Africans Need a Boat March 31, 2008

Hope you all had a wondeful weekend!

Please take some time and read this article on BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7316081.stm. It’s really interesting/sad about a village in South Africa that had their boat stolen. Now the children of the village must cross a crocodile infested river to get to school everyday. As you read the article think of the children’s determiniation to be educated and the length they go to make it to school everyday. The article will fill in the rest of the details.

Don actually found the article and is looking into how Centerpoint Church can be a part of ministring to this village thousands of miles away. He has contacted a pastor in South Africa to see if they could assist in delivering the boat to the Africans. We aren’t sure if anything will be able to be done. But how cool would it be to minister to these people and show the love of Christ. Please be prayer about it and if you have any ideas about purchasing a boat please let me know!

Live Mightily,

Megan Gale

What is Joy? March 28, 2008

Good morning ladies,

Below is some awesome Truth about Joy that the Lord has shown Deanna. Good stuff and a beautiful reminder of the joy we should have because of the Lord’s steadfast love for us.

Live Mightily,

Megan Gale

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Psalms 17:15

” As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness!

What is Joy?

The Lord has been teaching me so much about this topic!

Two weeks ago, I went on a trip to visit family and friends. On my way there after the kids had gone to sleep, I started asking God what the enemy was after in my life right now, considering that there had been trial after trial and not small insignificant ones, but rather trials that should be causing grey hair to pop out daily! When I asked Him, I felt He answered so quickly that the enemy was after my joy. This started what has been a two week time period of everything I do or think of going back to JOY! What exactly is my Joy?

I picked up a book I read a year ago by John Piper titled, “When I don’t desire God, How to fight for Joy”. the truths in this book have come alive once again, and I would like to share a quote from it. ” When all the supports of human life and earthly happiness are taken away, God will be our delight, our joy. This experiance is humanly impossible. No ordinary person can speak in truth like this. If God alone is enough to support joy when all else is lost, it is a miracle of grace.”

This sparked the memory of what the Lord told me, and I became so excited with this truth, ” AS long as HE is my Joy, there is NO WAY that satan can steal my Joy! May we treasure Him above else!

–
Live a passionate Life for Christ!

Deanna Derouen
Let the weak say, “I am a
warrior”. Joel 3:10

What is it to be a Follower of Christ? March 27, 2008

Mark 8:34 says “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”As a follower of Christ this is a weighty call on your life. I spent alot of time pondering and studying this statement in my quiet time about a week ago. A follower of Christ = (a born again Christian)

1. Denying yourself. What exactly does this mean? I believe it means
taking all of your desires and wants and laying them down before the
feet of Jesus. Letting go of sin and turning your eyes away from the
world and all of it’s pleasures that so easy entangles us and to let
every part of your day be given over to the Lord. Summed up: It’s not
about you it’s about Him.

2. Taking up your cross. We hold we claim we carry around the cross of
Christ. We EMBRACE all of HIM. His commandments, His teachings
whatever He calls us to in this life. This is very heavy and scary
because all of these things may not be the easiest to embrace. There
may be a time in your life where you say goodbye to all of your
familiar surroundings and go away to a foreign country and learn a new
language and eat new food. Or this may mean that you do something SO
radical for the Kingdom that everyone around you thinks your crazy and
you find yourself having no support from the ones you love.. A time
could ultimately come when you suffer and die for the sake of Christ
and His Glory. Christ NEVER promised that this road we are walking was
going to be sunshine and roses 24-7, if we choose to fully pick up our
cross and carry it it will mean suffering, pain, and struggles but
PRAISE GOD in all of it whatever it’s degree we find JOY! PEACE!
CONTENTMENT! and GRACE! I’m not saying something this extreme is
going to happen to everyone but always be ready to say YES LORD to
whatever he asks of you. It’s worth it! I love you all.

Stephanie Olinger

Slow to Believe~ Luke 24:36-49 March 26, 2008

Here is a recap of the teaching from this past Sunday. These are the bullet points from Louis’ outline. Please take some time and remember what the Lord spoke to you through these words. It’s important that we do not leave the powerful words that are spoken to us each Sunday in the church, but that we reflect on them throughout the week… the Lord has challenged me greatly in this area.

