Lately I have been looking at Ecclesiastes 3 as a gift.
Might sound funny, but unapologetically I have been liberated to be who I am because of this wonderful chapter in the Bible.
I see the Lord handing it to me with a big silver bow in a lovely box, excited to see how I am going to react to it.
I used to feel guilt at how I responded to things…. Love, Sadness, Death, Anger etc…
So this chapter, coupled with my studying King David in 2 Samuel and 1 Kings has allowed me to become liberated.
No longer ashamed of my feelings, I embrace them as I do other things that God has created.I ask Him to reveal truth where I am mislead or need to be softened or corrected, but now see it as a way to know our Father even more deeply.

“I am Fearfully and wonderfully made” Psalm 139:14

As long as I strive to remain teachable and allow God to refine me, I accept this mantel and all it has for me.

As Joan of Arc said so beautifully, “I am not afraid, I was born to do this”.

Ecclesiastes 3

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

+Thank you Lord for giving us such a wonderful book that lacks nothing for direction in our  life. Please continue to reveal more and more to us through the study of your word, worship and fellowship.+

As believers, most of us go through seasons of testing in our walk with Christ. The Bible tells us we will have trials and tribulations in this lifetime. (Yep, I can attest first-hand to that.) The good news is that in these trials we can rest in the knowledge that our Lord is always with us and watching over us.

Even though I know this to be true, the last few months of trials have been particularly difficult and finds me asking, are you still there God? You haven’t moved have you?

In the onslaught of problems with kids and their assorted car breakdowns, finances, relationships, work issues and health issues to name a few, I feel as though I’m about to buckle under the barrage of attacks.

Through it all, I’ve questioned whether God is  walking beside me or merely watching from a distance. Some days I feel His presence more than others and I hate that in my human fleshly weakness I feel fear and doubt His presence in my life.

For five years I lived in the shadow of the highest peak in North America – Mt. McKinley or Denali as it’s also known. Even though Denali is over 200 miles from Anchorage where I lived, occasionally we’d take a drive outside the city and get a glimpse of the majesty of the 20,000 plus foot peak.

The four days I spent camping on the tundra in the park practically at the foot of the mountain, Denali was shrouded in low hanging clouds the entire time. It was rather disappointing to be that close to the highest peak on the continent and still not see it. It was only as we drove farther from the mountain that we were able to get a really good look at it.

In the midst of my latest trials I can’t shake this feeling that God is a lot like that mountain. Even though I KNOW He’s there shrouded in mystery, I can’t seem to get a good look at Him. I’m praying diligently for specific answers to life’s problems, but I can’t clearly see God at work.

The harder I look for answers, the more clouded things become. Perhaps this is God’s way of telling me that I can’t fix things on my own and I need to step back and let Him take care of things. When I finally do relinquish my control, I see  God is there working on my behalf.

God rarely answers our prayers the way we would like. Through life’s trials I am learning to look to Him and trust that even though I can’t always see Him clearly, that doesn’t mean He isn’t there. More importantly what I perceive as mountainous problems, in God’s hands are merely mole hills. I’ve only to look up to see where my help comes from.

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.  Psalm 121:1-2 (NIV)

Blessings in Christ,
Kathy
www.kathleenkurlin.com

“Oh, girls, just wanna have fu-un!” went the song by Cindy Lauper, back when she was famous for her raspy voice and young punk looks, instead of her appearances in The Apprentice.

You could say that Cindy was right; girls do want to have fun. But we want a lot more.

We love “girlie” things, even if we are not. We love manicures and pedicures, to have our hair washed and our back massaged; we love bling, magazines, sparkly makeup, love stories, fun shoes and cute but comfy clothes.

Sure we wanna have fun, but we also long for deeper things, like friendship, meaning, love, purpose, hope, and encouragement.

Last year, our Evening Bible Study conducted a survey to determine what the women in our church (and generation) wanted most out it.

The participants in this survey identified the following three as their main areas of need:

1. Relationship with God
2. Friendship
3. Fun

These results, on one hand, solidified our mission statement: To help women connect with God and with others. On the other hand, our Planning Team was amazed by the high emphasis these ladies placed on the area of “fun.”

As our Team talked and thought this over, we realized that:

1. Most of the women that attend WE (the Women’s Evening Bible Study) are workingwomen – many of whom come straight from work to our meetings. Too tired and spent to put in another two hours of “work,” they come mostly looking for a place to relax, to enjoy time with God and with other women.

And, of course, the Team realized that,

2. Girls wanna have fun!

“Good for you, Ana,” you might say, “but I don’t even attend WE, so what does this have to do with me?”

