God’s love

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.

Sweetly Broken – Abortion Healing

/ Lyschel / Leave a comment
Sweetly Broken

Finally find freedom with yourself, God and others about your abortion.

Play One Woman's Story

 

“I thought I was over it.”

“I’ve never told anyone.”

“I’m afraid God is punishing me.”

“How can I make this right?”

“How can I forgive….?”


We know how you feel. We have been there too. Through the fear, nightmares, denial, anger and regrets.

But we have passed through to a new place called peace, and true forgiveness. We are still sad about the fact of our past, but we are no longer held captive by it.

God has shown us there is beauty in our brokenness.

We invite you to a tender, honest and safe weekend to hear about how to walk forward in freedom.

What you can expect:

Time to process, time to worship, time to hear truth, time to be honest, time to sort out what’s next?

Teaching and materials by Jana Spicka. Assisted by Alexa Stephenson.
2 night’s lodging in a large spacious chalet.
Check in at 3pm. Check out at 11am.
Heated pool on site.
Four meals and snacks. Breakfast, lunch and dinner on Saturday and breakfast on Sunday morning. (Friday night dinner is on your own before first session.)

This is an intimate gathering limited to 12 women. Click here to register now or become a donor.

$40 per Woman Attending Retreat

$100 Donor/Prayer Partner

We want every woman who needs to come, to be able to come but they need your help spiritually and financially. We want every women who comes to have a prayer warrior standing with her in spirit, and to help her bear the burden of the cost. Will you invest your prayers and your funds in another woman’s freedom?

Join us for this unique retreat held at Smoky Mountain Christian Village, a beautiful complex out of the traffic zone of Pigeon Forge, TN.

Yes and Amen Retreat

/ Lyschel / Leave a comment

“For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.“
2 Corinthians 1:20

Friday, April 13 through Sunday, April 15, 2012

We are going to use this “get away from the world time” to talk about:

What are God’s dreams for us?

What does He see for our lives, and our futures?

What has He already said, “Yes and Amen” to that we just don’t know about yet?

How do women get Un-stuck?

False expectations and demands around food, sex, beauty, and love (and the Lord only knows what else…) What lifts women up?

Rest and release in the love of God.

Freedom to use our voice and heart.

Letting go of the need to control.


Join us for this unique retreat held at Smoky Mountain Christian Village.  A beautiful complex out of the traffic zone of Pigeon Forge, TN

Weekend Package Includes:  Cost is only $80!

  • Five sessions of Teaching and Materials with Jana Spicka
  • 2 Night’s Lodging in a large and spacious chalet.  Heated pool and nature trails on site.
  • Four Meals and Snacks. Breakfast, lunch and dinner on Saturday and breakfast on Sunday morning. (Friday night dinner is on your own before first session.)

This is an intimate gathering limited to 18 women. So don’t wait to register.

Reserve Your Spot Today

 

Click here to hear a testimony from one of last years attendees.

Women Getting Real Weekly Class

/ Lyschel / Leave a comment

This  is a great place to go deeper into relationship with Jesus and  other  women. Both seem scary we know. But this is a place where we talk  about  real life topics and look for God to show up in the middle of  our lives.

The class is for all ages and does not require perfect attendance. Or homework.

Join us in person at Fellowship Church on Middlebrook Pike,  Knoxville,TN every Tuesday night from 7:00pm – 9:00pm (childcare is  provided for those who register).

For specific details around the class please feel free to email us at info@womengettingreal.com.

We meet three weeks on and one week off. Dates of class are listed below. We are planning to Livestream at least once month. So stay tuned for those details. Be sure to sign up for RSS or Facebook alerts so you don’t miss out on “Monday Snack Time with Jana”, its a weekly vlog.

Class Dates for Spring Semester 2011: April 5, 19, 26; May 3, 17, 24, 31
(new class location coming soon, stay tuned for details)

To hear audio from classes up until now check out our archived classes

Old or New?

