues me from my own stupidity! If I allow it!
are we not blessed to be his tools and be a part of that?
Thank you Father for rescuing us! From whatever it is today we need to be rescued from! WE GIVE YOU PRAISE!!! Just type in the word rescue to your bible app and see what happens! Love you!
The Body of Christ: Complement VS Conflict: The Shoes of Peace
God spoke to me quite clearly, that the shoes of Peace are no small matter. How many times do we feel like war is what we need, when we need to speak the gospel of Peace? Romans 16:20 says “The God of Peace will soon crush satan under your feet.”
What does that even mean, exactly? We want power, God wants Peace.
I can remember years ago, I was in the bathroom crying, because I was in conflict with someone who refused to see my point. In my mind, it was a life-or-death matter. In fact, it had to do with raising my children with a spouse who did not agree to God’s ways.
I was afraid for them, and I really believed I needed to convince my spouse to see things God’s way. In my mind, he needed to bow down and acknowledge Jesus, but I was not going about it the right way. I was in fear, not faith, and this led to arguments and quarreling that was not always of God. I wanted victory, and I wanted it right now!
A precious woman of God came up to me in the bathroom, asking if she could pray with me. I was obliged, and after prayer, she gave me Proverbs 16, about how if we are righteous, even our enemies will be at peace with us.
I remember pondering this all the way home, and later in my life, the passage would come up again, when I found myself wrestling with anger over injustice.
It’s not easy to see Peace as a powerful weapon of God. Images of hippies saying ‘Peace man” often come to mind when I hear the word peace. But making peace with all men (as much as possible) does not mean compromising righteousness.
What it often means, is standing our ground in our own beliefs, (What God has shown us), and giving up the right to try and change someone else’s mind. That’s tough when we want to walk in agreement with someone, especially a spouse.
How many conflicts arise, even in the body of Christ, when two people do not see eye to eye? How do they go forward in Peace? Should we just “submit” to someone we don’t agree with? What if their leadership is compromised, tainted, and not God’s best for our lives? What if your spouse is asking you to do something you know is unrighteous?
God sent his son to say “Peace on Earth” but he also said his word will bring division, because his word is light, and the world, in general lives in a very dark realm.
Navigating the path of Peace with God:
You’re staying in his righteousness may mean that others will not agree with you. I can tell you that Apostles, Prophets, teachers and pastors will often be part of the edification process, helping you learn how to walk in the shoes of peace, when there is spiritual war all around you. If you are walking in God’s righteousness, anyone who is not walking in that light with him, will most likely persecute you. Your very presence and decisions to follow Jesus will make them feel uncomfortable. Some will try to convince you to take a different path, while others may mock or ridicule you.
To be at peace with your decision to follow Jesus, you must realize it’s not going to be an easy path.
When I got saved, I told my flesh, “You will be at peace with God, and his ways.” It was a decision. This meant if I didn’t feel like sitting through a church service, if I didn’t feel like studying, and if I didn’t feel like listening to what his spirit was telling me, My spirit man (who is right with God, and wants to do his will) would command PEACE to my flesh saying “You will do what I say.” Do you see where I am going with this?
If my flesh can surrender to the will of God, that means when I walk into a room and speak PEACE, the people in that room also can choose to be at peace with me.
Luke 10:5-9 The disciples are told to speak peace to a house when they enter, and if they are going to promote peace, the peace will remain. Sometimes we will be sent to preach Peace and good news, and after we depart, the persons we spoke to will decide they don’t really care about being at peace with God (and his ways). If that is the case, we can still be at peace, and they will continue to be in war and conflict.
So, let’s do a re-cap. Your Shoes are Peace. We want to reconcile men to Christ and cause them to be at peace with him (and his ways) just like we are. Satan doesn’t want peace, he wants war. When we declare peace, we are crushing satan under our feet.
Righteousness is our breast plate, (Ephesians 6). We are saved by Grace, The Lord gives us HIS Righteousness and wants us to walk in the spirit, becoming more and more like him. Whoever walks after the Spirit of God WILL become more like Jesus (and reflect his righteousness). If you see someone calling themselves a Christian, and you never see any fruit, growth or changes in their life, something is wrong.
Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, teachers and Evangelists are sent into our life to build us up and strengthen us, even to the point of helping us remember to “Put on” the armor of God (so we can stand against the wiles of the evil one).
Those offices should not conflict with each other but complement each other. The Apostle may be talking about strengthening your breastplate of righteousness. The pastor might be reminding you of your Helmet of Salvation.
The Prophet may be helping you sharpen your sword. The teacher helps you flesh out the whole truth, in a passage of scripture. The Evangelist, reminding you how to be at peace with God (and men, if it’s possible). You take up your shield of Faith, and when the devil tells you to be in conflict over all of it, tell HIM to get gone! Amen -Laura Grace
The Body of Christ: Complement VS Conflict: Introduction
This topic has been a long time coming, and the Lord finally asked me to address it, after a week of obeying his spirit and asking him to “Fill me with righteousness.”
That turn-around came from a very sticky situation, with a family member being falsely accused, unjustly punished, and a whole lot of injustice going on, and I became extremely angry about it. And in the process of being angry, I found myself less and less at peace.
I found comfort talking to a friend recently, who is a born again, spirit-filled Christian, but said a situation containing much injustice, nearly drove her off the edge, at one time in her walk with the Lord.
Trust me when I say, this injustice is huge. And yet, God is telling me to rest in his Peace.
My friend and I both laughed about God “getting on our cases” that this kind of anger does not produce the righteousness of God. I will address this more in the Part 1 and Part 2 of this message (Forthcoming).
I’ve experienced conflict (in my own heart and mind) over many things my brothers and sisters in Christ have said through the years. My son is a pastor, I raised him, and yet, he and I don’t always see eye to eye. My husband has marks of a prophet and the gift of help, and I often have found myself in conflict with him, as well. Have you ever been in conflict over “different viewpoints?” If so, why?
Recently, I got upset at someone who I really do admire, all because she seemed to be contradicting me when she was talking about God’s will being done. I was not at peace though, and I knew it was not of God. And this may seem silly to you, but I was focused on how God told me to pray, and her input seemed contradictory to the direction the Holy Spirit was giving me. I felt like one of us had to be right and one had to be wrong. And as usual, now that God has straightened me out, I feel pretty silly about it all.
Anyway, the conflict was the last straw for me, and I decided to really press in and ask God what he thinks about all this ‘conflict.” What he showed me was rather amazing, and at the same time, I got corrected by him (once again) to notice what is pure, lovely and good report, versus finding fault with those who don’t agree with me on every single point.
We’ve all had those moments, one person may be led by the spirit of God to correct someone, while another may be led to show mercy. Still another might be led to pray for them extensively, and God may show someone else to be quiet and just set a good example. The Body of Christ is the Body of Christ. In other words: His Body!
Those who are not truly born again and acting like they are saved so they can mingle in and upset God’s apple cart, are an entirely different story.
It’s high time we start to see how God wants to bring unity and peace, highlighting the virtues in his people, versus tearing each other down. I was just so surprised at what he showed me. Truly, we have come into a time when if we know all mysteries, speak the tongues of angels, and have great revelatory knowledge, it all sounds like clanging cymbals in God’s ears if we have not LOVE For his people (the Body of Christ). Selah
Psalm 46:10 Be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted………”
I pray Father you use what you have given me to bless others, in Jesus’ name. amen.
It gets messy sometimes .How to pay the bills, believing for a miracle! I have a tire on my car right now that needs replaced, I wanted to travel, and can’t. Is it my fault?
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