Live Mightily,

Megan Gale

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Some Easter Lessons on our slowness to believe:

Before we’ll respond in faith we’re likely to explore every possible option of doubt. v. 38

• Option 1: The resurrection isn’t real v.37
  • v. 39, 42-43 Jesus makes clear that this a literal resurrection
• Option 2: It;s too good to be true v.41
  • In matters of faith, we are a people of nearly zero expectation

We’re slow to believe that God stands by His Word v.44-46

• Isaiah 55:10-11
• “Christ will suffer and rise”- Psalm 22:1, 6-8, 11-18; Isaiah 53:2-12; Psalm 16:10

God expects us to respond in faith and then to turn that faith into action v. 46-48

Truth~our response: Repentance~ God’s response: Forgiveness~ We are witnesses and must bear witness~ God empowers v. 49

• Acts 1:8

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One part of the sermon that really struck me was when Louis read the prophecies of Jesus, especially Isaiah 53. I have heard that passage many times, but thinking about it on Easter Sunday and how the Lord ordained Jesus’ death years and years before it took place puts me in awe of his might and perfect plan. What a mighty Lord we serve!

Don’t forget to read the passage for next week 1 Corinthians 3:1-9

Megan Gale

Christ is Our Solid Foundation! March 24, 2008

Sorry there hasn’t been anything new for a few days… but it’s Monday and we are back in the swing of things! I hope everyone was really able to reflect on Christ, His sacrifice and beautiful resurrection. What a mighty God we serve! Here are a few thoughts from Monica. Love you all

Live Mightily,

Megan Gale

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I Corinthians 3:11 says, “For no one can lay any foundation other than
the one already laid, which is JESUS CHRIST.” How amazing! Yesterday we
celebrated the foundation of our life. Everything in our life as
Christians is centered around this one concept, “Christ died to set
things right between myself and God.” It is on this SURE and CERTAIN
foundation that EVERYTHING in my life should be built. EVERYTHING.
Every thought, every action, every dream, every desire, every
interaction today should be built on the foundation of Christ’s
redemptive work in my life. Wow. What a day I would have.

This thought connects where Megan left off on Wednesday. When you swing
your legs out of bed tomorrow morning, put your feet on the ground, and
think your first thought, begin by building on the foundation that is
already laid for you as a woman of God. That foundation is Jesus
Christ. “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already
laid, which is JESUS CHRIST.”

Monica Brenton

Think about your Quiet Time March 19, 2008

The past few days I have been greatly challenged about my quiet times. I know the Lord is calling me to more. Calling me to spend longer amounts of time with Him. Longer amounts of prayer. And to be ALERT when doing it- that is sometimes a big struggle for me. I do my quiet times in the morning and by the time it comes time for me to pray I end up asleep on a pillow! Now, some would say then don’t do it in the morning, which is a responsible response. But I feel like there is more that needs to change than just the time. The Lord has pointed out a few ways for my quiet time to change.

1. Not to get so nice and cozy again after only being up 30 minutes… the likeliehood of me falling back asleep increases 10 fold!

2. Get dressed and ready for the day before sitting down to do my quiet time. Somewhat the same as above, but this way I have committed myself to being ready for the day and not ready to be back in the bed.

3. Have Don hold me accountable about the quality of time I spent with the Lord. Asking me how it went- what I learned- what He spoke to me- what I spoke to Him.

4. During my prayer time to say my prayers outloud. This way I am able to stay alert and engaged with the Lord.

These are just a few things that the Lord placed on my heart in order for me to sharpen my time with Him. Our time with the Lord IS the most important part of our day, so that is why we have to be ready and ask the Lord to help us with our discipline in it. My question for you is what does your quiet time look like? Does it need improvement? Are they going great? If you would like please share some of your thoughts/encouragements/convictions on how your quiet times are going.

I know the Lord is calling us to be disciplined women of the Lord and our quiet times cannot fall through the cracks. Love you all.
Live Mightily,

Megan Gale

Do You Trust Him? ~ Devotional by Jessica Hart March 18, 2008

Do You Trust Him?

“He is the Lord; Let Him do what is good in His eyes.” 1 Samuel 3:18

Several months ago, I was reading through 1 Samuel and God really spoke to me through this passage. Eli has just been told (by Samuel) of the coming judgment on his family. Eli knows and understands the destruction that lies ahead for his family, yet his response is: He is God. Let Him do what He sees is for the best. What a picture of faith and surrender! Eli knows that his family will be destroyed, but he surrenders to God’s will. Also, Eli chooses to trust God even though His will in this passage is obviously not something Eli would plan for himself or his family. As Christians, we should all desire a heart like Eli’s in this passage; A heart that completely lays down every desire, every longing, every dream, and every circumstance in front of the Lord and says, “You are God! Do whatever is good in Your eyes. You know best.” In addition, we must realize that some desires and dreams may never be fulfilled and we may continuously face hard circumstances, but we will trust God anyway. We must decide to trust God, even when we do not understand why He is allowing certain things to occur in our lives. Psalm 9:10 says, “And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.”