/ Jana / 2 Comments

 May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us;
   establish the work of our hands for us—
   yes, establish the work of our hands.
Psalm 90:17

This is now an answered prayer. In the Old Testament, it was a whispered hope. “May this please happen. . . .” God’s people were still looking for the lasting atonement, a sacrifice that did not need to be repeated year after year. They still walked a tight rope of law and mercy. They yearned for the irrevocable favor that could not, would not be lost because of their behavior.  God’s mercy was certainly irrevocable. But they were very aware that their behavior, their sin, their choices had to be paid for. A blood payment.

Today through the eternal, once for all, blood payment of Jesus, the tight rope was broken. What pre-Christ saints could only hope for, we can boldly dance in —  the favor of the Lord. We could re-write that verse:

The favor of the Lord our God rests on us;
He establishes the work of our hands for us —
Yes, He has established the work of our hands.

Here are some word dissections. Favor also means “beauty.”  The beauty of the Lord our God rests on us. We don’t have to work it up, which means we can’t lose it. His beauty lays on top of us, covers us, is on us in every way, every area. Establish means “to make permanent.”  He makes permanent the works of our hands for us. We matter to Him. Our efforts matter in the eternal scope of the world, for our works are ultimately His works.

Of course the enemy would have you only see your weakness and sin. You know why? Because if he can make you think you still have to get it right, you are, in effect, discrediting the Cross. It is the Cross that crucifies the question, “How do I make this right?”  Jesus is the only way to make anything right and it is the joy of the Holy Spirit to now lead you in the path of God’s favor.

Are you still living Old Testament favor? Worried that God is mad, or will be? That you are still needing atonement or might fall off the tight rope? Are you still begging God for mercy?

Or are you dancing in the overwhelming reality that His favor is 100% ours because of the blood payment of Jesus? How will you step into your life differently today just because you know the beauty of the Almighty God covers you, rests on you like a royal robe? He loves you. He likes you. He favors you. This is the permanent work of His nail-pierced hands.

Is He Weak or Uncaring?

/ Jana / 1 Comment

Recently a reporter was interviewing a controversial Christian author and his first question to the author was, “Is God all powerful but uncaring about the tragedies in Japan, or does He care but is not all powerful and  so can’t do anything about it?”  The Christian author stumbled around and somehow mumbled a reply that we live in a state of paradox in our faith.  The squirming author did rescue himself slightly by saying that whenever we shed a tear, God does too.

It was  a trap for sure. But what do you say to all the things you see around you? Some say it is a sign of God’s wrath and judgment. It’s not a popular view, but a valid option. The Bible speaks clearly about the devastation of end times. What about the view that God is all powerful but uninterested? An atheist once described God as a great watch maker who set it to ticking and then walked away. 

Can God be all powerful and all loving and yet let all this happen?

When you are watching Youtubes of calamities from the comfort of your own home, with electricity, and hot coffee and a fridge full of clean food, it is easy to give God a big thumbs up. But when your house is a pile of giant pick up sticks and the crops you sell have been contaminated with radiation, then what do you think about the goodness of God?

I can only give you one fellow pilgrim’s perspective. This world is not our home. We live in a war zone, on the battlefield of the greatest search and rescue mission ever attempted. God is redeeming our world and His enemy uses whatever he can to destroy it. What is our response?

See to it that you focus on what Jesus said to focus on. “I am with you, even to the ends of the earth.” Don’t take that for granted. Bank on it. Put the weight of your own life and existence on that one fact. His death and resurrection made it possible for you to be rightly related to our Father, to be washed of your guilt, and to have the very nature of God living inside you through the Holy Spirit.  This is no small matter. Unbelievers do not have such hope. They feel utterly alone and abandoned, destitute with nowhere and no one to turn to for help. This is not your truth.

You have the arms of God around you at all times. We are “hid” in Christ. This is a supernatural reality. Even in times of complete devastation, He is still God and still holding all things together. We can and do look for the miraculous nature of God to be revealed in and through our lives every day. Regardless of where we live, whether we have food or not, whether governments do the right thing or not, we have God. He has us.

