Where is your face?

/ Jana / 2 Comments

I am not always a big fan of the book of Job. He had some pretty lousy friends who gave really crappy counsel. But as is the way of God, tucked in every messy relationship is a revelation of God, and a revelation of ourselves. Don’t even ask how I ended up at this passage. But it really hit me. I went back and read it in several translations.

Here is my take on it:

When we try to do it our way, then what we grasp and strive for is meaningless. Our impact on the world is very small. But when we do life God’s way, with Him as the source, the reward, the goal, the pleasure, then all of life is changed, not only our lives, but the lives of those around us.

“Give in to God, come to terms with him
and everything will turn out just fine.
Let him tell you what to do;
take his words to heart.
Come back to God Almighty
and he’ll rebuild your life.
Clean house of everything evil.
Relax your grip on your money
and abandon your gold-plated luxury.
God Almighty will be your treasure,
more wealth than you can imagine.
You’ll take delight in God, the Mighty One,
and look to him joyfully, boldly.

Job 22:21-26 The Message

Look at the actions required. Give in. Let Him tell you. Come back and He will rebuild. Clean house. Relax your grip and abandon. Take delight. And look to him.

Do you ever find yourself stuck in those Not Yet seasons? You know something in on the horizon but it’s not here yet?

Or you are poised in one of those Ready to Launch phases?

Or, perhaps, God has already Released you but you are not doing what He said?

Be faithful. Do what He tells you. Clean house. Let go of your notions about money and treasure. Delight in the Lord first and foremost. Turn your face toward Him. Not toward yourself. Not your pride or problems. Not someone else to “rescue” you. Just face him.

In one of the translations, the word God is Shaddai. How funny. That means All Sufficient. Lacking nothing. Looking to God is more than passive Jesus talk. It is intently listening and doing whatever He says.  There you find delight. And so does He.

 21 “Yield now and be at peace with Him;
Thereby good will come to you.
22 “Please receive instruction from His mouth
And establish His words in your heart.
23 “If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored;
If you remove unrighteousness far from your tent,
24 And place your gold in the dust,
And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks,
25 Then the Almighty will be your gold
And choice silver to you.
26 “For then you will delight in the Almighty
And lift up your face to God. NASB

 

 

Okay, Enough Already!

/ laurajones / 2 Comments

Do you ever just get knocked down by the world and its ridiculous attacks? Are you ever just shocked at how big  and how deep the Lie goes about the Value of a Woman?

I don’t know whether to cry, scream or throw up. When the first offer and photo came through my email, I tried to stuff the outrage down.  And now the email offer has resurfaced. But instead of it being a onesy thing now it is a GROUP thing. Classes of women groping and balancing. What am I so pissed about?

Pole dancing classes. Are you kidding me???  Do we not have enough porn shoved down our throats without trying to mimic the deception even more? Are you not already tired enough of trying to keep up with the world’s faulty concept of beauty?  The dieting, the surgery, the self-loathing? The comparison, the envy, the jealousy that leads to even more harmful acting out?

Really women? Really? Is this our sum total?

Does this woman’s posture do anything but reduce us to body parts for consumption? Ask most men to look at this photo, or better have him recall a time on film or DVD when he watched pole dancing,  and see if women grinding to poles makes him rise to anything remotely holy….
I am all about a woman being and feeling healthy and assured of her own worth. I am all about the “wow” factor of the female race. I am all about blow-the-house-down great sex. But I am also 100% convinced that women who try to imitate porn stars (women and men who are in need themselves of rescuing) look to the wrong source for inspiration and definition.  The women I talk to don’t need help being “sexed”. We need help being loved and cherished and adored for who we are, not just for the way we contort our frames around steel.
Is anybody hearing me? Did anyone even flinch when this offer came through?
We were watching a harmless movie with Salem and they snuck in a 30-second clip of pole dancing and men gawking. Her natural disgust and shock was immediate. “What is that?” she asked incredulous.  “Men and women wasting their strength and beauty on empty sex.” I said.   “Gross.” said the 13-yr-old.

