An afternoon with Jana as she discusses a real relationship with Jesus and real relationships with those around us. This event is open to men and women, young and old, “churched” and “unchurched”.
trust
Unhindered Encounter
The Unhindered Encounter is a candid conversation about how we’ve formed our definition of beauty, what it is costing us emotionally, how it effects our choices in relationships, how porn poisons our perceptions and how our God has more than pat answers to offer to all of this. It is a powerful weekend to be washed by Truth.
At the Unhindered Encounter we use live worship, teaching, the Bible, multi-media, meditation, and friend-talk to unveil the honest questions that plague us as women. Questions about beauty, worth, sex, men. But we also spend time asking God what he thinks about us and these questions. Read more about this event here.
Friday Night March2, 7pm-9:30pm
Saturday Morning March 3, 9am-1pm
FREE ADMISSION!
A Great Light
I was adding ornaments to my tree this morning. I had to laugh. They look like miniature disco balls. But they also looked liked mosaics. Broken shards delicately placed together to form a whole new piece of art. And when the little white Christmas lights hit them, “Voila!”
Sparkles. Colors. Reflections bouncing everywhere. Grabbing color from the tree and other nearby ornaments, it became so much more in the light.
You were made to reflect the light. Not be the center or source of light, but close enough to reflect and bounce and dare I say it, dance in the light.
No wonder then that Jesus is called the great light that has come into the world. No wonder the darkness can not overcome Him. No wonder we look and feel so much better when we are close to Him. He came so we could reflect Him. Brilliantly, beautifullly, eternally.
And just as an exclamation point to this thought, I came back to the tree a little later in the morning and the sun was shining on the tree…talk about glowing!
So shine baby, shine.
“Blessed is the people who know the joyful sound;
they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of Thy countenance.” Psalm 89:15
Perfect…Not Yet
These are the words the Lord whispered in my ear one day during worship. Perfect…Not Yet.
“I know that because of Jesus you see me as perfect. But the ‘not yet’ part is hard to live through sometimes. Lord, how do I live in the gap of those three little dots? the space between Perfect and Not Yet?” I asked.
His answer was astounding.
“The one constant is My overwhelming love and presence. Every circumstance is an opportunity for you to see if I can take it.”
He didn’t say, see if Jana can take it. He said see if He can take it. Can God be God in my circumstances? Is He big enough, does He love enough, can He pull it off?
God wants you and I to see that He not only has the beauty and power to make us Perfect, but He has the love and stamina to walk out the Not Yet. He is the one constant that changes every factor of life.
First Things First
Since the beginning of November, God has been bringing the story of two fish and five loaves ( John 6) around and around. From different perspectives and places, He just keeps teaching and revealing. And the bottom line: give thanks and believe.
Don’t look at the circumstances: 5,000 people needing to be fed (15,000 if you count women and children). Don’t look at what you’ve got in your hand: two fish and five loaves. Look at Who you are with. The Son of the Most High God.
And what does He do? He looks to heaven and gives thanks for what God is about to do. Then as calmly as can be, the disciples began distributing. And they just kept on distributing. There were 12 baskets of leftovers. Not 12 cups. Twelve baskets. This is after everyone has had their fill. There was no Black Friday stampeding here. Everyone had enough and there were leftovers even.
Who is this God, who is this Jesus, who is this Spirit that can impact our natural world with their supernatural power? The same God that is with you today.
Don’t look at the crowds or your meager offering. Look to heaven, give thanks and then do what He has told you to do. He is faithful.
Here are some pearls from Abiding Glory on Sunday about gratitude that God has been expanding for me.
1) “Kingdom protocol is first “God, thank you” then please.” “ Jesus always thanked God first before He asked anything. We are instructed to “enter his courts with thanksgiving” then we proceed to the inner courts for petitions. This is a weighty concept but will change your faith life and your prayer life.
2) “Gratitude is never invisible or silent.” I love this. It is not enough to be thankful, you must express it. To God, to others. We often expect God and other people to “know” we are grateful. But both you and the other person are blessed when you tell them, show them you are thankful. Already this week, I have been very conscious about expressing my thanks to Him and those who bless me.
3) “Gratitude sustains joy and blessing. Without it, you soon begin to take your blessing for granted.“ Ouch. This one hits way too close to home. Everything we have is a gift from God. EVERYTHING. Be sure to sit in a posture of thanks rather than “I deserve this.”
4) “Gratitude begins where my sense of entitlement ends.” It is hard to be thankful and be demanding at the same time. We are consumed in our country, and the Church, with our rights, our privileges. When “you owe me” turns into “I am so blessed,” things shift in our soul.
5) “Grateful people can find a blessing, enlarge a blessing or create a blessing in almost any circumstance.” I don’t know about you, but I want this to be my life motto. Because the opposite affect scares me to death: Negative people can miss a blessing, minimize a blessing and destroy a blessing in almost any circumstance.
Let us be the people who remember the goodness of our God. Look to Him. Give thanks. Live in His blessing.
