SISTERS OF MINE FELLOWSHIP

His Word

2012-01-10T06:26:00.001-08:00

His Word

In Psalm 119, the author writes: “I will delight in your law; I will not neglect your word.” These words have so challenged me in my spiritual walk. I have shared them with the children and the youth at Potter’s House. I have memorized them and written them in my journal a million times. And after listening to Pastor Carla challenge us to “love the Word” this year at the last Women’s Church, I had to share them with you.

A story is told in the book “Jesus Freaks” of a congregation from a small village that did not have enough money for a Bible. So a number of men from the village spent the entire summer working for a missionary, hoping to raise enough finances for even one Bible. After the summer was complete, they told the missionary what they were hoping to do with their pay. He answered them, “You don’t have to pay for that. I have a new one right here you may have.” They men weeped for joy and ran back to their village rejoicing. Sometime after their return home, the missionary received a letter in which they thanked him again and again. When they had arrived home, they took the bible and tore it into small portions, so they could all study and share with one another. They were so overjoyed…

Another story tells of a little girl who when asked to spit on the Bible to save her life watched many do so – adults and children, but when it was her turn, she refused. She bent down and kissed the Bible. Holding it close, she was killed.

This story breaks my heart, but it also brings me to a place of challenge in my own life. How many Bibles do I have in my homes that sit unused on the shelf…when so many hold only one page of a Bible with such joy? When is the last time I thanked God for His word? Or held my Bible close?

I believe this is a year in which God is wanting to restore a LOVE for His word. We should take delight in our times with Him, reading His word. We should look forward to it each day…instead of being drug to it; we should have to be drug from it!

Let’s fall in love with our Bibles all over again. It is a love letter after all…queue the butterflies, candle light, and violin music…

Broken & Spilled Out

2012-01-10T06:25:00.001-08:00

Broken & Spilled Out

My mom use to sing a song called “Broken and Spilled Out.” Years ago I danced to this song at a children’s camp…and then a few years ago my father and her sang it as a duet to conclude a message he had shared on a Sunday morning. Each time, it spoke to my heart and yet for many years, I didn’t fully understand what the words meant and why they often brought many to tears. I didn’t understand until I saw it lived out…when I connected the lyrics to lives lived all around me…lives daily emptied for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We have often heard of the woman who came to wash Jesus’ feet. In fact, the Bible tells us that Jesus told his disciples that wherever the gospel would be preached, her story would be told. I can’t imagine the courage it took to enter a home unwanted and throw yourself at the Savior’s feet while others looked on in disgust. She needed no water, her tears fell freely. She needed no rag, she offered her hair. What a humble act of worship and devotion. If the story had stopped here, I don’t know that any would have doubted her sincerity. But this is not the end…this despised woman reaches to grab a jar of expensive perfume. The crowd gasps. Surely there were better uses for it than to wash some dirty feet. But there was no gasp from Jesus, no disgust, no misunderstanding. Jesus knew what she was doing…she was holding nothing back, living a life broken and spilled out before Him…and this was the worship He loved most of all.

There are others stories…the poor widow who brings her two coins to the temple offering after the rich man brings his bags of coins. Jesus turns to His disciples and again says it was HER offering that He delighted in the most. Again teaching that it’s not the size, but the amount that truly matters.

David may have been pint size when He defeated Goliath, but God had ALL of Him…and God can do great things with a surrendered life.

So the questions arises, Does God have all of me? Am I holding anything back from Him? This is a time where God is calling His women, His daughters to break their jars at His feet and give Him every ounce of who we are. He’s saying, “Empty your jars. Let me have all of you. See what I can do with a spilled out life.”

Looking Up

2012-01-03T07:20:00.001-08:00

Isaiah 17: 7 says, “In that day men will look to their Maker and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel.” It was only a few hours I ago I was drawn to this verse…and in the last few hours I have been incredibly challenged by those nineteen words.
As a mother of five children all under the age of eight years old, my life is not the least bit boring or void of its distractions. Just this evening as I attempted to prepare a worship set for next Sunday, my son Jordan, clad in pirate attire, was serenading me loudly on his guitar and new microphone…while my oldest kept me up to date on every other sentence from the book he was reading…and Gideon helped my husband sweep the floor (by eating the food left down there from dinner! Yuck!)…and Shiloh pirouetted around her 2 year old side kick…whose attempt at dancing always ends with a belly flop or a scissor hold. Oddly enough, I accomplished my task…but not without my share of stops and starts and restarts and “Don’t put that in your mouths” and “Your sister is not a jumping pillows.”
Then tonight…as I sat basking in the silence of a sleeping home, I found this scripture and it reminded me…that in all the distractions that life has to offer – my eyes need to be fixed on the Holy One, looking upon their Maker. How easy it is to get side-tracked, to push our devotional times with Him to the side in all the chaos, to forget to be Mary’s sitting at His feet in our rush to do Martha’s work.
But if we can just keep our eyes on Him…Those days are always the best of all…because those who seek - FIND. We will find Him in the most ordinary of moments making life extraordinary. We will find patience when we need it, strength when ours is failing, hope when the way looks impossibly dark, courage when we don’t know if we can fight, peace in the chaos…
So you know what I’m going to do? I’m going to be looking up from here on out…looking up to Him “from whence comes my help.” Let’s not let the busyness of life pull us from our place at His feet, looking up into Daddy’s loving face. Let’s not let the troubles of this world, steal our attention. GAZE INTO THE EYES OF YOUR BELOVED and “in that day” you are going to FIND He is everything.

She's No Quitter Either!

2011-12-17T12:28:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday night I couldn't sleep. My heart was burdened by numerous needs and I felt led to pray. My heart went to Michelle Doherty who was in the fight of her life to see her daughter, Sophia healed. I suddenly had a vision of me reading the Word with her over the phone. I decided it was a God-thing and called her when it was almost midnight. She shared that Sophia was struggling and it had been a day of constant warfare. We "locked arms" in faith and turned to God's Word. We read together from Psalm & the New Testament, building faith. When peace came, we stopped and rested.

The next morning Michelle wrote to say that baby Sophia had turned the corner and was vastly improved. Since then she's continued to do better each day. Yesterday Michelle was able to hold her over 2 hours. What a precious gift!

I know many of you are hanging on and believing for breakthroughs for loved ones and difficult situations. Don't quit believing. God hears. He won't overlook or forget you. He doesn't have favorites. Bathe yourself in His Word and refuse to give the loved one or situation up to the enemy. There is no surrender in God's vocabulary! :) No retreat. There is only "stand therefore" until the breakthrough comes.

I'm standing for loved ones AND difficult situations this weekend. You're not alone. Let's stand as one and share in our victories together!

Much Love,
Pastor Carla

I'm No Quitter

2011-12-14T20:06:00.000-08:00

During the recent fast our church did in preparation for the prayer gathering in Detroit, God gave my husband and I clear direction for life and ministry. This resulted in his resignation from Heart Cry International as CEO so he could focus his mind and energies on The Potter's House. Since we KNOW that this coming year will bring much growth to the ministry at home, his renewed focus is essential. We're excited about what God is doing and will do in 2012.

For me this meant a big change as well. I instantly became CEO of Heart Cry International, picking up the job I once laid aside. I never wanted to have my own ministry apart from the church...but God had other plans. I've determined to embrace the change and grow as a leader. This means tackling some of the jobs I could avoid while Ron was leading...things that involve math and numbers. Ouch. Not my strongest point.

Numbers make me want to quit. Seeing how low the numbers are when I have big bills to pay challenges my faith. It was easier to have faith when I didn't know the bottom line in the HCI checkbook. :) Now I am must choose to believe when I KNOW we're facing impossible situations. The temptation to quit and run has crossed my mind...just like it crossed my mind when I spent 2 months away from my family in Nigeria...like when we had the staff uprising in Haiti a few months ago...like when I get overworked and too tired. Quitting sometimes seems like a good idea!

But quitting is not an option for me. No matter how bad it looks - even if I don't see the breakthrough or don't have all the answers - I am no quitter. I know I cannot lose UNLESS I quit. If I persist and continue seeking God, the breakthrough and answers will eventually come. All things WILL work for my good. To quit is to give up on God. I can't do that. He never gave up on me.

I've been reflecting tonight on God's faithfulness. So, though I'm a bit tired of financial deadlines and the over-abundance of work, I'm resolved to press on. I will not quit. I will not doubt. I will believe. I will believe because He has NEVER failed me. He WILL never fail me!

I'm sharing this to encourage YOU. Don't quit, beloved sister. You cannot lose if you keep holding on to faith. God WILL be faithful to you. All things WILL work for your good. All things ARE possible with God. He will never give up on you...don't quit on Him. Your answers and breakthroughs are on the way...

I'm no quitter and neither are you! :)

With Love,
Pastor Carla

A Personal Testimony

2011-12-10T13:16:00.000-08:00

While in Haiti in June of 2011, I was hit with a heaviness and felt as if a cloud settled over my mind. I've been fighting it ever since. I prayed, stayed in the Word, fasted, worshipped, and chose daily to press on and trust God. It's not been easy! Often I felt as if I was functioning with half a brain and my heart felt overwhelmed. There was an ugly tension in my body that exhausted me physically and made sleep difficult. I leaned on Ephesians command to "when you've done all, stand!" But standing was beginning to get more difficult.

After the Ladies Tea last Monday night I lost my new phone and had a small tearfest. Sitting in my car, I cried out to the Lord for a breakthrough. I couldn't even remember when I last held the phone in my hand. I came home and found Pastor Ron wide awake - a miracle after 9 p.m.! :) We prayed and I felt drawn to read the Word of God. I read through Matthew and Mark that night. In the morning I grabbed the Bible and read through the book of John. Minutes later, the Word of God broke through! My mind cleared and faith took over! This led to an awesome time of prayer and I haven't been the same since. Praise God!

I'm sharing this because I believe there are other women like me who are in need of a breakthrough. Keep doing the basics - stay in the Word, pray, worship, fast and stay in fellowship. Choose joy. Choose to press on. Your breakthrough is almost here! Consume the Word of God like a woman starved for food and let faith rise in your heart. His Word will reveal truth to your heart and mind that will set you free. I'm believing this to be the best Christmas ever for each one of you!

Much Love,
Pastor Carla

Learning to Love Change...by Pastor Carla Ives

2011-12-01T18:44:00.000-08:00

I spent years resisting change. I had no problem surrendering the difficult areas of my heart, mind or actions over the years - who wants to keep sLomething that hurts you and others? But when it came to changing my lifestyle, relationships, home, or work my feet dug into the ground and I leaned as far away as I could. I hated change!

Eventually I began to understand that change comes whether we want it to or not. We can fight it, curse it, cry over it, and try to run from it...but change comes. It's a part of the journey.

When you are on a journey, the scenery and climate changes. We just returned from a trip to Maryland and North Carolina visiting our children and grandchildren (adjusting to a long-distance relationship with them was a definite change!). As we drove we saw light and dark, night and day, clear skies and storms. We saw trees and mountains fly by. And know what? We didn't mind at all. It's a part of the journey. It means we're going somewhere. We're making progress. We're growing.

I think I originally fought change because I felt it was the result of failure. I had to change or God had to change things because I didn't do something right. In truth, I now see that change comes because I'm growing and moving with God. He never stops! His Spirit is always moving and carrying me right along with Him. :) Change is a wonderful, purposeful part of my spiritual journey. Though I may not always like how it feels, I have determined to embrace it fully.

