women getting real

Whole Heart

/ Jana / Leave a comment

You know as well as I do that it was not the book, but the prayer.  You know also, it could have happened in a moment. Instead the Lord chose to take me back to the places where I lost it. Rejection, denial, anger, jealousy. Any of those bus stops sound familiar?

The Lord used this journey, the “scenic” route I had traveled, to birth a whole new understanding of what a woman is and is not, who she is and is not, because of who He is and is not.

Go read Psalm 139 again.

It is astounding to think that God thinks of us more often than there are grains of sand in the ocean. Do we really get that He knit us together? He made us. He loves us.

He made you. He loves you. Completely. Right now.

I have heard it said that when we lose sight of God we lose sight of the value of life. We then lose sight of the wonder of creation, and thus lose sight of the majesty of the Creator. The more we try to conform to each other and try to be the same, the more we miss out on the beauty of our God. The more we miss out on the beauty of our God, the more we miss out on our beauty as an expression of Him.

It works the other way around as well. The more I read my Bible, the bigger God gets. The more I see what He wants to do with and through His children, the more I see how He wants relationship rather than duty. Freedom more than boxes.

The more I understood freedom from God’s perspective, the easier it was to push out of the boxes that had enclosed me. Instead of walls, there was His glory as my glory. Beauty for ashes.

Excerpt taken from Unhindered, Chapter 39.

Let’s Get Real Here:

What do you really think God thinks about you?  How would it feel to revisit some of those bus stops in the light of His truth?

What’s the Point?

/ Jana / Leave a comment

With our eyes set on glory, let’s take a look at God’s original design.

I had a haunting question about the point of male and female. I really wanted to know the purpose of a female. Was the purpose of a woman just to help the man? This is what I was taught, implicitly or explicitly. We are to have his kids, give him sex, clean his house, be his “helper.” And if that was really the sum total of God’s design then why did it feel like there was an untapped region in my heart? If God is for me, then why would God’s design hurt so much?

I wanted to know what was the original intent of the designer. What was God up to when He made the sexes?

How it is that the church never seemed to read Gal 3:28-29  which says:

There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

 Heirs? What promise? The cross reference of verse 29 takes you to Romans 8:

 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs–heirs of God and co‑heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

 What on earth does it mean to be co-heirs with Christ? To share in His glory?

As they say, inquiring minds want to know. And I needed to know desperately.

I inquired of the Lord. I begged Him to teach me, show me, reveal to me, help me figure out what He was up to. What was the original intent of the designer?

Please, tell me who I am. What were you thinking, when you thought of me?

What was I to do? All through the Scriptures the Lord tells us to seek Him, search for wisdom, ask for wisdom, look for understanding as if looking for treasure. Jesus said, “knock and it shall be opened to you, ask and it shall be given to you.” (Matthew 7:7-8) So it was no surprise that the Lord began speaking, in lots of places.

It began with the Silence of Adam by Larry Crabb. Then John Eldrige gave beautiful insight in his book Wild at Heart. The Lord used both of these books as pieces of my own puzzle. Eldrige ventured to say that there was more to us than we dared believe. It was water to my parched soul.

Then the Lord brought writings from Watchman Nee . They stirred up a spiritual hornet’s nest, buzzing around all that I had believed about myself and God.

In Romans 3:23 we read ”All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

God’s purpose for man was glory, but sin thwarted that purpose by causing man to miss God’s glory.

When we think of sin, we instinctively think of the judgment it brings; we invariably associate it with condemnation and hell.

Man’s thought is always of the punishment that will come to him if he sins,

But God’s thought is always of the Glory man will miss if he sins.

The result of sin is that we forfeit God’s glory.

The result of redemption is that we are qualified again for glory.

God’s purpose in redemption is

Glory.

Glory.

Glory.

Watchman Nee The Normal Christian Life page 104

Me? Glory? Are you kidding?

The Lord kept bringing truth to my soul. From the Word, from books, from leaders. Then came a pure gift of love. I read Waking the Dead by John Eldridge and prayed a simple prayer.

 God I want my heart back, my whole heart.

Excerpt taken from Unhindered, Chapter 38.

Let’s Get Real Here:

How’s your heart?  Do you want it back?

