But as I looked at Ezekiel 47:12, which refers to fruit trees which won’t wither or fail because they receive water from God’s sanctuary, I thought of the fruit of the Spirit in a new way.  Part of this passage says, “Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing” (Eze 47:12d, NIV).  Fruit nourishes.  If we all exhibited Godly fruit toward one another it would be yet another avenue for God to ‘feed’ us and bring us under the healing shade of His leaves.

And fruit contains seeds to make more trees… more life, new life.  “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise” (Proverbs 11:30).  God’s life feeds and heals so that people’s eyes will be opened and they can become a part of His kingdom.

Interestingly, the tree of life will be in the new Jerusalem that God will bring down from heaven.  It will bear 12 fruits (Revelation 22:2).  But in the present there are 9 fruits of the Spirit, which I thought was strange.  Why not 12, which is such a Kingdom number.  Then I realized if we sow to the Spirit here on earth and live out those 9 fruits, the Trinity of God can ‘sprout’ up among us.  9 + 3 = 12.  Ah ha!  For now, sowing is needed but in heaven the work is complete.

Shagufta

This last week our son got married and God brought that amazing trip to my mind while worshiping Him the morning before the wedding. I felt the Lord was saying that raising children was very much like a long journey and the destination markers are memories we hold onto.  However the journey from A to Z is not without struggles or difficulties; the road brings detours, flat tires, engine problems; we know where we want to go but life is filled with uncertainty. I was reminded that each marker represented years of being on our knees before our heavenly Father. There were times I was so tired I didn’t think I could do this; there were times I was so brokenhearted I questioned God; and I found myself saying those words, “Are we there yet?”, and I would hear God saying:

“Therefore, my dear DaNetta, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58

We have passed yet another destination marker in our son’s life and I am so thankful we pressed in and chose to keep our eyes on God’s faithfulness. I look forward to the many markers on the road ahead of us now and honestly I am still learning to enjoy the journey despite the trials and detours. I know one day when I reach my final destination I will rejoice in my Father’s arms; grateful for His miraculous works in our lives. I still find myself in the difficult times occasionally saying, “Are we there yet?” However I know deep in the very center of my mother’s heart that God is saying, “At the perfect time, my sweet daughter, you will be there and until then enjoy the journey!”

From my heart to yours,

DaNetta

Unfortunately, recent months have been anything but perfect. I have faced conflict in more ways than I can even count. In fact, it would be safe to say that I have been in the middle of a perfect storm – coming from several different angles, and just when I think I have reached a resolution, here comes another, and then another, and then the one I thought was resolved opens back up again. It has truly effected every area of my life, but most of all, it has effected my heart.

The emotions that surface in the midst of it all can be damaging. Anger, resentment, offense, pride, mixed with sadness, desperation, confusion, and doubt can shake the most confident person. And those emotions are never contained. Sometimes they pour out on the person with whom you have the conflict, but more often they pour out on the people closest to you. The ones you love and trust.

In an effort to find more profound resolution in all areas, I turned to God and His Word on conflict and this is what I found…

Proverbs 15:1 (MSG)
A gentle response defuses anger, but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire.

Luke 17:3-4 (MSG)
“Be alert. If you see your friend going wrong, correct him. If he responds, forgive him. Even if it’s personal against you and repeated seven times through the day, and seven times he says, ‘I’m sorry, I won’t do it again,’ forgive him.”

Matthew 5:9 (MSG)
“You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family. (This is a different version of the beatitude)

Matthew 18:15-17 (MSG)
“If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him—work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you’ve made a friend. If he won’t listen, take one or two others along so that the presence of witnesses will keep things honest, and try again. If he still won’t listen, tell the church. If he won’t listen to the church, you’ll have to start over from scratch, confront him with the need for repentance, and offer again God’s forgiving love.

The common thread here is to not try to keep the conflict going and to be quick to forgive. Something else to mention is how important it is to work the conflict out directly with the person. Do not discuss the conflict with others until you have tried working things out directly. That does not bring resolution – it feeds the conflict.