I’m glad you asked.

This Friday, June 25, at 7 pm, Women’s Ministries will hold what has become a summer tradition: Our Girls’ Night Out. This is an evening of great fun and music, hysterical skits, tasty snacks, and a chance to meet and spend time with other women.

The event will take place in the Youth Auditorium. This year’s theme is The Fifties, so go dig in your closet (or your neighbor’s) for a Poodle skirt, your old skinny jeans and leather jacket, or whatever fun 50s attire you can find. Registration – if you haven’t done so – is $5 at the door. (You may follow this link to obtain more information:
http://vineyardnorthphoenix.com/story/682)

We hope to see you there!

Ana
http://anastinescorner.blogspot.com

Did you ever wish you had experienced the 1950’s?  (Penny loafers, rolled jeans, poodle skirts, Elvis, leather jackets?) 

 Have you been hoping for an event you can invite your “pre-Christian” friends to which will be fun?

 Well, here is your chance!

 June 25 is a date set aside for a “Girl’s Night Out.”  I don’t know about you, but every now and then, I am ready for some girl time.

 I wanted to “put a bug in your ear” so to speak, that this is a great opportunity to invite some sphere of your influence (be it your small group, friends, family or co-workers) to a fun night out for women.  This is a great opportunity to invite seekers as it is really a fun event.  I promise it will not be threatening and we won’t try to manipulate your friends to get saved or give a guilt trip to anyone about coming to church.  We want seekers to see that Christians can be really fun too!

 Please pray about either…

… inviting some of your friends from church to sit together (and then invite some more women to join you that night at your table),

…or ask some friends who don’t attend church to join you for a fun evening.

 Ask God it do exceedingly beyond what you can think with your invitations.

 It is my heart for this event to bridge the age gap and Girl’s Night Out is aimed from 6^th grade up to ……….well, the oldest women we can get to attend.  : )  My Grandmother is 101, but she lives in Missouri.  I wish she could come, but we advertised the event from 6^th grade to 100.  ; )

 It is also inexpensive!  Where else can you go for $3 in advance or $5 at the door for snacks and entertainment?  (No where I know of)  So, come and enjoy.  Get ready for some fun.

 For those of you who are really party animals, you can go out again with your friends after the event and stay out as late as you want.  (Or as late as your baby sitter will allow you)

 If you have questions, please ask.  Hope to see you there!

 Blessings,

Thora

It happened a few years ago, but I remember the day clearly.  It was Saturday and I woke up at 4 a.m.  No noise disturbed my sleep.  No dog licked my faced.  I just woke up. There was no prompting to do anything special, so I just got up and started my day early.  Around 2 p.m. I started to fade, and stopped to rest on the couch.  My son Robbie snuggled up next to me and we enjoyed a few moments together.

 To explain my exhaustion, I mentioned to Robbie how early I’d awakened. 

 “That’s weird, Mom,” Robbie said.  I woke up at 4 o’clock too.”

 “Why didn’t you come downstairs?” I asked.  “We could have spent the early morning together.”

 He got very still and silent, with an odd look on his face.  “I was afraid to get up,” he replied.  I looked fully at Robbie and asked what had frightened him.  “I thought I saw a man sitting in the chair beside my bed,” Robbie answered sheepishly, a little embarrassed in the daylight of what had scared him in the dark. 

 In a moment of divine revelation, and without a pause, I responded, “Robbie, I’m not surprised you saw someone sitting by your bed at night.  I’ve been praying for angels to protect you every day.  And since you were a baby, I’ve prayed for God to send His biggest, strongest angels to watch over you and your brothers.  Robbie, I think you got to see an angel this morning.” 

 Relief flooded his features and together we grinned in delight at what God had allowed Robbie to see.  Emboldened by my belief in his story and in God’s protection, Robbie proceeded to share another sighting on a different day – one that involved what looked like a man dressed in battle fatigues and on guard at the back window.  He told me he hadn’t said anything before because he thought people would make fun of him.

 I told Robbie that for generations, angels had scared almost everyone who saw them.  Who wouldn’t be afraid at someone appearing where he shouldn’t be?  Just look at the Christmas story.  Zechariah was “gripped with fear” when the angel Gabriel appeared to tell him he would be the father of John the Baptist – the prophet telling about Jesus.   Mary was told to “not be afraid” by the angel who told her she would bear a child. The shepherds were “terrified” when they saw an angel and heard of the birth of their Savior Jesus.