I believe we are all going to be challenged with new changes in 2012. Changes in relationships, behaviors, speech, perspectives, spiritual disciplines, work ethic, and personal growth. God is going to speed things up and wants to carry us along with Him as He moves in life-changing ways. If we'll stop fighting the changes and simply say "YES!" we will find the transitions less painful and much quicker in the year ahead. Let's all determine to "go with God"!

I am finally learning to love change!

Letting God Lead...

2011-03-17T19:06:00.000-07:00

When God first gave the idea for Sisters of Mine Fellowship, I was excited! My mind took off in a million directions - I was full of great ideas! I sought counsel and strategized the best way to implement God's idea. I anticipated incredible results! I was sadly disappopintd.

The first year of the new plan went fairly well. I ended 2009 with hope of greater impact in 2010. I saw growth in relationships through the weekly updates and we began to think more like family. But that is where the growth seemed to end. As 2010 came to a close, the Saturday fellowships were attended by few and no one seemed too interested. I prayed and plotted new ways to get women excited as we moved into 2011 - but attendance seemed to drop even more. Then my schedule grew busier than ever in my life through the rapid expansion of our international work and it looked like Sisters of Mine Fellowship was a sinking ship.

Praise God for His mercy!

I love the women of my church and wanted them to be ministered to in a powerful way. I used my 30 hour travel time home from Nigeria and the 9 hour drive to and from Illinois to pray about Sisters of Mine. God graciously reminded me of when He first gave me the vision for the new name and look of our women's ministry. The original idea was for a Women's Church that would meet one Sunday night month. The vision included intense worship, prophetic teaching and personal ministry, a central topic and women's panel for a special Q & A time, a monthly give-away, and fellowship. I'm not sure why I over-thought the original idea and eventually altered it into the Saturday mistake, but I have now repented! :) I am resolved to return to God's original design.

I once read that a sign of maturity is to be able to admit you are wrong. I must be VERY mature! :) I am definitely willing to change. So...

Beginning the first Sunday night in April, we will be having Women's Church at The Potter's House Family Worship Center. Pastor Latoya Ives will be putting together a team and leading us in worship. I'll preach at the first meeting on being a Spirit-led woman. We'll have a special panel of seasoned women of God who will offer counsel and answer questions concerning being a single mother. We'll have a special give-away and a time of fellowship with great snacks. Nursery will be provided and your daughters over 4 are welcome in the service. It's going to be great! Even better, it's going to be God! Hope you can come!

We CAN Make a Difference!

2010-08-25T05:30:00.000-07:00

This past Monday I had the honor of sharing my life and ministry with the Rotary Club here in Mt.Pleasant, Michigan. The minutes flew by as I related my history and present experience as a woman, wife, mother, daughter, pastor and missionary. I couldn't stop smiling! Afterwards, I was introduced to a woman who said, "Listening to you makes my life seem so..." and my heart ached. She probably has no idea what an impact her life is having on those around her.

Each of us is making some kind of difference in the lives of others. We are an influence, an example, a pattern to follow. Every day others are watching and learning from our successes and failures, our triumphs and mistakes. Our response to the difficulties of life speak to them. Our strengths often challenge them. Our words are shaping them in some way, either making or breaking them.

Someone asked me, "How can I make a difference?" I think the question is not so much "how" - it is "what kind" of difference can I make? If we truly grasped the impact of our lives we would more often reflect on the type of influence and example we give. Most of us rarely realize our potential for bringing change to the world in our everyday existance. We think it is the big moments of ministry or crisis that bring transformation. The truth is, those big moments usually bring the climax to a work of transformation already in progress. WE bring change every single day!

My response to the wonderful woman I met was quick. "You ARE making a difference! You are touching lives every day." Now I say to all of my sisters reading this blog: You ARE making a difference! Your life matters. You are an influence and example to all who see you, know you, or hear of you. As you surrender your everyday life to Jesus and allow Him to lead you by His Spirit, you will be one who brings His touch and transformation to those around you. His fingerprints will be all over their lives! Way to go, sisters of mine!!!"

With Love & Joy,
Pastor Carla

Doing Life Together

2010-06-15T18:54:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday I had a fresh reminder of why I love The Potter's House so much. The morning services were amazing and I so enjoyed praying with my church family and seeking God together. He met with us in a precious way. Then came the Encounter Night that evening. Prophet Matt brought a great Word and I had the rare opportunity to be on the worship team again! Usually, my schedule keeps me away and I have missed it so much.

Lost in worship with both my son and daughter on the team. Following their lead. Not caring if I'm heard or not. Hearing God's voice. Entering the "Fire Tunnel" to receive my blessing of prayer and prophetic confirmation. Hearing what I needed to hear. Praying through with a sister in need. Spending time encouraging a spiritual son. This is FAMILY.

Monday came and brought times of fellowship and the exchange of emails. Coffee with a spiritual daughter. Watching my granddaughter at gymnastics. Cuddling under a blanket with the grandbabies watching the Potter's House team win yet another game. Laughing as Margaret Brady blew her kazoo. Making up silly cheers. Laughing for hours with church friends. Then dessert at Big Boy - all this and chocolate too! Leaning on my beautiful daughter as she fed her daughter strawberry pie.

What makes life sweet and successful has nothing to do with the amount of money you have in the bank, the degrees after your name or the titles you wear. It has nothing to do with how thin you are or how many "friends" you have on facebook! It's all about doing life with real people - people you love and who love you back. The Church family will never be perfect, but there is nothing better than being surrounded by people who genuinely care and want to be your friend.

Make time for friends. Learn the joy of family. Spend a little less time behind the computer having discussions with invisible people. Spend a little more time getting to know LIVE brothers and sisters. Be involved in one another's lives. Share the good and bad of life together. You'll find a sense of fulfillment that nothing else can bring. We were made for relationships - for intimacy with God and others.

Starting in September, Sisters of Mine will begin a new quest for intimacy with God, our families at home, and our church family. Everything we do will be designed to build greater relationships and provide more opportunities for fellowship. Stay tuned and be a part! It's time, don't you think? Let's do life together.

Growing Faith

2010-06-01T18:39:00.000-07:00

Last week was BIG for me. It all started when Ron left for Haiti without me. He's traveled without me before, but never have I experienced such a prayer burden! I barely slept while he was gone, awakened in the night to intercede. The warfare was intense and we could communicate very little. He had to navigate spiritual traps and discern the will of God under great pressure. He did great!

One of the unexpected traps of the enemy came in the form of an extra $2000 needed by Thursday morning of last week. In addition, the landlord tacked on new expenses and determined to NOT do requested repairs on the house needed for the orphanage. Despite the obstacles, Pastor Ron felt confirmation we were to get the house. I understood that we had $2000 coming in offerings from elsewhere, so I told him to go for it...oops!

Wednesday I found out that I was lacking nearly $1800. The offerings were coming, but not in time. This meant I had a huge decision to make. I couldn't speak with Ron because it was too late. I turned to prayer with my friend, Peggy Phillips, as we drove home from Muskegon, MI. God confirmed NOT contacting Ron and told me to gather the counsel of three men of God - a church elder, a Heart Cry Board Member, and my dad.

This was big for me. I was raised in the early years of ministry to be strong and independent. Hear from God and do it! Waiting on the Lord was done alone or at most, with my husband. Over the years I've asked for prayer and counsel while on the run. I would do my best to hear God and press forward. I thought this was obedience. However, as I fell on my face again and again, I finally began to understand that isolationism and independence are non-biblical charecteristics. We were designed to function best together as a family.

So this time I did it God's way from beginning to end. I took time to seek out all three men of God for counsel. Each ended up with the same directive - to step out in faith and send the $2000. My dad actually gave the prophetic word that sealed the deal and released the faith needed to step out! God's Presence filled the vehicle as Peggy and I prayed and praised all the way home.

Guess what? By the next morning, the $2000 was on it's way to the bank even as I sent the same amount to Haiti. The house was secured and I will go next month to move the children in and make the orphanage a home. I can hardly wait.

Our American culture prides itself on independance. Beware of the lie of self-reliance. It's amazing how isolated we often are from one another. We need each other! We need the prayers and counsel of others in the family - those who've experienced more of life and God; those who are strong where we are weak. There is a sweet bonding and incredible joy when we do things God's way - together! Sisters, toss your independance out the window and let yourself seek the help of God and others. It's miraculous!

I Think I'm Falling in Love...Again

2010-05-23T19:55:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'll admit it. I'm feeling sentimental tonight. Usually, I'm the one packing to fly to some distant land. This time it is my very American husband. Tomorrow he leaves for Haiti to continue the legal process for the Heart Cry International orphanage, "My Heart's Home." It is the first time he's gone overseas without me in a long, long time.

Travel is easy for me. I feel at home wherever I am. But for Ron, travel can be a challenge. It's not just the possible motion-sickness. It's sleeping in strange places, having no privacy, and missing his beloved coffee shops! (Starbucks may go bankrupt without him this week! Smile) If it were not for his sincere love for the world, he would be very happy staying in Mt.Pleasant, Michigan.

Yet he goes. Whether to the slums of Uganda, the heat of Nigeria, or the quake-ravaged Haiti, he goes with sincere joy and absolute commitment. His love for God and for the hurting surpasses his love for comfort and home. As I watched him prepare for the trip with excitement and apprehension combined, my heart nearly burst with fresh love. What a man God gave me!

If you read my previous post, you know I've been reading "The Love Dare" by Kendrick and enlarging my heart. I now realize that I started reading the book because of another book by Gary Smalley called, "If He Only Knew." Gary said that when women read these books and begin to change, their husbands are drawn to read the books too. I should have known better - manipulation is not a good way to improve a marriage. Smile. Ron has stated often the past week, "I so appreciate you loving me enough to read this book." No intention of reading the book at all on his part!

But that's okay. Because it's enough for me to read the book. As I'm reading, I'm realizing that he really doesn't have to do a thing for me to love him more. I chose to love this man nearly 30 years ago when he was broke, wearing torn bib-overalls and long hair. I will love him until the day one or both of us leaves this earth. How he performs, how he returns my love is his choice. I am grateful he chooses well!

I'm learning to be grateful for the positives in Ron, without making them a reason for loving him. More and more, my love for him is based on personal choice and less on his performance. I think this has been freeing for both of us. He's free of the pressure to please me and surprisingly wants to bless me even more. I'm no longer tormented by reasons to withhold part of my heart or to be frustrated with him. Most of my struggles were rooted in his inability/sometimes ignorance or refusal to perform for me - to manifest those positive attributes I value so much. When I started loving Ron with the Agape love of Jesus, which is genuinely unconditional, I was set free at a new level.

Don't get me wrong. For those who might wonder: Our marriage has been good and we have not been fighting. My desire to see our marriage improve stemmed from the fact that we're nearing 30 years and I wanted us to keep growing. That's it. Of course I assumed HE was the one who would need to do the MOST growing. Smile...Surprise, surprse!

In the end, I'm so thankful I picked up this book. Our marriage IS growing because I am growing. And my changes are releasing changes in our marriage that are precious and oh, so sweet. I've never loved Ron more than I do now. I'm not oblivious to negative things he might say or do...they just don't matter as much as they did before. He belongs to God. If he needs any changing, I'm sure my heavenly Father will handle it all just fine! In the meantime, I'll continue to stay soft and teachable as God grows me.