I also identified one more thing in my introspection. As I looked at the season as a whole, I realized that some of what has been happening is much bigger than any of these individual issues. The devil can be very sneaky in his tactics. I became so wrapped up in all of the emotions surrounding what was happening, that it was distracting me from what is most important – Kingdom work! My attention, and the attention of others involved has been pulled away from the wonderful work that we do. Well that will happen no more!

Resist the devil and he shall flee – best way I know of to resist the devil is to constantly be in search of resolution, and to not fall prey to his tactics.

God bless you,

Kathy

Last Saturday, my friend Amber and I, along with 200 more volunteers, had a chance to experience this very feeling when we participated in VCNPs 14^th annual Spa Day – an outreach event to the single mothers in our community.

Almost 300 women were pampered and ministered to through different kinds of services, including: pedicures, manicures, paraffin baths, professional massages, haircuts, make up application, a delicious brunch, gifts, prayer and a chance to share with other women in similar circumstances.

“Was there a message?” my mom asked me this morning over the phone, as I tried to describe this incredible event to her.  Funny how we church people always feel like we need to “preach” in order to reach others.

“No, Mom,” I answered.  “The ‘message’ is shared on a one-on-one basis, as women bless other women with their acts of service.”

As I thought about my mom’s question, tender snapshots flooded my mind: volunteer women gently rubbing tired moms’ feet or polishing their nails while lending a sympathetic ear; our guests walking out of the building, feeling pretty and confident with their makeovers; me asking women if they had come together and they responding “we just met”, thought they acted as if they had known each other for ever…

After the event, Amber and I stopped at a nearby restaurant for a bite to eat.  We staggered out of the car, waddled into the restaurant, and plopped our tired selves on the bench.

“My legs feel like Jell-O,” I said.

“My butt is bruised,” she replied.

“That was CRAZY!”

“Indeed!”

“But it felt great to give back,” said Amber.

“Indeed,” I responded.  Then we looked at each other and smiled.

My friend’s words have had me thinking.  Giving back sure feels good sometimes, even when it hurts, but the reason we Christian do it goes beyond our feelings.  Giving and serving is a very practical, yet very spiritual act of fervor (Romans 12:11) and Paul the Apostle encouraged the believers to serve wholeheartedly, as if we were serving, not just people, but the Lord himself. (Ephesians 6:7)

I’ve also been thinking of all the women who gave so much of themselves last Saturday and long before that, especially our dear Rebecca Turrigiano, who headed this event.  You girls, planned, donated items, looked for sponsors, set up, decorated, cleaned up, cooked, baked, made coffee, served meals, painted nails, cut hair, massaged backs, trimmed bangs, styled hair, greeted, ran  like crazy the entire morning, prayed, ministered, smiled, listened, encouraged, and gave back until your arms, feet and backs hurt.

To all of you I’d like to say, THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart. Your sacrificial acts of service blessed me – and hundreds of women – more than we could ever express.

As I read these beautiful words of encouragement from Paul to the church in Corinth, I think of you:

Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. (2 Corinthians 9:13)

You girls are my heroes,

Ana

I am going to give you a taste of the things God has already done this year.

1. Momentum (VCNP’s men’s ministry), is again doing Car Wash and one of their leaders raised enough money to cover all the kids and volunteers food!!!! Our Men are amazing!
2.A Donated Micro Site which has gotten the word out unbelievably well and more then 200 volunteers this year!
3.Chick Fillet,Sam’s Club, Mary Kay and Walmart were just some who made donations….
4. “Rolf’s” Salon wants to be an ongoing supporter with products and services
5.”The Studio Academy of Beauty” donated x300 gift certificates for discounted services- free haircuts, majorly discounted services
6.Small groups have been donating gift cards cards and items for our love gifts
7.The Glendale Library let us put up community fliers for the first time as did GCC
8. Joni and friends donation which one of our volunteers got and relayed this story at our Volunteers meeting last weekend,
Story- it is a special needs ministry and has many programs that partner or go alongside ministries. Many blessings came from my meeting but one of them came while mentioning single mom’s spa day. One of the programs they have is called special delivery which sole purpose is to give items for gift baskets intended to bless those in need while in special circumstances. They were delighted and blessed to give us boxes from their storage closet. I can ask for more if needed and they are trying to send someone out to visit the day of the event with more items. My new friends would love to partner with you on future spa days and with time to prepare can have more donated items, event spots in their newsletter, and help in anyway.

