Sometime in the last year, I attended a Christian women’s event.  The title of the presentation was, “Have you seen my Joy?  Providing truths that lead to an oasis of joy in the desert of discouragement.”

Forgive me for not remembering the speaker’s name, but 2 of her main points really stuck with me.

1.    We have to intentionally hold onto joy.

And

2.    Joy is the birthmark of a child of God.

The first point reminds me of how important it is to live a spirit-filled life.  Pastor Brian has said, “We need to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit…because we leak!”

And remember…joy is listed among the fruits of the Spirit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23

If we are asking God to fill us with the Holy Spirit and continue to surrender to His will and His ways on a daily basis, we will be spirit-filled and as a result, experience joy.  But this doesn’t happen by chance…we have to be intentional about it.

When I think about her second point…that joy is the birthmark of a child of God…I am reminded of what I have learned recently while studying the book of Acts, which was written by Luke.

Luke mentions joy throughout Acts, in relation to many different types of experiences – even including the apostles rejoicing after being flogged for sharing the Gospel.  (Acts 5:41)  What I’ve learned is that the apostles experienced joy in ANY circumstance simply because they rejoiced that the Holy Spirit was IN them, a privilege they had not experienced before the Pentecost.

I also think that this same joy in the Spirit is what allowed Paul to “be content whatever the circumstances.” Philippians 4:11

These are examples of Christ’s followers exhibiting that “joy is the birthmark of a child of God.”

Let us walk daily with the Holy Spirit so that we may rejoice in every situation.

Melissa

Are you good at waiting?

I think that at my memorial service, several good things might be said of me:  That I had honestly loved God and my family, that I was a hard worker, that I was compassionate, happy, friendly…  all those nice things people say during funerals.

But one thing I fear shall never be said of me, and that is that I was a patient person.

Being a “doer” and having always struggled with anxiety, you can only imagine how difficult it is for me to wait for anything.  I tweak and I wiggle.  I twist and pull at my hair and bite my lower lip.  I start to think about all the things I could be doing, instead of wasting my time waiting…  It’s pure torture!

So the other day, when I heard a commentary on the radio about what the Psalms tell us about this subject, I had to run and grab a pen (one that worked, hopefully) and a piece of paper so that I could jot down what the announcer was saying.

She said that, according to the Psalmists, we should wait:

• patiently

     Psalm 37:7b, Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him.

•  expectantly

     Psalm 5:3, In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.

•  actively

     Psalm 119:166, I wait for your salvation, LORD, and I follow your commands.

Naturally, I wasn’t too excited about the “waiting patiently” part, but I found the last two quite interesting, as they helped me realize that waiting is not wasteful, but rather a productive endeavor.

In fact, the Bible encourages us, time and time again, to wait upon the Lord, and it also tells us how:

•  That wait should be patient, less we run ahead of God’s plans.
•  It should be full of expectation, waiting for what our good and faithful Lord will do.
•  And it should be active instead of passive.

Oh, Ana, likes that last part.  You mean, I don’t have to sit and twirl my thumbs, but instead I get to do something while I wait?

Exactly.

See what this song by Christian singer John Waller says,

I will move ahead, bold and confident

Taking every step in obedience

While I’m waiting

I will serve You

While I’m waiting

I will worship

While I’m waiting

I will not faint

I’ll be running the race

Even while I wait

Gosh, I think even uberly impatient people like me can do that.  Now, this is something I really like!

Psalm 27:14, Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

Ana

I was listening to K-LOVE recently and they were talking about people in Rwanda who do not have clean water.  Parents have to make the decision between giving their children water to drink that may make them sick, or to buy wood (which is expensive) in order to boil the water to make it drinkable.  The little money they have would be spent on wood, instead of food, which creates another problem.  K-LOVE was asking listeners to donate to Compassion International in order to provide filters so these families can have clean water for life.

As I sat in my car listening to this, I tried to imagine what it would be like to live in that kind of reality.  I went over in my mind all of the times during my daily routine I use clean water that is right at my fingertips.  I just couldn’t fathom the heartbreak of not having clean water to give to my child.

Then I started thinking about the joy these families must feel when they receive the water filter and realize they no longer have to worry about getting access to clean water.  What a wonderful experience to be there and witness this organization being the hands and feet of Jesus – not only providing clean water for physical needs, but also sharing the Gospel with these same families.

