Cottonwood Spring Retreat

Palette of a Woman’s Life

A life of Purpose, A Life of Persevering, A Life of Passion, A Life of Pressing On

March 4-5, 2011 Elegante Suites Hotel, Abilene

God created each of us to have a life that is rich, abundant, and full.

A life of Purpose: Presented by Libby Skaggs

Libby desires to chase after all that God has in store for her life. From mundane mommy moments to following God's call to third world countries, to advocating for orphans worldwide, Libby wants to live everyday with the purpose that God ordained for her life.

A life of Persevering : Presented by Melody Warmerdam

We know that James 1:2 states, “Consider it all joy whenever you face trials”, but we all wonder... How? Melody has learned to persevere in her walk with the Lord through years of infertility and loss. A life of perseverance will bring freedom and joy, even in the midst of pain.

A life of Passion: Presented by Katy Davis

The dictionary describes passion as any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, but what does God say about passion? Hear Katy as she shares her insight on the passionate life God is calling us to and how we all can choose a life of passion in obedience to God.

A life of Pressing On: Presented by Jeannette Maxwell

Jeannette believes that we should always live a life of pressing on, leaning forward, ready for whatever God has for us, never satisfied with life as it is today or held back by anything of the past. Be inspired to live, "forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, pressing on toward the goal.”

Times of celebration and worship in music led by Ashley White.

The retreat is a wonderful time to connect with other women of all ages and all walks of life, providing a great opportunity to make new friends. More than that, it is a time of true ministry from God’s word, and worship that will encourage and strengthen your faith. Be sure to invite your friends. We love having guests with us, and this is a relaxed time that anyone can enjoy.

Cost:

Discount if paid by Feb 01

4 per room: $60 per person

3 per room: $80 per person

2 per room: $100 per person

1 person in a room: $140

After Feb 01

4 per room: $70 per person

3 per room: $90 per person

2 per room: $110 per person

1 person $150

Price includes room, full hot breakfast, lunch, and all retreat expenses. Retreat price does not include supper Friday night. There are a number of good restaurants near the hotel.

In order to get the reduced rate, be sure to turn in the registration form with payment by February 1.

This retreat is a special time for the women to get away together, so we ask that you not bring your children, with the exception of very young nursing babies.

Girls at least 16 are invited to register.

You may check in at the hotel any time after 3pm on Friday, March 4. The First Session will begin at 7:00pm.

We will end around 4:00pm Saturday.

Bring your Bible and whatever you need to spend the night. Plan to dress for comfort.

This is a great hotel, with an indoor pool, hot tub, and fitness center. All rooms are suites, with refrigerators, microwave ovens, hair dryers, and extra sofa beds.

For information, contact Jeannette Maxwell 254-485-6539 maxwells2565@embarqmail.com

To register, complete the form and return it with payment: Mail to Jeannette Maxwell 273 CR 527, Dublin, TX 76446 or turn it in to church office, or put it in the box labeled “Ladies Retreat” on the buffet at church.

Make checks payable to Cottonwood, with notation, Ladies Retreat.

__________________________

Cottonwood Ladies Retreat 2011

Registration form

Name ___________________________

Address _________________________

Phone___________________________

Email____________________________

Number in room______________

Amount included $ ____________

Room-mate request (not required)

______________________________

Jesus Came to Reveal the Father

During the month of December, as I continued to contemplate and study about the reasons that Jesus came to earth, one wonderful reason for His coming was to reveal God to us, and to make the way for us to come into relationship with Him God the Father.  Before Jesus came, very few people knew God. Abraham and Moses were described as being friends of God. God said that He spoke to Moses face to face, personal and intimately. Those were the exception. In the Old Testament times, God was not easily accessible.

Jesus came to change that.

In Matthew 11:27, Jesus said, “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

John 14:7-11 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him."8 Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." 9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

John 15:15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.

Even more amazing is that Jesus came to make a way for us to come to the Father. 

Every religion has the goal of trying to get to God; through works, ceremony, sacrifice, rituals…they try to get to God by their own means. Jesus came and said, I will take you to God. I will make the way for you.

In John 14:6 Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.?

Do we know how much we need him? Have we become so used to the idea that God loves me and Jesus died for me that we have forgotten that we were hopeless and helpless without Him?

Paul describes our condition in Ephesians 2:1-4“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

Dead…following Satan and his ways…living in the passions of flesh…carrying out the desires of the body and mind…children of wrath…not a pretty picture. 

Isaiah 59:2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. 

Without Jesus we were dead, separated from God, living a life of futility, without hope. Jesus came and to change all of that. When He paid the penalty and took away our sins, He opened up the door, and said, “

Ephesians 2:18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

Rom 5:1-2 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Hebrews 10:19-22 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

SINCE we have confidence…SINCE we have a great high priest…LET US DRAW NEAR. Jesus has done it. We can come to God. We don’t have to grovel. We are not worms. We come with confidence, boldness, as dearly loved children.

I am reminded of pictures taken when John Kennedy was President. It is often said that the President of  the United States is the most powerful man in the world. That was probably more true in 1960 than   it is now. As President, Kennedy was surrounded by security. He was important. His time was very valuable. Not just anyone could get in to see him. If even another head of state wanted to see him, he would have to go through security points to get to him. But, there were 2 people who had easy access to President Kennedy, his young children Caroline and John. His children did not have to go through security. They were welcomed into his presence because they were his and he loved them. If you look at pictures taken during that time, there are many pictures of Kennedy sitting at his desk, with a small boy sitting next to him.

That is the picture I have in my head right now. God is (of course) the most powerful person in the universe. The Bible says that He dwells in inapproachable light. Yet, we have access to Him. We are His children and He loves us. So, let’s enter in. Come into His presence with confidence and joy!

Christmas Confusion

I love Christmas.  However, I am confused about Christmas.
I love going to Christmas programs. Last Sunday, I watched two of my grandchildren perform in a children’s Christmas musical in a church, which was so fun Friday, I watched Lexi, our kindergartener sing in her school program. (You should hear a bunch of 5 year olds sing Feliz Navidad. “Falee Navida, Falee Navida, Falee da du dum num falee nevah”…VERY cute.)We also went to Gateway Church to see their wonderful presentation of a very Christian version of A Christmas Carol.Our Women’s Night of Worship was very moving and sweet. I love all the Christmas programs.

And, I like Christmas movies, even the ones about Santa Claus. I like Christmas movies about a grumpy old man who learns how to love and be happy because a sweet little girl with cancer reaches out to him, or something like that.

I like Christmas lights, and Christmas trees, and Christmas packages…One of our favorite traditions is looking at Christmas lights in the richest areas of Ft. Worth.

I really like buying Christmas presents for the grandchildren and then watching them open them when the family gets together.I LOVE the special time to get together with my family.

