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

Last Friday I started out strong in praying over my joblessness but after a while my prayers started to take a whiney turn and I was struggling.

I had to go to the grocery store and after I was done and got back in my car, I looked at the flower shop next door. I felt like God said, “I want you to go in there. I want to give you something.”

Me: I don’t want to go in there. I’m not going to buy anything (and then I had a REALLY good excuse…) and I don’t want to be tempted to buy anything.
God: You’re not [going to be tempted].
Me: (‘Ughhh!’) I felt like I was going to look like a moron browsing for nothing in this pricey flower shop. “Oh I’m just looking around… for nothing.”

So I sat and stared at the door a little while longer thinking ‘go in’ and then ‘don’t go in’. Finally I decided to go in because it dawned on me that I don’t want to miss what God wants to give me. (I’m a little slow sometimes. Someone needs to write a book called ‘Jesus for Dummies’, although it may only have one sentence in it: Obey Jesus NOW.)

I walked in the flower shop and of course the sales person immediately asked me what I’m looking for. (“Uhhh….. is God here?”)   I’ll admit I lied about what I was looking for. (Yes, I repented.)

Let me give you a little background before I tell you what happened. Lately I have been thinking a lot about God as the Lion of Judah (Rev. 5:5) and how amazingly massive He would be as a Lion. He would be so much bigger than any natural lion and definitely breathtaking. I think of Him in the way C.S. Lewis describes Aslan (who represents Jesus) in the Chronicles of Narnia books:

“…great, royal, solemn, overwhelming eyes…”
“…His huge and beautifully velveted paws…” (I love cat paws!)
Lucy buried her face “…in the beautiful rich silkiness of His mane.” (I want to do this!)

Back to the flower shop. I started browsing and, interestingly, I saw a lion (complete with large mane) made out of gold colored beads. It made me smile. Is that what You wanted to ‘give’ me Lord?

I kept browsing and then I saw a plaque that said, “Be still, and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10.” It brought tears to my eyes. That’s what He wanted to give me. I was struggling that morning but He wanted to give me His comfort and peace.

I almost missed out on a tender moment with the Lord.  If you hear God’s voice today, don’t ignore it.  His words to you come out of a heart of great love and a desire for you to have fullness of life. 

Shagufta

I was at a grocery store that has a food bar and I stopped to look at the variety of soup. As I moved the ladle around in one of the containers, a little round thing caught my eye. “What is that?“ I stirred the soup again and found more of those… things. They weren’t peppercorns and they didn’t look like any caper I had ever seen. So I read through the ingredients posted on the sneeze guard and looked back at the soup. Nothing in the ingredient list matched up with what appeared to be rodent eyeballs. My eyes shifted back to the ingredients and then back to the soup. “Is that supposed to be in there?” They scared me. Needless to say, I moved on because my imagination began to run wild about the possible gooey contents of those little things.

Thankfully, eating eyeball soup isn’t something God requires of me. But there are things He’s told me to do that have scared me. About 8 years ago, God prompted me to ask a co-worker if she would go to church with me. I didn’t know if she knew God or not, or what her experience with church was. My heart raced as it often does when He tells me to do something now. So after dragging my feet I finally asked her later that day. And to my surprise…and relief…she said she would go. That weekend we went to church and after the service was over she said she wanted to sign up for the Alpha class. My eyes widened. “Really?!” I was so excited! She eventually accepted Christ, joined VCNP, and then joined another Vineyard church after she moved to another state.

What if I had said, “No”, to God? I know I didn’t save my co-worker. God did. And certainly He could have worked through someone else later; someone who knew my co-worker better or someone who was more bold. But maybe ‘later’ would have been too late or maybe boldness would have offended her. I don’t know. There have been many times that I’ve said “No” to God. But I’m grateful for the times I’ve said “Yes” despite being afraid.

Are you afraid to do something that God has asked you to do? We know the Bible says in 2 Timothy 1:7 that God has not given us a spirit of fear. We also know that God has told us to resist the devil (who brings fear) and he must flee (James 4:7). I’m often unexpectedly blessed when I do what God tells me to do. When my co-worker accepted my invitation to church, I felt overwhelming joy. When she became saved, I felt blessed to have a fellow believer at work and also someone to sit with at church!