In John 4:13 Jesus speaks to a Samaritan woman at the well:  Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.  The water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Then the Holy Spirit gently reminded me…I don’t have to go to Rwanda in order to offer “the water of eternal life” to others.  God has placed me in my own little mission field…in my neighborhood and in contact with certain people in order to do the very same thing.  Sometimes in the busyness of life, it’s easy to forget that people we see everyday who do not know Jesus personally are thirsting for the water of eternal life that only comes from Him.  As followers of Jesus, we are called to share the Gospel with them so that they, too, can experience true joy and freedom in Christ.

Melissa

2 Corinthians 10:4-5, “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

I couldn’t believe what was happening.

During a ministry trip to Honduras, a team from Vineyard North Phoenix went to visit a La Viña church in Valle de Angeles – the Valley of the Angels. What a beautiful place that was! Pastor Mario Fernandez began to share his message to this church, and I had the privilege to interpret it into Spanish.

As his message unfolded my heart began to race and my legs to weaken. My head thumped and my ears buzzed. Feeling short of breath, I was sure that, any moment now, I would faint – making a total fool of myself and bringing the meeting to a halt.

Despite being scared half to death, I managed to continue with the interpretation. Thoughts raced through my mind like swooshing arrows: Any time, now, and you’re going to faint. You’re going to mess things up. Look at all these people, hungry for God’s Word. Look at Pastor Mario. He’s depending on you to deliver his message. You’re a failure. You can’t do this.

I began to breath faster. Fear pushed all oxygen from my lungs and mind.

“I don’t think I can go on, Lord,” I cried in desperation.

Yes you can. I will sustain you.

I turned to look at all the men and women crowding the pews, eager and needy. “Lord, I’m not sure I can do this much longer. But I will go on for as long as You’d let me. If I faint, I faint. I’m among friends. I will trust in You.”

I gulped and interpreted the section of Mario’s message he had just finished saying. And then the next. And the next. And the next. Thought a battled raged in my mind the whole time, I was able to do the job I had come all this way to do.

I wish I could say things got easier as the message progressed. But they didn’t. However, in the back of my tortured mind, this thought was ever present: God will sustain me.

At the end of the service, I collapsed on a chair, quietly and in secret. No one knew what had happened, except for me, the enemy of my soul and my precious Lord and Savior.

I was so freaked out by what had happened, it took me a couple of days before I was able to share my experience with DaNetta, our team leader. Thankfully, the episode did not repeat itself during the rest of the trip. I truly believe this was a bizarre instance of fierce spiritual battle. Something I had to face. God only knows why.

This morning, during my devotional, I read this portion of a book called “Brakethrough Prayers for Women”, by Clift and Kathleen Richards:

“You are more than a conqueror. Use all the tools God has given to you – the Word of God, the shield of faith, the power of the Holy Spirit, the power of the blood of Jesus, overcoming faith, and the power of prayer – to vanquish every enemy in your life and to tear down the walls erected by the enemy to block your progress in spiritual things.”

I realized that during the intense 45-minute war I experienced in Honduras, each of these elements came together to my rescue: God’s Word, His Holy Spirit whispering encouraging words in my ear, Jesus’ love and power at work, faith, prayer, complete trust…

This encounter took me by surprise, but it didn’t catch me unprepared. And it reminded me of the essentiality of my daily encounters with God through prayer and the reading of His Word.

Ephesians 6:13 says, “Put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”

The Lord Jesus is indeed my Savior. In Him will I trust, and my heart will not fear.

Ana

Have you ever wished that you had more faith in God or that you doubted Him less?  It dawned on me that praying for faith isn’t the first step.   That would be like hoping for vegetables to grow in your garden without planting any seeds.

Think about when you got saved.  Your spiritual eyes were opened to the truth, you received the truth in your heart, and then faith emerged. Your faith in God came from a heart-level revelation of the truth about Him.

If we doubt God, then somewhere in our hearts is a lack of truth/lack of knowledge and/or we’re deceived about something pertaining to Him. Solution? 1) Spend time learning God’s word,  2) ask God to show you more of His truth, and 3) ask Him to open your eyes to any lies you may believe about Him.

As some of you know, at the beginning of this year I began praying the armor of God every day.  When I get to the belt of truth I thank God for His truth and I ask for more.  Since I began asking for more truth I’ve gotten more revelation from God than at any other time in my 15 year walk and my faith in Him has grown.  Ask for more truth daily and as God plants it pray that the faith seedlings continue to grow.

