Two aspects of myself that I’m glad God put in me are a heart for animals and a heart for intercessory prayer.  Often times these two parts overlap and I find myself praying for animals that I’ve treated at work or even random animals that I see outside of work.  Not surprisingly, God used an animal to drive home a point about prayer and belief.

I was driving down a part of 7th Street that sometimes has several dead squirrels on it on any given day, depending on the time of year.  On this particular day I saw a squirrel dart out into the street and then he froze because my car was rapidly getting closer.  At 45 miles per hour, with other cars not too far behind, there’s only so much slamming on the brakes you can do.  So I shouted the quickest prayer possible.  “No!  Jesus!”  I wasn’t saying Jesus’ name as an expression… I wanted Him to intercede!

I looked in my rear view and side view mirrors and didn’t see anything on the road behind me but I was fairly convinced I ran over the squirrel.  (“Was that bump in the road the squirrel?!”)  Since I have a particular penchant for squirrels, I was annoyed.  “Really God?  Why did You allow a squirrel to run in front of ME, of all people?!”

After I sulked a little longer I distinctly heard Him say, “You have to believe your intercession works.”  Ugh… It’s not good when an intercessor doesn’t believe her prayers always work.  Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (NKJV).”

I DO want to believe my intercession works.  And God wanted me to believe it too.  So why did the squirrel cross the road that day?  To open my heart enough so I could see the unbelief inside and to be reminded that “all things are possible to him who believes (Mark 9:23).”  So keep praying and believing!

Shagufta

We live in a world of options.

Pro-life or pro-abortion.  I-pad or Android.  Butter or margarine.  Cable or digital dish.

Having choices can be great, except when it’s time to make up your mind – especially when all available options are good and important.

Seems to me that this can be especially hard for us moms.  From the moment the dreaded alarm clock goes off, we are riddled with a barrage of options.

Should I hop in the shower before the rest of the family uses up all the hot water or should I run downstairs and try to sneak in a load of laundry before it’s time to leave for work?

Should I go for a much-needed walk during the rest of my lunch break or should I use this time to pay bills before they’re due and I end up paying for late fees (again)?

Should I finish making dinner or should I sit down to play legos with my toddler or to listen to my teenage child vent about a bad day at school?

I want to be a good wife and a good mom, a good friend, a good Christian.  I want to be there for my neighbors and for my extended family.  I want keep up with my laundry and my dishes and fix healthy dinners.  I want to be fit and be able to watch an entire movie without falling asleep.

So much I’d like to, feel like I need to do…  And so much I don’t get to.

“The problem with Christians today,” said my pastor  the other Sunday, “is that we have too many options.  So what are we going to choose:  running away or running closer to God and His will for our lives?”

His words stirred something within me.  I knew God was speaking.

What will you choose?

I choose You, Lord, I whispered at the end of the service.  Please show me how, cause this isn’t going to be easy.

The next morning, when I was tempted to begin my day trying to get as much done before work, I said: I choose You, Lord.  I mustered the little self-control I had and forced myself to sit still for a few minutes so I could talk to God and read my Bible first.

I said to myself, All other chores are important.  Some will get done; some will not.  But that’s ok.  I’ve chosen what’s best.

In the evening, when the kitchen was finally cleared and I plopped down in bed ready to unwind with a mystery novel, I said: I choose You, Lord.  So I grabbed my Bible instead and read it for a while, surprised at how much I enjoyed this time.  Afterwards, I opened my novel and began to read it, but it wasn’t long before my eyes grew heavy and tired.

I didn’t get as far in the chapter as I would’ve wanted.  But that’s ok, I mutter drowsily, I’ve chosen what’s best.

Deuteronomy 30:19-20a says, This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. (NVI)

Lord, help me to choose you, every day.  I want to hear your voice and hold fast to you.  I want to prioritize my relationship with you.  I want to choose life, so that me and family can live.  

Lord, I choose You!

Supernatural Exchange

 At our Women’s conference, one thing that stuck with me was the phrase Brenda Gatlin used, “Supernatural Exchange.”  I had not heard this language before.

 This means, in a nutshell, we get to exchange all of our junk for more of God’s goodness.

          We give our worry and exchange it for peace.

          We give our anxiety and we get rest.   

          We give our negativity, and we get more of God’s goodness.

          We give our stress, and we get relief.

          We give our sin, and we exchange it for forgiveness.

          We give our addictions and exchange them for supernatural grace.

          We give our mess ups, and exchange them for a new day.

This is a supernatural exchange and God is the only one who has the power to make a supernatural exchange.  No one else can do that for us. 