 In the Bible, angels seem to have many roles:  heavenly messengers, protectors and worshippers of God.  The Bible says they are created beings (Hebrews 7:7) and that we have probably seen and entertained angels without realizing it (Hebrews 13:2)  But the biblical description of angels that brings me the most personal comfort is that of protector. 

Psalm 91 speaks of God’s care for us in this manner, “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone” (Psalm 91: 11-12).

I was on a really bumpy plane ride a few years ago, and started praying.  In my spirit I “heard” God say, “She needs our help.”   I imagined Him assigning a few angels to flank our plane until it was safely landed. 

We live in a world filled with danger, and most of us know the pain of injury and loss.  And yet, the Bible tells us that God is already planning for our protection with His angels.  Seeing as how God has answered my prayers for angel protectors before, I’m planning on asking Him again.  You see, I’ve got five teenagers right now.  I need a miracle or two … or more.

Grace & Peace,

Glynnis Whitwer

www.GlynnisWhitwer.com

The buzz around the church campus for the last few weeks has been all about the Southwest Region Pastors Conference. From my personal perspective, the buzz didn’t even come close to how amazing the week was.

My husband and I volunteered to work in the kitchen during the week preparing and serving food to the conference attendees. It was an incredible event and an honor to be able to give a week in service to the Lord and the Vineyard.

Whether I was washing dishes or chopping vegetables for A Really Big Salad it was a privilege to be able to give back to the church that has blessed my family over the past seven years. Many of the volunteers who worked with us did as my husband did and took vacation from their regular jobs to help out during the conference.

Seriously … who does that? What normal person takes vacation days to volunteer for eight or nine hours a day at church for three days straight? I started thinking that my husband and I’d become what I’d feared most when I became born-again … religious fanatics!

What’s even weirder is many of the awesome people we worked shoulder-to-shoulder with each day, did as we did and came back to be part of the evening sessions. Good Lord – not only are we now serious Jesus freaks, but we’re spending all our free time with people just like us!

There came a point during the last evening session in the midst of praise and worship that can only be described as Beam me up, Scotty, I’m ready to go to Heaven and do this for the rest of eternity with my Jesus, that I thought life doesn’t get any better than this. Who cares if I’m a freak?

How lovely it would be if we could somehow be hermetically sealed inside the sanctuary and just sing praises to God until the Rapture occurs and never have to face the real world again. Wouldn’t it be grand if we could all simply check out and just do this forever?

The final conference speaker, Dave Workman, put things in perspective before the conference wrapped up. God never intended for us to simply hang out with people exactly like us — because it’s not all about us. We’re not supposed be inward focused – but Outward Focused. God expects us to take this great love we have for Him and share it with the lost.

I don’t know what others took away from their conference experience, but for me I want the lost to know what it’s like to be part of a church family like the one I have at VCFNP. I want the lost to know the power of the Holy Spirit that washes over you in praise and worship with gifted musicians, who radiate the joy of Christ when they’re using their gifts and talents to praise God. I want the lost to know that regardless of their past, God loves them.

For me, I took away the knowledge of knowing that I’m a full-blown fool for Christ and I don’t care who knows it. I’ll be a fool for Christ’s sake any day.  Who’s fool are you?

Blessings in Christ,
Kathy
www.kathleenkurlin.com

The passion in the young man’s voice almost moved me to tears.  “No man who’s come in contact with the Spirit of God can ever be the same.” I was touched by the excitement and conviction, as he read out loud a portion from Smith Wigglesworth’s classic devotional book. 

Joey read while I hastily fixed breakfast for him, my son and my other young guest.

My family, like several in our congregation, is hosting a couple of out-of-state guests who came to the Pastors and Leaders Conference that is being held this week at Vineyard Church of North Phoenix.

This morning, Joey sat on the breakfast table, opened up the well-worn book by Wigglesworth, and began to read.  I paused for a second, feeling a little sad.

That was me, I thought, 20 years ago.  Where has my passion gone?

I pictured myself as a young teenager and a new believer, on fire for God.  I had so many dreams and aspirations, so much I wanted to do for the Lord!  But here I was, two decades later, scrambling eggs and in a hurry, like I usually am.  Had to take the boys to church before 9 o’clock.  Had to throw a load of laundry in the washer.  Had to shake a leg, or I’d be late for work.

The old dreams are still there, but so are a pile of bills that need to be paid.

Don’t take me wrong; I haven’t stopped loving Jesus.  And by sheer grace, I’m still serving Him, but in a manner that’s nowhere near the way I once thought I would.  I wanted to do great things for God; I wanted to change the world.