Zim Prayer: May 24 – May 30

/ Lyschel / Leave a comment

Here are some of the highlights to be praying for the Zim team over this power-packed week:

Monday, May 24 – Eiffel Flats

Tyler will be speaking and Anna will be sharing her testimony

Tuesday, May 25 – Women’s Bible Study

Jana will be speaking

Laura and Beth will be sharing their testimonies

Wednesday, May 26 or Thursday May 27

Kadoma Boarding School for kids with disabilities (this will depend on whether the cholera outbreak is over)

Laura will be leading fun kid songs

Friday, May 28

Camp activities, Construction at Lasting Impressions

Saturday, May 29

The team travels to Karoi

Jana speaks at Women’s conference

Sunday, May 30

Dutch Reformed Church

John speaks

Team does a skit

Songs by Jana or Laura

Afternoon tea; Sue speaks

Glory on the Horizon

/ Jana / 3 Comments

Dear Bog Family,

While the team and I are in Zimbabwe, I want to invite you to start asking the Lord about Glory.  His glory. Your glory. The glory that we pray will break out in Zimbabwe and cover us at home. 

We have a some fun postings set up for you and we’re  inviting you to dialog with each other on the site while I’m away.
Wonder what the Lord will stir up….?

For His glory,
 Jana

Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. You will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God.

Ezekiel 36:25-28

Take this heart of stone and make it yours. It really was that simple. And that hard. To take something as hard as a stone, my heart, and turn it into a heart of flesh — beauty for ashes, as it were.

Dwell on that a minute. Ashes. Burned beyond recognition. Substance and form reduced to charred, grey dust. Now think of something beautiful coming out of an ash heap. Something wonderful, breath-taking, confounding— out of a pile of ashes.

Who can do that?

God can.

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:19 

Nothing thwarts the plans of God.

And what is His plan for us?

Beauty for ashes.

God uses many experiences, or tools, in life to persuade us to turn to Him. But often these “tools” look different from our expectations. We want blessing and favor. We want to be comfortable and safe. We want guarantees of success and privilege.

However.  This God is not concerned about comfort zones. He is zealous for glory, for righteousness, for holiness, for His image to be seen in His creations. (Isaiah 9: 6-7)

In our weaknesses, the grace of God blazes and His glory shines the brightest. Why?

Because any measure of self-sufficiency, self-worth and self-esteem has been burned up. Ashes. It leaves only His beauty to be adored.

What we call hard times, God calls release. Release from all that hinders us from being what He has created us to be. Christ in you the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27)

It is the hope of God’s glory which fuels change. And this hope is based on the very great promises fulfilled in Christ. Christ is IN us. His glory IS IN us. Not by our doing but by God’s doing. There is an unveiling happening here. There is a transformation underway. There is an unleashing of glory on the horizon.

Unhindered.

Excerpts taken from Unhindered, Chapter 37

Let’s Get Real Here:

So as we explore glory, we look to the Creator to be our source, our motivation, our hope. And above all things, we look to Jesus to be the only one to define us. So who am I now and who are you? The Lord says we are beloved, crowned with glory and honor, sons and daughters of glory—His delight. Who do you say you are?

 

Zim Prayer: Arriving

/ Lyschel / Leave a comment

The Zim team will be arriving in Harare about 11:40 (5:40 am in Knoxville) and traveling on to the Lasting Impressions Camp where they will be for several days.  Pray for safe arrivals, and energy in spite of jet lag.  Also pray that the vehicle that was ordered will actually be available.

Don’t forget, today is Pentacost 2010! Pray that the Lord’s Sprit will pour out all over the place.

Godly Wisdom!

/ Jana / Leave a comment

Hey – I love how God connects the dots! Remember the other day when I talked about grieving for couples and people who need not more ammunition but Godly Wisdom?

Check this out:

17But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. James 3:17-18

I think this is a chapter of a book because you could break down each one of these characteristics and watch God download a a billion gig of information. Why don’t you do this in the meantime? 

Ask God to show you where you are, where you are stuck.  Are  your motives pure? Are you peace loving or demanding for self? Are you considering the needs of the other person? Are you going low or arrogant? Are you pouring out the same mercy you yourself have been given by God?

Check your fruit and your heart. All you have to do is look at your harvest to see what the reality is.  See when you sow in peace, you raise a harvest of Rightness with God and with others.  If things are not  right in your relationship with Him and others, then check your seed, your fruit. 

His wisdom that comes from heaven is all these things and more.  God is always working for our good. But guess what? He is also working for the good of the other person at the same time.

Seek His face and His ways. Seek to sow in peace so that you will raise a harvest of His way of doing life. 