If you want to read a personal thanks written to honor my husband, please go to http://heartcryinternational.blogspot.com. I DO thank God for Ron and look forward to another 30 years with him!

So, how is marriage going for you????

Love to you,
Pastor Carla

My Personal Love Dare...

2010-05-18T10:17:00.000-07:00

Just before my last trip to Haiti, I decided to purchase the Love Dare book. This book was very popular when the movie, "Fireproof" came out last year. Though my marriage to Ron is sweeter than ever, I didn't want to settle for "good." I wanted to keep growing; to continue learning how to love my precious man of God more.

I'm sure this will surprise you (or...maybe not!) but I have now discovered that I haven't always loved Ron in a godly way. As I've read through the beginning chapters dealing with selfishness, kindness, and (ouch!) irritability, I've realized that I definitely have more to learn. I've been diligent to do the assigned homework and am constantly challenged to love him more. I'm delighted to discover that the truths taught are already becoming new mind-sets for me. I'm falling more in love with my husband of nearly 30 years. It's wonderful!

Surprisingly, this study is not only impacting my marriage. It is leaking into all other relationships in my life. I am experiencing a new depth of love for family and friends. Even better, my new mind-sets are enabling me to love in a healthier way, deepening the relationships. I am learning to be kinder, more thoughtful, less selfish, and not so easily hurt or offended. The result is a much happier me!

I never want to be content with "good." I want all God has for me. I want to have the richest, fullest, and most loving relationship possible with all friends and family. If it means I must study books, listen to painful truths from those I care about, or be convicted by the Holy Spirit in order to experience this release of love, I am willing. I want to dare to love as Jesus loved!

How about you?

I DO love you!
Pastor Carla

My Life in Motion...

2010-05-13T14:13:00.000-07:00

For weeks my life has been a blur of moving pictures from planes, trains and automobiles. (Sounds like an old movie, doesn't it?) I've been in Michigan, Haiti, Tennessee, and Texas. And there's more travel to come. This could get very tiring and discouraging if I didn't absolutely love my life. Smile. Instead, it's exciting!

I've tried writing Bible teaching series and prophetic insights on this blog since starting it a year ago. So far, my series never bet past the second or third post. I start out well, but my finish eludes me. Besides, if the number of comments I receive indicates the number of women actually reading the blog, we're few in number! So, after some prayer and honest evaluation, I'm redirecting the blog one last time. If this doesn't work, I may throw in the towel! Smile.

I am in an interesting season of life. My children are grown, married with families and co-labor with me in ministry. My husband and I are empty-nesters but love the house to be filled with friends or family. Nine grandchildren are now my only hobby. At an age when some are looking forward to retirement, my husband and I seem to be suddenly propelled into more ministry opportunities than we ever imagines. This is our time of fulfillment, when many of the prophesies spoken over us through the years are coming to pass. There's clarity of vision and a new momentum that has me traveling more than ever. I didn't plan life this way. Daily obedience to God set this course and I'm along for the ride!

The down-side of the travel is the time it takes me away from home. I miss my husband, children and grandchildren. Just because they don't need me doesn't mean it's easy to be apart! Smile. The travel also keeps me from you, which is more difficult than you might think. Though you may not believe this, I sincerely miss you when I'm on the road. I pray for you. Nothing I do on the mission field diminishes my love or commitment to you. We're family!

So, I've decided to take you with me. This post will simply be a second journal for me. I'll share my current life-lessons, thoughts, experiences, and dreams. I'll look for your insights, shared experiences and life-lessons in the comment box. Instead of this being a mentoring place, it will become our connecting spot. Sound okay?

I'll journal again sometime soon. In the meantime, thanks for "traveling" with me. It's not nearly as lonely when I travel with friends!

Serving with Joy,
Pastor Carla

The Favor of God - Part Two

2010-04-05T14:22:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 5:18-33 may be one of the most misunderstood portions of scripture in the Bible. I remember returning from my honeymoon to live at the Christian coffeehouse with my new husband, who was the director. Most of the people who frequented the ministry site were male and it wasn't unusual to hear one of them yell, "Woman, submit! Get me a coffee, will ya?" As you can imagine, that went over REALLY well with me. Smile.

If understood, this portion of scripture is truly empowering. It speaks of mutual submission between husband and wife and then very deliberately describes what that submission looks like. For the man, it is coming underneath his wife with the Word of God. He nurtures and cherishes her as a prized vessel. It is as he speaks and nurtures his wife in the Word that she is formed/framed into that glorious bride without spot or wrinkle. Just as Christ is shaping His Church, His Bride with His powerful Word, husbands are able to do the same!

If you can get your husband to read this blog, this would be a good time for me to share how he can help you to be a revealer of God's glory! I would tell him, "My brother, instead of telling your wife what you wish she was, tell her that she is! Your words are framing, forming your wife. Speak critical words and reap a critical wife. Speak the Word of God and watch her become a living expression of God's Word!"

Okay, back to you and I. How do we submit to our husbands? By reverencing them! That means that when they try to nurture or cherish us, we receive it. We don't resist praying together. We don't laugh when they try to minister to us. We actively participate when they try to do Bible Study with us. We respect their effort, no matter how big or small it may seem.

What does this have to do with walking in God's favor? To walk in God's favor, we have to do things God's way. He has a perfect plan for marriage. When we flow with His plan, His favor is released. Even in situations where our spouse refuses to do things God's way, His favor will shield us as we obey. He delights in stooping down to bless and empower us.

If your husband is a Christian, this might be a good time to sit down for a long chat about your marriage. Don't be afraid to ask him to pray for you or to read the Bible with you. If he refuses, at least you tried! He MAY say yes! Your entire family will be strengthened as you honor God in your marriage. If your husband is not saved, God will still honor your obedience. As you walk in love, His favor will surround you like a shield. Be encouraged today!

So, any thoughts???

The favor of God is upon YOU!

2010-03-31T08:18:00.000-07:00

The Word of God is LIVING and impacting my life every single day! I've decided to take a few weeks to share some of the truths that are changing my own life. I hope it will encourage and strengthen your faith! You HAVE the favor of God!

Faith is often hard to put into words. We often misunderstand it as something felt rather than something believed. This wrong perspective makes is difficult to receive anything from God or to maintain any joy because we may not FEEL incredible faith most days. Faith is an inner persuasion, a moral conviction of the truthfulness of God. It is an assurance or confidence that God is true. It is is believing. Faith is a choice. I choose to believe even when my emotions struggle. Rollercoaster emotions cannot negate faith, but faith can calm emotions. I choose each day whether I will be led by my emotions or by faith in God.

Hebrews 11:1 teaches us that faith is the substance, support, and assurance of things we hope for. It settles under our hope as a sure foundation. The fact that we believe God cannot lie makes our hope sure. Hope is what we are anticipating, expecting, or trusting God for. At some point, I must choose to believe that God will do it, no matter what I hear, see, or feel. It is only when I make this choice that the gate to doubt and anxiety is closed.

My decision to believe - my faith - is evidence or proof to those in both the natural and spiritual realm, that what I'm hoping for WILL happen. I don't have to shout my faith. I simply live it. I believe. My faith is then an act of spiritual warfare as I continue to believe regardless of the enemy's attack or difficult circumstances.

It is "by faith", by choosing to believe God is absolutely true, that I am able to understand that my visible world was created by God's invisible Word. (Hebrews 11:3) His invisible Word framed AND frames the visible creation. In other words, His Word that cannot be seen as it leaves His mouth immediately begins to frame, complete, repair, adjust, fit, make, perfect, prepare, join together, and restore until the unseen Word can be seen! Even our faith comes/grows by the Word of God!

Hebrews 11:11 speaks of Sarah's faith. Sarah laughed when she heard the Word that she would conceive a child in her old age. Her emotions and natural circumstances contradicted the Word. But behind the laughter was an inner conviction that God was true and could not lie. Her confidence in God settled under her hope for a child and gave her the strength needed to conceive a son! Note that her laughter didn't weaken her faith. Her emotions were separate from her faith.

I have learned to let faith lead. If you let your emotions lead, your faith becomes inactive and you are left to cope with your limited human ability. If you allow faith to lead, your emotions eventually follow. They are not as strong as them seem!

When you receive an invisible Word from God (that is not yet seen), focus your eyes on Him. Don't fix your gaze on the promise. It's not visible yet! Fix your eyes on Jesus. Choose to believe in Hs truthfulness. Put your confidence in Him. This faith will settle under and give supernatural support to the Word. The Word is working for you. It is framing/forming the promise and will continue until the invisible is made visible! Hang on!

Any thoughts?

Thank You!

2010-03-17T06:46:00.000-07:00

I was so blessed last Sunday by the many "sisters" who personally responded to my last posting. The thoughtful words, hugs, and prayers were a great encouragement and I am very grateful.

Sunday night at the special service, it was as if a faucet was turned on - my eyes flowed with tears! The more I worshipped, the more I cried. At one point I felt the Lord's Presence so thick in front of me. He put His hand over my heart and refreshed it once again. I've not been the same since. Later I thought, "Father, it would be so nice to have someone hold me for a change." Along came sweet Mary Banfield, who simply hugged me and prayed in the Spirit. There's something powerful about sharing a burden in prayer that helps to let it go. Thank you to all for the prayers last week. All is well!

Before coming to church on Sunday morning, I received prophetic insight from the Holy Spirit concerning the increase of earthquakes and natural disasters being experienced all over the world. I sensed that this is the groanings of the earth for the sons and daughters of God, the mature ones, to arise. The earth is anticipating the season of great harvest and longs to be delivered from the enemy's dominion. It wants the freedom given at creation. It is calling for the church to take her rightful place, establishing God's kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. There is an increase in the fulfillment of prophecies and the forward momentum of the church. As the spiritual battle intensifies, the earth will reflect the battle that rages in the heavenlies - but will experience the peace and redemption of Christ as His kingdom is enforced by His church. The key to the chaos happening in the world is to pray AND to enforce Christ's victory. We are the enforcers!

We must be careful not to make the spiritual battle personal. It's not about us individually - it's about us corporately. It is the principalities of darkness resisting the rise, authority, and establishing of Christ's church in the earth. If we make the battle personal, we are apt to feel "picked on" and lapse into self-pity. Though we are deeply loved as individuals, the battle we face is not about our individual callings or needs. This is about the church coming into maturity and the enemy's attempt to prolong his sad end! When we fight from this perspective, we are confident and bold. We do not retreat. We do not fear. We are not focused on self. Our eyes are on the One Who loves and leads us! The battle is not about us - it's about seeing our Jesus glorified and honored as King of Kings! EVERY eye shall see Him! Every knee SHALL bow before Him! He IS Lord!

This is a time for us to hold steady. No matter what we see, hear, or experience, we are to hold on to our confession of faith. No changing course when difficulties come. Stand and believe. Wait and see. May we hunger to be the mature ones of God, even as the earth groans in anticipation of us. It's time to harvest!

Can a Heart be too Soft?

2010-03-13T10:34:00.000-08:00

I've been pondering this question all day. My last post spoke of a woman who loves deeply. It was a challenge to open our hearts and allow ourselves to genuinely love those around us. I shared in the essay, that my ability to love deeply has been both my greatest strength and my greatest weakness. I find this to be true once again in my life.