And I still do, but my reality demands that much of my time and energy be devoted to menial tasks at home, countless hours driving my children from activity to activity, and a secular job that I love and I’m grateful for – but none of this is spectacular, highly spiritual or groundbreaking.  That’s for sure.

I managed to leave the house and drop the boys to church on time.  On my way to work I thought about all of this, and I prayed:

“Lord, you knew how much I wanted to serve You.  You knew I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives.  I am grateful for the way my life has turned out, but I can’t help wondering if I was supposed to do more.”

The sky didn’t open up filling the air with blinding light and loud organ music, nor did thunder split the freeway in two.  But I got my answer.

I started thinking about our culture’s idea of greatness.  We think that “successful” people are those who manage to accomplish “great” things.  And by “great”, we mean big and profitable and somehow illustrious or brilliant.

“You are making a difference,” my sweet Lord responded, “by being faithful with the things I’ve called you to accomplish.”

That’s all? 

Yes.  That’s all, and that’s it! 

I can do “great” things when I let God do His work through me – however small or insignificant it may seem.  If I do that, and you do that, and my husband does that, and so does everyone who calls Jesus Lord, we can definitely change the world!

Few of us will ever preach to the masses or hold a full-time position in ministry or work as missionaries in a different country.  But we can all do our part.  And our part can change people’s lives.

How many of you have been changed by a “regular” person’s kindness, prayers, or words of encouragement and wisdom?  How many of you came to know the Lord by a simple invitation to church or the testimony of a co-worker or a friend? 

I have.

So, as of this morning while commuting on the freeway, I’ve determined that never again will I underestimate the powerful work God can do through a life that is willing.  And I don’t ever want the world’s expectations or my own define greatness and the value of my ministry.

I must always remember what an honor it is to serve Jesus.  Even if I only get to do it in between scrambling eggs, loads of laundry, translating a document into Spanish or driving kids to and from football practice.

Working together for Him,

Ana

http://anastinescorner.blogspot.com/

Hello everyone!

This week is the conference here. I’m excited to see some friends I made earlier this year and even hang with friends I already have. As I was thinking about the conference I had a wonder. I have been in this church since I was 5 so I have seen all the growth that has taken place. I remember it being in the strip mall and the smelly salami place the junior high kids gathered. The little corner at 43rd and Olive to the “Field of Dreams” campaign when we were building the first few buildings at 63rd and Peoria. Now we have a beautiful HUGE building that is about to have an amazing conference in it!

Some days I miss the little buildings, with little gatherings. I get selfish and want to have my little crowd where I knew everyone. Over the years its been a little adjustment along the way, that may have been unnoticed, to what we have now and I think that if it happened all at once it would have been more of a shock. Having watched the growth over the years has been awesome, don’t get me wrong, I love our church. I think the Lord just had to “grow” me out of my “little” things into “big” things. (Luke 16:10a – Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much) I really like when the Lord teaches us things in the very “little” things.

As we prepare for the conference and even during it, some may be changed or touched a “little” at a time and some may be moved in a “big” way. Either way I’m excited!

In thinking about that passage in Luke 16 I am reminded of the verse in Matthew 6 - “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” I think if you are faithful in the “little” things you will be granted trust to take care of the “big” things. For me, this has been playing in my heart for a while now. The “little” thing of seeking His righteousness and His kingdom seems small but so valuable! We can’t expect “big” things to just happen, we have to prove we are ready to handle the “little” things.

In closing, I had to learn that things will always change. Things will grow, I can’t be selfish and basically say that I don’t want others to come to know Christ and come to our church because then it will be “big”. But how rude of me to think that. So I welcome the “big” things! Time has proven that our church has shown to be faithful in the “little” things and now . . . we can grow in the “big” things!!!

Ciao!
Christi Schuman

An interesting thing happened to me while I was contemplating an upcoming hysterectomy (in order to see if a cyst on my left ovary was cancerous).

 Of course, at the top of my mind, was the thought of my kids growing up without me if the worst were true.  (By the way, the worst was not true.  Surgery showed the cyst was not cancerous.)  However, when the outcome was unknown, my mind ran to the future and to the “what ifs.

 “I’ve had a really great life…..but I want to be there in the future when my kids….bake cookies, graduate from high school, get married, etc.”  Thankfully, for now, this is a non-issue.

 During this season of the unknown, I found a book called, “The C ouncil of Dads” by Bruce Feiiler.   It was intriguing and I bought it.  The book is good (I’m not finished with it yet.) but the premise behind it was what grabbed me right away.  The author had two three-year-old daughters and found a cancer in his leg.  He wondered, if he were to pass, who would be the men influencing his daughters in his absence.

