Sure You Do!

/ Jana / Leave a comment

So Chuck is out of town this week and Charis made him a package of notes and cards. His first one was a doozy. Lots of sweet words and notions, but she ended it with a great question.

Do you miss me? Sure you do!

Chuck and I laughed about her tender heart that is so willing and able to receive love. She just simply can’t fathom why someone wouldn’t enjoy her.

And after I got off the phone with Chuck, I considered that God sends us similar notes. “Jana do you miss spending time with Me? Sure you do!” And He is right. I do. Like Charis, only moreso, Jesus is so willing and able to receive love and can’t fathom why I wouldn’t want to simply enjoy His presence.

Don’t just talk about what you need or should do to strengthen your God connection. Just do it. You both will be better for it. You both will enjoy the time spent together.

A Goal For Your Life Today

/ Jana / 2 Comments

Sometimes we stop everything we are doing to talk about what’s wrong with everything we are doing. You’ll notice, that while evaluation is good, rarely does it change the circumstances.

What changes the circumstances is making willful, conscious choices in the right direction. What improves and empowers our life is surrendering to God’s ways of doing life. Love God. Love your neighbor. Love yourself. Love your enemy.

These are not analyses. These are action items.

Francis of Assisi said, “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”

For me today, that means my Doing what’s Necessary— my confession and forgiveness. I have business in my heart that needs tending to. No amount of talking about it is going to substitute the act of it.

Then when I have done what’s necessary, forgiving myself and others, I can do what’s Possible—loving again.

And suddenly, I am doing the Impossible — moving out of my self-centered drama and into God’s life, His work, His heart.

So what are you waiting for? What’s the first necessary thing you need to start?

What’s Your “Must Have” ?

/ Jana / 2 Comments

Proverbs 2: 9-11
9 Then you will understand what is right and just
   and fair—every good path.
10 For wisdom will enter your heart,
   and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
11 Discretion will protect you,
   and understanding will guard you.

Sometime we get so caught up in keeping the rules, or avoiding them, that we forget to engage our hearts with God. God is the good path. His wisdom changes our lives and the course of our lives. So to grow in wisdom is to see it as a “must have.” More than hair color, or latest fashions, understanding God’s way of doing what is right and just and fair becomes our greatest gain. He promises when we adjust our lives to that end, we will experience great benefit.

Open, Eager, or Desperate?

/ Jana / 1 Comment

Are you ready? Here we go.

To be “open” to something is to acknowledge that your mind is considering new ways and options of thinking. We often use the phrase “open minded.”  We consider such a person to be a broad thinker and willing to be tolerant of opposing or unknown areas.  A think-er is not always a do-er.

Open-ness is not necessarily eager-ness.  With eager comes a kind of desire that pushes you into action. Not just an open-handed consideration, but an eager desire that needs to be acted on.

Now compare being eager to being desperate. Desperation is a driving force that must be  completed, satisfied, answered.  Acts of desperation are done without regard to personal cost.

Now then. Which are you— open, eager, desperate— when asking for God’s gifts, His spiritual gifts?

1 Corinthians 14:1 talks about following the way of love and eagerly, jealously, ardently desiring the works of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Paul said many times that we are to want all the gifts that God has for us, and to do that in a desperate, driven, longing for fulfillment kind of way.

So, how much of God do you want?

Unhindered Encounter 2.0 Registration

/ Lyschel / Leave a comment
Registration is now LIVE!

We are so excited to offer a discounted price for the February Unhindered Encounter 2.0. You can register right now for ONLY $35 (limited time). This price includes: 4 teaching session, live worship, lunch, the Unhindered Worship CD, and more.

Join us for a one day woman’s event hosted by Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church and Women Getting Real Ministries.

Lead by Author/Speaker Jana Spicka and the Women Getting Real Team.

Don’t forget to share with your friends!!!

For more info about the Unhindered Encounter click here

Unhindered Volunteer Call

/ Lyschel

Hello Friends!

Get ready…..…it’s coming! We are excited to announce that the next Unhindered Encounter will be on February 12, 2011 at Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, TN.

My name is Michelle Gilbert and I am serving as the Volunteer Coordinator. So guess what my role is? To ask for volunteers. We are calling on everyone whether you are new to an Unhindered Encounter or a veteran. There are many different ways you can volunteer. You can volunteer a little time or a lot, it’s up to you. We are expecting this to be a large group of women and will need many volunteers.

We need a team leader and individuals for the following areas:

  • Promotions Team (do you have an hour to put up posters or hand out postcards to friends?)
  • Registration Team (want to help women check in the morning of the event?)
  • Product Team (help us add to someones journey by selling WGR product at the event)
  • Food Team (can you help decorate tables, set out some food and assist with clean up?)
  • Welcome/Greeter Team (is your gifts in hospitality….always willing to help someone?)
  • Ushers (can you help with directing traffic throughout the day?)
  • Intercessory Prayer Team* (feel lead to pray over these women prior to and during the event?)
  • Foot Washers* (want to serve here?)

At this point our immediate need is in the areas of promotions and registration, but you can volunteer for any area. Some of you may doubt your ability but as Jana often encourages us to ask Jesus, I ask you to go to Jesus and ask him what he thinks and how he would have you serve.

To volunteer, please contact me. The best way to reach me is through email at mamagtn@gmail.com or you can my cell at (865) 824-8382. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Thank you in advance and I look forward to seeing how God will work in the lives of His women!

Blessings,
Michelle Gilbert
Unhindered Encounter Volunteer Coordinator

Are You Complacent?

