Monday, March 29, 2010

Be An Encourager

I had the privilege of hosting the Women in Ministry Retreat a few weeks ago for the pastor's wives and credentialed women in the Potomac District. It was a phenomenal weekend! God's presence was so sweet. He ministered in a powerful way through our speaker, Kerry Clarensau. It was a great weekend with other women in ministry!

As a young pastor's wife who was filled with insecurities and intimidation, I made many mistakes throughout the early years of ministry. If only I would have had a seasoned pastor's wife to come alongside me to coach and encourage me as I walked that unfamiliar territory. I was not raised in a Christian home and had no idea what my role as a pastor's wife really meant. It was very lonely. I chose to pour my life into my career for eighteen years in Corporate America. My heart breaks now as I think about all those wasted years I could have been doing something for the Kingdom of God but instead my focus was on "me" and what I wanted for my life.

Mentoring is so dear to my heart. As Christians, God is calling us to step out and profess our faith. We are called to live our testimony so people can see Jesus Christ in us. My heart burns with passion to minister to other pastor's wives who may be walking in a deep valley of discouragement. God's purpose for our lives is to reach out to others who are hurting, confused and lost. We need to be that encourager who will come alongside a lonely Christian. We need to be someone who will love them and pray for them.

When someone is hurting,encourage them and remind them that Jesus loves them and has an awesome plan for their life. This life throws all types of obstacles in our paths even when we are striving for that prize at the end of our journey. Life will become overwhelming at times but through prayer and the encouragement and prayer of others we will see victory!

Blessings and hugs!

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Good Morning Beautiful Girlfriends!!

Another Sunday and another opportunity for God to Rock the House! Another opportunity for God to do a mighty work in our lives!!

Maybe you are feeling everything but joy this morning. Life can be filled with tons of disappointments and overwhelming challenges. Sometimes the circumstances we are walking through have a way of totally stealing our joy!

Corrie Ten Boom knew that and wrote, “Jesus did not promise to change the circumstances around us. He promised great peace and pure joy to those who would learn to believe that God actually controls all things." Yes, my God controls all things and He is on the throne today!!!

We need to learn to trust God and open the door of our soul to Christ. He promises that He will give us pure peace and joy even when life seems very dark and uncertain.

I pray your day is filled to overflowing with God's amazing peace and overwhelming joy!!!! He loves you and only wants the very best for you, your family and ministry.

You are appreciated and loved!!!!

Blessings,
Debbie

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Waiting Sometimes Brings Frustration

Dreams. Visions. Hopes. Goals. Sometimes, we have clear direction from God regarding our next steps in life. Sometimes, we have no idea. For many of us waiting for that next step to become a reality can be an incredibly tough process as we trust God and pray for His will day after day after day. What happens between the dreams dreamed and the dreams realized? LIFE!

Between the dreams and the reality of the dreams coming true we patiently wait, NOT, living our lives, but remaining faithful to God and His calling, trusting Him to bring about what He would have us to do. We don't stop being faithful, and we can't stop living as if we were literally frozen in time, but we must be patient. For many of us, that is an extremely challenging task.

Every one of us has at some point dreamed a dream that was beyond us, perhaps even a divinely initiated dream. For some, God has fulfilled that dream. For many of us, we are still waiting for those dreams to come to life. Often times we may even become frustrated from waiting for that God-sized dream and pursue a more manageable people-sized dream instead. Maybe the people-sized dreams feel safer because we feel we can accomplish them more easily. We find the God-sized dreams overwhelming, and so we become creative to find ways to put them aside for fear of failure.

If God has given you a dream pursue it! We should never settle for anything less than what God intends to accomplish through us. We must not allow ourselves to become distracted but consistently wait patiently for the realization of the dreams. Do not allow the enemy to fill your minds with doubt but rejoice because God is still in control!

I know from experience waiting is not always an easy task. I am reminded often that God's timing is not my timing. Between the dreams dreamed and the dreams realized life continues to move forward.

What are you doing with that time today? Don't allow frustration and discouragement to alter your God-given dreams. Remain faithful to the call God has placed upon your life and allow Him to use you where you are while you wait for that dream. One day God will let us know that it is time for His dreams to become a reality in our lives. Even though life happens, God still works His purposes out in detail. The path to our dream may not be exactly how we thought we would get there. Just trust God. We have a responsibility to be faithful and patient as His will becomes a reality for each of us.

Blessings!

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Good Morning Beautiful Friends!!

This is the day that the Lord hath made. I will be glad and rejoice in it!!

Be encouraged today. We need to get up in the mornings and enter into the King's presence with praise and thanksgiving in our hearts. I know that sometimes the biggest battles we face are in our own homes. Remember that our homes are on the top of the enemy's hit list so cover your family in prayer every day!

No matter what we may be facing God has the power and solution to overcome the problem. Look to Him today and allow Him to do a great work in your life. I know many of us are walking through some very challenging times but nothing is too big for our God. NOTHING!! No matter how many times the enemy whispers lies into our ears, God is still on the throne. He loves us and protects us and wants victory in our lives.

Embrace God today with your love and trust. He will work everything out when we completely let go and let Him. His plan and purpose is amazing for our lives but we have to relinquish our will to Him so His will can be completed in a beautiful and incredible way.

Thank you girlfriends for your friendship and support to one another. You are amazing and such a blessing. Have a wonderful Sunday! I pray God will ROCK your world today in a very special way!

Hugs,
Debbie