Every Women Matters

Sometimes I find myself thinking about women who live in my neighbourhood, some I know by name and others I only see drive down my street. Then I find myself thinking about women who live throughout our district of Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario, some I know by name and others I haven't met yet. But it doesn't stop there for me. I find myself wondering about the women who live across our country and around the world. Some live in condos in cities and others live in shacks in the slums. Some live in big old farmhouses on the prairies and others live in houses in fishing villages on the coasts. Each of these women are equally unique and extraordinary in everything they do, as daughters, neighbours, workers, volunteers, employees, business owners, etc. When I think of these women I wonder how many of them know they are created in God's image (Gen 1:27), how many know they are valuable (Is. 49:16), and how many know they are loved with an everlasting love (Jer. 31:3)?

Some women are born into safe and comfortable families, communities and societies, while other women are born into families and situations where they are oppressed because of their social status, their financial situation or because of their gender.

I am challenged to answer the question do I genuinely care for others, and IF I do what does that look like? What does it take for me to act on my thoughts to show love and care for others? Seriously, what does it take to stir my heart into action?

Every woman matters because they are created in God's image, they are valuable, and God loves each of them. We need to find ways to let others know they matter - to God and to us. We need to voice God's words to the longing hearts of women around the world.

Let's start today with those we come in contact with. Let's be ready to share God's words with others. Because every woman matters, and some don't know it!

Jo-Ann

Got love?

Jesus said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10 )

A thief comes to steal what is not rightfully his - prepared to destroy property or take life, no matter the cost for his want. He is bent on getting - not giving.

This is in total contrast to why Jesus came - He came so that we might have life - moreover to have it to the full.  Jesus was, God is, intentional in loving on His creation.

The mental state of these two existences is worth contemplating.  Moment to moment we have a choice as to where will will park our minds, our hearts and our choices/actions.  Jesus said all men will know who His disciples are if we have love for one another. 

Purpose in your life to love - and when you fail - ask for forgiveness and try again.   Are you holding on too tight to that which you have been blessed with?  Talents?  Prosperity?  Pray for courage to practice that which the Holy Spirit is prompting you to do.  No excuses - give, give, give.  Freely.  Intentionally.  Frequently. 

In worship, we sing:  All of You is more than enough for all of me, You satisfy me with your love, all I have in You is more than enough.  Is it?

How will you love?  Really, sharing the gospel is as simple as sharing love:

His for us.  Us for Him.  We, for one another.

Got love?  Share.

Press in, press on,
Giselle

His perfect peace

Sometimes we can't always see what is up ahead....like a few years ago when I was preparing my car for winter, I bought all new winter tires and fixed the brakes. I thought I was getting myself super well prepared for "the winter ahead and all that I might come into contact with." A week and a half after I did all of that my car ended up being in an accident where it was completely written off and I was worse off....without a car! Sometimes we can plan and plan and still things will get changed and all that prep seems like it was for nothing.
I really tried to reason what the point or points of all that prep was but it was challenging to come up with something solid that I could say..."yes, I see now why I had to do that and how even though it didn't work out great it, worked out in the end."
Sometimes unplanned, unexpected things in life come up, hit and leave us without an answer, even though we were prepared and were sure we had everything covered. We rest in the comfort of speculation of the “why it happened and the good that’s coming out of it maybe.” That for some gives temporary joy, but it doesn’t change you at the heart of yourself.
I don't know why that happened with my car. I don't know why sometimes in life things get so altered and hit us without any way of preparing. Illness, job loss, relationship directions...sometimes its as simple as I did hours of research and prep for a design project only to have the client respond to the folder by saying...”we had some time over the weekend and just went ahead with our own idea.” As prepped as I could be and I lost time, money and a wasted trip down to the location.
What I have learned and am learning every day more, is the depth of life that Christ gives us. As He grows us deeper into Himself and in His presence the unexpected experience itself begins to fade and the anger and fear in "not knowing or understanding "WHY" is overwhelmed by the peace of Christ (the Peace that passes ALL understanding). If you’re facing something right now, whether it seems big or small ask Jesus to draw you deeper into Himself. Come before Him in repentance, in need of HIM and in obedience read the Word and ask Him for the peace that passes all understanding. He gives it to me every day. His Word tells us He will do the same for you dear friend. He will transform you into more of His likeness and shape this aspect of your character as He brings glory to Himself!

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Phil. 4.7

"You will keep in perfect peace, him whose mind is steadfast. Because he trusts YOU. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock Eternal." Isaiah 26. 3

"For He, Himself is our peace..." Eph. 2.14

Mary

Replicate

To reproduce something or to replicate it means to take the original and copy in as accurately as possible.

Dave Buehring says, "Disciple-making is reproducing the character, ways and mission of Jesus in those God brings around you, expecting them to multiply the same in others." (See Dave's website for more on disciple making at http://www.lionshare.org/Home.aspx)

I've been challenged much in the past number of months on being a disciple maker. Replicating Jesus in my everyday walk ,as well as spurring others on to do the same.

How do we do this and what it our goal?

I believe our goal needs to be accurately reflecting Jesus back to others. How do we do this? By not just reading the Bible but making it personal, always putting it into practice, and knowing others well enough if they can't see Jesus in us they'll ask us why.

If we want to make a difference and impact in our world for Jesus then we need to reflect Him in every area of our lives, as well as encouraging each other in the process.

We need to live holy, intentional, disciplined lives.