Yep. It’s gross.

Women, what we need is how to tap into the real beauty, the passion, the fire that God has for us. In this place of true intimacy, we don’t feel like objects. We feel valued and enjoyed by our Maker. Then we can move to share that with our husbands. But we don’t create intimacy by imitating prostitutes.
“The man and woman were both naked and they felt no shame.”

Deep Breath. And Believe.

/ Jana / 3 Comments

This is too rich to not share. Charis was playing with 5-yr-old Laila. The younger was teaching the elder gymnastic tumbles. And after Charis’ first or second Unsuccessful Attempt, Laila asked emphatically, “Did you take a deep breath? Did you believe?”

It seems the first basic step before feet are lifted off the floor is: Deep breath. Believe you can do it.

Are you getting this as much as I am? I am believing God for big things. So are many of my friends. God has given us a YES but we still have to walk it out. We still have to run across the mat and Jump. And when we fall over in an awkward mess this is a great reminder. Take a deep breath. Breath Him in deep down. And Believe you can do it. He can do it. He can do it through you.

And keep on doing it.

The funny thing is, Charis has not said one word about quitting. She sees the goal. And she knows, with enough practice, and coaching, and breaths and belief, she can do it.

Do you?

So what are YOU waiting for?

/ Jana / 5 Comments

There is lots of flux around me right now. Lots of dreams, lots of plans and at the same time lots of gaping holes. I have pieces missing, people moving away, plans falling through and I am watching in wonder as what I worked and hoped would happen simply fizzle out to nothing. So now what?

Sound familiar? What do we do in the waiting?

I noticed when everything started unraveling I took a deep breath and evaluated what I did know.

1) I know God loves me and only has good for me.
2) I know that I am not quitting just because it got harder than it already was.
3) I know that God never goes back on His word so somehow this change in course is going to get me closer to His plan.
4) I know that waiting on Him is the safest, smartest, healthiest thing I can do.

I realize now this is a pretty great place to be. Waiting sucks. But Jesus is better. Better than running ahead, running away, running crazy. And just to top off the day today, in the middle of the waiting, He gave me this passage:

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is the God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! Isaiah 30: 18

Are you resting in the truth that God longs to be gracious, giving and good for you? Are standing in the one truth that you will be blessed if you will but wait on Him alone?  Not waiting  on the perfect outcome, or getting your way, or happy endings…but waiting on Him. Alone.

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord.  Selah.

The meter is ticking…

/ Jana / 1 Comment

I had told Charis “yes” a hundred times on those rides and crazy car buggies in the grocery store. (What crazy person thought of those anyway? Have you ever tried to drive one full of groceries??) But I had told her “no” a thousand times.

Not today.  I’m in a hurry.  Next time.

Imagine my horror when I finally said “yes” and she was too big for the car. She had outgrown it. The window had closed. Just like that.

I thought I would burst into tears. Fortunately the Lord provided a “bigger car”  so she did in fact get to ride. But the shock that both of us felt has imprinted on my mind. Had I really chosen best? Had everyone, everything else been more important that enjoying my child enjoy be a child?

What all am I missing by rushing around? How many windows are closing while I am checking off boxes?

This is a microcosm of our lives.  Are we really doing the important? Are we really focusing on the now? Are really seeing and living our lives, or are we in some self -made perpetual fog. Whether the fog is worry or striving, denial or laziness, dreaming or planning, are we focusing on the people and purpose of what God has placed right in front of us?

I don’t feel beat up or condemned. I feel supremely grateful for the wake up call.

Childhood has an expiration date. But life has one too. Live your life. Full out without excuses and quitting. Push hard to absorb and enjoy every season, obstacle and blessing. Breathe deep. God is in the details.

It is not the goal or destination we will remember. But the moment by moment living on the way.

Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

Colossians 3:15-17 The Message

 

Women Getting Real Weekly Class

/ Lyschel / Leave a comment

Remaining class dates are: Oct 11 & 25, Nov 8 & 22, Dec 6 & 13

I am shooting for the moon. I am flinging open the doors and inviting you in.

