Friday, July 27, 2012

Finally...

First, I apologize for not getting the blog out sooner this week. Life circumstances have a way of readjusting our schedules without our permission sometimes.
Before I continue our talk on “Stopping the Chaos in the Family”, I want to update you on the Prague, Czech Republic trip.

Our team is together! There will be 14 of us traveling to minister to the missionary women in Central Europe. Our flights were booked yesterday and we are on go!

Registration opened up online for the missionary women Tuesday and we already have six women signed up to come. I met with the Oklahoma portion of our Prague team last night for prayer time and it was so sweet! There is nothing like praying and watching God move on behalf of the missionary women.

For those of you that have participated with us on Pure Joy trips, you know what it is like to start the preparations for the journey toward Prague. Start praying for the team, the missionaries who will be going, sponsorship of the 50 missionary women who will be in attendance, their families, our families, the messages, worship music, hospitality, and other activities that God would have us provide for the women. If you would like me to come speak to people in your home churches about how to get involved, email me at vickie@purejoyinternational.org.

Monday night several team members who went to Dominican Republic this past May and I sat down to follow-up with women from local churches that were part of the stateside team for Dominican Republic. It was so exciting to hear their hearts as they shared what it meant to them to participate in the preparation of what ministered to the women missionaries in Dominican Republic. It was also sweet to hear how God used their time to connect and minister to one another. Also, hearing them talk about the personal relationships they have established with a missionary because of Pure Joy and their continual encouragement to them through email warms my heart. All these things are why we call Pure Joy an ‘inside out’ ministry.

So keep praying, giving, and always be open to going someday!!


Stop the Chaos Week 5

So far in our discussion of “Stopping the Chaos in the Family” we have established:

  • God is Sovereign over all and therefore the ultimate Authority
  • He is Creator and Maker
  • He is a God of order and provision
  • Chapters 1, 2, and 3 of Genesis are the garage you can always park the car in.
The question I left you with last week was: In the order of creation, Adam was created first then Eve. Why? What is the significance of this order?

First, we know that Adam illustrates the first Father-son relationship for us. That is significant because it foreshadows the Father-Son (Jesus) relationship.

Adam was to be God’s provision for Eve just as Jesus Christ is to be our provision for eternal life. Remember Genesis 2:15 when the Bible says: The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

The term Eden in its original Hebrew language means “Garden of Delight”. I love that because God literally provided everything for Adam he could possibly want and then said (even though this is unspoken in the Bible, it is implied), “Now take care of what I’ve given you because it’s my best!” Wow! Keep that thought!

God created and made woman from man (Adam). So, the order we have now is God, Adam, and Eve. Remember God NEVER created or made anything until He made provision for what He created and made. Adam was to be Eve’s provision with the principle at work that Adam would take care of that which God had given him.

Can I ask you this question today as a woman reading this blog? Do you feel that your husband is taking care of you? Does he see you as a gift that God has brought into his life? The answer to those questions, more often than not, would be “no!”

Next week we are going to be looking at the first time chaos enters the world as we understand it from God’s word. A good read of Genesis 3 would do us all good this week. Why? Well, at the end of reading it, you tell me.

I love you all!

His,
Vickie

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Wait for it...


This week’s Blog entry has been delayed – it is Summer after all – but don’t dismay one will be making an appearance soon.

Thanks for keeping up with Vickie and Pure Joy and staying connected through our Blog!

Monday, July 16, 2012

"Stoping the Chaos" and Prague News...

Last week we established that God is the ultimate Authority and is Sovereign over all. We also saw that He is Creator and Maker. Today, we are going to see that He is also a God of order. Where there is order there is lack of chaos!
For those of you who don’t know me very well, I absolutely love the first three chapters of the Bible: Genesis chapters 1, 2, and 3. I believe that everything goes back to that section of God’s Word. It is an incredible thing to look at! God established His identity as Sovereign and as Triune God, His establishment of order regarding the universe; and He introduced the cast list for this play called life: God, Man (meaning others and myself), and the enemy. Sin enters the world and the consequences of sin are revealed physically, emotionally and spiritually, and it separates us from God. Man is sent out of the garden, and the Bible unfolds the greatest love story ever told. Incredible!!!

Now back to God being a God of order. Here is something interesting to understand today: Where there is order there is provision. So, at your convenience, indulge in a good reading of Genesis chapters 1 – 2 today. You will see that God is a God of order and provision. In fact, you will see that God never created or made anything until He had made provision for what He would create which resulted in order! Example: God didn’t create or make fish or water creatures before there was water. He didn’t bring cattle or animals into the world before there was vegetation, oxygen, and water. Are you getting this? There was order to creation, and with that, there was provision. Now everything was moving along just fine until Adam and Eve decided to do life their way instead of God’s way.

Last week I left you with the question of your willingness to sit under God’s authority.

