Mother, Grandmother, Speaker, Author, Poet, and now retired Cardiology Nurse Practitioner, I am Effie Darlene Barba. My greatest desire is to share with you the Joy in Christ. I pray His Joy will hold you steady and firm through any trial or circumstance you might face.

MY PASSIONS AND MISSION:

My passion is to seek and savor Christ so that His Joy and Love might be displayed. It is with a vulnerable honesty that I share with you my hopes, my dreams, my joys. However that includes I also share my scars, my failures and my frailties.  I have stumbled and fallen many times along this road. But, each time I have gotten back up. Not by my own might. However it was with the help of my Gracious Heavenly Father. Because of Jesus Christ, who covered me with His Righteousness. God never left me there wallowing in the mud I had jumped myself into.

MY BIOGRAPHY:

I was born and raised in Dexter, Missouri on a little farm. There, I actually paddled behind the ducks in the mud puddles.  Guess, I always ran toward the mud. Perhaps why God called me at such a young age of 5. I cannot tell you how a five year old understood the depth of my sin. Nor how I knew He was the only hope to save me. But it was the preaching of Theodore Epp and Dr. MR Dehaan on the radio that guided me to know the blood of Christ was my only hope of salvation.  

I wish I could tell you that the Christian life is easy and comes without any thorns and thistles. But, that would be a lie.  My life has had more that it’s share of thorns; yet, God has been faithful. Even when I was not. My journey included divorce, failures, abuse and cancer. I was widowed at age 39 and faced cancer at age 42 as a single mother. So, often, I failed God and believed He would give up. But instead, God remained faithful. I faced many surgeries for which my body is broken. Yet, through it all I came to realize that Jesus Christ is and always was my number 1 love. Therefore, I learned through it all.

Step by step, He has even used my failures to guide me to a closer walk with Him.

God Saves, God Sustains, and God is the Source of Our Ultimate Sanctification

My God is an awesome God of Love who will move heaven and earth to teach me of His Joy.  In Him, I found a Joy that fills my life to the overflowing; because, He is love.  Safe, secure in His arms of Grace; I have nothing to fear. Regardless of the perils I face in this life.  God has provided Grace upon Grace to this pilgrim along her journey here. He demonstrated His love in the midst of great trials and great valleys.  I do not deserve His Unconditional Love; but, He has provided it every step of the way, anyway.

He blessed me by allowing me to work with the Veterans Administration. There as a Cardiology NP Provider I met the most incredible men and women. No where could I have met such noble, brave, gracious people as the Veterans are.

Ah, but now I am retired and living in Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico. Went back there because there are the last memories of Pete before he died in 1994. I am near his family. I do some volunteer work here for the social medicine in my city. Also, I volunteer to teach English in two Baptist churches here. Also, living with my sister-in-law to help with whatever she needs. I feel that currently I am in the center of where God wants me to be for now. Need to update my pictures as well.

Books I Have Written Due to God’s Grace Overflowing

My Books Regarding Life and God’s Guidance to Mature include. Abiding, Steadfast Joy. Song of A Butterfly.  A Broken and Contrite Heart. Mountaintop Experiences in the Valley.   And Ultimate Inspiration God’s Plan of Love. 

Some are Expositions of Various Books of the Bible. These include: When Injustice and Violence Reign. Jonah, The Pursuing Love and Grace of God. And When God Commanded Build that Wall A Study in the Book of Nehemiah

My poetry books include: Soaring Above the Storms Volume 1 , Soaring Above the Storms Volume 2 ,Song of A Butterfly and   Mercies and Exhortations-A Book of Poems.

Additionally, I have three published songs which include: The Master Weaver, When I First Came to Know Him, and Lord Let Me See Me Through Your Eyes.

An Interview

I had the privilege of being interviewed by Evangelist Cherisse Stephens at Atlanta Live and would like to share that interview with you below.

MY FAMILY:

I have three beautiful children, two stepsons, and eight grandchildren.