“Bless You, Lord, that in all our stuck places You do not leave us to sort it out on our own. You truly give wisdom from heaven on our behalf.  Thank You, Lord, that You alone give us the desire and power to be peacemakers. Make peace in us, Lord, so that we have seed to sow. Amen”

Arise

/ Jana / Leave a comment

“Your life is an occasion. Rise to it.”

Yet another profound quote from Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium.

Your life is an occasion. A date worth celebrating. An event worth marking on the calendar. For sending invitations to. An occasion worthy of attention.

Rise in honor of the gift you have been given.
Rise to reach farther than you thought, or were told, you could.
Rise up with wings of eagles.
Rise with the same passion that brought God himself out of the grave.

There is a LIFE to be lived. Yours. His. The two of you together. Your life is an occasion. Rise to it.  Be sure that no one else will do it for you. No one can.

A Voice Calling Out  (Bethany Dillon)

I hear a voice calling out
I hear a voice in this wilderness
Where darkness has reigned for so long
Ground is being taken

The trumpet sounds
And Your glory touches the ground
And we all stand in awe
Who is this?
This glory far beyond us
I hear a voice

I hear a drum beating
Heaven’s drawing near
The sky will open
Your people are being healed
I hear a voice

[chorus:]
Heaven’s battle cry
Rise
See the sun light what was hidden
Heaven’s heart beat
See is moving
What was a whisper is now
A voice calling out

I see a generation rising up
No longer accepting lies
Running to the battlefield
And losing their lives

I see a generation rising up
No longer accepting lies
As a band of worshipers run to the battlefield
They’re finding their lives
I hear a voice

Dear Diary…

/ Jana / 2 Comments

Have you ever had the “song” thing happen?  Remember the high school or college romance when you had “Our Song”? Sigh. But the part that nobody ever told you about was that every time you heard the song from that  infatuated moment forward until you were wrinkled and gray you would think of that person, that time, that romance.

I don’t know about you, but these are not always happy memories for me. I don’t like being reminded of him, or us, or how much it hurt.

But God.

Last night, He showed me how He is the Redeemer of all things. Because last night, I was on this excellent date with Chuck, and over the speaker I hear this song. It was a song God had given me a year ago. I stopped mid-sentence to listen. And to remember. He reminded me of all that was going on during that time, and all that He had healed (obviously with Chuck and I being on an excellent date). But He also reminded me of the His love for me.

No one, no one, no one
Can get in the way of what I feel for you

Who knew? Who knew that Jesus remembered “Our Song”?  Or that when memories come back from this Love Affair they aren’t hurtful. But indescribable. Beautiful. Wonderful. A love affair that will never end.

I am beginning to see that Jesus likes to share His entries in His diary about me — with me. Love notes, whispers, songs, and dried leaf hearts. He is the pursuing Lover we have been looking for our whole lives . . . .

Listen. You will hear Him singing over you.

Holy Roar

/ Jana / 1 Comment

I have the privilege and honor of watching God rescue people. He rescues them from self hatred, God hatred, addictions, legalism, coping, numbness, unforgiveness, and shame. But He doesn’t just rescue them and set them on the shelf. He wakes them up, washes them off, and then gives them a voice. He restores their glory.

It is a truly beautiful transformation to watch. And sometimes it’s humorous even.  Think about how awkward a butterfly looks as she is trying to get out of a cocoon.  She comes out, butt first, wrangling and wrestling, trying get out of the shadowland she had lived in. But her steadfast goal is to emerge so she can dry her wings in the sun and then FLY!  Well, in the same way, some of the women I see are in the “awkward process.”

These are strong warrior women. The Spirit of God is strong on them and in them. They may be unconscious of their full potential yet. (Aren’t we all?) But they are beginning to step out and step up.  They are wrestling to test their new found strength and courage as they feast on the goodness of God.  But I laughed the other day and told Chuck that some of these dear ones are like fierce lions who charge up to you but when they open their mouths what comes out is a ferocious… “meeeeoooow.”  They are still finding their voice. Their God voice. Their ground shaking, tomb breaking God voice that makes the darkness tremble.

In due season. In due season these women’s voices will rise up and become a Holy Roar. Why does it matter? Because we have the power of Christ beating within these bags of bones. We have His voice and zeal to rescue the perishing, to bring the truths of God to a dying world, to rescue other bound and gagged souls. We must open our mouths and let His words wash over this world.

Here is what I got in my email this morning. One woman’s story out of millions of being sold into the sex trade. Any one else want to lean back their heads and let out a Holy Roar?

Claudia (Click the icon to flip the story pages.)