Ophra can’t do it.  Dr. Phil can’t do it.  Dr. Oz can’t do it.  Our spouse and friends can’t do it.

 Only God has the ability to make a supernatual exchange.

 Bet you want to make an exchange right about now!

 Blessings,

Thora

Recently I’ve been thinking about how I open the door to fear and allow people and circumstances to affect my heart.  It’s not that this is new behavior for me.  I’ve been doing it since I was a child.

As a child I felt like if I did well in school then I was ‘good’, based upon the positive reaction I got from adults.  And if I didn’t do well or didn’t know the answer to something then I felt I was ‘bad’ because not doing well or not knowing the right answer sometimes came with negative consequences. That opened the door to anxiety and fear when it came to performance oriented circumstances.  (“What if I don’t know the answer?”  “What if I do something wrong?”  “What if so and so gets mad?”)

That door to fear that was opened as a child has stayed open into adulthood (either that or I keep opening it back up). It dawned on me that this must be why I’ve had work-related anxiety for the past 13 years (all those “What if” questions).

People, circumstances, and fear shouldn’t have authority over our hearts. Proverbs 4:23 (NIV) says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”  If God is telling us to guard our hearts then that means we’re the guard in charge; we have authority over our own heart.  If the door to your heart is open to fear and anxiety then I want to pray for you (and me!)

In Jesus’ name I break the power of fear and anxiety off of our hearts and I close the door to fear.  I break the power of any negative words that were ever spoken over us, including negative words we’ve said about ourselves.  LORD, please remind us daily to guard our hearts and not to open the door to fear.  Search our hearts for anything that’s not of You and cleanse us of these things.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Shagufta

Who is My Neighbor?

Have you ever had the thought, “Who is my neighbor?” We often say that in the Christian world, but I’m not sure most of us think of our actual physical neighbors as our “neighbors.” (Those who live on our street or near our apartment.)

In my previous home, I will confess, I only knew the families living on both sides of our house.  I like to think I’ve gotten older and smarter with age and am happy to say that we know almost all of our neighbors where we live now. (We know the ones who want to be known anyway.)

Because of the Phoenix housing bust, we have a ton of new neighbors.  We hosted a neighborhood party last week and the feeling tone was great—after people got there that is.  I think no one wanted to be the first one there, so most arrived over a half hour late.  We were glad they came after a few minutes of wondering if anyone was showing up at all. (I think God would have liked the fact that we risked even if no one had shown up.) Then there was a lot of food and a lot of mingling!  (And a lot of mess from kids but that is part of the deal.) 

Here were some results:

The kids in the neighborhood are becoming better friends.

Everyone thanked us and wants to have another one soon.

One older man is helping a first time home owner figure out how to use his pool filter.

I overheard someone offering to look after someone else’s home when they were gone.

One man said he was bragging at work that he got invited over to a neighbor’s home.

I can’t prove it, but I think God was smiling.

Community is close to the heart of God.  I’m looking forward to seeing what will come out of this.

I encourage you to think through…”Who is my neighbor?”

 Blessings,

Thora

I am a mother of four children ranging in age from 3 to 18. I work part time, have my hands in ministry, and let’s just say I can get busy. So you can imagine that when my husband suggested I started baking our own bread, my eyes got pretty wide and rolled a little bit.

He went on to tell me about his grandma Jean. She would bake fresh bread every day and he could remember coming home to that bread warm and enjoying as the butter melted. The look in his eyes as he described this got stuck in my head.

It is my deepest desire to serve my husband and my family. Loving them in a way that fulfills their basic needs, but also in a way that makes their hearts dance. So I set to work…I found some recipes for fresh bread online and came to learn that baking bread is a process. First you must awaken the yeast, then add the flour a little at a time. Some recipes call for a standing mixer, which I do not have, but they also say that you can knead the dough by hand. Let me tell you – this is no easy task. It is a repetitive physical process of turning out the dough on the counter for about 10-15 minutes. Once you have kneaded the dough it must rise, turned out again, formed, and then rise again. Then it’s time to bake it.

The first loaf turned out ok. My family loved the fresh baked bread, but the look was not in my husbands eyes. I wanted that look, so I tried a couple different recipes. What I have come to learn about myself is that besides the reaction from my family, I enjoy kneading bread. Did you know that kneading bread reduces stress, releases aggression, can be soothing, can be an act of worship? I found myself in my kitchen with worship music playing, and Jesus beside me as I worked out a batch of dough destined for our dinner table. I cried, I laughed, I prayed, and I made bread. And my family loved it.

Since then I have taken to finding scripture about baking bread and there are many. From Jesus breaking bread at the last supper to the Lords instruction for grain offerings, but what what stands out to me the most is the process.