Remind me…
Remind me who I am.
This has been a week of loving reminders. God created or stirred, from all directions, a message of loving determination. His determination to show me love. From butterflies (in November?), to emailed heart photos, to texts with prophetic scripture, to even a powerful dream through another person, God has been ardently, annoyingly, persistently pursing me. Why annoyingly? Because when I am mad, or whining, or feeling sorry for myself, His acts of affections draw me out of my drama. And sometimes, sadly, I want to STAY in my drama. At least it feels that way. But finally His love broke through. His continued reminders of past promises and His faithfulness today, His repeating of my pet name, His beauty for my ashes, these God touches broke down my walls.
My heart opened again and I breathed in His intimate tenderness. Oddly enough the whining and self pity slipped away. They can’t stand in the face of His grace. It truly is “His kindness that leads us to repentance.” Here is the kicker…Right before I got ready to teach the WGR class, my friend handed me card, sheepishly. “He told me me to give you this, ” she said.
On one side it read: He told me to “remind you.”
On the other side were words to a song. I began reading them and casually dismissed them, ‘Oh, this is a Bethany Dillon song.’ But as I kept reading, a sob caught in my throat. I quickly left the room and went to the hall so I could cry in private.
In a moment I was transported back in time. I could see the sun, and feel the wind off the beach as I re-read them. The written words were my words. Or rather, His words.
You sing over me, You sing over me
You wave your hands and dance around
Sing of dreams, desires all over me
washing, rolling, wondering over me
There’s no love better than yours
It was a song we had written together a year before. And the over-arching message of that beach trip was His delight. Could I, would I be willing to do life with the only measure being His delight? It was the perfect touch after a hard week of questions and hurting.
How beautiful is our God?
I am putting the song below for your listening. Read the lyrics and soak in the truths. They are for you too. And my take-aways this week, among many, are listen and DO the prompting of God. Every one of these touches came from people who thought they were crazy to reach out. But God used them to help me. Finally, receive. Look, believe, receive the beauty, the tenderness, the truths of God. They surround us always. “There’s no love better than yours.”
My Pleasure
Here I am. Waiting. Listening
Wanting to feel your Holy touch
Need to hear your words flood my soul
Feel your pleasure Lord
There’s no sound, better than yours.
Here I am. Hungry, Eager.
Believing that you’re smiling too
Glad that I’ve come to be with you
You love to hear my voice
there’s no sound better than worship
You sing over me, You sing over me
You wave your hands and dance around
Sing of dreams, desires all over me
washing, rolling, wondering over me
There’s no love better than yours
We’re here again. Mingling. Meshing.
Loving the oneness of two
Drink in the wonder of You
I love your presence Lord
There’s no pleasure better
than yours
Jana Spicka, Real.Life Worship CD
Feasting at His Table
People make me laugh. Heck, I make me laugh. Sometimes it is difficult to communicate and we get in such conundrums. A couple of menfolk think the WGR November 1st fundraiser is just for women. It’s open to all. A couple of womenfolk think it is only a worship night. We will worship and invest in God’s vision for WGR too. And, just for the record, I get sick of fundraisers just like you do.
But in reality, “An Offering of Praise” is best described as pulling up a chair to the Lord’s table for a family meal and meeting. We will eat together. Enjoy each other’s company. We will thank the Father for all he has done. Then, we will hear what’s on His heart and what He’s working on through Women Getting Real.
It really is a party. And you know, when Jesus and His believers get together in spirit and truth, it’s always a good time. So like you would for any good party, invite your friends, let people know you’re coming, and bring your hearts.
I sense He has a real smile on His face about what He is cooking up. This guy knows all about feasting, and He is inviting you to the table.
Click here to RSVP http://anofferingofpraise.eventbrite.com
Deep Breath. And Believe.
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?
Sweetly Broken – Abortion Healing
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.
Pot Full of Promises
It was a really stunning moment. I was considering lots of decisions that needed to be made. I felt like my back was against the wall and I had to choose: would I react out of fear or faith? Fear would have me grasp at straws, trying to cover my bases. Faith would have me walk in boldness, simply trusting God to provide.
My answer came through a three-way conversation.
Charis asked me, “Is there really a pot at the end of the rainbow?”
“Nope,” I said.
“Why do people say that, then?” Charis questioned.
Instead of focusing on the legend, I had her retell the story of the first rainbow. We talked about Noah and the rain and the bow in the sky.
“Why did God give Noah the rainbow?” I asked her.
“Because it showed God’s promise that He would never flood the whole earth again. The rainbow is a sign of promise. So why would people look for gold?” Charis asked.
And my mouth said out loud what only God could have spoken: “Because people would rather have a pot of gold than God’s promises.”
Did you hear that? the Spirit prodded.
“Yes, Lord. I do that. I want a pot of gold instead of Your promises. Forgive me. Instead I choose Your love, Your promises. I choose You.”
What are you working for? Believing in? Depending on?