If God is telling us to do something, then He has a purpose for it. We never know what Jesus will do if we’re obedient. Maybe that’s why Mary told the servants at the water-to-wine wedding, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” (John 2:5). I just hope it doesn’t ever involve eyeball soup.

Shagufta  ^..^

“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” James 5:16a (NKJV)

I was going to take this verse to the ‘bank’.  For years I struggled with the desires of my heart being idols.  My idols promoted lofty thoughts and feelings that said they could bring me greater joy than God.  God revealed my idolatry to me when I read Elyse Fitzpatrick’s book, Idols of the Heart. That was at least 5 years ago. (sigh).  Recently He showed it to me again. Even though I didn’t feel like placing the desires of my heart at God’s feet, I did.  It made me uncomfortable and even sad because I wondered if this meant I would never receive my heart’s desires. However, this sounded like a lie because God had previously spoken to me about a couple of my desires, but in a promising way.  The problem was that I held them too closely; closer than I held God.

I confessed my idolatry to a couple of Christian friends and they did the same with me.  Every day I cast down the lofty thoughts and feelings and I declared God to be on the throne of my life.  That Sunday in church it dawned on me that I was content!  God delivered me of my idolatry and I didn’t want anything more than Him!  I was so giddy that I thought I would come unglued.

I used to think being transparent was scary but Proverbs 29:25 (NKJV) says, “The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.”  I’m sure this verse has more than one application but it spoke to me. The devil wants us to be afraid of confessing our sins to one another because he doesn’t want us to shed our strongholds. He wants us ensnared.  Part of my heart was ensnared because I had elevated the desires of my heart above God’s throne.

Let’s serve God, not only in deeds, but also in our hearts.  We don’t serve Him to get something, but in His generosity He says He will honor those who serve Him (John 12:26).  If there’s anything in your heart that’s not of God, I encourage you to be transparent to a fellow believer that you trust.  Our generous God wants to deliver us and even honor us.  God blessed me with this blog opportunity the day after I was delivered from idolatry.  I consider it an honor.

Shagufta

The weekend of August 22-23, Pastor Brian started a new series on leadership. If you missed that weekend service for some reason, I want to encourage you to either get the CD or listen online by clicking here.

Let me just say, that I couldn’t take notes fast enough.  Brian was speaking truth after truth about much more than leadership.  It was really about living a life of obedience.

One truth stood out above the rest:  Saying yes always involves a very big no.

How I have learned that in my own life, and STILL need to learn it in some areas.  For example, saying yes to reading God’s Word often involves saying no to novel.  Saying yes to healthy eating means saying no to that extra piece of pizza.  

 Not only is this truth good for spiritual discipline, but it’s a healthy truth for finding balance in my life. I would like to just say yes to every good thing.  But I only have so much time, so much energy and so much money.  

Every time I say yes to an opportunity, I have to say no to something else.  If I keep trying to do it all, I’ll drive myself (and those around me) crazy. 

I said yes to home schooling my daughter Cathrine.  And I’m having to say no to a number of things in order to fit it in to our schedule.  My no is Facebook.  I just don’t have the time to check it. 

In the coming month, many women will be stepping in to a position of leadership in a small group.  These women have said yes to serving God by serving other women.  My guess is that each one is having to say no to a lot.  No to the fear that no one will show up.  No to the insecurity that she doesn’t know enough.  No to the extra time she had on Saturday morning or Wednesday night.  That’s just one group of women who are saying yes and making sacrifices.  There are many more.

Even though saying yes means saying no to something, I have found that God blesses a “yes heart.”  It is my prayer that every woman who says yes to God at VCNP has her cup of blessings filled to overflowing. 

In His Love,

Glynnis Whitwer

www.GlynnisWhitwer.com

“Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.

Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.” Psalm 96:3 (NIV)

One by one, each woman walked to the front of the small room, turned to face our little group of beginning speakers.  She straightened her notes, took a deep breath and proceeded to give a brief, but moving testimony of how God saved her from a life of misery.  Tears flowed in the room, as each listener empathized with the sadness of a broken life without God.

As my turn neared, my heart pounded.  Combined with the nervousness over public speaking, was insecurity about my own testimony.  No dramatic conversion was in my background, no painful loss, no rejection of God.  My story – compared to theirs – seemed tame.  In fact, at that moment, I was embarrassed over the ordinary-ness of my life.

After that training exercise, instead of feeling better equipped to speak, I was convinced I’d heard God’s instructions incorrectly.  Maybe I wasn’t supposed to tell others about what God had done in my life.  After all, it didn’t seem like much compared to everyone else.  What can a woman who became a Christian at an early age testify about?  That wrong line of thought affected me for years. 

God did open doors for me to speak and teach women, but instead of talking about what He had done in my life, I focused on the stories of others.  I taught from Scripture and books, but kept distant from my own life experience.  In some way I felt disqualified to share my stories.  They just didn’t seem dramatic enough, and that’s what I thought people wanted to hear.

The more I compared my own life experiences to others, the more I dismissed God’s work in my life.  Then one day, God gently challenged me to take my focus off of what He’d done in the lives of others and be amazed at what He had done in mine!  He showed me that it wasn’t ever about me and “my” story, it always was and always will be “His” story – and there was nothing ordinary or boring about that! 

I began to see things with new eyes.  What I’d written off as “normal,” became miraculous.  As I focused on how, over the years, God answered my prayers, took away my fears, taught me things, comforted me in sadness, brought me friends, and healed my emotions and body, my testimony grew.  Now, instead of glossing over the everyday experiences, I dissect them looking for God’s fingerprints – and find them everywhere. And, as I’ve been more faithful to tell about God’s work in my life, He has touched the lives of others.

I’ve learned there’s no “one-size-fits-all” testimony – but there’s always a story to tell.  I just had to take the focus off me and put it on God.  Then I can join the psalmist and “declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all people.”

In His Love,

Glynnis Whitwer

My husband and I didn’t pick the smartest week of the year to get married.  We were juniors in college and got married two weeks before classes started.  On one hand, we prepared all summer, on the other, we had little time to squeeze in a honeymoon before school and jobs started up again. 

Between moving in to our new apartment, working part-time, and full-time school, writing thank-you notes for our wedding gifts fell to the bottom of my to-do list.  Month after month went by, and it was Christmas break before I seriously thought about them again.  By that time, I was just plain embarrassed to send out notes.  My closest family received them, but I neglected the rest.

That breach of etiquette has bothered me for 25 years.  It probably explains why I’m a stickler for my children and me to write thank you notes for every gift.  In hindsight, I should have sent out the notes at Christmas.   Truly “better late than never” should have been my guiding principle.

Jesus spoke about a similar principle in the parable of two sons (Matthew 21:28-32).  Both were asked to work in the vineyard by their father.  One said “no,” but changed his mind and went.  The other said “yes,” but didn’t go.  Jesus asked the poignant question, “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”  The answer was the first. 

Jesus used this parable to show the religious leaders that the “tax collectors and the prostitutes” were entering the kingdom of God ahead of them.  The religious leaders professed to obey God in their heart and actions, but they didn’t.  I think this is a principle we can apply to our everyday life.

Many times we know God is calling us to do something.  It could be to share our faith with a co-worker or family member.  Perhaps God has been tugging on our hearts to increase our financial giving.  Maybe we need to take a leap of faith and change careers, go back to school, or do mission work.  We say “yes” when God first prompts us, but then do nothing.   Time goes by, and we think, “It’s too late now.”

Unfortunately, that type of thinking leads to disobedience.  This parable shows us that it’s never too late to obey God.  It doesn’t matter how old you are, or what you’ve done since God first asked you to do something.  It doesn’t even matter if you’ve stomped your foot, crossed your arms, and told God “no.”   Today you can make your Father happy by doing His will.  