We believe that God wants to share life intimately with us. Most of us have heard that. Some of us experience that. Many of us are at least open to the idea. So we try different things to move into this life with God.

We also believe that God wants us to share life intimately with each other. And that is… where we close the book; turn off the TV; hit delete.

But it is true. From my humble perspective, after speaking to many, many folks from different parts of the country, and even in Zimbabwe, it seems that we don’t really like each other and for sure don’t want to get too close. This is especially true of Christian women. We often feel the most shut down and shut out relationally.

However. This is the very miracle of “God among us.” When we come together, it isn’t just you and me and our drama. It is you and me and our drama and the Living God. There is a power and synergy and healing that can happen when the Spirit of God is given permission and freedom to live and move and breathe within us together.

We see things. We hear things. We experience things that we couldn’t see, hear, experience alone. I have amazing revelations with the Lord alone. But it is radically different from what happens when I am with other believers. I hear your story and it taps into my story and vice versa. Your breakthroughs strengthen me. Your weaknesses reveal mine. And our shared bond of Christ keeps us looking to the One who heals and restores all things.

So I want to extend a personal invitation to you. Through the WGR class we desire to create a community of authentic, honest, real relationships. We desire to dispense with the petty comparisons, the surface mindless chatter and go for real heart connections. We desire to journey and not judge, to strengthen and encourage instead of play denial or fix-it games.

Women Getting Real Class is beginning August 23rd and you are invited to come. BUT you are also invited to join in with some of your friends and be part of the the online connection.  Many folks can’t come in person but they still want the connection. So can you, will you, take the effort and invest in real community? Will you gather 1-4 of your friends and watch the class together and really participate, share and go deeper with Christ and with someone else? You sitting in front of a computer is still you looking from the outside in. It is safe. And sanitized. And comfortable.

Life with God and others is messy and marvelous. It is a rollercoaster and a haven. Real honest relationship is life-changing.

If you are playing the “I just need me and God” card, will you consider adding a card to your deck called  “sharing your God life with others”? If you are playing the “I don’t trust other people” card, will you add the “I trust God in those people” card? Even if you have been burned before, will you learn the lessons of what not to do and try again?

Whether you like it or not, agree with it or not, even know how to do it or not, we are a Body. His body. We need to be together in some way, to share His Spirit among us. The WGR community on Tuesday nights, live in person, or live in your living room, is one humble honest way for us to share that connection.

Pray about it. Look at the obstacles and excuses. Then ask the Lord for the courage and faith to do Real Life with Him and others.

Real Live Community

/ Jana / 2 Comments

I am shooting for the moon. I am flinging open the doors and inviting you in.

We believe that God wants to share life intimately with us. Most of us have heard that. Some of us experience that. Many of us are at least open to the idea. So we try different things to move into this life with God.

We also believe that God wants us to share life intimately with each other. And that is… where we close the book; turn off the TV; hit delete.

But it is true. From my humble perspective, after speaking to many, many folks from different parts of the country, and even in Zimbabwe, it seems that we don’t really like each other and for sure don’t want to get too close. This is especially true of Christian women. We often feel the most shut down and shut out relationally.

However. This is the very miracle of “God among us.” When we come together, it isn’t just you and me and our drama. It is you and me and our drama and the Living God. There is a power and synergy and healing that can happen when the Spirit of God is given permission and freedom to live and move and breathe within us together.

We see things. We hear things. We experience things that we couldn’t see, hear, experience alone. I have amazing revelations with the Lord alone. But it is radically different from what happens when I am with other believers. I hear your story and it taps into my story and vice versa. Your breakthroughs strengthen me. Your weaknesses reveal mine. And our shared bond of Christ keeps us looking to the One who heals and restores all things.

So I want to extend a personal invitation to you. Through the WGR class we desire to create a community of authentic, honest, real relationships. We desire to dispense with the petty comparisons, the surface mindless chatter and go for real heart connections. We desire to journey and not judge, to strengthen and encourage instead of play denial or fix-it games.

