Monday, March 31, 2014

Tanzania Is Full ....

The Tanzania retreat is full  - we have 50 women missionaries registered and we have gone to our waiting list.  Now the process of solidifying the team takes place.  Please pray as these women diligently seek God’s heart to know that He has called them to Tanzania for such a time as this,  this group of missionary women, and this team.  We want God's BEST for the missionary women in Tanzania.
 
As we prepare to leave the country again I begin to think about the things God wants to accomplish while we are gone.  Remember, while life is difficult for our missionaries at times and for some more than others, their problems are similar to the things we ourselves may have to deal with as well.  They don't always have the resources for help that we do.  Not that I think we in the church are very good about utilizing our resources before we slide completely off the plate  --  but then, what do I know..ha,ha,ha.

One day, two monks were walking through the countryside. They were on their way to another village to help bring in the crops. As they walked, they spied an old woman sitting at the edge of a river. She was upset because there was no bridge, and she could not get across on her own. The first monk kindly offered, "We will carry you across if you would like."  "Thank you," she said gratefully, accepting their help.  So the two men joined hands, lifted her between them and carried her across the river. When they got to the other side, they set her down, and she went on her way.  
After they had walked another mile or so, the second monk began to complain. "Look at my clothes," he said. "They are filthy from carrying that woman across the river. And my back still hurts from lifting her. I can feel it getting stiff." The first monk just smiled and nodded his head.
A few more miles up the road, the second monk griped again, "My back is hurting me so badly, and it is all because we had to carry that silly woman across the river! I cannot go any farther because of the pain." The first monk looked down at his partner, now lying on the ground, moaning. "Have you wondered why I am not complaining?" he asked." Your back hurts because you are still carrying the woman. But I set her down five miles ago."  

That is what many of us are like in dealing with our families. We are that second monk who cannot let go. We hold the pain of the past over our loved ones' heads like a club, or we remind them every once in a while, when we want to get the upper hand, of the burden we still carry because of something they did years ago.  - Dr. Anthony T. Evans shared this story in his book Guiding Your Family in a Misguided World.

Such a simple but powerful principle is revealed in the story above.  We are all susceptible to the sin of bitterness.  In fact, the enemy loves it when he can take us to this point regarding another person whether it be a spouse, child, family, friend, co-worker, church member, etc.  Bitterness destroys you and has the potential to harm others around you.  I've personally seen the depths bitterness can take people to in my counseling ministry over the years.  I have also been on the cusp of it one time so deeply that I literally lay flat out on the floor asking God to please not allow my heart to become bitter to the point of destroying others and myself with the venom of it.  I asked God to take the hurt that was put there by someone else and replace it with grace towards the offender.  I also asked for forgiveness and grace for the times I have been the offender. He answered that prayer. Why? Because it lined up with His Word.  He tells us to forgive and we will be forgiven.  I really believe since that day over 14 years ago that God has continually graced me with a heart attitude of forgiveness towards others.  It may take me a while to get there sometimes but He does get me there and I'm so thankful.

Are you still carrying somebody and/or bodies like the second monk?  Set them down before it kills you! Ask God to soften your heart!  Never forget.....the enemy wants to destroy your heart for God.  Bitterness will accomplish this above everything else.

Love you all,

His,
Vickie


Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Tanzania almost full....


As I shared with you last week our registration for Tanzania opened last Monday.  As of today we have 47 missionaries signed up with 3 slots open before we go to the waiting list.   What a great "joy'' it is to know we will be ministering to the ladies of that area.   We are also working out details for Burkina Faso in September so please continue to pray with us as God leads.

I also encourage you to begin to pray about how God would have you invest in the ladies that will be attending the two retreats.  As you know it takes $500 to sponsor a missionary woman to attend a retreat.  Team members are responsible for raising their own support.  It has been and is incredible to watch God bring in the resources for the retreats.  We stand on the truth that God provides for that which He directs us to when we stay under His counsel and direction and do our honest best to walk in obedience to Him.

That is shown so real in the story of Joshua after entering the Promised Land.  I have always loved the principles that story provides for us.   My favorite scene is in Joshua 7:6-15.  Remember what went on before this; they had just had this great victory at the wall of Jericho following God’s instructions.  Then without seeking God's counsel they had gone into battle with Ai with a prideful attitude evidenced by the men saying to Joshua, ‘we only need 2 or 3 thousand men to take these guys.’ And, as we know, that didn't go so well for them.  Let's pick up in Joshua 7:6-9 as the Israelites return defeated with 36 men killed.

  • Verses 6-9:  Joshua has an adult spiritual temper tantrum.

    Joshua 7:6-9 (ESV) 
    Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the LORD until the evening, he and the elders of Israel. And they put dust on their heads.   And Joshua said, “Alas, O Lord GOD, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all, to give us into the hands of the Amorites, to destroy us? Would that we had been content to dwell beyond the Jordan!   O Lord, what can I say, when Israel has turned their backs before their enemies!    For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it and will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what will you do for your great name?

  •  Verse 10-15: God responds, "Really"  (my paraphrase, of course) and I am not the problem, there is sin in the camp.

    Joshua 7:10-15 (ESV) 
    The LORD said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face?   Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction. I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you.  Get up! Consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the LORD, God of Israel, “There are devoted things in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted things from among you.”  In the morning therefore you shall be brought near by your tribes. And the tribe that the LORD takes by lot shall come near by clans. And the clan that the LORD takes shall come near by households. And the household that the LORD takes shall come near man by man.   And he who is taken with the devoted things shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he has done an outrageous thing in Israel.’”