Now, the part that confuses me.
I don’t quite understand why we feel pressure to buy things that we cannot afford. A single mom with very little money feels horrible if she cannot put a tree in her living room and decorate it. An unemployed father gets an ulcer from worrying because he cannot buy his son a bicycle. Why is it necessary to do these things at this certain time? You understand what I’m saying.

I get emails that I am supposed to boycott certain stores because their employees have to say, “happy holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas”. People tell me that we should remember that “Jesus is the reason for the season”. Really?
I love Jesus, and I am very glad that we have a time set aside to celebrate His birth. Still, we don’t know when Jesus was born. Jesus told us a lot of things to do, but He never told us to celebrate his birthday. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying we SHOULDN’T do it, I’m just wondering.

Another thing, why do lonely people feel so extra lonely during this month? That is pretty sad.  This is a time when we are supposed to be extra happy because Jesus came to bring peace on earth and good will to men. People who are depressed tend to sink into deeper depression, addicts struggle a little more with their addictions, the suicide rate is higher than at any other time.Stress levels are higher than usual.

I get letters and phone calls constantly asking for money for different organizations wanting to help someone have a better Christmas. What about the rest of the year? Nursing homes are bombarded with groups who want to sing Christmas Carols or bring cards, groups that don’t think about nursing home residents any other time.

I am not a grinch, and I don’t go around saying, “Bah, humbug.” I am just sorting my thoughts.
Sunday, we will have a special Christmas service at Cottonwood. The children are going to sing, and the service will be centered around the birth of Jesus. That is the part of Christmas that I love. I love that we do have a month when there is some extra attention given to the God who came as a baby “to save his people from their sins”.

Jesus came to give us LIFE

I am still pondering the reasons that Jesus came. After looking at the fact that Jesus came to “save his people from their sins,  (you can read that post from last week if you want to) my mind immediately went to what Jesus said in John 10:10 “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly”.

When Jesus said that He came to give us life, He used the Greek word “zoe” which means life as a principle, the essence of life, the life of God, life that is eternal, indestructible, divine.

Jesus was not promising just a better human life. He was offering to give us the very life of God, the eternal, indestructable, incorreuptble, divine life.

This is the life that is in God Himself.

John 5: 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.

John 1:4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

We get the Divine life when we come to Jesus

John 5:39-40 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Jesus does not just promise that we will live forever, but that we will receive the life that is eternal

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This is life that is like nothing we have had before.

Rom 6:4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

Paul said 2 Cor 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. We are a new creation, new to this world, new like nothing that has existed before. New creation does not mean just a new person. We are new in a sense that we are no longer just human, but we are now human with the life of God inside.

This zoe life is active within us

John 6:35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

Rom 5:10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

Rom 8:11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

A Dream from God?

I can’t say for sure when God speaks in a dream and when it is just an active subconscious imagination, but I do believe that sometimes He does speak to me in dreams.

Last night I had a dream that just might have been from God. I was having a kind of nightmare. In my dream, a kind of homeless man was trying to kill another homeless man. The bad man was laying on top of the good man, with a rock between their stomachs, pressing the rock into the stomach of the man on the bottom. (Of course that was not truly life threatening, but it was a dream, ok). Other homeless men were shouting for the bad man to stop hurting the good man, and finally pulled him off. The good man got up and began to try to get away. The bad man picked up a rock and began to shout after him, threatening to hit him or throw the rock at him. He just continued to pick up rocks and threaten, and the good man kept walking and trying to find a way out. The dream felt like a nightmare, and when I woke up, I felt afraid.

When I was fully awake and thinking clearly, I realized that the dream was really not scary at all. It was rather funny the way the bad man picked up a rock and threatened but never actually did anything.

Now, for the reason I think that God was showing me something. I have been keenly aware lately that we are in a battle. The dream reminded me that Satan uses threats, fears, and accusations. He has no real power.

One area of attack lately has been Celebrate Recovery. We have had computer problems, a plumbing leak that caused a flood in the auditorium, illnesses, misunderstandings; just a lot of problems. God has been faithful and we are not discouraged, but, still we recognize that things have not been easy lately.

Then, this Thursday night, a young man gave his heart to Christ. He became a follower of Jesus! Proof that Satan can’t stop the work that God is doing.

Why Jesus Came

 

Several weeks ago, I began to ponder this question, thinking it would be a good thing to study during the Christmas season. I picked up my Bible and began in Matthew, and just jotted down statements that explained reasons for Jesus coming. The first one I found was in Matt. 1.

Matt 1:18-22

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."

There are many reasons given in the Bible for Jesus coming, but the very first one mentioned is that he will save his people from their sins.

God always planned to come and save us.

Isa 35:3-6  Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. 4 Say to those who have an anxious heart, "Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you." 5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.

Zech 9:16 On that day the Lord their God will save them, as the flock of his people; for like the jewels of a crown they shall shine on his land.

I especially like that verse, because it says that we will be like jewels that shine on his land!

Then Jesus came to save us from our sins

From the guilt of sin by his death,

John 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

Gal 1:3-4 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

1 Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

Ps 103:12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

Isa 38:16-17  O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these is the life of my spirit. Oh restore me to health and make me live! 17 Behold, it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness; but in love you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back.

He also saves us from the bondage of sin

John 8:34-37  Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Rom 7:15-8:3  I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. 8 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

PRAISE GOD!  He has set us free…free from guilt, declared us not guilty! Because of His death, I am free from the condemnation that my sin would bring.  

AND free from the trap. As Paul said, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Because of His life inside of me, I am free from the cycle of sin that held me.

Mary’s Prayer

On Sunday night, we had a beautiful time of worship with the Cottonwood Women. We enjoyed wonderful music led by a group of college women, worship expressed through painting and through dance. I cannot express how meaningful and moving the evening was.

As part of the worship, I had asked a number of women to read Scriptures and other writings that proclaimed the wonder of the birth of Jesus. One of those was a reading of the following piece written by Max Lucado, entitled Mary’s Prayer.

God. O infant-God. Heaven’s fairest child. Conceived by the union of divine grace with our disgrace. Sleep well.

Sleep well. Bask in the coolness of this night bright with diamonds. Sleep well, for the heat of anger simmers nearby. Enjoy the silence of the crib, for the noise of confusion rumbles in your future. Savor the sweet safety of my arms, for a day is soon coming when I cannot protect you.

Rest well, tiny hands. For though you belong to a king, you will touch no satin, own no gold. You will grasp no pen, guide no brush. No, your tiny hands are reserved for works more precious:
      to touch a leper’s open wound,
      to wipe a widow’s weary tear,
      to claw the ground of Gethsemane.

Your hands, so tiny, so white—clutched tonight in an infant’s fist. They aren’t destined to hold a scepter nor wave from a palace balcony. They are reserved instead for a Roman spike that will staple them to a Roman cross.

Sleep deeply, tiny eyes. Sleep while you can. For soon the blurriness will clear and you will see the mess we have made of your world.

You will see our nakedness, for we cannot hide.

You will see our selfishness, for we cannot give.

You will see our pain, for we cannot heal.