Just like we wouldn’t expect new varieties of vegetables to sprout up in a vegetable garden without planting more seeds, we can’t expect our faith to grow and expand without more seeds of truth.   And since you’ve been weeding your heart (see Spiritual Weeds ) there should be more room for the good stuff!

Shagufta

One of the chores I did as a child was pull weeds.  It made me whine.  There’s just something about it that’s, well, a chore!  Maybe it’s the stooping over till your back hurts or crawling around on your knees.  

But most would agree that weeding is something that should be done to maintain a clean yard where desired plants can thrive and not get choked out by weeds.  The same is true for our spiritual ‘yard’, which I would say is our heart.

In the devil’s attempt to be like God, he trys to plant seeds in our ‘yard’ but of course the devil’s seeds are always weeds in the making.  Earlier this year I had a dream about being in a spiritual warfare class.  The first point the instructor made was a warning about spiritual weeds sprouting up.  He said, “You don’t need water, only land.”  It made me think about how you don’t have to actively water ungodly things in your heart for those seeds to grow roots.  It’s like an unwatered, unmaintained yard.  The roses may die but the weeds still thrive.

Pastor Brian has told us that he daily prays Psalm 139:23-24.  “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (NIV).  This is a great way to keep your heart sensitive to God’s truth and to have your eyes opened to the devil’s seeds of deception.

God wants your heart to be clean like a tended yard because He doesn’t want His truth and love to be ‘choked out’ of your heart.  He loves you so much that He wants uninterrupted fellowship with you.  So weed away!  Crawling around on the ground is optional.

Shagufta

Recently my husband and I watched the movie Rocky Balboa, which is the sixth in the Rocky series and my personal favorite.  There is a scene when Rocky gives his son the “life speech” which is incredibly moving and inspirational. I always cry. We finished the movie and deleted it from our DVR.

Weeks later my life began to resemble a Rocky Balboa movie: the injustice of those who misuse authority at my work, the struggle of ministry, conflicts with people I  love, disappointments and struggles that drove me to my knees; I was living it. I was in the fight. The punches were hard and the hurt, stress and helpless began to pour over me.

We all have been there seemingly paralyzed by the situations of life. I made the decision to fast and pray and during my fast my family wanted to go for hike. As we were climbing the mountain I felt weak and I told them to go ahead and I would meet them. As I continued the incline I wanted to stop, turn around; after all I was fasting! Hiking was hard that day and I wanted to quit. As weird as it may sound, the Rocky speech from the movie popped into my head. “You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t how hard you hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward.”

The enemy wants to cripple our faith and rob us of our peace. The bible exhorts us in Romans 8:37-39, “In all these things, (the struggles of live and the fight), we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” God’s love gives us the courage and the strength to get up and to fight. The decision we have to make is to stay in the fight and keep moving forward.

I climbed to the top that day! It was hard, I was tired and drained but it was a special moment. My struggles have not gone away and many of them I am still facing, but the decision to keep moving forward has been made.

In conclusion, persevere in the fight! I encourage you to not give up and keep moving forward. Remember, “In all these things we are more than conquers through Him who loved us.” Roman 8:37

Blessings,

DaNetta

Questions for the Soul…

I read a book years ago about keeping my own “spiritual fires” lit as a leader.  I was thinking back on that the other day…nurturing the soul.

So…what does that mean?  I think it would mean things like…time with God, perseverance, pressing into God, courage to do what I know I should do even if I don’t feel like it, times of solitude, and asking the difficult questions.  (you could add 50  more items to this list easily)

So, this makes me think…When in the Bible does God give anyone an easy job?  When life gets crazy….these things are easier said than done.

However, if I am to finish my life well, I need to put them into practice on a regular basis.

Do we really have a choice to nurture ourown soul and keep our own personal “spiritual fires” lit.  

Tim. 4:7 Talks about spending your time and energy in training yourself for spiritual fitness.

In what ways do you train for spiritual fitness?

1 Tim. 6:11-12 says, “But you, Timothy, belong to God; so run from all these evil things, and follow what is right and good.  Pursue a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness; Fight the good fight for what we believe. . . . “

I want to encourage all of us to press through with courage for whatever the day brings.