What he did, was to think ahead and proactively contact six men from his life ….those he thought would have the best influence on his daughters….those who had his values…those  he wanted to pass something on to his loved ones(in case he had an early death). 

 Wow!  What a thought.  How prepared!  He contacted these six men about “being there” for his daughters if he died.  Even if only a few times a year, the influence of those who had influenced him, would impact his daughters.  Each man had unique strengths.  (He chose only  men because he figured his wife would still be the main female influence.)

 This caused me to think.  What six women would I contact to have an influence in the lives of my children in my absence?  Who has values I embrace and would want my children to embrace?  Whose presence would be vital?  Even if one does not have children, you could ask who is influencing you?  Who is influencing your friends?  Are they the best use of your relational time?  Do they have a perspective of the Kingdom of God? (Note:  I am not talking ministry time where you are serving others and trying to reach the lost, but “peer” friend time which is mutual.)

Now that I know I don’t have cancer, I don’t really have to put this thing of finding six women to influence my children in the future into practice.  I don’t have to contact “my six.”  I don’t even really have to go ahead and figure out who they are…..or do I?  (I’m not telling them this by the way.)

 I mean really….don’t we want the highest and best for those who influence us and our children (if we have them)?  Shouldn’t we put some thought into who we give our time and attention to?  To whom we have in our homes?  To those we are around enough that our children want to emulate them?  This book (and the experience I had) have made me ponder….who is influencing me, my family, my children?  Isn’t that worth putting some time and thought into?! 

 I may not even finish reading the entire book because it has given me so much to think about already!

Food for thought!  I will keep pondering this and pray as well.

Blessings,

Thora

For those of us with elementary and high school aged children, summer ushers in a season of unscheduled bliss.  Memories of my own carefree childhood summers, including days spent playing at friend’s houses and swimming, bring a smile to my face.  However, the reality of summer at our house is vastly different from the idealized memories of my youth.

Although my kids look forward to a break from school, within a few weeks, the problems begin.  Combine the summer heat, being around siblings all day, and limits on screen time and we’ve got frustration mounting. 

School’s only been out a few weeks, and perhaps you’ve found yourself stressed out.  Instead of spending this summer as a referee, drill sergeant and prison guard, how can I turn this precious time with my children into a pleasure rather than a pain?   I think the answer can be found in implementing a few simple guidelines into our days.   Here are some things that have helped save my sanity during the summers:

 1)  Develop a “Responsibility Chart.”   During the school year, our children’s household chores are few.  They are active in school, church, sports and music, all of which takes up a majority of their time.  However, during the summer, their schedules open up.  We put together a chart that lists their daily responsibilities, such as: read, play musical instrument, specific household chores, etc.  Our kids check off their duties when completed, and after that, they choose how to spend their free time.  This saves me from having to oversee their every action.

 2)  Implement consistent logical consequences.   A big issue in our household is sibling conflicts.  With three boys and two girls, someone is often annoying someone.  To put a quick stop to ongoing conflict issues, come up with a logical consequence you consistently implement.  For instance, when our children were small, they started calling each other names.  However, when they lost playtime with friends, and all television and video game privileges for 24 hours following an infraction, this stopped fast.  We figured if they couldn’t play nicely with each other, we couldn’t trust them with friend or the cause of the problem (which normally involved an electronic item).

 3)  Set up some rewards.  The truth is, when I’m frustrated with my kids, the last thing I want to do is think about rewarding them.  However, many kids respond better to positive rewards than negative consequences.  One summer we dealt with the issue of arguing when we asked our kids to do something.  To encourage respectful responses, I bought small inexpensive clear glass vases and a bag of craft beads.  When my children answered “yes Ma’am” with a good attitude, they received a bead in their vase.  (I wrote their names on the vases with a black marker.) When they accumulated 20 beads, we took them to the bookstore and purchased a paperback book.  Since I wanted them to love reading, this seemed like a good $4.00 investment.  Once they developed a good habit of responding positively, we changed the reward to be less frequent, and less expensive. 

  4)   Schedule fun.  A final tip to combat summer boredom is to schedule special events as a family.  Picnics, trips to the movies and museum visits can help shorten the long days of summer.  Put on your “activity director” hat, and schedule some fun activities.

When your sanity is threatened, get some time alone.  This is hard with small children, but is critical to maintaining your emotional health.  Even an hour alone can recharge your spirit.  Include prayer and daily Scripture reading to remind you that you aren’t alone in this exciting journey called parenthood.

In His Love,

Glynnis Whitwer

www.GlynnisWhitwer.com