My time in Haiti was busy, active, and fruitful. While with the people, seeing the devastation, and hearing the children's stories, I experienced a supernatural grace. I never cried. Though I felt tears inside, I was able to focus on the moment and how God might wish to comfort, help, or bring a smile. I've seen incredible suffering in my travels and heard other painful stories...women abducted in northern Uganda as children, forced to murder their parents and given to the soldiers in Joseph Kony's army and shared memories of the genocide in Rwanda. I've held children dying in the hospitals of Haiti and the Philippines. My first funeral I conducted here at home as a pastor was for a stillborn baby. Always, I have reached for and found God's incredible grace to see Him in the moment.

This trip has been different for me. Perhaps because I seem to be battling a parasite that invaded my stomach on the trip (Fun!), but it's more than that. My heart hurts. Coming home was hard this time. Our needs here are so real and I am very aware of the pain so many are experiencing...but the need of Haiti plays like a movie in my mind. I pray and give each hungry child and homeless person to my Father everyday, but my heart still aches for them. The thought came this morning that I should "toughen up" and guard my heart more. If I loved a little less, I could forget the need and distance from the suffering. When I look at my beautiful family, wonderful husband, and precious friendships here, it seems wrong to grieve for Haiti. I am so very, very blessed!

Then I thought of Jesus. How grateful I am that He didn't choose to forget our need or distance Himself from our sin and suffering. He was willing to leave the glory of heaven to come to our aid. And not once do I read of Him guarding His heart from compassion. It was His ability to love deeply, to feel what we feel, that compelled Him to help. Compassion was His motivation for healing, feeding, praying, teaching, dying, and resurrecting. But compassion came with a cost.

I love the pictures and films of a laughing Jesus and believe that He is joy! But I also know that He weeps with those who weep. He still loves just as deeply as He did before. Sharing His great love might mean sometmes feeling what the world feels...even when our flesh wants to resist. Even while writing my scattered thoughts here, I'm beginning to understand. I don't have to apologize or be ashamed of my tears for Haiti...or for the martyred women and children in central Nigeria...or for a wounded pastor in Rwanda. Feeling their need isn't the problem - its what I do with it.

My love meter can burst at times and send me in a million directions trying to help. (Smile - I'm sure none of you can relate.) If I focus only on the need of others, I lose my joy and perspective. The challenge is to allow myself to embrace compassion without letting it overwhelm me. Dwelling on the need accomplishes nothing. It is only as I allow compassion to set me on the path to prayer and Spirit-led action that I am able to maintain peace and enjoy the sweetness of my own God-given life.

This blog is supposed to be a source of help and encouragement to my sisters around the world. I fear that today it has been more of a venting place for me. I guess I needed all of you today. I need my family. I need to know we're in this walk together, sharing the same love, and standing as one. No one likes to cry alone, just as no one truly enjoys celebrating alone. I ask for your prayers. There are so many open doors and God has been so good to me. I am entering a busy season of life and, despite the somber tone of this post, I am fulfilled and happier than I've been in years. I know that in order to partner with Christ in His local and global ministry will require a greater connectedness with His heart and compassion. I want to let my self-protective guards down and allow His Spirit to make me more aware of the need around me. Then I simply want to be a part of what He is doing to bring change.

The media rarely mentions Haiti now. The earthquake in Chile was a sidebar note on MSN. Have you ever wondered why it's that way? It's because human nature resists sad stories. We like them for a moment, but we want the happy ending. If we can't get to a happy ending quickly, we divert attention elsewhere. Think about the war in Iraq or Afganistan - how often do we think of those still fighting? If we can't "fix" it, we don't want to know it's "broken." Christ calls us to a compassion that does not forget and refuses to quit until the happy ending, no matter how long it takes. I'm living proof of that. His compassion held on through all of my struggles as a young woman. He stuck with me until He made my life a happy ending that He continues to perfect today.

Sitting here I am once again renewing my commitment to Christ's compassion. I am setting my heart and face to Michigan in the USA, to Haiti, Nigeria, and all the nations God has called Ron and I to. I won't let the need overwhelm me, but I will let myself feel with you. I won't quit on you. I won't forget. I'm following our Father to participate in the good things He has planned for you. I'm sticking around to enjoy the happy ending!

A Woman Who Loves...

2010-02-15T15:51:00.000-08:00

I have a soft heart. I love deeply. This is perhaps my greatest strength, but it is also my greatest weakness. I can love so much that I lose myself in others. I can care so much that I give without thinking. Because I love so much, I can be over-sensitive to the opinions and rejection of others. I bleed easily. I cry too quickly. Loving others has cost me hours of sleep, time with family, money for pleasure, and the comfort of home.

Next weekend, love will take me to Haiti. I will go alone and work among strangers. I will see devastating need and will not have enough resources to help everyone. I'll hold children who have lost everything and pray over bodies who have lost limbs. I'll be away from my family and church at home. I'll miss my husband on our 29th wedding anniversary.

Love is not always convenient or comfortable. It doesn't always fit into our schedule. Love can be a lot of work. It can be expensive. It is not always received, nor is it always understood.

Each of us must make a decision concerning love. Will we let ourselves love others unconditionally? Will we risk expressing that love? Are we willing to see the need or suffering of others in order to love them? What sacrifices are we willing to make for love? No one can make these decisions for us. When faced with the opportunity to love, we make our choice. It's really very simple.

God IS love. To reject love - transparent, healthy, pure, unconditional love - is to reject God. To embrace love is to embrace God! In truth, all genuine ministry is an expression of God's love. We teach, preach,correct, feed, clothe, shelter, visit, support, heal, labor alongside, and pray because we have God's love to give away...and we can't seem to give enough to get rid of it! (Smile) There is this endless flow of His sweetness and love that fills us and never depletes, no matter how much we try to give it away.

Women withhold love for so many reasons...fear of hurt or rejection, bitterness, self-pity or selfishness, frustration. I can't count the many times a woman has confided that she doesn't want to hear about or see suffering because it makes her sad. There are those who avoid fellowshipping with the sisters because it makes them uncomfortable. Some believe they have enough problems of their own. They don't have time, money, energy, or social skills. There are millions of excuses for avoiding love.

Yet love is so rewarding! We were created to love. Did you know that? You and I were made in the image of a loving God - made to love! We have His Spirit inside of us. We are filled with Love! And only in giving, expressing, and releasing that love do we find fulfillment. Nothing else makes us feel complete.

I want to challenge you to love more this year. Deal with the issues that have imprisoned your heart. Don't avoid them. Bring them before God and let His Love and Word set you free. Ask Him to fill you once again with His love. Then let it go! Give His love away more than ever before in affirming words,gentle touches, and acts of service for others. You will find that no matter how much you give away this wonderful love, you will stay full. You will reap the love you sow. It's a miraculous thing.

I am finding a new joy in loving. It's never been easier to share. My heart is bursting with love for my heavenly Father and for the people He made. I sense His Presence at a new depth each time I express His love to someone. I am sharing in His ministry in those moments, feeling His incredible love. All work flows from this well and is somehow sweet. I can't seem to love Him enough!

I pray you will experience a new surge of this wonderful love. I pray you will find new words and ways to express it. I pray your heart will be enlarged to love even the most difficult. May you know the joy of loving unconditionally,unreservedly this year!

The Woman of Wisdom...She Lives!

2010-02-02T19:08:00.000-08:00

Ever so often an old scripture often read and dearly loved takes on a freshness that brings new revelation. Proverbs, chapter eight has been that scripture for me!

I have always loved this chapter that speaks of wisdom. I love seeing my Jesus as the Wisdom of God revealed to me. Due to the endless mistakes made in my past, I have hungered for wisdom. I want to learn and grow. I want to do things right the FIRST time!

This year I have suddenly discovered new truth in this ageless passage. As I read it again, I thought of how often we pray and seek wisdom for situations in our lives, work, or homes. Then, as soon as we get the headline from heaven, we run with it! More often than not, we end up making mistakes, acting presumputously and failing to see the word fulfilled. We were in too big a hurry! We missed the next step.

On the heels of wisdom comes understanding. We need to pray for wisdom. When the direction or answer comes, we then need to pray for understanding. What is God really saying? We can't hold on to the answer if we don't understand it. Doubt will creep in with spiritual resistance and we may lose our grip on the revelation received. Understanding secures the truth and makes it our own.

How do we get understanding? We pray. We listen. We study God's Word. We ask and we receive. The key is patience. Proverbs 8 tells us that it is when wisdom and understanding meet that we are able to stand!

As we continue reading this chapter, we see that wisdom includes more than the headline or simple answer. It also includes the counsel, advise, and plans of God. It gives the strategy. It sparks creative inventions to accomplish the word. It explains the when, where, why, who, and how of the truth or promise. If we are patient and willing to wait on God, we will have the total information needed to succeed.

I believe that we are experiencing a fresh download of information from the throne of God. There is a release of revelation. The prayers lifted to the One Who IS our Wisdom have broken through the barriers of the enemie's resistance and the answers are here! We need only listen. If we will wait in His Presence and be diligent to seek His Word, we will find the direction, understanding, and strategy we've waited for.

For women of God, this brings a renewed hope. We no longer have to wrestle with problems. Now we wait on God for solutions! We don't have to carry the burden of "figuring things out", fixing things or loved ones, or determining how to accomplish God's plan. We listen for His Voice and let Him lead. This brings a new freedom to our minds and hearts. It delivers us from the need to control or manipulate. Drivenness is replaced with grace. It's truly liberating!

This lesson is changing my life. Wisdom no longer seems so far away...the woman of wisdom lives, IF she is willing to wait on the Lord!

Rediscovering the "Virtuous Woman"...

2010-01-25T06:35:00.000-08:00

When we read of the virtuous or noble woman described in Proverbs 31, a sense of hopelessness overwhelms us. She's just too perfect! Most women in American society don't know how to MEND clothes, let alone SEW them! And the shopping, cleaning, and care of her home...who wouldn't love a few housekeepers to help with the work??? Her mouth is ALWAYS kind and wise? She dresses up for her husband EVERY day? She does all this AND has time and energy to minister to others? Eventually, we decided to move our attention to the Book of Psalm instead!

What we so often miss is the HEART of this woman. As the chapter begins, it highlights her inner self rather than her efforts or accomplishments. We are told that she is worth or valued more than rubies to those who know her. Her husband is able to trust her fully BECAUSE he knows her heart. He knows that she will always do good, want good, and feel good about him and their family. He knows that her outward acts of nobility, compassion, wisdom and kindness flow from within. He understands that her outward beauty is a reflection of an inward beauty.

This opens a few questions for consideration: What is in OUR hearts? And, who else really knows our hearts?

In the frantic flurry of life we sometimes forget the inner issues of our hearts. Yet everything we say and do outwardly flows from that secret place. Our hearts manifest in how we care for ourselves, our homes and our families. Our hearts are reflected in the words we speak, attitudes and opinions expressed, and in every behavior. To overlook our hearts is not wise. This is where all change begins!

Take a moment for personal inventory...IS your heart "good" towards yourself? Your husband? Your children? GOD? Others? How is your heart reflecting in your life; your speech and behaviors?

I remember my second year of marriage to Pastor Ron. He was a neat-freak and I was NOT! We had a small apartment with a constant flow of people in and out. We ran a Christian street ministry and he had two other part-time jobs as well. I was pregnant and eating very poorly due to lack of funds. I kept the apartment clean enough for me. I didn't "feel" like "fixing up" for him. I was tired!