/ Jana / 1 Comment

Proverbs 1 :32
32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
   and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety
   and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

Complacency is a scary word. It means: A feeling of contentment or self-satisfaction, especially when coupled with an unawareness of danger, trouble, or controversy.

When it comes to spiritual blindness, numbness or ignorance, those three things being distinct, complacency is toxic. We don’t look or ask or pursue the things of God because we are content with our own perspective. Yet our perspective is “unaware” of pending danger.

Proverbs is meant for one thing, making one wise. Listen to the way of God. View things through His lenses. Be actively engaged in your world through the power of Christ.  Then you will live without fear of harm.

Running Free by guest blogger Laura Jones

/ laurajones / 1 Comment

Hey chicas!  Jana and the band are recording today, so pray that they will sing strong and claim His pleasure over them as they worship and work together.

Jana asked me to post if I felt so inspired, and after her blog about Eric Liddell yesterday, I thought I’d share a recent conversation the Lord and I had about running. 

Among the things I’m trying to learn to do faithfuly is taking a walk with the Lord in the mornings. I was out with Him a month or so ago, and on this particular walk, I felt Him prompt me: Run.

I didn’t want to. Felt silly. I haven’t run since I was like, 12.

But He kept saying, “Run.” So I finally did. At least, I attempted a mini-jog.

Then He told me to speed it up. “Don’t jog. Flat out run.”

So I did.

“Don’t you feel more alive?” He asked.

“Yes, Sir, but I’m gonna die…” I huffed back.

When we got to the end of the trail, I said, “I really don’t like that, but I’m willing if You do.”

“Do you REALLY not like it?” He probed.

“Well, I just feel embarassed, and like I look silly. And I can’t do it.”

Then the Lord brought back Graham Cooke’s voice from a CD I’d listened to weeks before: “God never calls us to what is possible. He calls us to what is impossible. The only thing we can do is yelp, ‘I can’t do this!’ and He says, ‘I know.’ ”

“Ha! Very funny, Lord. So, I guess I kind of do like running. I just feel like I can’t and I don’t like that.”

“Those are two entirely different things.” He stated.

“Yeah, they are.”

So, we ran a little more. Got to the end of the street, and I saw a silver chain in the road. Immediately, my mind went to the song, “My chains fell off, my soul’s set free. My God my Savior, has ransomed me…”

“I’m just breaking your chains off and setting You free.” He said.

“Okay, Lord. Got it.” I thought back to all the old baggage He’s been helping me sort through, and the things He’s been teaching me. The running freely – the broken chain: this was a physical picture of a spiritual excercise.

I added, “But while You’re breaking those chains, could you please hold my heart gently, because it feels like my heart is what’s breaking…”

Then I remebered what Corky Shepard prophesied over me in Zimbabwe: “There are things the Lord is going to want to take off. I’m talking about attitudes and things now. And it may be hard because they’ve been there so long, they feel like they’re part of you. But He wants you to just be you and run free.” Run free. Imagine that. Nearly two months had gone by since Corky said those words, and here God had me literally running. And challenging my attidudes and fears.

In my heart, I heard the Lord saying, “I’m taking off the weight.” Spiritual weight. Physical weight. Chains be broken. Lives be healed. Hearts be opened. Christ revealed.

And my soul sang, “Lord, I wanna run…”

I really do. I want to run. Spiritually and physically. I want to be stretched. To be free. To be willing to go hard places and attempt the seemingly impossible without fear. To run to Him. To run with Him.

How about you?

To Feel His Pleasure

/ Jana / 2 Comments

God has a funny way of talking. And repeating Himself. Again and again.

“Randomly” Chuck brought home the movie “Chariots of Fire.” It is the true emotional story of Eric Liddell who ran for Scotland in the Olympics. The classic line is: “I believe God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.”

When I watched him run in the movie, it made me cry. Because he did not have technique or perfection, or a trained stride. He had passion and dependence on the pleasure of his God. And it was enough. More than enough.

Then last night as we were praying for the worship CD that we are cutting this weekend, different women kept sensing the word pleasure and enjoyment.

It was no surprise then when Melanie came up after class and said, “You know when I am doing my art, I remember that great quote by this guy, Eric Liddell. He said he ran because he felt God’s pleasure. And I try to remember when I draw to do it for His pleasure.”

Yep, God likes to make sure we hear Him, loud and clear. So from Thursday night through Sunday, will you pray for us as a band, as worshippers, as children of God, to play and sing simply because we feel His pleasure?

That will be more than enough.

Worse Than Naval Lint

/ Jana / 1 Comment

“I really hate that my camera doesn’t take better pictures,” Chuck said of his phone. And I retorted, “Well it is a cell phone.”

And so it went for months. Fuzzy, blurry pictures, and missed moments due to lack of a good camera. But then Chuck got a wild hair to clean the lens. Have you seen the lens on a cell phone? You have to get cotton swab and really dig it down into the little lens to clean it.

And Voilá!  Bright clean photos. Even on a cell phone!

So when my photos started blurring on my phone camera, I didn’t hesitate to grab a swab.

You know navel lint doesn’t hinder you at all. But lint on your lenses affects the way you see life. It becomes dull, blurred and not really worth even seeing or trying to enjoy.

Ask the Lord to clean your lenses. Ask Him to remove the fuzz and buildup so you can see what He sees.

There are a lot of colors and lots of beauty in this God bathed world of ours. Enjoy it. He sure does. And He wants to share it with you.