*what you don’t know is that one of our children’s overseers ‘hearts desires’ was to be able to send children home with a gift too! New stuffed animals and Max Lucado hard cover books, some with CD’s!

So now you can see why this wave is so overwhelming and such an honor to be riding. When the doors open for our 14th annual Spa Day you just know God is going to be given permission to be God!

Bring it Lord!!!

Thanks for letting me share my heart!

Rebecca : )

I didn’t know what to really think of passages like Matthew 8:17, Isaiah 53:5, and Psalm 103:3 which talk about us being healed and God healing us.  But the first two verses use the past and present tense and if you read Psalm 103 it’s about what God is doing for us here on earth, not just someday in heaven.

So instead of continuing to beg God to heal me I recently began thanking Him that He is healing me and that He has healed me.  (What can I say… I wanted to cover my bases!)  Funny thing is, I’m actually observing physical changes in my body.  I am being healed just like His word says.  I’m experiencing His kingdom NOW.

I know the kingdom of God (which is all about every sort of healing and restoration) is not all here yet but Jesus still tells us in the Lord’s prayer to pray for God’s kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. If you’re praying for God’s kingdom to break through into your circumstances, find verses that pertain to what you’re praying for (e.g. healing, help, deliverance, salvation) and thankfully pray that God is doing what His word says.  He does heal, He does help, He does deliver, He does save.  And I believe He wants His children to have more of His kingdom now, not just someday.

Shagufta

This topic is the subject of a book I’m currently reading called, Made to Crave, Satisfying Your Deepest Desire With God, Not Food, by author and speaker and President of Proverbs 31 Ministries, Lysa Terkeurst.

In her book, Ms. Terkeurst states: “We were made to crave—long for, want greatly, desire eagerly, and beg for—God. Only God. But Satan wants to do everything possible to replace our craving for God with something else.”

Satan tempted the first humans, Adam and Eve, and he repeatedly tempted Jesus. In his attempt to steal our focus away from God, Satan oftentimes begins his assault on us as early as infancy.

I recently bore witness to this fact when I attended a birthday party for a one-year-old. This child is being reared by parents who take special care to feed their child healthy foods. This little guy’s knowledge of sweets is extremely limited as his parents have taken great pains to avoid all things sugar.

However, what would a first birthday be without cake and those precious Kodak moments of baby’s first face plant into a cake covered with thick, gooey icing? For a child that’s had no experience with cake and icing, baby Noah did what comes naturally. His first fistful of cake went straight to his mouth and he instinctually went back for more. He sucked frosting from his fingers like he’d been created for that purpose. He ended up with cake and icing from head to toe and down the front of his diaper.

This baby’s introduction to frosting brought home to me the point that Ms. Terkeurst made in her book. Satan wants to whet our appetites for the things that are bad for us as soon as possible, hoping to addict us at an early age, making us dependent on anything other God.

For me personally, I never met a cake I didn’t like. God may have created me to crave Him, but my flesh craves chocolate … and Oreos and cake! My own sugar addiction likely began early on in my life. As much as I want to crave God and deepen my relationship with Him, the pull of all things sugary renders me weak and powerless. In my own strength, I fear continual failure; which is why I’m thankful that God wants to help me carry this burden.

Ms. Terkeurst states in her book: “Moment by moment we have the choice to live in our own strength and risk failure or to reach across the gap and grab hold of God’s unwavering strength.”