One night, after working so many hours to pay our bills and stay afloat, Pastor Ron came home and stood in the hallway. For a long time he stood and stared. Then he simply said, "I can't do this anymore. I can't come home to a dirty house after all this." He turned and walked outside.

I remember being shocked! I looked around and thought the apartment looked fine. I was immediately frustrated. But I remembered how tired he looked and reconsidered. Leaning against the wall, I prayed, "God, let me see my home through Your eyes and help me make it a home for Ron." I opened my eyes and suddenly saw that the kitchen and hallway floor needed a good mopping. I sang while I cleaned the apartment. When Ron came home with flowers to apologize to his pregnant wife, he stared in unbelief. He was so blessed - and the way he was able to relax and fall asleep blessed my heart, too. From that day on, I've kept our house a home. I'm still not a "neat-freak" by any stretch of the imagination, but I keep the house at a clean-level comfortable for all of us.

So, what brought that "virtuous woman" change to my home? A change of my heart! When my heart was good towards my husband, I wanted to make changes to bless him. It sounds so simple, but it's true. And over the years, every outward change in my life has stemmed from that inner reserve. When my heart is good towards God, I delight in serving Him. When my heart is good towards myself, I take care of me. When my heart is good towards my family, I find it easy to adapt to care for them. Even housework becomes an act of love.

I'm sure this article will stir different reaction from my beloved sisters around the world! I hope you'll comment below. I know that in American society, the virtous woman described in Proverbs 31 is often equated with oppression of womanhood or considered outdated...but if we "outdate" Proverbs, don't we have to then reject other scripture as well? Like it or not, the Bible defines womanhood for us according to God's thoughts and ways. Let's seek His definition together!

The Christian Woman

2010-01-08T13:17:00.000-08:00

I have been in full-time ministry for 29 years. I was only 18 years old when I began helping this good-looking street minister at the local Christian coffeehouse. We fell in love and were married eight months after we met. Much of my "growing up" into womanhood happened while I was in ministry. Since reaching adulthood, I have never known a time when I wasn't leading something, mentoring someone, and working the details of ministry. It has been an incredible journey, but there have been a few difficult bumps on the road.

Ministry became intertwined with everything about life and womanhood for me. Since my life was so visible to others, there were countless opinions concerning what a woman in ministry should be, look, dress, and behave like. I think I've tried on every ministry trend over the years in my effort to be what I thought God wanted me to be. As pastors, our lives revolved mostly around the local church. As mission doors opened, responsibilities grew and life became a juggling act between home and ministry.

It was easy to lose myself in the constant flurry of activity. I operated under a basic belief that God wanted me to serve others, sacrifice, and "spend myself" for the gospel. If you were to ask me what a "Christian woman" looked like a few years ago, I would have replied: "She's always fired-up in God, has her home and life in order, is led by the Spirit and never her emotions, is fully engaged in her husband and children's lives, keeps her house spotless and her refridgerator full, extends her hands to the needy here and around the world, is a student of God's Word, a worshipper, a prayer-warrior, and participates in what God is doing." Whew! That's a pretty tall order, don't you think? Needless to say, I never acheived this goal.

The past few years I have learned to separate who I am from the work I do, the title I wear, and the call of God to ministry. My new definition of a Christian woman is much simpler: "A Christ-like woman who loves God and others." The details of her life are defined differently for each woman. This eliminates the pressures of performance or pleasing others. It allows each woman to find her God-given design for reflecting her Savior in the earth. I gives her the personal delight of pursuing relationship with God her own way. While there are definite absolutes and godly principles outlined in God's Word for daily living, these become a part of her loving God rather than trying to impress Him. What freedom!

In weeks to come, we'll be looking at the scriptural teachings regarding womanhood. We'll discover the absolutes and principles shared by each one of us. We'll also begin seeking God for our personal design in life, love, and ministry. This is the perfect time to shed preconceived ideas of the Christian woman! I believe we will find a new joy and freedom in loving and serving God this year.

What do you think? (Comment below...)

Celebrating Christmas - A Reminder of Fulfilled Promises!

2009-12-15T08:17:00.000-08:00

When we celebrate Christmas, we celebrate a promise kept. For those who understand this truth, Christmas is a reminder of God’s faithfulness and a faith-builder for the future. For those who cannot embrace the promise of Christ’s coming, Christmas can be a frustration. Perhaps the reason many have difficulty celebrating the holiday, who wish to avoid it and even dread it is because they cannot believe in a promise fulfilled. There have been too many broken promises and disappointments; too many promises forgotten by the promise-makers. So how can they truly believe in a Promise-Maker who actually remembers and keeps every promise made to them???

In the Old Testament, a “promise” meant a word or matter spoken of. The spoken word was an arrangement, decree, or command. The spoken word meant something. It wasn’t just filling space. No written contracts were needed in the beginning. A word spoken was a promise made. No one – not the first man or women or the devil himself - considered that God’s Word in Genesis 1:26-28 would not be fulfilled. Until the devil introduced doubt in Genesis 3, there was absolute confidence in the Word of God. But even the doubt could not change the promise or weaken the Word!

In the New Testament, a promise meant an announcement of information/fact, a pledge, and was a Divine assurance of good. It was to engage to do something or to assert something respecting yourself. It was given with no “plan B” or hesitation. Whether the promise was received depended on those who heard the Word. The Promise-Maker was forever bound to keep His promise.

EVERY Word of God is a promise made. Every scripture is a God-breathed promise of what was, what is, and what will be. Every Name of God is a promise of who He was, is and always will be.

God is not like the promise-makers who failed us in this life. He CANNOT forget…

“Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will never forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the plams of My hands; hyour walls are continually before Me.”
(Isaiah 49:15-16)

He CANNOT lie…

“Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.”
(Hebrews 6:17-18)

CANNOT change…

“For I am the Lord, I do not change…” (Malachi 3:6)

Today God wants to restore our faith in His Name, in His Word, in His Promise. He wants us to lay hold of Him. He wants us to obtain everything pledged to us; everything Christ came to announce to us; everything He died and resurrected to assure us of. It is not about obtaining a thing, it’s about obtaining HIM…(not a healing, but Jehovah Rapha our Healer; not a car but Jehovah Jireh our Provider)…

ADVENT WREATH: A Reminder of Promise

Candle One: Promises Made (Prophesy Candle)
Isaiah 9:6-7; 11:1-5; Isaiah 53:4-5; Matthew 1:22-23 – The Savior is Coming; Jesus is the Promised One

Thoughts: What are some promises God has given you or your family? Remember and pray for fulfillment. Are you still waiting with expectation?

Candle Two: Receiving the Promise (Mary Candle)
Luke 1:26-56 (Emphasize verse 45) –Mary BELIEVED and then RECEIVED the Promise.

Thoughts: Discuss with God and/or family any doubts you are struggling with concerning His promises. Search out scriptures to verify the promise. Pray and encourage yourself or one another.

Candle Three: Celebration of Promise Fulfilled (Angel Candle)
Luke 2:1-7 & 13-14 – The angels celebrated the fulfillment of promise – so should we!

Thoughts: Celebrate promises given by God! Recount His Name and praise Him! The Promise Maker IS faithful and is in the process of framing/forming every invisible promise until it is seen!

Candle Four: Sharing the Promise (Shepherd Candle)
Luke 2:8-20 – The shepherds shared the good news of the Promise fulfilled!

Thoughts: Write a few cards to others in need of encouragement sharing the hope of Christ and the promise of His Word. For fun, go Christmas caroling and visit others to encourage faith in the Promise Maker! End the time by lighting the candle and reading the scripture.

Candle Five: The Promise is Here (Christ Candle)
Matthew 1:21; 2:1-12; Luke 2:26-32; Isaiah 53:4-5

Thoughts: Recount your salvation and remember the wonderful things He has already done for you! Receive what He has already fulfilled and given to you in Isaiah 53, the SALVATION (wholeness, healing, deliverance, and preservation) of your spirit, soul, and body. Bless one another with salvation!

*Please share your Christmas traditions with us in the comment portion!

How to Love the Youth in the Church...

2009-12-01T13:55:00.000-08:00

Many adults feel they can't relate to teenagers. Many teens are POSITIVE they can't relate to most adults in the church. In truth, there is often very little interaction between the youth and older adults in the local church. Yet the Bible gives clear instruction that we (the adults) are to disciple, love, and mentor the next generation. Pretty hard to do that if we never talk to them!

Loving a teenager is different than loving a child for the following reasons:

1. Teens want to think for themselves about almost everything.
2. Teens see what children miss when observing our lives and weaknesses.
3 Teens are young adults, with an ability to think and choose for themselves.
4. Teens have been shaped by their childhood experiences.

Most of us want to encourage the youth who are attending church and seeking to live God's way. So, how do we do it?

1. SEE them at church. Make eye contact and greet them. Learn their names.

2. Pray for them. Stop to ask if they have prayer requests.

3. Invite them out to lunch or dinner. Worried about conversation? Ask about school, their walk with God, what they like about the church, or what they like to do. If they are quiet, just enjoy being together!

4. Compliment them when they do something right. We can be so quick to correct!

5. Attend youth events or offer to chaperone, cook, or drive for a youth service.

6. When you can see they are struggling, stop to talk to them. Sometimes they just need a shoulder to cry on or ear to listen.

7. Many of our youth may come from broken homes or difficult situations. Make Christmas special by inviting a few youth to help with Christmas decorating, baking, or party preparations. Working together can be a wonderful bonding experience.

8. Don't judge them based on appearances. Ignore the body/tongue piercings or colored hair or too-tight jeans. Find out who lives inside the body. Love the person even when you hate the clothes!

If you don't have a child or grandchild to love this Christmas, consider asking Pastors Caleb or Latoya to recommend a youth for you to "adopt." Your godly influence might be just what is needed to help that teenager walk with God!

The CHURCH is everyone in the adult sanctuary...and the youth room...and the children's classrooms. We are to love one another. No age distinction is given! We're family! Let's keep learning how to love...

With Love for You,
Pastor Carla

Learning How to Love the Pastor/Leader's Wife....

2009-11-17T12:02:00.000-08:00

Last month was Pastor's Appreciation Month in the United States. Pastor Ron and I were touched by those who sent cards and the thoughtful gifts. The encouragement means so much! This is true every month of the year for any pastor's or leader's wife.

What makes their lives different from yours?

Most pastor's wives share their spouse with an entire congregation. If there's an emergency in the church, anniversary celebrations and date nights must wait. Husbands are gone often in the evenings, as well as office hours during the day. I can remember hearing a single mom years ago talking about how difficult it is to get the children to church on Sunday morning and thinking how much I related - I prepped our children and got us to church alone every Sunday of our entire marriage. My children ate late lunches because there were people in need of prayer at the altar until three in the afternoon. Smile. It was a normal way of life for us.

There is an element of warfare in frontline ministry not always seen or experienced by the general congregation. There are wounds from those who hurt in the body and those who leave. There are the pressures of people's expectations, which vary throughout the church. And there is the loss of privacy. Leadership requires transparency and a certain vulnerability. Your life is witnessed - the successes and failures.

If it sounds as if I'm complaining - I'M NOT! I LOVE being a pastor and pastor's wife! I LOVE my church. Any sacrifices or difficulties experienced pale in comparison to the joy and privilege of serving the family of God. However, I think it's good for the family to be reminded of the price paid by their leader's wives. It will give us more grace, love, and patience toward them. Something a pastor's wife like me desperately needs! (Smile)

So HOW do you love a pastor's/leader's wife?