Women Getting Real Class is beginning August 23rd and you are invited to come. BUT you are also invited to join in with some of your friends and be part of the the online connection.  Many folks can’t come in person but they still want the connection. So can you, will you, take the effort and invest in real community? Will you gather 1-4 of your friends and watch the class together and really participate, share and go deeper with Christ and with someone else? You sitting in front of a computer is still you looking from the outside in. It is safe. And sanitized. And comfortable.

Life with God and others is messy and marvelous. It is a rollercoaster and a haven. Real honest relationship is life-changing.

If you are playing the “I just need me and God” card, will you consider adding a card to your deck called  “sharing your God life with others”? If you are playing the “I don’t trust other people” card, will you add the “I trust God in those people” card? Even if you have been burned before, will you learn the lessons of what not to do and try again?

Whether you like it or not, agree with it or not, even know how to do it or not, we are a Body. His body. We need to be together in some way, to share His Spirit among us. The WGR community on Tuesday nights, live in person, or live in your living room, is one humble honest way for us to share that connection.

Pray about it. Look at the obstacles and excuses. Then ask the Lord for the courage and faith to do Real Life with Him and others.

Safe In Your Arms

/ Jana / 1 Comment

I am doing a long, long study of where I have been and where I am going these days. It takes a great deal of effort to stop long enough to listen to the One who knows better than I.  He knows where I began. And only He REALLY knows where we are headed and why. My job is to listen and follow. And to enjoy the double-edged sword of Right Now. This sword has on one side the reality of today and on the other side the plan for tomorrow.

The Present can be deceiving for us.  I am, and perhaps you are too, always looking to the future. But Right Now matters. What we are living through, learning from, what we invest in and shake off, all this matters to Him, to us, to the people around us. Are we clearly seeing God’s provision and hope in the middle of our lives in the moment?

Right Now also matters for the future. We know by faith that God uses everything to prepare and equip us for His greater good. That’s where the double-edged sword comes in.  Right Now matters for the experience and lessons, for the building of history and intimacy, for the season we are in. And Right Now is also seed and training for the life we live with God and others later on.  He really doesn’t waste anything.  Do you?

There is a great deception that sweeps over us called “if only.” It saps the life and heart out of your Right Now and ultimately your future. He is our hope. He is our life. He is.

Enjoy this song that God gave to me a few weeks ago. I heard it over an intercom and scribbled down the lyrics on a napkin. This morning I found it on my desk and it was a balm for my soul. This is the beauty of Right Now. It was being aware in the moment (three weeks ago) that God used to strengthen me today. Enjoy the Right Now in His arms.

 

Safe in Your Arms
Paula Cole/Greg Phillinganes

Sometimes I’m too bold for my own good,
I go out swinging hard and fast.
This world is beating me broken.
I need a home to rest.

Too quick in the first round,
Too slow in the second,
Now I’m here in the third,
And I need your attention.

I wanna be safe in your arms,
I wanna be safe in your arms,
I wanna be safe in your arms,
Safe in our home,
Safe in our land,
Safe in our world,
Safe in your arms.

It don’t matter how strong I think I am,
I always need another heart,
To bind me to the moment.
To help me see myself.

Alive in the fourth round,
Collapsed in the fifth,
Now I’m here in the sixth,
And I need your belief.

I wanna be safe in your arms,
I wanna be safe in your arms,
I wanna be safe in your arms,
Safe in our home,
Safe in our land,
Safe in our world,
Safe in your arms.

The Power Behind the Storm

/ Jana / 1 Comment

Where is God when it storms?

Our region has really taken a hit. My particular neighborhood has been especially shaken. After the last storm there were trees down over every road surrounding our house. That is a total of five roads. A huge tree from our front yard landed across the road jerking our meter and power lines with it. A steel pipe was bent at a 45 degree angle. That is one heck of a pull. We lost electricity for five days and phone service for ten.  We also lost a lot of sleep and food.

