Lies Women Believe Mini-Ladies Retreat

Ladies,
I am so excited about an event being planned by our women's Bible study group.

Northland Community Church located at 9105 E. Fouch Road, Traverse City, will hold a mini-women's retreat on

• Saturday, March 13th from 9:00am-11:30 a.m.

• The event will include a presentation of the videos from the book Lies Women Believe by Nancy Leigh Demoss, snacks, testimonies from women who have just completed the Lies Women Believe Bible study, books available for just $5 and free childcare.
  

• Please RSVP to 932-7980 or from the "contact us" link on our website, www.northlandcommunity.org for childcare and to plan for food.
  

• Women who bring a friend will be entered into a drawing to win the book, Lies Women Believe and the Companion Guide.

• Contact Penny Cole @932-7980 for more information.
  

Doing Battle with My Lions

Since the onset of my "lion chasing," God has taken me through thoughts and emotions that I don't often like to visit. After some rough events in my personal life, Jesus has shown me some baggage that i've been carrying around and, thanks to His grace, He is stripping it away and revealing new life in me. During the past month, i've come closer than ever before to having a nervous breakdown. Sure, I wanted to blame it on a damaged personal relationship, but I see now that the process God has begun in me really has nothing to do with the person at the other end of this conflict.

In fact, God used a blow to my family as a wake up call to me. I was forced to ask myself questions like, Is God really in control? Does He really want what's best for me? Would God really want me to have to go through this? To tolerate this hurt in my life? The answer to all of it is, Yes. God does care, he is in control, he does have a perfect plan for my life. But in my little tiny existence, that was beginning to center on me, I had forgotten something very important. God uses trials in our lives to shape our character. I had become selfish, prideful and unforgiving, to name a few. Jesus has lovingly shown me that I cannot please everyone, nor can I do everything that needs to be done. He has given me rest for my soul during this crazy busy time in my life, as a Pastor's wife, Mother of four, and college teacher.

I will continue to chase the lions God puts in my path. It turns out that my own sinfulness was the first lion I had to chase down into a pit and put to death. I am crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. I can't say it's a comfortable time in my life, but I can say that God is actively at work in my heart and life and i'd rather have that any day.

Becoming a Lion Chaser

I'm reading a book by Mark Batterson called, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day. The book is based on 2 Samuel 20-21 about Benaiah, who later became the captain of King David's guard. Included in his short resume is the line, "Another time he chased a lion down into a pit. Then, despite the slippery ground, he caught the lion and killed it."(Batterson 9-10) The author goes on to describe what a crazy and terrifying experience this must have been for Benaiah, and also the absurdity of his chasing the lion in the first place, considering the high probability of death. The application for you and I is brilliant, though. Batterson explains how the biggest, most ferocious lions in our lives can also be the best opportunities given to us by God. But we each have a choice to make. Will we be courageous like Benaiah, take the risk, and experience the life change that God desires for us, or will we shrink from risk just to stay comfortable?

I, for one, am tired of being comfortable. I am ready to chase whatever lion God has for me. For the past two years God's hand has been heavy upon me to discover why I am here. I have long known about my inherent worth in God's sight, but I still struggled to find meaning in the things I do, such as having a family, education, work, and ministry. Dr. Katie Brazelton's book, Praying for Purpose and the accompanying Prayer Journey have been instrumental in my discovery of God's unique purpose for my life. I cannot help but proclaim that God can be trusted, and my main audience is women of varying spiritual stages. My desire is for women to know their full worth in Jesus Christ and to scale whatever wall stands before them so that they might behold the beauty of their unique footprint on this earth for the glory of God.

Today I had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Brazelton about becoming a Life Coach through Life Purpose Coaching Centers International. God has brought me here and I choose to chase my lion. I will never know what God has in store for me if I do not move forward in obedience to Him. He has proved to me over and over that He can be trusted and though the ground may get slippery, I know Jesus will direct my steps.

Answered Prayers

After I finished my Master's degree last summer I wondered about what I would do to scratch the itch I have for learning. I had applied for many different jobs, not entirely sure that I wanted one, with no replies. Then one day, I got a call from a college an hour away wanting me to teach some English classes. I decided to give it a shot. After all, it was only a 10 week commitment if I ended up hating it. I began teaching in September and I am still at it nearly five months later. Teaching has been extremely demanding, but so rewarding as well. One of my biggest challenges has been managing my time between family, work, and the ministries i'm involved in. This continues to be a challenge, but I feel like i'm getting the hang of it. I have stayed home with my four great kids for the past seven years and I have always asked myself if I would ever use my education outside the home. I always said it would be okay if I didn't, but I have to admit to always having that itch. Now that my itch is getting scratched regularly, I see it as an answer to prayer. The God who made me to be this way provided me with this opportunity at just the right time. About one month after I began working, my husband, who is a bi vocational pastor, was let go from his additional job as a result of the failing economy. We were already receiving additional income before we even knew we would need it. God is good. We can never see the fullness of His plans, but I continue to learn over and over that I can trust Him with my life. In the words of a Christian Author, He gives us, "just enough light for the step we're on."