* Take her a meal one night "just because".

* Watch her children during a church function so she can fully participate with her husband. Or so they can go on a date!

* When she's ministering to someone, be extra hands and eyes to help with her children.

* When you know she will be entertaining or has been extra busy, offer to help clean her house or do some laundry. Even if she says no, she'll be grateful!

* Take her out for coffee or lunch as a friend.

* If you're upset with her husband, don't tell her. Tell him.

* If you're upset with her, tell her in private. Pray with her. Be committed to the relationship even when you don't agree.

* Send her cards and notes of encouragement - maybe a small gift now and then! Let her know you see and appreciate what she does.

* Don't give her advice about her marriage, children, or ministry unless she asks you for it. Multiply your opinion by 200 or more and it can be overwhelming! (Smile)

* Don't compare her to any other pastor's or leader's wife. Let her be who God made her to be.

* Be okay with distance, understanding that she's only one woman and cannot be a best friend to everyone. She will be there when you need her.

* Honor time set aside for her family.

* Pray for her.

I know that you already know how to love a pastor's wife, because you have been so good to me these 22 years. Just consider this a loving reminder on behalf of all of our staff, elder's, and trustee's wives. Each one gives so much for this family. They deserve our respect and sincere love.

Thank you for caring...
Pastor Carla

Learning How to Love the New Mom

2009-11-10T06:25:00.000-08:00

I remember having my first baby. I was amazed by how beautiful he was. Caleb had soft red curls and long lashes. I thought he was perfect and was excited to show him off at church. My first Sunday back at church, I made the rounds throughout the foyer and sanctuary so everyone could see my son. During the service, I took him into the nursery to change his diaper and to nurse him. I was still very new and insecure about feeding him, so I hid against the wall, sitting on the floor by all the toys.

Suddenly a man came into the nursery. He was our friend and was VERY excited about the baby. Without a moment's hesitation, he whipped off the blanket covering Caleb as I fed him, leaving me exposed and extremely embarrassed. Tears came to my eyes. While I tried to recover (and re-cover!) myself, Caleb began to wail with a tummy ache. He had colic and often cried after feeding. The other moms and grandmas in the nursery quickly descended with advise and correction...I wasn't feeding him right, using the right diapers, holding him properly. When I reached the safety of our car later, I dissolved into tears.

All of these people loved me, but they didn't know HOW to love me. There is a difference. So on behalf of the MANY young mothers represented in the local church and broader ministry, here are some tips for loving them the right way:

1) Ask before trying to hold the baby. Be willing to take "no" for an answer without being offended.

2) Listen to their fears or frustrations and pray for them. Sometimes they just need to vent. There are enough voices already telling them what to do!

3) Ask if they want your thoughts or counsel before giving it. Respect their right to refuse your counsel. Assure them that you don't mind if they refuse.

4) Remember that there is more than one way to raise a baby. Your way worked for you, but it may not be right for this baby.

5) Offer to hold the baby so they can be in service...or go on an errand, lunch, or date with their husband during the week.

6) Affirm the positive things they are doing as a parent. Encouragement is a gift!

7) Find out what brand of diapers and/or formula they use and pass off coupons or pick up a few for them. Formula is so expensive and diapers add up!

8) Invite her and her baby (babies) to your home. Be a friend. Let them know you're okay with fingerprints and spilled milk.

My children are raising my grandchildren differently than I raised them. Oh, they have thankfully carried over the good things Pastor Ron and I did as parents, BUT they do many things uniquely. In truth, their ways work! They re the right parenting techniques and styles for their families. My old remedies for child ailments are sometimes still useful, but sometimes they are not. I have learned to let THEM lead when it comes to their children. This is the best way for me to love.

Let's keep growing together!

With Love,
Pastor Carla

Learning HOW to Love....

2009-11-02T11:56:00.000-08:00

We all love people. In our hearts, we care deeply about them. We hurt when they hurt and are overjoyed when they are blessed. We love people, but we don't always know the way to express it. In my life, I've been amazed by the number of times people have been unaware of my sincere love for them.

It's not enough to love others. We need to learn HOW to love. In the next few postings, I would like to offer healthy ways of loving others. God wants us to mature in our ability to love one another in ways that honor Him. I know He is challenging me to "grow up" in this as well!

Today's Question: How can I show love to someone who is sick?

The best beginning is always prayer. Pray for the person. Pray a prayer of faith and healing. Intercede for them until their healing is complete. Stand with them.

If the person has small children, offer to take the children for a few hours or overnight. If they want their children to stay with them, offer to come and help. If they refuse the help, don't force it! Honor their right to privacy. Don't be offended. If you do care for their children, respect their food/television/toy restrictions and make sure you know how they want you to deal with bath time, discipline, and bedtime.

Offer to clean their home or run errands for them. Again, if they refuse the offer, don't be upset. They will always remember you offered. If they receive your help, limit conversation and allow them to rest while you work.

Prepare meals for them or for their family. If they are from the church, contact Pastor Karen to join the team of women preparing meals. If not, find out what they can or can't eat. Make sure your dishes are labeled so they know where to return them. When dropping off the meal, don't overstay your welcome - let them rest.

If they are in the hospital, call to see if they want visitors. If they do, limit your visit to 30 minutes so they won't tire. Ask before touching, hugging, or praying with them. They have already lost so much control over their lives when hospitalized! Don't be offended if they do not want visits. Send a small gift or card to let them know you care.

Years ago I was hospitalized because a virus contacted overseas attacked my heart and other vital organs. I was in intense pain...but there was a stream of visitors all day. I tried so hard to be kind, but it required all of my strength. In the middle of the night another sister who had been hospitalized wheeled into my room, waking me to pray for her. Tears rolled down my cheeks - I tried but couldn't focus enough to pray. An angry nurse moved me into a private room so I could recover. All of my visitors loved me and I was so grateful - but I needed them to love me by letting me rest. I have never forgotten that lesson.

Let's learn HOW to love! If you have suggestions, questions, or comments,please post them in the comment section. I love hearing from you!

Pastor Carla

No Regrets

2009-10-21T10:07:00.000-07:00

When I was a teenager, I made so many wrong decisions that resulted in years of regret. As I committed my life to truly following Christ, I was flooded with regrets concerning broken relationships, behaviors, and more. Thankfully I received the forgiveness provided at the cross and began a new life. I realized I could never change the things I now regretted BUT I COULD eliminate having many regrets in the future. This led to a life-style of carefully weighed decisions and established values. Praise God, I can honestly say at age 48 that my regrets of the past 30 years are few and pale in comparison with what could have been!

I don't regret committing to pioneer and pastor The Potter's House in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan these 22 years...I don't regret the people I've loved; not even those who haven't loved me in return...I don't regret one minute spent with my husband, children, or grandchildren...I don't regret the things I did to make our house feel like a home...I don't regret the meals made,laundry done, errands ran, or school programs sat through as my children were growing up...I don't regret the cups of coffee spent with friends or the things done to serve Jesus here or overseas - whether singing, preaching, packing 4,000 craft bags, or scrubbing floors.

I don't regret the things I've done to grow in my walk with God...nor the changes I've made over and over again as I've matured into the woman I was destined to be...nor the hours spent in Bible study and prayer. I don't regret time spent in church or discipling my children at home. I have no regrets for having loved Jesus all these years.

The regrets I have are mostly centered around things I would have done differently if I knew then what I know now...those I've hurt along the way...the friendships lost. There will always be some regrets in life - some things we cannot change. God's abundant grace covers these things so we need not live in guilt and condemnation or sorrow over the past. God's grace gives us precious space to grow and learn. I am so grateful for His grace!

You make choices everyday that will determine how many regrets you will have in the future. Take time to pray and think about what really matters. What is your value system? What is important to you or WHO is important to you. Many of you are still young mothers with the chance to raise your children with few regrets. Don't let life hurry you along without prayer and reflection. Go the extra mile to be the woman, wife, mom, grandma, friend, or "sister" you want to be. Press past any spiritual lethargy, hurts, or distractions to be in church and to grow in your walk with God. Build healthy friendships. Love. These are things I know you will never regret.

Cheering You On,
Pastor Carla

I'm Holding Your Hand

2009-10-07T13:34:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the most powerful support and message you can share with someone is this: "I'm holding your hand." Words are not always needed. Hugs may be too much. The squeeze of a hand is the sweetest expression of compassion we may give.

This is a time of transition and change. There has been an increase in spiritual warfare. Many of our church family have been hit with economic,family, and ministry challenges. For some reason, these circumstances usually cause us to pull in and isolate from one another. Then we experience the added weight of struggling alone.

We need one another. In fact, we're not supposed to be able to "go it alone." We were designed by our Creator to interlock lives and hearts. When securely in the family of God, we are graced with the support and help we need. When isolated, we are easy prey for the enemy.

God is doing something wonderful in His Church - and we get to be a part of it! Can I challenge you to fight past the urge to isolate and reconnect with the family? Today, I am reaching out my hand to you in prayer and relationship. Whatever lie the enemy has used - whatever excuse he has given - to justify your retreat...step past it and take someone's hand right now. You will give strength and be strengthened. You are wanted, needed, and loved. You are family!

With Much Love,
Pastor Carla

Mature Women of God

2009-09-29T07:53:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday I shared a message with our local church that challenged us to become the "mature ones" of God - true sons and daughters of God. It is one thing to be born of the Spirit and another to be a daughter who has come into maturity. I have spent hours the past week on my face before God receiving revelation of my own childish ways. There have been tears as I have embraced truth and sought to learn the way of maturity in these areas of my life. It has been a deep work of the Spirit, but so wonderful. Change is coming to me and I rejoice in it!

One of the most impacting verses thus far for me personally has been Proverbs 16:32

"He (she) who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his (her) spirit than he (she) who takes a city."

In the eyes of our Father, it is better to be slow and patient, taking a lllooonnnggg time to get angry, irritated, or displeased than to be the strong or winning one in a conflict. It is better to rule/govern/have dominion over our own spirit - our life,anger, emotions, perceptions, and our rational being with all of its' functions and expressions - than to win an entire city for Him.

Ouch.

I'm growing. I've got a ways to go. I'm learning new ways. I'm determined to leave my childish ways behind. I'm willing to hear and embrace truth if it allows me to resemble my Father more in character, speech, and behavior.

How about you?

A CALL TO PRAYER...

In June of 2009, I received the following email from Pastor Niki. It came following Pastor Azuka Gbogboade sharing at our Sisters of Mine Fellowship in the month of May.

"After Pastor Azuka spoke on Saturday at fellowship, I felt a stirring within me to have a corporate women's conference or gathering at our church...I felt compelled to bring us together as women for worship, prayer and preparation - we have a role to play in bringing His glory forth in our city! That night, I had a vision of a gathering...entitled Sisterhood 2009. There were no special speakers, just the women's leaders of the church - women pouring into women, sisters loving on sisters...We interceded for our families, our church, our children...I saw a weeping, a gathering of wailing women."

Now is the time. Sisterhood 2009 will be the Sisters of Mine Fellowship on Saturday, October 17th. I am personally asking/inviting all of you to attend this one-day event for women. At 10 a.m., we'll have an open forum training opportunity for women who know they need to grow in prayer and worship. I'll facilitate the time, answering questions and share simple teachings that will help us to become women of prayer together. We will have lunch together and then gather for the time of worship and intercession at 2 p.m. in Room #4.