Needless to say, Joshua followed God's instruction on how to deal with the sin in the camp and sought God's counsel and obeyed it going forward.  This, too, is evidenced by the many victories in the taking of the land.

I share all this with you to say, God is always faithful to provide for that which He directs us to.  However, we cannot live outside the umbrella of obedience to Him and believe we will be provided for.  Make sure before you have your adult temper tantrum that there isn't sin in your camp.  And if there is or has been, confess it and listen to His counsel and direction and do not be afraid or dismayed at what He does going forward!  He is God, after all.

Have a great week...

Love you guys,

His,
Vickie

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

REGISTRATION FOR TANZANIA RETREAT OPENS .....

We have opened registration for our Tanzania retreat.  Last week I was already receiving
emails from missionary women that were interested in signing up.  So pray that the
word continues to spread among the women there regarding the retreat!
For those of you who know a missionary woman that is serving in Tanzania or
surrounding areas and countries, please pass the following information on to them.

Dates:  November 12-15, 2014
Location of Retreat:  Kunduchi Beach Hotel & Resort
                                  Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Theme: "I Shall Not Be Moved"
 Verse:   Psalm 62:6

The retreat is for missionary women serving outside their country of origin (must be
English speaking).  You may register at www.purejoyinternational.org   Click on
Retreats and follow the instructions.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!  It’s been forever since I’ve been able to make it
to my home church two weekends in a row!  I'm so thankful for that and shooting for a
third weekend.  Pastor is doing a study on the book of Jonah this month.  I am always
interested to watch how someone 'mines' the gold of different books and passages.

Please pray for me as I will be on the road more and more as I meet with church
Pastors, Missions Directors, and Women's Ministry leaders to encourage them to come
alongside us in prayer, gifting, giving and going.  

Food for thought this week.....When is the last time you actually bowed the knee before
the LORD?  The LORD isn't going to come at you like a football coach who, in a firm
tone says, " drop and give me 20".   But He does love us enough to allow us to reach
the point to fall on our knees before Him in humbleness of heart.  However, I suspect it
gives Him Great Joy when we come just because He is so incredible and awesome that
we can't not fall to our knees in thanksgiving and praise.

For one week try this little exercise:  Bow the knee before going to bed and first thing
when you get up in the morning.  I'm not suggesting a prayer dissertation.  I'm
suggesting something as simple as saying, “Good morning, LORD” or “Goodnight,
LORD.”   Maybe just bowing for a second with no words.  Sometimes the act of bowing
the knee reflects to us the state of our heart better than anything else..

Love you All,

His,
Vickie

Monday, March 10, 2014

Persistent.....

Hope you all enjoyed our journey through some of the characteristics of God.  I can never say to you enough, "We don't trust who we don't know".    Please continue to look at and meditate on the character of God daily.  Just pick one of His attributes and let it marinate in your mind and heart daily.

Today I was reading over the parable of the persistent widow from Luke 18:1-8.

Luke 18:1-8 (ESV)
And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.
He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming."  And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

As I thought about how persistent she was I thought about my little nephew and how persistent he is at the age of 20 months when he wants something.  Even as I write this blog I can see me this morning listening to him say, “duck, duck, duck, duck, duck, duck” and pointing to the window.  We live on a lake and that is part of our morning ritual at times.  Once he is up and coherent he likes us to raise the blinds so he can see the ducks.  This morning it wasn't happening fast enough for him because I wasn't coherent – seeing as how he had been awake from 3:00 a.m. to 5:30 a.m.  So excuse me if I didn't just snap to it at 7:30 a.m.-  ha,ha,ha!  If you are a parent or a parent figure with a young toddler or child you know what I'm talking about.  

Our Father wants us as His children to be persistent when we are praying and not lose heart if we see no immediate response.  This passage encourages us in principle to continue to seek Him until we have an answer.   That answer may be yes, no, wait, or specific clarity for what you are to do or not do.  One of the things I am learning to do these days is to pray until I am released.  Yes, until I have peace in my soul over the issue.  Peace doesn't mean I got what I prayed for; it means I know He heard what I had to say and released me, for me to trust Him that He will act in the best interest of the situation for His Glory. 

Tanzania will open up for registration next week on Monday. Missionary women, remember we take the first 50 ladies that register, then start a waiting list. So first come, first served.

Our theme is "I Shall Not Be Moved" and our verse is Psalm 62:6.

His,
Vickie

Thursday, March 6, 2014

God is Truthful.....

It’s been said, "I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you."

Wow! Isn't that a powerful quote?  It is really so true.  It isn't so much the lie but the breakdown in trust that takes place.  I have observed and counseled people through the journey of reestablishing trust and it is a painful if not impossible journey at times. 

Early in my relationship with the LORD, my spiritual mom had me memorize this verse;

Numbers 23:19 (ESV)
God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

The reason being is that she wanted me to rightly know where to place my trust, in God and the things of God alone.  Another verse I have hidden in my nugget bag along the way to accompany this teaching about trust is Isaiah 2:22 because it reminds me again that man is human and God is the One to count on.

Isaiah 2:22 (ESV)
Stop regarding (trusting) man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?

So I learned God is truthful.  He is Truth. Therefore, I could always trust His Word and His ways even when I didn't and/or don't understand.

Deuteronomy 32:4 (ESV)
The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.

Psalm 33:4 (ESV)
For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.

John 17:17 (ESV)
Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

Isaiah 25:1 (ESV)
O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure.

My dear ones I challenge you today to evaluate where you place your trust.  God or man?

Love you all!

His,
Vickie