O eyes that will see hell’s darkest pit and witness her ugly prince . . . sleep, please sleep; sleep while you can.

Lie still, tiny mouth. Lie still, mouth from which eternity will speak.

Tiny tongue that will soon summon the dead, that will define grace, that will silence our foolishness.

Rosebud lips—upon which ride a starborn kiss of forgiveness to those who believe you, and of death to those who deny you—lie still.

And tiny feet cupped in the palm of my hand, rest. For many difficult steps lie ahead for you.

Do you taste the dust of the trails you will travel?

Do you feel the cold seawater upon which you will walk?

Do you wrench at the invasion of the nail you will bear?

Do you fear the steep descent down the spiral staircase into Satan’s domain?

Rest, tiny feet. Rest today so that tomorrow you might walk with power. Rest. For millions will follow in your steps.

And little heart . . . holy heart . . . pumping the blood of life through the universe: How many times will we break you?

You’ll be torn by the thorns of our accusations.

You’ll be ravaged by the cancer of our sin.

You’ll be crushed under the weight of your own sorrow.

And you’ll be pierced by the spear of our rejection.

Yet in that piercing, in that ultimate ripping of muscle and membrane, in that final rush of blood and water, you will find rest. Your hands will be freed, your eyes will see justice, your lips will smile, and your feet will carry you home.

And there you’ll rest again this time in the embrace of your Father.

“God’s Word is True”

It is the day after Thanksgiving. It has been a long day, and I am feeling pretty introspective, just thinking about things.

I am thinking about Thanksgiving. I really like that we have a holiday that is specifically for expressing gratitude.

I am thinking about all the that I am thankful for.

I am thinking about something that I had the honor to witness recently. 

Last week, we had our annual Thanksgiving Dinner at Cottonwood.  Levi and Kasha Lewis were at the dinner, and had been asked to share a short testimony. Levi and Kasha are 30 years old, parents of a two year old son and infant daughter. Just 4 weeks ago, Levi went to the hospital with a severe headache and found out that he had a tumor, which tests showed was cancer. The tumor was removed, but further testing showed that the cancer was melanoma, and the doctors have said that the melanoma absolutely will come back. Everyone who has had melanoma in the brain has had it return. Levi is considering possible treatments, but the prognosis is bad. 

So, last week the whole church family was moved just to see Levi and Kasha walk to the stage.  Levi spoke with such courage and confidence about the great, amazing grace that he has experienced.  He is confident that God is fully in control.  Even when the circumstances seem hopeless, he is full of hope because his hope is in God.

As Kasha began to speak, she was a little shaky, seemed nervous, and trying to not cry. She shared that, as we come close to Thanksgiving, she was considering the things that she is thankful for. Every year, she is thankful for her family, her husband, and her beautiful children. This year, she is thankful for those things. Her voice grew stronger and she spoke with deeper conviction as she said, “This year, what I am really, really thankful for, is that God’s word is true. God’s word is true.” As this young woman faces a trial that none of us is prepared to face, she is holding firm to the fact that God’s word is true. She continued with great strength and conviction, “God’s will is perfect. God’s will is perfect.” GOD’S WORD IS TRUE. GOD’S WILL IS PERFECT.

So, as I have prepared for a big Thanksgiving feast with my big family, as I cleaned house and cooked turkey and ham, as I visited with my parents, children, grandchildren, siblings, and so on, as I cleaned up after the dinner, and now as I still am thinking about all that Thanksgiving means, I am rejoicing in the fact that God’s word is true, and , no matter what I see, I can be sure and confident that God’s will is perfect.

Fighting Human Trafficking; here and there

HERE

This Sunday, at Cottonwood, we are planning a special day to find out how we can help fight human trafficking in simple ways, every day, right here at home.

In America, we are able to purchase goods at extremely low prices. One reason for this is that we import goods that are very cheap. The sad thing is that many times, we unknowingly are buying goods that are made by slaves; yes, men, women, and children who are slaves; who are paid nothing for doing very hard work in incredibly difficult and unsafe conditions. Or, maybe they are paid, but they are paid only pennies a day for long hours of labor. We abhor the thought of exploiting people who have no hope of a decent life. Yet, we often have no idea what to do about it.

On Sunday, November 21, at Cottonwood, we will have a Fair Trade Meal, serving only food that is grown using fair labor practices. After the meal, a speaker will share practical ways that we can purchase every day items that are guaranteed to be produced or manufactured by people who are paid a fair wage for their work. We will get more information on Co-operatives such are Fair Trade, Equal Exchange, and Trade as One which work to

• Employ the poor with dignified work and a living wage       
• Eliminate abuse and slavery
• Eliminate child labor
• End dependency and poverty

THERE

My daughter Katy is right now in Greece, with a group of women serving with the  A21 Campaign, which helps to fight sex trafficking of girls and women in Europe. They work to rescue the victims, and provide a safe, loving, and comforting environment, access to medical care and psychological assessment, vocational training, assistance in university education, life guidance/counseling, and access to legal assistance.

Katy’s husband heard from her this evening. The group has arrived in Thessaloniki, Greece.She said a woman was rescued from the red light district and taken to their shelter while they were eating dinner. Praise God!

Orphan Sunday

This is not original. I took this from my daughter Libby’s blog. Most of you know her, many have already read this post, but it is worth reposting. She is one very committed advocate for the orphan. I hope you enjoy her post about “Orphan Sunday”.

Somewhere between 147-163 million orphaned children around the world including

500,000 children in the US living in foster care

with 120,000 of those children legally available for adoption
Just reading the numbers makes you numb.  Can you really even comprehend those statistics?

Mike and I have traveled to several countries.  Just between the 2 of us we've seen first hand rows of orphaned babies in a nursery in Korea

63 children with 2 adult caregivers living in a concrete orphanage in Haiti,

orphans in Puerto Rico

orphans in Costa Rica

orphans in Nassau

orphans in Nicarauga

orphans in Jamaica

watched and prayed as our beautiful neice went from being a foster child to a forever child of my sister and her husband......we

know the reality of orphans! 
You know, there is a very interesting few verses in the Old Testament.  God had set up a way for the Isrealites to take care of the needy.
Deuteronomy 24:19-22
When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. 20 When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. 21 When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. 22 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I command you to do this.
I wonder, what if we all followed this principal today?  What if every person who claims they are a follower of Jesus Christ didn't go back over their harvest and glean?  What if they always saved the surplus from their jobs for the poor, the orphan and the widow? BUT, here is the reality.....we don't have a dime to spare do we?  We spend every bit we make on US.  Not only do we spend every bit we make, but we overspend and charge beyond what we make(believe me, I'm preaching to myself here, we don't have any left either!!!).  We can't care for the poor, the fatherless, and the widow because our cars, houses, over fed bellies, and giant inflatable Santas riding Harleys in the front yard at Christmas
cost so much.  Have mercy on us Father God.  We are consumed with ourselves.  Forgive us!
I'd truly love to hear from some of you about what your church and/or orphans ministry did for Orphan Sunday.  Leave a comment or email me.