When I think of the process that I must go through in this world, how I may be the dough in the Lords hands, working me into what He designed to fit into His purpose and for His pleasure. A process that takes time and effort and strength. And it is there that I submit – to the process.

I will be trying new recipes until I find the one that puts that look in my husbands eye. May you also find joy in a lump of dough.

Blessings,

Kathy

Have you ever wondered why time is broken up into years?  I never thought of it until now, the beginning of this new year.  God created the concept of years (Genesis 1:14) so obviously there must be a reason.

One reason may be that it’s a reflection of Him.  He’s the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End.  So it’s no wonder that days, weeks, months, and years all have a beginning and end.  It points to God and His ability (and desire) to bring renewal.

This renewal of time brings hope for the future.  “Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new’ “ (Revelation 21:5a, NKJV).  Starting a new year is a preview of what’s to come for all believers:  ultimate newness.

After getting banged up by 2011′s tumbles and struggles I’m looking for renewal.  I think many others feel the same way.  Starting a new year reminds us that with God we can hope for that.  The past year is gone and newness lies before us.

So with this new beginning, I pray you are refreshed by God.  May He wash away the hurts of the past.  May He turn your face towards His, where you will find new hope and new life.  I’m so grateful that someday He will make ALL things new.

Shagufta

VCNP has been enjoying some wonderful sermons from Pastor Brian about Mary, the mother of Jesus. I would highly recommend going on line and hearing the audio recordings that are free on line for everyone.

I love how the bible continues to be fresh, to have new revelation and am so grateful for Pastor Brian’s gift of teaching.

After seeing the ‘Passion of the Christ’ the understanding of how horrific it must have been for Mary to watch her precious son be tortured became a reality to me. Being aware of that sacrifice never escapes me. Christ charging John to make Mary his ‘Mother’ as He was dying… Thinking of her well being over His own pain and suffering…

That is OUR GOD.

What I have been rolling around in my mind though is this thought of Mary finding out she was to be a ‘teen’ mom. She was placing herself in a position to be mocked, judged and ridiculed for the rest of her life. Surely she was taunted and called horrible names. We think pregnancy before marriage incites all kind of judgement in the Christian community now, think of the fact that she could have been stripped naked and possibly stoned to death. A little more dramatic than what we are used to in western society!

Did she cry out wondering why God had chosen her to carry this burden or was she always strong?

I think she must have just felt total freedom and intimacy with God in order to trust Him the way she did. That would mean crying out when she was scared or lonely, admitting to God she was in need of His touch..

If Mary’s example of total trust of God doesn’t lead us to be challenged and inspired, gosh I am not sure what else can.

I know I spend the 12 days prior to Christmas remembering that my true love is so good to me and am thankful for the gifts He gives me. He is a generous God and I strive to place more of my life in His hands every year.

Thank you for letting me ramble on and share my thoughts. Matthew and our sons pray that you all have a wonderful Christmas Holiday and a Joyful 2012.

Blessings and Love,

Rebecca Turrigiano

What would you like to get for Christmas?  A nice purse?  A cute pair of boots?  Maybe some jewelry?  After all, who doesn’t like presents?

Undoubtedly, the act of giving and receiving gifts is one of the most exciting parts of the Christmas celebration.

In fact, it all began with a gift.  The Bible says in John 3:16:

God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die. (CEV)

Our God loves giving presents to His children!  James 1:17:

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (NIV)

Let’s see some of the gifts our loving Father gave us on Christmas Day:

• Salvation
• Hope
• Forgiveness
• Comfort
• Adoption
• A new and abundant life!
• Love, joy and peace

All of these came wrapped in one special and most important gift of all:  His Son, Jesus!

During these very special yet busy days, let us remember – with great joy and thanksgiving – the most wonderful gifts we have already received from the Father Above, gifts to be cherished for the rest of the year.

May your Christmas celebration be filled with love, joy and peace!

Ana

Are you waiting on God for something?  Probably most of us would say yes.  Sometimes as I’m waiting I get weary, so for a long time I didn’t understand the meaning of the song that starts out, “Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord…”  But I finally get it.

If we wait upon the Lord and stop striving to make thing work out in our own strength and in our own timing, then we can get rest.  And rest renews our strength.

God can work out whatever we’re waiting for far better than we can.  If you’re waiting and weary, be encouraged by the fact that God wants to work out your situation in the best possible way because His plans for you are for good and not evil (Jer 29:11).

He loves you so much that He wants to help you and do things for you.  That’s God’s heart towards you because you’re His child who He chose to create.  “Strength and gladness are in His place” (1 Chr. 16:27) and He’s inviting you to come in.

Shagufta