But we did not lose our house. Or our lives. Or honestly, our hope. Once the storm had passed, again, and I was cleaning up the yard, again, from all the limbs and broken clusters of leaves, I asked the Lord, “What are You up to? This is really scary and You are breaking off Your own trees.”

“Pruning.”

It was all He said. Pruning. And it occurred to me, no one prunes the trees but Him. No one pulls down rotten trees or prunes His garden but Him. The tree that fell from our yard was a beautiful oak, rotten in the core. Who knew but Him?

But He is also pruning me, you, us in the storm. Uprooting expectations and demands. Trimming back the excesses that weigh us down. Cutting off branches that left untended would cause us harm in the end. And just as He provided for our family in the aftermath through generous friends, God provides mercy for our hearts in the spiritual pruning. Do we like the pruning? Nope. Do we need it? Yep.

God also uses the storms to display REAL power. More than electricity, He is power. And when we are faced with our smallness and are pressed into our very great need for His protection, this is a good, good thing. As Rich Mullins said, “we are not as strong as we think we are.”

Finally, the Lord had me meandering through Job. It is so beautiful how the Spirit uses His word to teach and reveal.  Pay close attention to the thirteenth verse. Whether for correction, or for HIS world, or for lovingkindness.  Never presume that you know the WHY of storms.  Always press in to know the WHO behind them.

Job 37
Elihu Says God Is Back of the Storm
 1 “At this also my heart trembles,
And leaps from its place.
2 “Listen closely to the thunder of His voice,
And the rumbling that goes out from His mouth.
3 “Under the whole heaven He lets it loose,
And His lightning to the ends of the earth.
4 “After it, a voice roars;
He thunders with His majestic voice,
And He does not restrain the lightnings when His voice is heard.
5 “God thunders with His voice wondrously,
Doing great things which we cannot comprehend.
6 “For to the snow He says, ‘Fall on the earth,’
And to the downpour and the rain, ‘Be strong.’
7 “He seals the hand of every man,
That all men may know His work.
8 “Then the beast goes into its lair
And remains in its den.
9 “Out of the south comes the storm,
And out of the north the cold.
10 “From the breath of God ice is made,
And the expanse of the waters is frozen.
11 “Also with moisture He loads the thick cloud;
He disperses the cloud of His lightning.
12 “It changes direction, turning around by His guidance,
That it may do whatever He commands it
On the face of the inhabited earth.
13 “Whether for correction, or for His world,
Or for lovingkindness, He causes it to happen.

Dance With a Mission!

/ Jana / Leave a comment

Looking for a great night out next weekend? Join us as we Dance with a Mission!

Women Getting Real is hosting a charity dance at Absolute Ballroom to fund mission work for Beth Hungerford, Shimmi Taylor, and Laura Jones.

Beth and Shimmi are headed to Zimbabwe and Laura is pursuing further mission training in California.

For our dancing friends, this is a great extra dance for the month! For friends who are new to dancing, it will be a lot of fun and a great time to catch up! You don’t have to be a dancer to have fun! Singles and couples are welcome.

Date:
Saturday, July 9, 2011

Time:
7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Location:
Absolute Ballroom
9119 Executive Park Drive
Knoxville, TN 37923

Attire:
Nice casual/dressy

Agenda:
Dancing will start at 7:00 pm and will include rumba, foxtrot, waltz, swing, cha-cha, salsa, samba, bolero, and anything else you want to dance to that music! Mid evening, we’ll have about a 10-minute break to hear from the women going, followed by more dancing. We will wrap it up about 9:00 pm.

Refreshments:
Heavy h’ordeuvres.

Cost:
Normally the cost to dance at Absolute Ballroom is $10 per person or $15 per couple. The studio has graciously waived that fee and simply let us have the studio for a flat rate so that whatever you give will be going directly towards the mission work for Beth, Shimmi, and Laura. There will be a donation box at the back along with further information about the upcoming trips if you are interested. We are asking for a minimum $10 donation, but you are welcome to give more as led.

Be sure to invite your friends! This is supposed to be a FUNdraiser. 😉

Hope to see you there!