Celebrate Recovery is Messy

Celebrate Recovery is an unusual kind of ministry. We reach out to people who are the most in need of help. We focus on people with addictions, depression, anger, relationship problems, chronic illness, stress and anxiety, grief, insecurities, fears… In Celebrate Recovery, we try to be real. We try to not hide our faults and our fears. We encourage people to open up and share their struggles. 

We believe that it is path to healing and freedom. The problem? The problem is that healing and freedom don’t always come fast or easy. People make progress, then sometimes they stumble, and they may fall. Hopefully, they get up and try it again. Just about every day, I get a phone call or email concerning a minor emergency or “situation”. I don’t feel equipped to handle all the things that come up. I have never experienced a lot of the things that the C.R. family has had to deal with. I don’t have any training in recovery programs.

At Cottonwood, we just felt that God lead us to start Celebrate Recovery, so we did. Now, after a year, we truly celebrate the great things that God has done. It is messy, but that is not bad. I have taken care of my home for many years. The worse messes we ever have around the house is when we are making some major improvements. When we have remodeled, we have had to live with messes for a number of weeks. When I see the mess and I feel frustrated, I have to remind myself that the final result will be worth it, and it is.

Celebrate Recovery is a wonderfully messy ministry, and the mess is worth it.

Danger in Mexico; God at Work

We all know that Mexico is a dangerous place right now. In 2007, the new president declared war on the drug traffickers. Since that time, close to 30,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence in Mexico. The United States State Department has warned against travel to Mexico because of the dangerous conditions.

A few weeks ago, my dear friend Carolyn told us that she was planning a trip to Durango, Mexico. Carolyn and her husband spent 47 years serving in Mexico and she planned a trip to visit friends there. She was warned of the dangers, but was not concerned, flew to Durango, and came home safely this Sunday.

Today, I was thrilled to get the report on conditions in Durango. Carolyn said that it was, indeed, dangerous. Army and police personnel were everywhere, and the people are very cautious. In the midst of the danger and turmoil, God is bringing revival. Carolyn said that in the 47 years she was there, she never saw people coming to Christ in numbers like they are right now.

Carolyn visited a friend in prison, who introduced her to many “brothers” who have come to faith. She met an inmate who is acting as the pastor, who shepherds the believers and leads times of worship and prayer meetings several times every week. They even have a building that has been designated for their use. While visiting, Carolyn participated in sharing the gospel with an inmate. She told him that he could be free, even while living behind bars, and he chose to give his life to Christ.

A few weeks ago,Ministers from the U.S.  held a series of meetings in a stadium with over 10,000 people attending each of 4 nights, with the full support of the local government. Many Christians in Mexico are beginning to come out into the open with their faith. Lawyers, doctors, government officials, and prominent businessmen participated in the crusade.  Their boldness brought encouragement to the Christian community and interest from non believers. Everywhere Carolyn went, she was able to speak to people about her faith. People were open and willing to listen.

Carolyn was beside herself with excitement as she told us that God is at work in Mexico. The darkness and fear have caused people to turn to God like never before.

Choosing Joy in Trials

James 1:2-7

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

I heard some great teaching last weekend from James McDonald at the True Woman Conference in Ft Worth. I don’t want to repeat the things that James taught, but I have been thinking about what I heard and want to just share my thoughts. The verses listed are from the New Living Translation, which I chose specifically because of the wording, “consider it an opportunity for great joy”. The word “consider” is from the Greek word that actually means “command, to lead, count, esteem, judge, or rule”. 

What this tells me is that troubles will come. We all have problems, no way around that. When I have troubles or trials, I am to make the definite decision, make the command, the rule that I will think of it as an opportunity for joy. A choice I am to  make, but with a good reason, because of what the trials are going to do. 

The original word translated troubles actually means “putting to proof by experiment”.  James (the writer of the letter) goes on to say, “when your faith is tested”. So, the trials that we have put our faith to the test. Most of us don’t like tests, but we know they serve a purpose. A test in school shows the student what they learned and where they need to improve. So, we can have an appreciation for our problems because they show us how our faith is.

James continues by saying, “ when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.”  Endurance is from the Greek word “hupomone” which means “abiding under.” 

Verse 4 says, “So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. “ Endurance is the first step in becoming perfect and complete. All the christian virtues begin with endurance. We have to learn to stay put so that God can do the work He needs to do.

When I have problems, I can choose to kick and scream, gripe and complain, try to run away or squirm to get out of it. But, I can make another choice. I can choose to take the grace that God offers and go through the trial with peace and joy. 

This week, as I have dealt with the little trials that come in normal daily life, I have thought about this. I have said, “Lord, I know that this little problem is helping me get to the goal of being like you. I choose to think of it as an opportunity. I am learning to stay under the circumstances that you have allowed in my life so that I can learn what I need to learn. This trial is speeding up the process and I am going to become more like you today!”

Yes We Can, because He is Able

God has planned for us a life of freedom, a life that is rich, full, and abundant; a life that is special. He has promised us a deep peace and joy that is indescribable; also much more. God has planned this for us, and He has promised that He will do it. The question that we have is, “How do we get there?” We will get there because God is Able to do it. 

Heb 7:25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. Jude 24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, Phil 4:13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

I can do ALL things. I can live in freedom. I can be free from addictions, from anger, from moodiness, from neediness, from depression, from low self esteem, from fear and worry…I can do it, through the God who gives me strength.

Rom 8:37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.

God loves us, He is for us, He is able, He gives us strength so that we can do all things, and we can conquer overwhelmingly. We can live in victory. Still wondering how?

1 John 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith.

The key to victory is faith. We overcome by faith.

Eph 1:19 speaks of “the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.”

The word for power here is dunameoos. What does that word sound like to you? Yes, it is the word that we used to form the word dynamite. That is a good way to remember the power of God that is within us, it is a power like dynamite; explosive power that breaks up hard rocks and makes a path where there was only a barrier. We have that kind of power. That power is to us who believe.

Do you believe?

Do you believe that you have the great power of God?

Do you believe that God has promised that you can be free, that you can have a life that is rich and full, that you can have a deep peace in your soul, that you can have a joy that is beyond description that does not depend on your circumstances? Do you believe that God does what He says He will do?

Recently, our television died. We knew it was coming, it was having problems. We can live without TV, but because we show a DVD at Bible study on Monday nights at our house, we need to have a TV that works. So, on Tuesday, I bought a TV and brought it home. Les looked at the instruction booklet and was frustrated. I called the satellite co. I was frustrated. We decided that the new TV would not work with the old satellite box. I decided to upgrade our satellite service so it would work with the new TV, but that would not happen for a week. We gave up and watched “Dancing with the Stars” on the tiny old TV in the guest room.