And that is more than enough.

Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

/ Jana / 1 Comment

Soak in this amazing prayer today and realize that you are an indispensable part of Christ’s body, working out His love around you.

Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury,pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen

Breath of Heaven

/ Jana / Leave a comment
This is a beautiful blending of three offerings:  the song, “Breath of Heaven,” the movie, The Nativity, and the savior of the World, Jesus — all represented in one piece of art.  
 
I hope you enjoy it. Better yet, I hope you cry.  
 
The story of God is too incredible to not be blown away by it… May He breathe on you today.  
 

Love Like That

/ Jana / 2 Comments

This passage out of the Message has mesmerized me. So beautifully written but so profoundly teaching us how to love. Read it. Live it. Love Him as He loves us. Love them as He has loved us.

1-2Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.

3-4Don’t allow love to turn into lust, setting off a downhill slide into sexual promiscuity, filthy practices, or bullying greed. Though some tongues just love the taste of gossip, those who follow Jesus have better uses for language than that. Don’t talk dirty or silly. That kind of talk doesn’t fit our style. Thanksgiving is our dialect.

5You can be sure that using people or religion or things just for what you can get out of them—the usual variations on idolatry—will get you nowhere, and certainly nowhere near the kingdom of Christ, the kingdom of God.

6-7Don’t let yourselves get taken in by religious smooth talk. God gets furious with people who are full of religious sales talk but want nothing to do with him. Don’t even hang around people like that.

8-10You groped your way through that murk once, but no longer. You’re out in the open now. The bright light of Christ makes your way plain. So no more stumbling around. Get on with it! The good, the right, the true—these are the actions appropriate for daylight hours. Figure out what will please Christ, and then do it.

11-16Don’t waste your time on useless work, mere busywork, the barren pursuits of darkness. Expose these things for the sham they are. It’s a scandal when people waste their lives on things they must do in the darkness where no one will see. Rip the cover off those frauds and see how attractive they look in the light of Christ.

Wake up from your sleep,
Climb out of your coffins;
Christ will show you the light!
So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times!

17Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants.

18-20Don’t drink too much wine. That cheapens your life. Drink the Spirit of God, huge draughts of him. Sing hymns instead of drinking songs! Sing songs from your heart to Christ. Sing praises over everything, any excuse for a song to God the Father in the name of our Master, Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:1-20

Who’s Your Favorite?

/ Jana / 2 Comments

Early in the morning, during our family snuggles, Charis laid her head on my shoulder and asked, “Am I your favorite child?”

Just then the dogs came in and snuggle time turned into furry chaos but her question has echoed in my heart. I will be sure to answer her question after school, but it has raised some irritating thoughts. As a parent you have to carefully respond to such questions, so I would say, “Well, yes, you are my favorite. And so is your sister.”

But the question has also echoed in my spirit. As a child of God, I want to ask Him the same thing. I don’t doubt that His answer is “Yes, you are My favorite…” But He will also no doubt say, “but so are the other millions of kids I have.”

For me, that is kind of a downer. How about you?

If we are all favorites, all special, all chosen, then are any of us really valued?

Here is the ah-ha. I love each of my daughters 100%. I love them more deeply and intimately that I love— say, your daughters. I love my girls because they are mine. They come from me, they are a part of and reflection of me. I love them in completely different ways and for very different reasons because they are so opposite of each other. But I still love them 100%. Enough to die for them in fact.

In a very finite way, this is a shadow or dim picture of the lavish, outrageous, ever-flowing, abundant love of God who is Father, Son and Spirit. They don’t run out of love. They don’t have to ration their love between their children. They see us and know our unique, funny, quirky, beautiful selves. And They love just that about each one of us, because no one knows you like your Mama does, or your Daddy does. This Holy Family is 100% crazy about you.

Today, dwell on the fact that you are the “Favorite Child.” See if just that one fact doesn’t silence some of the striving, depression, and restlessness you battle.