Here are some good “Soul“Questions for reflection and discussion:

1. Are you seeking times of solitude?
2. What feelings are you storing up?
3. Are you accountable to anyone?
4. Is there anyone with whom you find yourself competing?
5. Do you have any replenishing relationships?
6.  What insecurities am I pampering?
7. What rewards am I seeking?
8. What guilt or shame might I be carrying?

 Ask God to speak to you and He will.  It is good for the soul!

 Blessings,

Thora

It’s the end of a decade, hard to believe, and so much has happened for us Turrigiano’s these last 10 years. Here are a few things;

* We welcomed our 3rd son Jacob into the world
* We saw the horrible events of 9/11 up close and personally while living in New York City
* As a family we went through a difficult ‘Living Donor Surgery‘ with my Father and Brother in Law…
* We moved our entire family to England for 4 years to serve with Vineyards in the United Kingdom
* We welcomed our 4th son Samuel into the world
* We bought our first home
* Our eldest son moved away from home to train in the Special Forces with the Navy

As you can tell, some of these things were difficult, some joyful. All of them have formed us, every member of my family, into who we are today. Every experience we have only adds to the fabric of our lives. We can choose to be grateful, our to become bitter if life has been a struggle… it really is that simple. In order to not go into my ‘dark and twisty self’ when life seems to be more of a struggle than a joy, I try to reflect on writings of Gratefulness. Here are just a couple that speak to me without fail;

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on, your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will set your path straight”- Proverbs 3:5-6

“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” -Albert Schweitzer

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”-Phil 4:6

“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy;
They are the charming gardeners
Who make our souls blossom.”-Marcel Proust

My hopes is that 2011 will bring more joyful memories for us all than difficult. My encouragement is  for us all to keep attending small groups to build relationships that will challenge and encourage us. To celebrate in worship on Saturday and Sunday services to allow us to be healed from the things that keep us from having the full relationship God wants with us. For serving opportunities to continue to reveal them selves, so that we may live outside of our own selves for just long enough to see hope..

Thank You all for letting me share my heart!

Merry Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from us all!

Rebecca, Matthew, Joshua, Noah John, Jacob and Samuel Turrigiano

Everyone has things they’re passionate about but have you ever wondered why God made us that way? It may partly be to give us work and recreation related purposes. But I think it’s also to engage us in God’s Kingdom. There have been many times outside of work when I ‘just happened’ to see something animal related that pained my heart. One of those times I asked God, “Why do You let me see these things?” He replied, “Because I know you’ll pray about it.” I sourly thought, “But why don’t You just take care of it? You’re God!” Well, to that I heard no reply but I think I know the answer. He wants to engage me to the point of prayer. He wants me to stand with Him in battle. I don’t think this is too dramatic of a conclusion to come to because prayer is key to our involvement in spiritual warfare. God’s Kingdom is at war. I’m part of His Kingdom. If my prayer is aligned with the things of God and His Kingdom, then those prayers are against the devil and his kingdom. It’s warfare.

Animal related issues are a big emotional trigger for me. A few months ago a client told me he was having trouble giving his newly adopted kitten the medication I sent home. The kitten would scratch him when he tried to administer the medication so he put duct tape around the kitten’s legs. He also told me that he used to hate cats so much that he would try to run them over with his car. You have my attention Lord. This is an invitation to pray… for the kitten and the man. (And an invitation to report him to the humane society.)

God has given us His authority (Matthew 16:19, Mark 16:17-18, John 14:12) but you can’t exert authority in a situation if you ignore it. You need to engage. It says in Ephesians 6:18 that we’re to “…pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” This is good news for me because I live near a mountain preserve and I often see fuzzy creatures crossing the street. I can’t help but pray for them because I hate seeing dead animals on the road. They’re God’s animals. And the scripture does say all occasions and all kinds of prayers! (Don’t worry… I do pray for problems that are bigger than animals crossing the street.) Maybe in heaven you’ll see me playing a game called ‘crossing the street’ with squirrels, rabbits, and quail. We’ll run back and forth on the streets of gold with reckless abandon!

I can only imagine what the world would be like if every believer consistently prayed over everything God gave them a passion for. The next time you see something that pains your heart, take up your spiritual armor and pray for His Kingdom to come and His will to be done in that situation. Consider it a prayer request from God. He’s requesting that you engage in the battle and pray.

Shagufta ^..^