Wednesday, I decided that I would at least hook the TV up to the DVD player. When the TV turned on, I saw a button on the screen that said “TV”, which I had not seen before. I hooked the cables up and punched that button, and IT WORKED. Really, Tuesday night we had everything we needed to make the TV work. We just decided that we did not have everything we needed and we gave up. We had this big nice TV sitting in the living room not hooked up because we did not believe we had what we needed to make it work. So often, that is what we do in many areas. We decide that we don’t have what we need to make changes. We think, I don’t have the patience, the strength, the power, the endurance, the diligence…I don’t have what it takes. Then, we just give up. Nothing is going to happen until we realize that WE DO have everything we need.

Yes you can!!!

God has great plans for us, plans for abundant life, indescribable joy, peace beyond understanding, and complete freedom. Can we live that kind of life?

YES, WE CAN. We can do it, because God is able. Paul said that our God is able to do superabundantly all that we ask or think, according to the power that is at work within us. God is able. What does it mean to be able? He has the capability to do a work in us. He has the tools, the power, the wisdom, the knowledge…He has everything that it takes. Our part is to believe. I am not asking you to believe in yourself, or in some vague “power of the universe” I am asking you to believe in the God who is able. You have to put your faith in the right person.

My friend Jose is able to fix cars and trucks. He has the tools, the wisdom, and the strength to do it. If I have a car that needs to be fixed, I am not going to ask Les to fix it, because he doesn’t have the tools, the wisdom, or the strength to do it. I have to ask the right person.

God is able to do what we need. God is able to do a work that is exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. He is able to do even more than we have the nerve to ask. He is able to do even more than we can imagine. We can because God can, and He is at work within us.

Phil 1:6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

God is able. God is at work. God will complete the work. He does not plan to do a partial work in us. If you have come to believe in Jesus, and have put your faith in Him and given your life to Him, then He has begun a work in you. He doesn’t stop. You may stop your progress for a time, but He does not stop. He does not give up. God never says, “You know what, this is harder than I thought it would be. I did not know she was going to be this stubborn. This is just too hard, I give up.” NO. We do that. God does not. He will never give up. He has the power, the ability, and the determination to do His great work in us.

What is the work that He is doing?

2 Cor 3:17-18 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

We are being transformed into the image of Christ. Think for a minute; what will it look like to be transformed into the image of Christ? I think John nailed it when he said we don’t know exactly what that will look like. He said “we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him.”

We are being transformed, changed, to look like Jesus. That is a big change, and we cannot fully grasp what it will look like.

I used to want to become my friend Jean. Jean is the sweetest person in the world. I know I don’t know everyone in the world, but I am sure there is no one sweeter than she is. So, that is the image I had in my mind that I wanted to be. I wanted to be transformed to be like Jean. That is not what God has in mind for me. He is transforming me into a person who reflects Christ. I will still be me, but more free, more whole. Paul speaks in Galatians about the work that the Spirit of God does, and what it looks like; (Gal 5:22)love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; So, when I am transformed, I will still be me; I will be enthusiastic, zealous, passionate, laughing, fun-loving; but with the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control;

Imagine the you you are, the you you were born to be, but whole, free; without fear, anger, hurt, worry, depression, bitterness, moodiness, addictions, lust, temper…That is what God has planned for you, and He is more than able to do it!

Radical Faith

I have mentioned a few times the book Radical, by David Platt. It is a profound, life altering book. I wish I could make it required reading, but I can’t. I do want to share another short passage from the book. Maybe that will make someone interested enough to read it. I am starting in the middle of a thought, but I think it is easy enough to catch.

We are giving in to the dangerous temptation to take the Jesus of the Bible and twist him into a version of Jesus we are more comfortable with.

A nice, middle-class, American Jesus. A Jesus who doesn’t mind materialism and who would never call us to give away everything we have. A Jesus who would not expect us to forsake our closest relationships so that he receives all our affection. A Jesus who is fine with nominal devotion that does not infringe on our comforts, because, after all, he loves us just the way we are. A Jesus who wants us to be balanced, who wants us to avoid dangerous extremes, and who, for that matter, wants us to avoid danger altogether. A Jesus who brings us comfort and prosperity as we live out our Christian spin on the American dream.

But do you and I realize what we are doing at this point? We are molding Jesus into our image. He is beginning to look a lot like us because, after all, that is whom we are most comfortable with. And the danger now is that when we gather in our church buildings to sing and lift up our hands in worship, we may not actually be worshiping the Jesus of the Bible. Instead we may be worshiping ourselves.

Radical

I am reading the  book Radical, by David Platt for the third time. It is a book that everyone should read, one that is guaranteed to shake you up. It will inspire, ignite passion, or possibly offend.

I have been anxious to blog about the book, but have not been sure where to start. I am putting in a short quote that maybe will get someone to thinking.

I am convinced that we as Christ followers in American churches have embraced values and ideas that are not only unbiblical but that actually contradict the gospel we claim to believe. And I am convinced we have a choice.

You and I can choose to continue with business as usual in the Christian life and in the church as a whole, enjoying success based on the standards defined by the culture around us. Or we can take an honest look at the Jesus of the Bible and dare to ask what the consequences might be if we really believed him and really obeyed him.

I invite you to join the journey with me. I do not claim to have all the answers. If anything, I have more questions than answers. But if Jesus is who he said he is, and if his promises are as rewarding as the Bible claims they are, then we may discover that satisfaction in our lives and success in the church are not found in what our culture deems most important but in radical abandonment to Jesus.

The Principle of “Buoyancy”

Les and I were sitting on the porch swing this morning talking about how we can know when God is telling us to do something, and he reminded me of a really good illustration. When God speaks to you about something, it has buoyancy, it keeps coming up.

Years ago, when we lived in Ft. Worth, we decided that we were supposed to move to Stephenville. We were in the middle of making plans to do that when we discovered I was pregnant with our fourth child. For some reason, that seemed to mean we were not supposed to move, so we decided not to.  However, after several weeks, we began to think about making the move again. We decided that God still wanted us to move, so we again began to make plans, which included trying to sell our house. The house did not sell,  so we again put our plans on hold.  Again, we began to feel that we were supposed to move. We rented our house to a family who planned to buy it in 6 months, found a house to rent in Stephenville, and made the move, while I was 7 months pregnant.

There have been other times that I thought God spoke to me about something, but decided it was not from God. Sometimes, that was the end of it. But, at other times, the thought kept coming up. That’s what we mean by buoyant. It’s like a beach ball. Have you ever tried to hold a fully inflated beach ball under water. You can keep it down for a while, but eventually, it pops back up. It’s because it is buoyant.

When God speaks about something, you can push it down for a while, but it keeps coming back up.

Reckless Faith

I read a new book this week, passed along by a dear friend who knows me well (many thanks, Carolyn). Reckless Faith, by Beth Guckenberger is a compilation of stories from the authors experience ministering to orphans, mostly in Monterrey, Mexico. It is a wonderful, inspiring book that really touched my heart. I am quoting a page from the book where she defines what she calls “reckless faith”.