Deuteronomy 10:12-13 says, “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul. And you must always obey the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good."

Let me challenge you today to be a disciple of Jesus so you in turn can make disciples of Jesus.

Replication is simple mathematics - accurately making another one

Multiplication is the reproduction of numbers - if I tell two friends and they tell to friends (2 x 2 x 2 and so on . . .)

Disciple making is doing the math and reproducing Jesus followers.

Let's be intentional about replicating Jesus - in what we say, in what we do, and how we say it.

Jo-Ann

Grow

As I ponder, consider and wrestle with what it really means to grow into a mature, Godly woman I find myself needing to look inward at my own heart. It seems it is always easier to point out other peoples flaws, but much more difficult to look into the mirror of my own heart and see it's flaws. If I'm going to intentionally grow and mature into a Godly woman then I'm also going to need to intentionally look at myself and see my heart for what it truly is. A flawed, sinful, needy heart which desperately needs Gods redemption and grace. So if I need God's grace and redemption, then so do others... and if I want grace from others, then I need to offer grace to them as well.

Justice giving to others what they deserve.

Mercy not giving to others what they deserve.

Grace giving to others what they don't deserve.

You don't need to spend hours interacting with people to know that people's quirks and idiosyncrasies can be just down-right irritating some days. However, the Bible makes if very clear that we are NOT to love, care and encourage only those we find enjoyable to be with. We are to love EVERYONE.

So what does this have to do with growing into a mature, Godly woman? Well, I think it means each time we walk into the wall of frustration, hurt, disappointment, betrayal, and loss we need to chose to turn into the arms of our Heavenly Father and take all we feel to Him. Even if that means in the midst of our tears and longing for the situation to be different, we "cast our cares on Him" (1 Pet. 5:7) and ask the Lord to help us become the mature, Godly woman HE wants us to be. "...preferring one another in the Lord" (Rom 12:10).

Repeatedly in the Bible we read about being obedient to God's word and living in a way that pleases the Lord. We need to put into practice what we read and look at the situations and opportunities we find ourselves in and intentionally be more like Jesus. Love when others don't deserve to be loved, forgive when it shouldn't be forgivable, care when no one else does.

[Don't hear me say easy... but let me remind you Paul was in chains in a prison when he wrote, "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation (Phil 4:12). If Paul can learn to be content, then so can we... with the Lord's strength!]

So let me "encourage(d) you, and urge(d) you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy. For he called you to share in his Kingdom and glory." (1 Thess. 2: 12) And "Finally, dear (brothers and) sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more." (1 Thess 4:1)

Would you determine with me to make choices as we encounter situations to do what Jesus would do (and if you're not sure what that is to dig deep and find out), and to become the woman God created you to be? Because those ahead of us and those behind us on the journey need us to be who God created us to be!

"Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds." (Heb. 10:24)

Jo-Ann

P.S.  I just finished reading the book of 1 Thessalonians... It didn't take long and what a great encouragement to keep moving forward! Click here - it will only take a few minutes!

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Thessalonians+1&version=NLT

Raise the Bar

Physical body building demands discipline.  So too, with the emotional and spiritual.  The Word reminds us not to compare ourselves to others:

We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.
2 Corinthians 10:12

So, knowing that you set your own bar with God, where will you set it?  What will you stand for?  Against?  How does that change your walk?  Your talk?  Your decisions?

Iron sharpens iron.  When the trying times come - and all you are is compromised from all directions - remember:  our GOD is stronger!  bigger!  around forever! 

He clothes us with armour to protect and defend in Ephesians 6:10-18 in the Message:

A Fight to the Finish

 ^10-12And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.  ^13-18Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.

It's what God says about you that makes the difference.  Live your life with a sense of victory and purpose.

Press in and press on,
Giselle

Influence

The word influence means to have an affect on somebody that helps to determine that person's actions, behaviour, or way of thinking, or to have the power to affect something.

When I think of those who have influenced me and those I have influenced I find myself wondering what makes someone a "successful" influencer. Is it what they say? How they say it? Is it watching them make a difference in what they do?

For many of us perhaps we don't even see ourselves as influencers, however I would suggest if you have ever influenced a child to eat their vegetables or convinced your friend to purchase those shoes (or boots!) or persuaded someone to make a different choice other than what they were intending, then you are a woman of influence. Even though I hope we all influence others in a positive way, there are (and have been) many people in our world who very negatively impact others with their influence.

We long for you to be a Godly woman of influence to those around you. You may be cheering your child on at their sports game, listening closely at their choir or band concert, responding with a pleasant word of encouragement at your workplace or speaking God's truth and wisdom into a challenging situation, we want you to take the opportunities you encounter each day and influence those around towards Jesus.

Let us intentionally be women of influence who look for situations in our days where we can influence others to draw closer to Jesus.

"Every time we think of you, we thank God for you. Day and night you're in our prayers as we call to mind your work of faith, your labour of love, and your patience of hope in following our Master, Jesus Christ, before God our Father. It is clear to us, friends, that God not only loves you very much but also has put his hand on you for something special. When the Message we preached came to you, it wasn't just words. Something happened in you. The Holy Spirit put steel in your convictions. You paid careful attention to the way we lived among you, and determined to live that way yourselves. In imitating us, you imitated the Master (bold is mine)." 1 Thess 1:2-6 (The Message)

Let's imitate Jesus as we influence those around us.

Jo-Ann