We serve a gracious God who doesn’t hold our disobedience against us.  We may need to confess it as sin, but when we do, it’s as good as gone. If God has asked you to work in the “vineyard” and you’ve said no, or delayed obedience, make today the day you get to work.  I wonder if I still have that wedding gift-list

Have you ever been touched by a random act of kindness?  I have, in a most particular way.

Yesterday my husband, my son and I went to the movies.  As we settled ourselves down and began to munch on our popcorn two young moms walked in with their children.  The theater had quickly filled up and they were obviously going to have a hard time sitting together.

I noticed that the three seats to our right and the three in front of us were still empty, so I asked these ladies if they wanted us to move so that they could seat together.  They thanked us profusely as we moved down one row.

We settled ourselves down once again, and once again we resumed munching on our popcorn.

As the lights dimmed down and the previews began, I was surprised by a tap on my shoulder.  It was one of the two young moms.  She handed me a bag of M&Ms and said, “This is for you.  I want you to know you made my day.”

I was so overwhelmed, I could barely focus on the screen.  I mean, I hadn’t done anything great or heroic.  Yet I had managed – in total random – to make this lady’s day!

I might have made her day, but the kindness she showed in return meant more to me than she’ll ever know.

As I enjoyed the movie and my M&Ms, I thought about a testimony I had heard earlier that day, during church service.  Ten years ago Alicia Manes, a young woman at our church, and the small group she lead began serving single women by putting together a “spa day”.  What began as a small act of kindness has evolved into a full-fledged yearly event.

I was touched by Alicia’s testimony, but what I especially appreciated was hearing that she and her group had made all kinds of mistakes along the way, had little resources, had felt overwhelmed,  yet they kept on going, showing kindness to single moms and being obedient – a word Alicia repeated over and over again as she spoke that morning.

Obedience…  Saying “yes” to the promptings of the Holy Spirit to display His love, His ways, and His kindness.  The Apostle Paul said it so well, “God’s kindness leads [us] to repentance.”  (Romans 2:4)  Alicia and her group had lead hundreds to experience the changing power of God’s love.

Thinking back on yesterday’s pleasant experience at the movies, I can surely say that a little bit of sweet kindness sure goes a long way.  How has kindness touched you?

I’m eager to hear,

Ana

I am amazed at how many times fear has held me back.  The fear of failure, the fear of ridicule, the fear of the unknown, (and I could go on) has stopped me in my tracks more times than I care to admit.  The sad part is wondering how many times that has held me back from what God wanted me to do.  

Ouch. 

Years ago I had the opportunity to speak out, and failed.  We were breaking down the track after a motorcycle race when one of the crew brought out a new cd she bought.  Everyone was listening and laughing to this popular group.  “Isn’t this great?”  “This is so cool!”  They loved it.  I thought it was horrible.  The words were some of the worst I had ever heard. I felt it: this was my turn to speak up, to say something – anything.  I didn’t.  I made it to church that night, and I don’t think I have ever felt so out of place walking through those doors.  I knew I had missed an opportunity with God.   

Looking back, I wonder who God had in mind to hear those words.  Maybe one, maybe many.  Either way, they didn’t hear it from me.  And what did I miss out on? 

What if I had said ‘Yes’ to God’s nudge?  What was the worst that could have happened?  I doubt they would have stoned me to death, and they weren’t going to drop me from the roster.  But that fear of ridicule, that fear… 

A few years ago I was asked to do four videos for the summer WEBS series.  I said “Yes!”  I started writing the scripts, and the fear of failure kicked into overdrive.  “No one will think this is funny.”  “No one will get anything out of this.”  I felt over my head and drowning.  I was going to let everyone down.  In stepped Ana.  I told her what was happening.  She read my scripts, and thought they were good.  Ana would do one.  She called over Katie who said she would do one of the videos.  Wow, I had good scripts and a cast.  I kept going. 

This time I didn’t miss out. 

We will probably never know most of the women we touch out there, but as long as we keep saying “Yes,” God does the rest. 

Luke 11: 28 (NIV)  He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” 

“Yes.”  “Yes, Lord.”  “Okay, God!” 

Totally worth it. 

Peace! 

Barb