As a child I used to sing songs about the Refiner’s fires. The analogy is of silver and dross. As the fire heats the silver, the impurities come to the surface and are skimmed off, leaving the silver more and more refined. In the analogy, refined means “pure, and naturally I want the impurities of sin to come to the surface, so that my faith can be ever more pure. That kind of refinement is part of what the Holy Spirit draws us to with each conviction and subsequent confession.

But refined can also be defined as “cultivated” and “fastidious”. That kind of “refined faith” is the opposite of the reckless faith I’m writing about here. That sort of  “refined faith” is predictable and resistant to change; it pretends to know what God will do a hundred Sundays from now. It is most comfortable with rules, consequences, and baby steps. It likes control and people who agree. It fears what it can’t see. A truly reckless faith, however, always expects change, and as a result, it’s eager to risk more and fear less! A reckless faith knows there is more to the story, more we can’t see, more than I experience now. It is hungry.

Reckless faith always has one foot in eternity. It measures people by their actions and not their belongings. A reckless faith believes when there is no evidence and hurls itself at what is unseen but promised. A reckless faith isn’t “refined” in the least. It does not make sense to the world, and yet, the world often seems fascinated by it.

“Lots of Saving”

A few weeks ago, we had a Women’s Ministry Kick off event for the new fall session. As part of the event, I gave out papers with a few questions to use as ice breakers for  small discussion groups, defined by little stickers on our name tags.  Among all the women, there was one young girl, about 10 years old. She was charming and was totally comfortable mixing with the ladies, and participated in the group discussion.

Today, I ran across some of the papers that we had used that night. I was delighted by the child’s answer to the last question:

5. Is there anything that you would like to see added to Women’s Ministry; an activity, study, or event?

“lots of Saving”

What a great thing to want. I hope that we are able to add “lots of saving” to our Women’s Ministry activities.

Our Church Soccer Team, “Los Leones De Dublin"

Cottonwood has a sort of “accidental” soccer team.

A couple of years ago, I was with a few women after Bible study, talking about all the land the church owns, land we bought to build on, but have not used. We thought it would be great to put in softball fields, soccer fields, picnic tables, things to make the vacant land useful. We got very excited about it, and I shared with the rest of the staff the idea. Since Scott and Chance were planning a soccer camp for the kids, they went to work creating a soccer field, which they used a few weeks later.

That is really all that happened with the land. Eventually, we noticed a group of Hispanic men playing soccer on the field a few times. They were members of a local team, using our field for practice. Someone spoke to the men and told them that we were happy to have the field used and they were welcome to practice there any time. A few weeks later, the men asked if our field could be their home field, to play games on regularly. With that, they became our soccer team. Their shirts have “Cottonwood” on the front.

The team plays in other small towns in the area, and continue to use our field as their home team. Last year, the team won second place, and gave the giant trophy to the church. Well, today, the team was invited to come to church, where they were introduced. We clapped and cheered for them, and we prayed for them. They stayed for the worship service, using our headphones for Spanish translation, since most of them do not speak English. It was good to have them with us. I hope that they felt welcome and at home with us. 

Ladies Bible Study

WOO HOO Ladies Bible studies start next week. Monday night at my house, Tuesday morning at Cottonwood.

Kay Arthur, Beth Moore, and Priscilla Shirer together; three generations of ladies Bible study teachers. I was in Kay Arthur studies in the 1980’s, have done all of Beth Moore studies, and I love Priscilla Shirer. I watched the first DVD today, and it was FABULOUS. One key quote from Kay Arthur, “If you have time for ANYTHING, and you don’t have time for God’s Word, then you need to rearrange your priorities.

So, if you are reading this, and you live anywhere near Stephenville, Dublin, or Deleon, try to join us.

10 Things I love about Ladies Bible Study

1. I like the discipline. I have something specific to study every day.
2. I enjoy new insight. Every study we do brings new insight and understanding of the word.
3. I truly love to be with the other women.
4. We always laugh and have a good time.
5. Being in Bible Study with other women builds our relationships.
6. I know that time I spend studying the Bible with an open heart and mind helps me to become more like Jesus.
7. The other women in the study always have great new things to share.
8. Every study draws me into new experiences with God.
9. The more I learn about the Bible, the more hunger I have to learn.
10. The Bible is God's love letter, and I love Him more when I study it.

Just one of Those Nights

Sometimes things just don’t seem to gel. Tonight, something just seemed to be a little “off”. We have Celebrate Recovery every Thursday night. Almost every week, it is wonderful. We have had over 50 people for the past several weeks. The atmosphere is charged. We have great music. There is a sense of family.

Tonight was not the same. First, we had a smaller number. Several people who are there every week were not there tonight. There were no new people there, and we have at least one new person almost every week. The music seemed a little off. The praise team had some personal problems they had to deal with. The congregation was not as enthusiastic as usual. There seemed to be a lot of distractions going on when I was teaching. During small group time, I ran into two young girls running around unsupervised and had to send them back to the child care area.  We DID have plenty of food for refreshment time, so that was one good thing.

I felt like it was just a night when things seemed to not go right. When we finally headed home, a woman who was with us began to tell us how much the night had meant to her, that God had really spoken to her through the lesson. God had been telling her to let go of some things, and when I spoke about yielding to God in our daily lives, she realized that she has to yield to God in these certain areas. She shared how she has failed in the last weeks, but that without Celebrate Recovery, she would still be lost in a world of severe drug addiction, with no hope for sobriety or a better life. C.R. has brought her into a relationship with God, has given her hope, and has helped her to make some great changes in her life.

You know, one person touched is all I can ask for. So the night was not what I had hoped for, or expected. It was not the glorious, joyful time that we usually have. God is still at work. AMEN

God’s Great Mercy

Psalm 119:156 Great are Your mercies, O Lord; The psalmist here is praising God for His great mercies. The Hebrew word used for mercy is rechem, which was originally the word for womb. That is interesting, that the Hebrews used their word for womb to express the characteristic of mercy.

I have heard that “Mercy is when we do not receive what we deserve (punishment), grace is when we receive what we don’t deserve (blessings of any kind). That always made sense to me, but it does not fit with the word “womb”.

When I did a search on the word mercy, I noticed that in the New Testament, it was used often by people who cried out to Jesus, “Lord, have mercy.” When they cried out, it wasn’t because Jesus was about to hit them and they had to cry for mercy to not be punished. They cried out for mercy because they were in need.

I read where blind men begged for mercy. (Matt 9:27-31; 20:29-34, Luke 18:35-39). Lepers pled for mercy to be healed (Luke 17:11-19) and parents asked for mercy for children who were demonized (Matt 17:14-16, Matt 15:22)

In every one of these instances, Jesus met their needs. He did not just refuse to punish them, much more, He took care of them. The actions of Jesus seem to reflect the meaning of that Hebrew word for mercy, or womb.