Many times in life, we will all go through situations and hardships that we cannot understand. However, in those times we must take our focus off of not understanding. We need to stop trying so hard to figure out why God would allow the circumstances to occur and instead rest in Him; finding peace in knowing our Lord and His character. Our focus should be on the aspects of His character: What we know and believe about Him. We must fix our eyes on Him and what we know to be true about Him! Many times, we will never know why things happen the way that they do, but we do know Who is in control over every situation. Things happen in our lives that seem bad all the time and we are left hurt, disappointed, and sometimes even angry. We live in a fallen world. Many times we will never understand why God has allowed us to go through certain things, but we can find peace and joy in the fact that He is good, He is sovereign, He is constant, and He is faithful. Isaiah 55:8 states, “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, says the Lord. And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.” In addition, the following quote from the book “A Heart Like His” by Beth Moore, speaks of David and his faith in the Lord, despite his circumstances.

“You may not know how God is going to use a situation in your life or why certain things have happened to you. But, you can be encouraged and strengthened by recalling what you know about God in the midst of uncertainties. In confusing times, recounting what we do know refreshes us. You may never know why or how, but you can always know Who is faithful. (David) didn’t know why. He simply knew Who. The names David called His God fell from the lips of experience, from things He knew. Sometimes we stand to learn the most about God from the situations we understand the least.”

Taking it one step further, as much as we hate to go through these times of pain, disappointment, and grief, it is often through these times that we truly learn to trust God. Personally, it is in these times that I see Him working, even if I don’t understand exactly what He is doing. It is through these times that I experience first hand many aspects of His character (that He is Good, my Great Provider, my Prince of Peace, and so on). In addition, it is often in these times that we become so dependent on Him and experience the most growth in our relationships with Him. When we are in the middle of a storm, we find out if we really believe what we say we believe. It is through these times that we find out if we truly trust God. Do we really believe He is faithful, sovereign, and good? It’s so easy to say we believe it, but will we still cling to that belief when times are hard and when we are tested? So, as much as we all hate these times, they are essential for us as Christians. If our purpose in life is to bring glory to our Maker, then shouldn’t we welcome openly anything that will draw us closer in a relationship with Him?

No matter where you are in life right now or what circumstances you are facing at the moment, I encourage you to spend time studying more about the attributes of our mighty God and the countless promises He gives to His people-His women. He loves you so much and wants you to find rest in Him. He wants you to know Him so intimately and trust Him completely. His ways are so far beyond our comprehension and His power is endless. He is trustworthy, faithful, and the greatest love we will ever know. What an incredible God we serve!

Jessica Hart

Abortion beyond America March 14, 2008

Desiring God recently posted about Life International on their blog site. I was astounded at how close-minded I had been about abortion. While I am aware of the clinics and atrocity that it is in the US I had a turned a blind eye towards abortion world-wide. This site brings to light the growing rate of abortions across the globe. Let us be in prayer for these beautiful children and that Christ would be known in these countries that abortion is so rampant. Here are a few facts about abortion worldwide from Life International:

• Abortions in the U.S. and Canada (1.4 million) amount to 3% of abortions worldwide. And while the U.S. and Canada have 2,500 pregnancy centers to counteract 3% of abortions, the rest of the world has 600 centers for 97% of abortions.
• Russia commits 4 million abortions a year
• 75% of Romanian pregnancies end in abortion

While you are on the site another AMAZING story is that of how the organization bought their headquarters in Michigan. Briefly, there was this old church that was used as an abortion clinic for years. First, think of that statement a church converted to an abortion clinic and one of the largest in the state! But how the Lord restores… Life International was able to buy the church and turn it into their headquarters- where death once lived now has been bought to bring life and light. Our Lord if so beautiful!

Please take some time and pray for this organization as well as the people they are reaching.

http://lifeinternational.com/

Live Mightily

Megan Gale

Prayer March 13, 2008

Today we are to focus on prayer. Oh, how it should be a our focus everyday! I received an email from Allison yesterday asking for prayer for her mother, who has been battling cancer for 2 years. Please read what the Lord has shown Allison through this and as her sisters we need to be on our knees before our Lord.

Live Mightily,

Megan Gale

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Hi there,
I’m sure all of you know about my mom… after fighting cancer for 2 years the Drs. have said “there’s nothing else they can do.” OH BUT GOD IS BIGGER! The Lord showed me this in my quiet time today…

In John 11 (the story of Lazarus) we see how the Father planned all the details out and He was in complete control. When Mary and Martha called for Jesus to come and heal their brother, the Lord tarried. Lazarus was very ill and since the Lord waited Lazarus ended up dying. Lazarus was in the tomb for 4 days and many jews came to console Mary and Martha during their grief. Several vital truths concerning the peace of God are woven into this unique scriptural account. Christ purposefully timed His absence from Lazarus during his critical illness. Consistently through God’s Word, illness and infirmity arise as opportunities for God’s work.