These are a few pictures of my beautiful family.  I have truly been blessed by God

That was then and this is now: My time flies

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:

God is a God of great joy. Because of my passion for spreading God’s joy to the world, I would love to arrange a time that I might be a guest speaker for your organization. What I can guarantee you is a passionate love of God which will inspire your congregation, your hospital, or your company. Please go to my Speaker’s page for more information

God alone can fill our hearts with love, joy and hope overflowing like a fountain for all who thirst to come and be filled.

POETRY:

Another passion of mine is writing poetry. Sometimes they were as though God’s answer to my pain, sorrow or failures. His love so magnificent.

TO GOD-MY LOVE, MY HOPE, MY JOY** 

  

My life-so filled with hopes and dreams 

Lay shattered at Your feet 

So many tears, so many pains 

I laid before Your seat 

  

Can I look upon Your face of love 

And question what You’ve done? 

For You have been my only hope 

My only morning sun 

  

You’ve seen my heart when crushed with pain 

Your hands have held it tight 

When I have been so weak, so frail 

You’ve shown Your strength, Your might 

  

You’ve held me close within Your arms 

When darkness filled my night 

And when I could not see my way 

Your eyes, they gave me sight 

  

I lay my life within Your hands 

That You may heal my soul 

And keep my eyes upon You Lord 

That I may reach Your goal 

  

Shine forth Your grace, Your mercy Lord 

And let me be Your light 

That all may see Your eyes of love 

The blind, they might have sight 

  

Let not the sorrows, nor the pains 

Bring bitterness within 

And give me strength to walk this path 

Protect my heart from sin 

  

I lay my heart, my soul, my dreams 

Before Your throne of love 

I lift my eyes to You, My God 

And seek Your will above 

  

You are the only one I need 

To fill my heart with glee 

It is Your face, my one true love 

Tis all I need to see 

  

So lift me up and hold me close 

Reveal Your love divine 

That through the holes within my heart 

A world might see You shine 

  

And if the sorrows of my past 

Can touch a wayward one 

I thank you Lord for each dark path 

That lead them to Your son 

  

I praise You now from mountains high 

For each dark path I’ve trod 

Twas there I found Your heart, Your love 

Twas there I found You God 

  

What great and wondrous joy I know 

Because You are my king 

And though the path I cannot see 

My heart will trust and sing 

WHEN I CAME TO THE END OF ME**** 

  

Many times, I strayed so far from you 

Then wondered what I was to do 

I tried so hard, my might, to do your will 

I could not see I should stand still 

  

What could I do? Bring you a gift? 

The harder I tried, the farther I’d drift 

I reached that point, reality 

I’d broke your heart! Yet, You still loved me! 

  

CHORUS:   

When I didn’t have the strength 

You still stood strong 

When my heart filled with tears 

You were my joy song 

You are the love, 

You are the peace, 

 You are the life that flows in me 

When I didn’t have a hope 

At the end of my life’s rope 

When I couldn’t find my way 

You came to save this wandering stray 

  

And now I know a different me 

It is your love that set me free 

That in this world I now might see 

All that you are, your majesty 

When I came to the end of me 

My love for You, Your love for me 

  

CHORUS:   

When I didn’t have the strength 

You still stood strong 

When my heart was filled with tears 

You were my joy song 

You are the love, 

You are the peace, 

 You are the life that flows in me 

When I didn’t have a hope 

At the end of my life’s rope 

And I couldn’t find my way 

You came to save this wandering stray 

Effie Darlene Barba

 Let me share with you this poem I wrote, inspired by the Veteran’s I was privileged to meet.

A Soldier Wounded

A Soldier wounded in the fight
Oh Lord I need your strength, Your might
I need to go, a place to hide
That draws me closer to Your side

This battle Lord has knocked me down
Until it’s hard to glimpse Your crown
With evil pushing all around
I dearly need Your solace found

That I might rise again to fight
With vision of that brilliant light
Of your great glory in the end
Oh that your love I might defend

Within this world, pain doth abound
I need your word my mind surround
Until I cannot hear their voice
So I might know what is your choice

Oh Lord, I lay my sword tonight
And pray for strength tomorrow’s light
That I might stand once more for you
With Christ’s dear love my only view

So hold me tight within your arms
And keep me safe from all that harm
My tears may fall against your chest
As I recall in You I rest.

by Effie Darlene Barba

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