There is an old saying: The family that prays together stays together. I pray you will be able to join us for Sisterhood 2009!
Much Love,
Pastor Carla

It's A Brand New Day!

2009-09-14T08:52:00.000-07:00

I am so thankful for new beginnings. Everything can be going wrong and seem incredibly difficult when I go to bed at night - yet I open my eyes the next morning to a brand new day! My expectations are high, my opportunities endless, and my faith is as big as God. I know that the impossible circumstances faced yesterday are subject to change today. Hope abounds!

I faced a disappointment this past week. God has done an amazing work in my life thus far in 2009. I anticipated a new "me" when confronted with crisis. I thought that if my heart was "cut", I would "bleed" Jesus...that the fruit of the Spirit would still be sweet...that God's peace and grace would manifest quickly. Instead, after a week of spiritual warfare, family crisis (my father had surgery and my daughter spent a few days at the hospital), and major sleep deprivation, I oozed with STRESS all weekend! Instead of manifesting peace, I manifested frustration. And I couldn't find the sweet fruit anywhere! (Smile)

In years past, I would have been very discouraged after a weekend such as this. I would feel I'd failed God. I would be ashamed of dishonoring Jesus with my weak faith. Instead I have learned to embrace the NEW DAY!

I can't change yesterday. I can't wish or will it away. I can't undo mistakes or take back wrong words,thought, or actions. There's no need to waste time regretting or punishing myself for them. If I have turned from the unbelief (the source of most stress) and received forgiveness from my heavenly Father by faith, I can simply move on. I shake off the dust of yesterday and leave it all behind.

We are all walking in uncharted territory. God is taking us where we've never been before individually and corportely. Our way is not always clear. We are learning to walk in spiritual gifts and war with spiritual weapons not used before. We have a renewed focus to stay in step with God. We are being changed - and it is both wonderful and uncomfortable at the same time. Sometimes we get tired. Sometimes we may miss a step or neglect to use the gifts or weapons entrusted to us. We are all learning and growing together. This is why we must learn to embrace our God-given new beginnings every morning!

In the midst of the chaos on Saturday morning, I began singing in the Spirit, sensing that worship and intercession were a key to breakthrough. Suddenly I heard another little voice singing a similar melody with made-up sounds. It was my 3 year old grandson, Jordan. Life had been crazy for him all weekend, yet he was peaceful and seemingly unaware of the crisis. He was playing with his toys while singing with Nana to Jesus. Life was good, though the crisis was not yet past. Jordan manifested faith and the glory of God in the way I long to.

So this morning, I embraced my new day. I have great expectations. Who know what God will do? My hope and trust is in Him. By simply choosing to rest in Him, I can enjoy the same sweet peace my grandson manifested, becoming oblivious to the impossible workload or difficulties. I know God has it under control. TODAY I can taste His sweet fruit and manifest His goodness. It's a brand new day!

Teaching & Raising Children by the Spirit of God

2009-09-04T05:26:00.000-07:00

It is amazing how easily we are distracted from God's Presence. As born-again Christians,born of the Spirit of God, we are given the incredible privilege of enjoying God's Presence 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Yet we so rarely connect with Him. We are so often unaware of His Presence. Our focus is on the natural realm with our lists of things to do, the noise of children, and the pressure of success. We can sometimes go an entire week (or longer) without praying for the children in our care; without inquiring of God as to how to teach or raise them; without seeking Him concerning difficulties that arise. No wonder Christian homes and teachers often appear much the same as the world! We have forgotten who we are and Who lives in us!

Spirit-led teaching and parenting is scriptural. When we read of the influence the Holy Spirit is to have in and through our lives, it includes our homes and places of employment. He is to be a part of EVERYTHING. We are to in constant fellowship with Him, allowing Him to teach us, guide us, reveal His activity and conversation to us, empower us, and manifest His glory through us. While we may realize this when at church, on a mission trip, or on our job in a secular institution, we often forget when with our children at home. We try to teach or raise them FOR God, instead of allowing Him to teach or raise them THROUGH/WITH us. There's a big difference.

While raising my own children, I experienced seasons of overwhelming hopelessness. I would see my children struggling and be unable to help them. I read books, sought counsel, and did everything I could to bring change - yet usually failed to see any lasting difference. However, when I finally reached the end of human effort and sought God for intervention, everything changed! Break-through followed His revelation and direction every time. God knows ALL and knew exactly how to bring change in each circumstance. If only I had learned to go to Him FIRST! If only I had learned earlier to wait on Him for revelation and instruction rather than wasting so many hours developing "rescue plans" of my own!

As teachers and parents, we can be burdened by the needs of our children. The world is not always kind. The spiritual warfare is real. The distractions are innumerable. Our children don't need OUR wisdom, counsel, or help. They need GOD! They need a Word or touch from Him. They need the supernatural strength, ability, and intervention only He can give. They will struggle less and experience change more quickly when we allow God to guide their circumstances.

I am challenging us as parents (grandparents, too!) and teachers to WALK in the Spirit. In Galatians 5 we are asked to go beyond just living in the Spirit (in the life-giving Spirit of God Who dwells in us), but also to walk in the Spirit. We are to be focused and aware of Him at all times. We are to bring His Lordship and life-giving Presence into everything we do. Let us begin to pray His will for the children entrusted to us. Let us begin to seek His counsel and wisdom before we give advice or direction to their lives. Let us seek His guidance and creativity so that they are able to hear and experience Him, too.

Who is with me? (Comment on this post below...)

Get the Bride Ready!

2009-09-02T06:51:00.000-07:00

While in prayer yesterday morning, the Holy Spirit put a message in my heart for my Sisters. It was short and sweet. He said, "Tell the women to begin to consciously prepare themselves as My Bride. They need to strengthen themselves for what lies ahead. Tell them to purposefully prepare themselves spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically for all I am about to do. We are about to SHINE!"

I took this message to heart. When I was in my 3 months of forced rest earlier this year, I received the same challenge. I knew that I was at a crossroads. I had to take God's direction seriously and respond with obedience OR possibly limit what He could do in and through my life. This required big changes in perspective, attitude,and behavior that altered the life-style I had maintained for nearly 30 years. Change didn't come easy, but it actually wasn't as difficult as I expected! As I yielded to the Holy Spirit and leaned on His Divine enablement, grace flowed.

These past six months have resulted in my turning off the computer more and capturing my evenings again for rest, family, and fellowship (best of all, without any guilt!). I've developed a new pattern of diet and exercize that isn't so much based on needing to lose weight as it is being healthy and less stressed. As I prayed, the Spirit of God led me to the plan that would work for me. I'm actually enjoying the changes!

The changes I love most have been in my thinking and my relationship with God. There's a new flow of life and revelation. Religion is being stripped away. My Bibl is ALIVE! My prayer life is moving to a new level. My vision and calling are clear and the God-given gifts within have been activated in new ways. I'm loving life everyday. I love God's people more. I even like myself! (Smile)

All this to say...go for it, Sisters! Seek God as to how you can best strengthen yourself for the days ahead. God is calling you as His beautiful Bride to stand beside Him and shine with His glory in the midst of the deepening darkness all around (see Isaiah 60:1-4). Let's face this challenge together.

Please take a moment to post your response to this challenge by clicking on the "comment" portion below. What could we do to encourage one another to grow?

Much Love,
Pastor Carla

Home Again!

2009-08-28T08:27:00.000-07:00

Dear Sisters of Mine,

We arrived home yesterday after a long trip from Nigeria. It took all our energy to unload the car and climb the stairs to enter the house. We were hot, tired, and desperately in need of a shower! I felt exhausted UNTIL I opened my refridgerator. There in a neatly packed container was a meal waiting for us. It was covered with a note that welcomed us home and reminded us that we were loved by our church family. I squealed with surprise and Pastor Ron came to stand in the cool doorway to stare at it too. We were deeply touched by the warm welcome home.

We all need family. We need to know we are loved, missed when gone, and valued by those we care about. We need to be encouraged. We need the strength and support of others. Pastors are no different. We have a different role in the body of Christ, but remain simply family in our identity. To ALL who prayed for, gave financially,covered for us here at home, and stood with us for revival in Nigeria we say THANK YOU! To the one who made the meal and left it for us we say a sincere THANK YOU, too. What a joy to be a part of this church family!

Don't forget to "stand with" Jessica Stuber at her Bridal Shower, tomorrow/August 29 at 4:30 p.m. at the church. Some of you may want to gather to seek God with Pastor Ron and I tonight at the church at 7 p.m. I'll be teaching about the Holy Spirit and we'll let Him flow!

Remember that you have family and are valued by your Sisters today. Be sure to send your prayer requests, praise reports, and ministry news. We're standing together!

With Love,
Pastor Carla

Carla's in the Kitchen!

2009-08-21T12:29:00.000-07:00

Dear Sisters of Mine,

Ministry has many faces. It can be preaching alongside my husband at the Glorious Church seminars; meeting with RTC Board Members who have schools to plan for practical resources and assistance; singing a new song from the Lord; prophesying to the church of Nigeria and releasing a new mantel for ministry to them. These are public faces of ministry that can bring applause, affirmation, and praise. Though we don't do these things to receive the affirmation of man, it comes and we are blessed by it.

Ministry can also be giving a chicken to a traveling missionary, which we promptly named "Fred." (Fred, by the way, is now dead and only his little head remains. Smile) Ministry can be hosting the missionary in your home, preparing meals, washing clothes, and fellowshipping until late in the evening. These faces have been worn by a choir in a local church and the Gbogboade family here in Nigeria, as they have hosted Pastor Ron and I these past days.

Sometimes ministry seems more like fun! It is playing games with the pastor's childrens and the neighborhood youngsters; opening the world of blogging to an anointed young man of God with a gift for writing; shopping with the pastor's wife and laughing with the joy of it all; cooking dinner for the first time (yup - Carla was in the kitchen!) in a Nigerian kitchen, creating a very HOT version of chili and enjoying every minute or cutting out sticker stars for an outreach to 1000 children that will happen after I have gone.

All of life is ministry. It flows from the heart. It is life lived for others. It is embracing the moment and making it count. I pray all of you are ministering to one another while I'm gone. It is truly the joy and adventure of our Christian journey...and builds meaning into every day.

Missing and praying for my sisters at The Potter's House and around the world tonight. May God wrap you in His wonderful Presence and fill your life with sweet fellowship and wonderful memories.

Much love to all,
Pastor Carla

Esthers Arise!!! A Note from Nigeria...

2009-08-16T15:07:00.000-07:00

Dear Sisters of Mine,

What a wonderful time Pastor Ron and I have had since arriving in Nigeria! We spent the first few days in Badagry with the RTC Africa Board (see the "My Father's Heart" blog at http://heartcryinternational.com), preached at two churches, did a children's crusade and a women's conference. The conference is what I wanted to share with you...

This trip has been so moving for me personally. So many past promises from God have been fulfilled. The women's conference was an Esthers Arise event, led by Pastor Azuka Gbogboade. Pastor Ron shared a powerful word in the first session, speaking of Esther and our opportunity to be the gate through which heaven invades earth. The women were fired up! I followed with a teaching called, "Positioned for Glory."