Back into the Routine

All summer I had this nagging feeling that it would be so nice to get "back into the routine" with the kids when fall finally came. We are now into the third week of school and I'm kicking myself for wishing summer away. I have a second grader and a Kindergartener this year, as well as a preschooler and a toddler. The break I'd been waiting for all summer is proving to be a little over-rated with two busy little fellas still at home. On that first full day of school when I whisked my girls onto the bus and headed back inside I thought, "I've got the whole day to get the house back in order, make dinner, do some church business, get the laundry done, plant some plants and be Super Mom to my little boys!" You may think I am delusional, but this was actually my expectation. I know, I know, totally unrealistic right? Well, I think I did manage to get the dishes done between cleaning up spilled milk in the dining room and a half-a-bag of cereal dumped and crunched in the living room. The boys had a nap and I was able to get a few quiet moments in with Jesus; something that proved especially hard during those summer months. So I'm figuring out that our family is, once again, in transition. We anticipate the changing seasons of life so much and then find ourselves floundering when they finally come knocking on the door. That first week of school I really didn't know if this "getting up early" thing was going to work. But today, Sweet Monday!, I am finally able to sit down and write. My dishes are done, the kitchen is clean, I've done and processed two loads of laundry and my sweet little friends are napping! Life is good. I feel like I'm getting back into the routine. I like predictability. I thrive on routines and when I don't have one I not only waste an incredible amount of time, but I am much less effective as a Wife, Mom and Friend. I am so thankful for the changing rhythms of life that keep things interesting. Summer was great. We went to the beach more than I ever have and had one terrific garden. My kids got to play with other children in the neighborhood and we pretty much let each day take us where it would. I am glad fall is here, and school and routines. But I am not going to wish for Thanksgiving or Christmas or Spring or Summer too soon. I am going to enjoy each structured day to the fullest extent and rest in the fact that I don't have to do this routine forever!

Through the Eyes of a Child

With four small kids at home I find myself often feeling guilty for one thing or another. It could be that they don't brush their teeth every day or that some days we don't play outside because i'm just too tired (or is it lazy?). Some days it's because we eat cereal for dinner or that the TV is on all day. Lately I've really felt like my spiritual-training has been lacking with my kids. I find myself hurrying through bedtime prayers and then wonder why they don't feel like praying, or just do the "stock prayer." My girls ages 5 and 7 have been telling me lately that they don't know what to say to God and that He never answers them when they talk to Him. I always try to point out answered prayer but they are really looking for an audible voice right now. So I decided that my oldest daughter should have quiet time while I did my Bible study. A few minutes into it she was asking me questions about a story she didn't like. We read the story in its entirety from my Bible (hers is still abbreviated stories) and talked a lot about it (It happened to be Samson's story in Judges 12 and on). I even consulted a few of my Pastor-husband's resources to find out more information. Pretty soon Kenya asked if she could go play in her room and I said okay. When it was all over I found myself wanting to read on and get more information from the commentary I had consulted. My wheels were really turning and I suddenly thought, Wow! This is the best Bible study I've done in a long time! I learned so much more from going through the story slowly and carefully with my daughter and answering her many questions than the way I usually just hurry through my Bible reading without a whole lot of thought or contemplation. I'm sure I was probably more blessed from the whole thing than Kenya was. It was just such a refreshing way of reading and studying through the eyes of a child. I want to pursue more of these times like this with all my kids. But for now, I'm just doing the best I can.

Hope For A Hopeless World

One of our friends from church passed away suddenly on Saturday night. Her battle with cancer was short; only six months or so. It seems like every time I turn around someone has cancer or some other tragedy happens. The world can seem so dark, so hopeless. We do live in a damaged world where evil sometimes seems to reign. But I'm thankful that God is in control even when things seem out of control. I don't know the reference off hand, but there is a verse in the Bible which says that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him. He does have a good plan for each of us, but I've learned that good doesn't always mean easy. When I choose to do what God asks of me, I always see His power at work. The thing is, the stakes continue to get higher. For our friend, they were very high. But she remained faithful to her Lord until the end and she is with Him now. I would have loved to see the look on her face when Jesus said to her, "Well done good and faithful servant." When you trust Christ with your life your place in heaven is secure, whether death comes sooner or later. We just never know when our time will come or someone close to us. This is why I feel so strongly about sharing my faith with people, but especially those I love. The Bible says that there is one way to heaven and that is through a relationship with Jesus. Friends, if you haven't trusted Him yet, please don't wait. We are all dying, it is only a matter of time. And I am so glad that this broken world is not all we have. The place Jesus is preparing for us is perfect beyond our imaginations. I'm thankful that my friend's struggle is over and that she has reached the place she prepared for her whole life. My prayer is for peace and comfort to the loved ones she left behind today and in the days to come.