This requires a personal relationship with Him. Some are deceived into thinking they sit under His authority without a personal relationship. This is not God’s order. This is called religion. Settling this issue will determine if your house is ordered by love or dictatorship as we continue our journey together.

Your question for this week: In the order of creation, Adam was created first then Eve. Why? What is the significance of this order?


Prague . . . Answered prayers!

Praise God our team has come together! Our location is just short of being locked in! We are hoping to open up registration to all the missionary women by the end of this week, but next week for sure. So to all of you missionary women out there ‘paying it forward’, let your friends in the Central Europe area know we are headed their way.

Thank you for your prayers for the Prague trip now and going forward!

"The key to prayer is simply praying." - A.W. Tozer

Love you all!

His,
Vickie

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

"Stopping the Chaos in Your Family" and Prague update...

Well, the journey begins today for those who are serious about stopping the chaos. If you have not read the last two blogs in preparation for this journey, please go back to http://purejoyinternational.blogspot.com/2012/06/chaos-in-family-series-and-prayer.html.

Let me start today by saying that if you are going to STOP the chaos, you must get order. To get order you must establish the measurement (plumb line) for order. In our case, the measurement for order will be the authority of God’s written Word.

Psalms 127:1 tells us . . .

Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.

I say to many who are reading this blog today: God has a plan for your family. If you decide to do it your way, you will continue to labor in vain. The reason so many do it their way is because we live in a generation of adults who don’t want to sit under God’s authority. But if you are going to do family God’s way, then you need to understand the biblical response to this question: “Who’s the Boss?” Answer: GOD IS! This truth should give you much encouragement.

There are two forms of authority on this earth: intrinsic and extrinsic (also known as derived authority). Intrinsic authority comes from within. It means that person has the power and resources to carry out any and all things with or without the aid of anything or anybody. ONLY GOD has intrinsic authority.

Genesis 1:1-2 tells us . . .

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (The Hebrew word for “created” is Bara -- to make something out of nothing.) The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

Psalms 147:4 tells us . . .

He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.

The God who created the heavens and the earth, shaped and molded this universe, and gave it order cares more about you than He does those stars He took time to determine their positions and to name. And if you have checked the sky lately, we are talking about a lot of stars!

Will you trust Him and His Word regarding your family? Have you trusted Him first and foremost as the LIVING GOD who came to take away the sins of the world?

Stopping the chaos begins with us understanding the answer to “Who’s The Boss?” The answer remains: GOD IS!

Our question for today: Are you willing to sit under His authority? Will you trust His Word and principles for your family? Are you willing to do family His way even when you don’t understand His ways, and when others makes fun of you?

Prague . . .

We are finalizing our team this week! Pray, pray, pray that God continues to put it together! Also, continue to pray for the location of the retreat that it will be exactly as God would have it be!

Love you all!

His,
Vickie

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Week II "Chaos in the Family"... and Prague Prayer Request...

Last week I made a statement, “Don’t be willing to settle for chaos. It will make the enemy happy but it will keep you from living life God’s way.”
Remember:

Chaos looks like: disorder, nothing makes sense, confusion, things aren’t where they are supposed to be, you don’t know if you are coming or going, etc.

Chaos feels like: we don’t know what we are supposed to do; we are overwhelmed, hopeless, in shock or disbelief of our circumstances; another storm is always on the horizon.

If you are serious about removing the chaos from your family, I would ask you again to look at more pictures from that 2011 Joplin, Missouri storm.



If the slideshow doesn't show use this link to view the pictures
https://picasaweb.google.com/PattyShipp/ChaosWeek2?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCPn22tvU1orhJg&feat=directlink

To remove chaos, you have to be willing to do the following:

1. Get honest with yourself and acknowledge the chaos. Quit playing “super spiritual family” to the world around you and get honest with yourselves. Admit your family is in trouble (Note: You cannot get honest with God until you get honest with yourself);

2. Face the issues head on as a family no matter how insurmountable they seem;

3. Sort through some issues;

4. Ask for help (Note: Drowning people can’t help drowning people);

5. Do not let the enemy convince you that you are the only family experiencing chaos;

6. You may need to separate from someone you love for a season in order to be able to come back together;

7. Salvage what is good (Note: Getting order doesn’t mean doing away with everything. It means keeping what is working and getting rid of the chaos);

8: After order has been restored to your family, then you must be willing to walk away from the past by leaving it behind.

So I close again this week with the question, “Are you ready to stop the chaos?” Next week we will begin to step on the road of overcoming. However, you must seriously be willing to look at the eight areas pointed out above.

We have defined what chaos can look like and feel like and what we have to be willing to do to walk out of it. Get on your walking shoes and don’t be afraid to share your thoughts with others through this blog as we journey forward.


Prague Report . . .

We are still praying for God’s direction on the hotel/resort area for us in Prague or in the surrounding area. Also, the team is being solidified. Several team members are in the decision making process this week. So, pray that God speaks clearly to their hearts. We want His team, not man’s, for the women in Prague!

Love you all!

His,
Vickie