John 9:1-3 “As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.’ ” Christ had glory in mind when He tarried so long before responding to Mary and Martha. Christ waited four days before He returned…long enough to accomplish as least two goals: 1.A prevalent belief existed at that time that the spirit remained close to the body for three days after death. By waiting past that point, Jesus left them void of other explanations. 2.He waited until a crowd had gathered at Mary and Martha’s home so that many would ‘put their faith in him.’ Christ was peaceful in the wait. He waited thousands of years to become flesh and dwell among us. He waited 30 years to begin His earthly ministry. He waited until Lazarus was cold and decaying before He raised Him from the dead. And we must learn to wait as He does.

Isaiah 64:4 “From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him.” This is a hard time for our family. The past couple years have been hard. There has been so much grief and hardship, but the Father brings peace. ” Peace means the absence of fear and turmoil, not the absence of pain and grief. Christ, Himself, grieved over the separation of loves ones as shown here in John 11, in the garden of Gethsemane and, finally, on the cross as He saw His mother’s pain and suffered the separation from His Heavenly Father. We can be filled with sadness and still posses a wonderful sense of God’s peace. Perhaps it is at that moment beyond all others when the peace of God transcends all understanding.

Psalm 62:5-8 “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He ONLY is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.” Our goal is not the absence of sorrow in our grieving, but rather that we refuse to grieve ‘as those who have no hope’ (1 Thess. 4:13). Perhaps right now you are walking through a time when the obvious actions of Christ in your behalf seem inconsistent with His professed love for you. Oh, Beloved, can you see today that it is quite consistent with our Savior to: *go for the greater glory? *have us be void of all other explanations? *wait until many surround us who may put their faith in Him? If you believe Him, He will show you His glory. Guaranteed.

I believe with all that is within me that OUR GREAT GOD CAN HEAL MOM!!!!!!!!!!!!! He can fully restore every fiber of her being like no Dr could. The Drs can’t do anything else and so her healing would leave NO OTHER EXPLANATION BUT OUR GREAT GOD!!!!!! He would get greater glory in healing her after 2 years and the Drs have no other treatments, then if He had chosen to heal her a year ago or even a couple months ago. There are so many surrounding us in prayer right now. So many Drs who know about mom. So many friends and strangers… that when He heals MANY WILL COME TO KNOW HIM! He is our HEALER! He is our GREAT PHYSICIAN! He is more than able to restore FULLY! Please join my family in praying for the Lord’s healing and pass this on to whoever. Love you guys. Thank you. To Him be all the glory!
Allison

Recap of Titus 2 Tuesday March 12, 2008

Good Morning Ladies

For those of you who missed last night or just want to reflect on the awesome truth we learned here are a few points from Stephanie’s message.

Main Text Matthew 25: 14-30

Christ is using life defining words in this parable! Take a moment and look at the powerful words Jesus uses to describe the servants. Faithful, well done, good and then on the flip side with the servant that buried his talent the master replies with words like, wicked, slothful and worthless. Christ is conveying a very important message to us through this parable and His use of language.

To do nothing with your talents is wicked and slothful.

Luke 12: 23-40. We must be ready at all times. Readiness is not just waiting around. Readiness is being active, bearing fruit from the time we rise to the time we go to bed.

We are to live with aim and purpose.

How can we do this in our everyday lives? One way is by not fearing man and sharing the Lord at all times! Also, by using the gifts the Lord has given. And if you aren’t sure what your gifts are or how to use them then talk to one of the elders or another woman that could help guide you. Important to know where the Lord has gifted you.

To hear the beautiful words of our Savior well done good and faithful servant!

Revelation 1: 12-17. The image that is described in Revelation WILL happen! We will be before the Lord and we will give account for the talents/gifts He has entrusted us with. Oh, let us be women that are faithful to what the Lord has called us to!

Questions to Keep Thinking About

What talents and gifts (spiritual gifts) has the Lord given you, and how are you using them to further His Kingdom?

Do you struggle to live each day being active and bearing fruit for the coming of Christ? If so what ways can you embrace the opportunities that you specifically have around you?

What does your day look like? What is it filled with? How can you this week glorify the Lord more?

Please add any more thoughts about the teaching and anything that the Lord showed you!