The same Hebrew word rechem,  is often translated compassion, as in Neh 9:19 You, in Your great compassion, Did not forsake them in the wilderness;     and                                                                                                               Neh 9:27 But when they cried to You in the time of their distress, You heard from heaven, and according to Your great compassion

Jesus is often said to have been moved with compassion.                 

Matt 14:14                                                                                                                            Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
Matt 15:32-37                                                                                                             And Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, " I feel compassion for the people, because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way."  33 The disciples said to Him, "Where would we get so many loaves in this desolate place to satisfy such a large crowd?" 34 And Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" And they said, "Seven, and a few small fish." 35 And He directed the people to sit down on the ground; 36 and He took the seven loaves and the fish; and giving thanks, He broke them and started giving them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 37 And they all ate and were satisfied,
Matt 20:33-34
They said to Him, "Lord, we want our eyes to be opened." 34 Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.
Mark 6:34-35
34 When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.

In each of these instances, Jesus was moved with compassion, or mercy, not just to rescue the people from punishment, but to meet whatever the need was. He healed some, fed some, taught some.  By God’s mercy, I am not only saved from the penalty of my sin, but I am lifted to a place where God is meeting all of my needs.

Single Moms Spa Day

Last Sunday, we had our annual spa day for single moms, with free hair cuts,

    facials,

 

manicures  

and pedicures,  

plus activities for the children,

and refreshments.

We served 43 precious women who needed some love and pampering. We did serve them, visited with them, and prayed with some. We were blessed.

What amazes me is the volunteers that give their Sunday afternoon to do this. They serve with smiles, and are eager to do the same thing next year.

What a WEEK!

I realize that I have not posted this week. It has been quite a week.
We now have two sisters living with us. Natie is 17, moved in 2 weeks ago tonight. Last Saturday, Les and Natie drove to west Texas to pick up her 15 year old sister, Jolee.I am so glad that they are with us. We have had a lot of people stay with us through the years, Les says it has been over 100 people. Some for a week while waiting on a house to be ready, several college students who lived with us for a year, a few single mothers with their children, three foreign exchange students... We have just always felt that our house is God's house, and He has brought a lot of people to share it.
We have been blessed by all those that God has brought to our home. We have relationships with people that are eternal. When you have people living in your home, you become close, you make special memories and share special moments. Also, when you have people living in your home, you can't become angry and just decide not to be friends anymore. You are exposed. You see your selfishness, pride, pettiness, bad temper, moodiness, everything that you want to hide. So, here we are, becoming temporary parents to two precious teenage girls...a new adventure.

Safe in His Arms

Right now, we have a 17 year old girl living with us, a very sweet girl who needed a place to live. She moved in on Friday and we enjoying getting to know her. Last night, she told us about a 15 year old girl who is in a worse situation than she was in, and needs a home.

A 15 year old is not the same as a 17 year old High School senior. A 15 year old is a long term commitment. A 15 year old will need parenting. She may need rules, discipline, training, a lot of love and encouragement, a lot of time. We did say that we would be open to having her come and live with us.

This morning I was up early. As I prayed for the 15 year old, I felt that we could not turn away from her. I know there are thousands of young teenage girls around who are in difficult or dangerous situations. When I hear about one, I usually feel helpless because there is nothing I can do. This time, I can do something. When my husband got up, I asked him if he had thought about the girl. He said no, but that a new song that he is working on for Celebrate Recovery kept playing in his mind, and he felt that it was because of her. The song speaks of being safe in the arms of Jesus.

In the Bible, James says that if someone is in need of food or clothing we cannot just tell them to “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,"
(James 2:16). We have to actually do something to help.

How can we tell someone that they will be safe in the arms of Jesus and not reach out. We are the arms of Jesus. So, we have made the offer to provide a home and a family for the 15 year old girl. It has not worked out yet, we are waiting to find out if she will be allowed to come.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWJrV6dN7zA&feature=related

Safe

To the one who's dreams are falling all apart
And all you're left with is a tired and broken heart
I can tell by your eyes you think you're on your own
But you're not all alone
Have you heard of the One
Who can calm the raging sea
Give sight to the blind
Pull the lame up to their feet
With a love so strong He'll never let You go
Oh you are not alone

You will be safe in His arms
You will be safe in His arms
The hands that hold the world
Are holding Your heart
This is the promise He made
He will be with You always
When everything is falling apart
You will be safe in His arms

Did you know
That the voice that brings the dead to life
Is the very same voice that calls you now to rise
Hear Him now He's calling you home
You will never be alone
These are the hands that built the mountains
The hands that calm the sea
These are the arms that hold the heavens
They are holding you and me
These are hands that heal the leper
Pull the lame up to their feet
These are the arms that were nailed to a cross
To break our chains and set us free

CCLI Song No. 5653241

Murder and Mayhem

I finished reading the Bible book of Judges yesterday. It is a HARD book to read, with murder, rape, torture, war, rebellion, and treachery.  In the book of Judges, even the heroes are bad. Remember Samson? He was a judge, which would be a ruler of Israel, but he was immoral, had no respect for God, for God’s law, even no respect for his own gift of miraculous strength.  Gideon lived out a great story of God’s deliverance, but then made an idol which the people worshipped. These seem to be pretty big “character flaws”. The last story of the book is the one that I hate the most. A man is travelling with his concubine and spends the night in someone’s home. The men of the city come to the home and demand that the guest be handed over so that they can rape him. This is exactly what happened in Sodom and God destroyed it. Anyway, the man pushes his concubine out and the men rape her all night, and she dies. I don’t know what disturbs me more about this, the horrible inhuman treatment of the woman, or the total lack of care by the man. It is really disturbing. The whole book is so full of bad things, I don’t even know what I have to say about it all. I don’t watch movies about this kind of stuff!

I guess the final verse of the book sums it all up.                                            Judges 21:25  In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
Where there is no king, and every one does what he thinks is right, the end result is bad, sometimes really bad. 

BUT, there is something good about this book. God never turns his back on his people, a people that can be rebellious, proud, arrogant, immoral, ugly, mean, uncaring…wow, God is really kind and loving and really merciful.

A lesson on peace

Today’s sermon touched on the story of Peter in prison, in Acts 12. Herod began to persecute the Christians, and had the apostle James killed. Since that made the Jews happy, he arrested Peter during the Feast of unleavened bread and put him in prison, under the guard of 4 squads of soldiers, planning to kill him after Passover.

Acts 12:6-10  The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate. 7 Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, "Quick! Get up!" And the chains fell off his wrists. 8 Then the angel told him, "Get dressed and put on your sandals." And he did. "Now put on your coat and follow me," the angel ordered.  9 So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn't realize it was actually happening. 10 They passed the first and second guard posts and came to the iron gate leading to the city, and this opened for them all by itself. So they passed through and started walking down the street, and then the angel suddenly left him.