Regardless of how much my soul seeks after God, every day for me is a struggle to bridge the gap between my sugar addiction and God’s presence. Every day I have to choose to live in God’s strength not mine because my own strength frequently disappoints me. Thankfully God reminds me, “What is impossible for people is possible with God.” (Luke 18:26-28 NLT)

Are you trying to fill that God-shaped hole by stuffing it with your own cravings or addictions? You’re not alone. Satan wants to separate us all from God because he knows what our souls really long for is the Savior. Lean on Jesus and rely on His strength and let Him fill your void.

Blessings in Christ,
Kathy
www.kathleenkurlin.com

Years ago, I became friends with a woman that lived down the street from my house.  Her life seemed enviable at first sight: She was pretty and kind.  Her husband had a good job.  They had two adorable children and a lovely new home.

But she also had a secret.

From the beginning of our friendship I knew there was something amiss about her, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.  She’d ask me to “pray for her marriage,” but was skittish about specifics.  In time, my friend revealed her painful secret to me: her husband was abusive.

We prayed and prayed for this situation.  But no matter how hard we did, things continued to deteriorate.  Discouragement set in.  I was so disgusted with my friend’s husband, I couldn’t even look at him!

One day, I threw in the towel.  I give up, Lord!  This is hopeless.

The answer was clear.  I will never give up on him, Ana.  Just like I’ve never given up on you.

Many years have passed since I heard these words, yet they’ve stayed with me – a poignant reminder of God’s plan for humankind.

In Luke 15:4-6 Jesus told this story to illustrate God’s love for us:

Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’

Perhaps you, like I once did, have been praying for a person or a situation that seems hopeless, and you’ve been tempted to throw in the towel.  God’s encouragement to you is:  Never give up!  I’m right here with you.  And I’m not giving up either.

Ephesians 3:20 tells us that God “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”

It is my prayer today that we will not throw in the towel.  Instead, let us take courage in God’s Word and awesome power; so that we may bravely wipe away all sweat and tears and get back to the ring.  Let us fight the good fight.  Let us keep the faith.

Can you hear God rooting for us?

Ana

Settle the issue that you are called of God.  If we are born again, we are called!   II Tim. 1:9 says:  “Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity.”

The Bible has much to say about sowing and reaping.  If we think for a minute at how a seed produces, it gives us some spiritual insight.  A seed is first planted in the ground to go through a process of actually dying.  Then a rootlet will begin to push through the earth as the rain and sun give life to it.  Do you think the seed ever thinks, “Am I going to ever get through with all of this dirt on top of me?  This is hard.  I feel hopeless. But then one day it happens.  The seed comes forth and the bud breaks out into the sun.

Some leaders feel like the seed.  They feel like there is dirt piled on top of them and that they are mistreated and left out.  They feel the weight of the world.  However, given time, faithfulness, and perseverance, if planted in good soil, they will come forth.

If needed, pray that God will confirm and settle the issue of your   calling.

Stay where God puts you.  Ask God for confirmation of your call.   Make God your complete source and trust in God’s grace.

God wants to develop character in us more than He wants to see our ministry flourish.

Bless you Great Big as you grow into your calling.

Thora

The author has you do an exercise.  Imagine it’s your funeral and your husband is going to be speaking.  What would you like him to say about you after many years of marriage?  What qualities did he see in you?  What kind of love would he say he received from you?

Write down your answers and then make those qualities your goals as a wife.  So I’ll be daring and share my answers with you.

I would want him to say…

…that, after God, he was my first priority.
…that I made him smile and laugh, even when I wasn’t there.
…that I sought out his heart and I let him seek out mine.
…that he felt valued and loved.
…that he was able to be more like God in my presence:  tender AND strong.
…that I encouraged him with his dreams and that he felt safe sharing them with me.
…that he knew when I spoke about him to other people it would be to build him up and not to tear him down.
…that he never doubted my love.
…that he was proud to be my husband.

What would you want your husband to say about you?

Shagufta