Peter was about to go on trial. This would not be a long trial. He would stand before Herod who would find him guilty and sentence him to death, with the sentence being carried out immediately. Peter has no reason to believe that the outcome would be anything else. Herod had killed James already. Peter would be the next martyr.  So, the last night that Peter would live, while he is chained between two soldiers, he lays down and goes to sleep. This is pretty remarkable. How does someone lay down and go to sleep the night before he is going to be killed? Maybe he had the same attitude that Paul had.

Phil 1:21-23  For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22  But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean  fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. 23 But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better;

Maybe Peter laid down, thinking, “Tomorrow may be the day that I get to be face to face with Jesus”, and he just fell asleep. That’s peace.

When there is no answer

Yesterday was a sad day. My daughter found out the baby she was carrying was not going to ever be born, that there was no heartbeat. This baby was a surprise. They have one biological son and three children who are adopted. At this point in life, they did not think they would or could have another biological child. Libby had plans; plans for mission trips and ministry; plans for family trips; not plans for another baby. There were a lot of reasons that a baby at this time in life was not a good idea. But, way above all those things was the overwhelming joy and excitement that God had seen fit to perform a miracle.

As a grandmother, I was not at all concerned about any of the hard things, I was just excited and happy about a new grandchild, and thrilled that God was working in this way.

Right now, I am a little sad, but not very much. My emotions are usually delayed.  I don’t have an emotional reaction right away. At this point, my head knows that this is sad news, but the news has not reached my heart yet.

Mostly, I am confused. God came in and did something wonderful. He created a life in a miraculous way. We rejoiced and praised Him. Now, that life is gone. The baby is in heaven with Jesus, without ever living here with us.  Why did God do that? I have no answer to that question. I am even hesitant to write what is in my heart right now, because it might sound trite. “The Lord  gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."  Job 1:21

I have no answers to the big WHY, but, I know that God is good, and,  for now, that is enough.

Single Mom’s Spa Day

On Sunday, August 29, Cottonwood Women’s Ministry will host our 5th annual Spa Day for single mothers. This is one of our favorite events every year.

 

We provide a free hair cut and style,

  manicure,  pedicure,

massage, and facial for every single mom who signs up. We serve wonderful refreshments beautifully arranged.

While the single mom’s are treated like princesses, volunteers take care of their children.

  I love this time. I am not good at doing many of the services, so I usually “float”… help wash hair, do a couple of pedicures, but mostly just help the women get from place to place, help serve refreshments, and visit. While I do those things, I hear conversations. A volunteer will be sitting on the floor rubbing lotion on a mom’s feet and just visiting with her, asking questions, showing concern. Another volunteer will be cutting a mom’s hair, working very hard to make it just like she wants it. Another volunteer is going around taking punch to women who are having pedicures, visiting with each one as she does.  We usually have about 15 volunteers, just pouring out love on some weary women. We have had up to 40 single mom’s , some of them lonely and feeling rejected. Many hurting and struggling. None of them would have spent the money to have a special “spa day”.  Every one of them are thrilled and moved by what we are doing. Every one of them feel special and loved, and that is what the day is for.

The call to fight

I finished reading the book of Joshua last week, and one thing I noticed was that the people did a lot of fighting.  God immediately told Joshua that He would give the Israelites the land He had promised, and that Joshua would lead them.

Josh 1:1-4 , 9  After the death of Moses the Lord's servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' assistant. He said, 2 "Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. 3 I promise you what I promised Moses: 'Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you—9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

But God did not say it would be easy.

Remember Jericho? When we think about the battle of Jericho, we usually remember that the Israelite army marched around the city every day for 7 days, then blew their horns and shouted and the walls came down. That is right, but, that just gave the warriors the opportunity to fight.

Chapter 8 tells the story of the defeat of Ai. According to God’s plan, Joshua sent a portion of the army to sneak around behind the city. Joshua led an attack on the city, then pulled away in retreat and drew the army to follow them. The Israelite army in hiding went into the city and set it on fie, then all the army joined in defeating Ai. That battle was won by military strategy.

In chapter 10, the Israelites fought against an alliance of several kings in the south. The battle was going so well that Joshua prayed that the sun would stand still so that they could complete the victory.  As the enemy ran away, God sent hail that killed more than the fighting did. The story continues as Joshua leads his army to defeat the enemy in the North, the East, and the West.  Even after Joshua died, the fighting continued. God promised the land to the Israelites. He promised them victory over all of their enemies, and He helped them with strategy, with strength, even with miracles, but the army still had to fight.

I was impressed by this because I realize that I have a battle to fight. God has promised me victory.

Rom 8:37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
1 Cor 15:57  But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 John 5:4-5  For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. 5 And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

Like Joshua, I have that promise of victory, but God says that I still have to fight. I cannot sit back and wait for God to do it all. God is SO faithful to do what He promised, but He tells me to do my part.

1 Tim 6:12  Fight the good fight of faith;
2 Tim 2:3-5 Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 Soldiers don't get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them.
1 Peter 5:8-9  Be of sober spirit,  be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9  But resist him, firm in your faith,

One person's impact

As I read in Joshua this morning, I was so impressed with the sad story of Achan.
Joshua chapter 6 recounts the wonderful story of the Israelites miraculous defeat of the city of Jericho. The people were instructed to utterly destroy everything in the city; every person, every animal, every item. Only silver, gold, and bronze would be saved, and those things would all be given to the Lord's treasury.
When the wall of Jericho tumbled, the warriors went in and destroyed the city, killing everyone but Rahab's family. But Achan saw some things that he wanted. He took them and hid them in his tent.
The next town the Israelites were to attack was Ai, a tiny village that would be easy to defeat.
Joshua 7:4 "So approximately 3,000 warriors were sent, but they were soundly defeated. The men of Ai 5 chased the Israelites from the town gate as far as the quarries, and they killed about thirty-six who were retreating down the slope. The Israelites were paralyzed with fear at this turn of events, and their courage melted away."
Joshua went before God in desperation, and eventually, God led him to Achan, who admitted that while fighting in Jericho, he saw a beautiful robe imported from Babylon, two hundred silver coins, and a bar of gold weighing more than a pound. "I wanted them so much that I took them" was his explanation. After finding the stolen items hidden in his tent, the leaders took them, along with Achan, his sons, his daughters, cattle, donkeys, sheep, tent, and everything he had. All of the Israelites stoned Achan and his family, then burned their bodies and all of his belongings.
This story really sobers me, as I begin to consider how much my actions may have on my family, and on God's people. Look at all the negative impact Achan's action had.
1. His sin brought defeat to the Israelites.
2. His sin caused the death of 36 innocent warriors.
3. His sin caused the people to be afraid, to lose faith in God.
4. His sin brought shame to the Lord. After He had done so many great things for the Israelites, brought them so far, given them a great victory over Jericho, now He deserted them. Because of Achan, God looked either weak or unfaithful to the nations.
5. His sin brought death to his sons and daughters.

When I see something that I want, and I am tempted, I want to remember that my sin will have serious consequences, not only for me, but for the people that I love.