In the message God gave me, many women in both the Old and New Testament were highlighted. These were women who positioned themselves to be used of God to manifest His glory in the earth. Their willingness to lay aside their plans and reputation, their control, their very lives positioned them to bless their people. God challenged us to arise and live our faith. It was a special time.

God gave me a special song for the women here that I'll share later. Afterwards we prayed at the altar as one family, sisters united in a bond of like-passion for God. Pastor Wole Gbogboade began to lead us in prayer. He was suddenly led to break the bonds of tradition and religion that have held the women of Nigeria back, preventing their rising up for too long. As he prayed, the room became electric with God's Presence. It was amazing. I began to weep, for God was speaking to me. He reminded me of when I was a young woman pastor, newly ordained...

My ordination at the time was not very popular. In the early years it caused many offences and I experienced painful rejection. Many times I cried out to God, questioning His leading to pursue ministry and ordination. Though I know I sometimes seen very strong on the outside, I am honestly very soft within and wound easily. Each time I prayed God would assure me of His calling and one day said, "Carla, I need you to do this right. Guard your heart from bitterness. Don't allow your heart to be calloused by rejection. Walk in integrity and let Me make a way for you. You are pioneering a path that younger women will need - you are pioneering for your daughters and grandaughters. Stay to the path." So, I did!

As women were being delivered from the bonds of religion and tradition, and released into the harvest field, I knew that the promise was being fulfilled. Suddenly a vision unfolded and I saw Sisters of Mine embracing my beloved friends of many nations...I saw an international gathering of women who knew how to be family, how to love one another; who were being used of God in various ways. I believe now with all my heart that Sisters of Mine will link all of us from Heart Cry International, The Potter's House and beyond as family, uniting us in our common pursuit of God and His will. Praise God!

Sisters of the USA, your sisters in Nigeria are praying for you already. Please pray for them as well. Who knows what God will do next???

You are all in my heart as I travel. Please post a comment below and let me know how you're doing... I can't wait to hear about the special services with Rev. Mannis at The Potter's House! Send testimonies when you can. Pastor Ron sends his greetings, too.

With Love,
Pastor Carla

On the Road Again...

2009-08-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

Pastor Ron and I will be leaving for Nigeria later today. We have GREAT anticipation of what God will do! I will update this post whenever I can with reports from the field. There will be updates on the http://heartcryinternational website in The Father's Heart blog as well. Please pray for us!

So why do we do it?

Why would anyone want to leave Mt.Pleasant, Michigan when God is moving so powerfully in and through the church? What compels Pastor Ron and I to reach beyond to other cities and nations? I know it must be perplexing to some. We are SO blessed here and God is doing amazing things - things we've prayed to see for so many years.

The answer is simple: We MUST. There is a stirring in our spirits and a Word from God ringing in our ears. Our eyes are wide open and we see the ripened harvest field. We are finally grasping the truths of God's Word that alluded us before. We are breaking out of the confines of religion and experiencing LIFE - the life Christ died to give us. We MUST obey His lead. We hear the cry of our Father's heart for a lost world. We hear the cry of the lost for help.

How can we leave? Because we know how little WE are needed in this move of God. Surely we have a role to play; a gift to share; a grace to lead - but this move of God is springing up out of God's Church, His people. YOU are the carriers of His glory to the homes, workplaces, and communities you live in! YOU are those who carry the authority, annointing, and zeal to change Michigan forever!

Next Sunday, Pastor Ron and I will be preaching in churches in Nigeria...but God will come to Michigan with revelation, impartation, and salvation once again. Bodies will be healed, wounded hearts made whole, and souls will be saved. Isn't God AMAZING???

Please write me reports of what God is doing here at home in the comment portion below. I know we will all experience God's goodness and look forward to celebrating together!

With Joy,
Pastor Carla

Why Go to Baby Showers????

2009-08-07T18:26:00.000-07:00

Life is a delicate balance for a Christian. We are called to passionate zeal for God and a lost world. We are challenged to be women of the Word and intercession. We're also sisters, wives, mothers,and friends. We are to embrace all of life, guided by God's Word and Spirit.

So what does this have to do with Baby Showers? A Baby Shower may not seem spiritual to you, but it has tremendous spiritual significance. This is when the older women gather around the young expectant mother to calm her fears, teach her the process, and support her in the birthing process. It is what Elizabeth offered Mary...a sanctuary of relationship and prophetic insight.

A Baby Shower is when we all share one another's burdens - supplying what the new mother may lack for her child. We give with joy so that not one baby among us lacks.

A Baby Shower is when the young women gather around their young friend to celebrate and offer their support. These are the future spiritual "aunts" to the new babe, there to help with meals, babysitting, and a shoulder to lean on. They know the others will do the same for them.

A Baby Shower is when hands are laid on the exectant Mom to bless the delivery and to impart a new anointing for motherhood.

This is not a casual experience. Whether you know the new Mom personally, you are of the same family...daughters of the same wonderful Father. Can I encourage you to make it a priority to attend these special gatherings throughout the year? There's nothing worse than a Baby Shower with no "Elizabeth" and no young friends. It can be so lonely for the new Mom. Let's be FAMILY!

You can begin this Sunday at 3 p.m. for Amanda Higbee's Baby Shower at The Potter's House! Smile. If you can't be there,please pray it will be a true blessing to Amanda.

If you were blessed in some way by a Baby Shower thrown for you in the past, share it in the comment portion below! Your sisters will enjoy your story...

With Love,
Pastor Carla

The NEW Sisters of Mine Fellowship!!!

2009-08-05T14:00:00.000-07:00

Women have always had a part to play in church history. Think of Jochebed who hid Moses as a babe; Abigail who intervened to prevent one of David's greatest mistakes; Jael who killed the wicked king and ended a war; Mary who birthed the Son of God; Phoebe who hosted a church in her home. The Bible is filled with testimonies of women who were used of God to do incredible things.

Women have a part to play in the Church today! God is stirring the hearts of women all over the world to pray, stand for righteousness, and do all they can to make a difference. There is a movement rising of godly women who are passionate for the cause of Christ. They are filled with fresh zeal for God, their homes, their cities, and their world.

You are a part of this movement! God is linking us together with sisters from The Potter's House Family Worship Center, church plants, and the Heart Cry International Family. As we open our hearts, stretch out our hands, and stand beside one another, we can become a part of one another's lives and ministries. As daughters of the same wonderful Heavenly Father, we can join Him in changing the world!

In weeks to come, you'll receive email updates to notify you of any emergencies, critical prayer requests, or updates to this blog. Let's stay connected more!

With Love,
"Sister" Pastor Carla

What Does Religion Look Like?

2009-07-18T18:21:00.000-07:00

Like most of you, I have long fought the idea of being "religious." I have been passionate in worship, faithful in personal study of God's Word, and sincere in my attempt to live what I believe. I have considered myself to be zealous and even a bit radical in my faith. My picture of a religious spirit included a huge stone church with a mile-high steeple and stained glass windows. Hymns were sung, prayers were repeated, and the sermon was kept to a perfect 25 minutes with everyone home by noon.

I was wrong.

God is doing a deep work in my life. He is revealing the religion that lives (hopefully, LIVED) in me. I now realize that religion wears many faces. It can be the four people "soaking" in God's Presence in the livingroom of a home; a radical preacher shouting Scripture on the street; a charismatic worship service or a prayer meeting. God has redefined what religion looks like for me.

Wherever we stop and build an altar in our journey with God can become religion. Sometimes we think we have finally arrived at the place/revelation/experience God always meant for us. We return to this place with God faithfully, without realizing that there is still more road to travel. There is more of Him to know. There are greater depths of passion and understanding. There is a greater oneness with Him to walk in.

This is what I did without realizing. I have never stopped seeking God, BUT I sought Him the same way, expecting to experience the same thing. I suddenly realized that if the creatures around the throne cry "Glory!" because of on-going revelations of His beauty and awesome power - His brilliant glory - then there must be more I can know and experience of Him today.

A restlessness has entered my soul. I am opening my heart wider than ever before. I am turning down the distracting noise. I am open to God manifesting Himself as He wants to - to being surprised by Him. I'm not looking for an experience (a vision,Word, shaking, or being slain in the Spirit, ect). I'm just seeking HIM. And in this process that is so deep and new, I am being changed.

I am just a little past my last "altar" and this portion of the journey is still fresh for me. I don't know where this hunger will take me. I do know that already my values, personal convictions and perceptions are being changed. I am growing increasingly comfortable with silence. Things are becoming clearer. I also feel a softness and tears that is somehow sweet. He is so near and dear.

So where is the journey taking you? Let's take this road together...

Women Making a Difference

2009-07-03T08:55:00.000-07:00

I have been so privileged in my life to meet so many women who are truly making a difference in the world. They come in all shapes and sizes. They are of vastly different backgrounds and age groups. Some are tall, while others are "pint-sized." Regardless, their lives are leaving a mark on planet earth and inspiring me every day.

I just returned from Guatemala where I spent one week with missionary, Marla Johnson of Flames of Fire Ministries. She and her husband left everything behind to serve God full-time in Central America. They have very little privacy, serve in an area that is only 3% Christian, and both work as hard as 10 men. Marla's life challenges me to give my all in serving God.

I traveled with a teenage young woman named Katrina Ritchey who had never been on a mission trip before. Katrina served me and everyone else in any way she could - filling a coffee cup, stapling papers, and tying ribbons in hungry Guatemalan girl's hair. She did it all joyfully and never once complained - Katrina challenges me to serve with a joyful heart.

Before leaving for Guatemala, Yolanda Morales spent an entire day editing translated material for people she will never meet. Jamie Archer spent that same day sitting at a computer hour after hour, using a new program to translate the materials for Yolanda to edit. A group of youth, led by Katrina and two other teenage girls from my local church came and spent their afternoon and evening stuffing 600 bags for the feeding programs, running out to get food so "Pastor Carla" would eat. These women inspire me to consider everything I do a ministry unto God.

There are four women who have been praying for me faithfully for years. Linda Neuman leads the team and has been faithful for over twenty years. Even when I have been too busy to meet or keep her updated as I should, she continues to love and pray for me. Linda's life has challenged me to be faithful to others as well.

Then there were the two women who showed up at my house to empty my barn of three truckloads of "stuff" that I'd been trying to clean out for over a year. The list of women who have impacted my world are too many to list here. Making a difference is more than preaching or doing humanitarian work. It's loving and serving in everyday life in a way that honors God. I am privileged to have been surrounded with women who understand genuine Christianity and pray that my life bring the same challenge to those I meet.

Are there women who have challenged your life? Share in the comment portion - we can learn from one another!

God Can Use ANYONE!

2009-06-09T04:58:00.000-07:00

This morning I was remembering a large women's conference that I spoke at years ago. There was a big crowd and as I left the stage, two young women stopped me. They were wide-eyed and breathless as they asked me to sign their Bible. Then they said, "We want to do what you're doing! How can we do this?" My host tried to rush me past them, but I couldn't let the question go unanswered. Smiling, I asked them three simple questions:

1. Why do you want to do this? (It cannot be for yourselves.)

2. What are you doing for God right now? (Be faithful with a little, and He'll trust you with more.)

3. Who do you think I am? (God doesn't use us because we're "special.")

They were a little stunned by my answer and I had to hug them both before walking away. I knew they thought I was "something special" because God moved in the service while I preached. But I knew the truth. I knew God came and ministered to the women because He loved them AND He loved me. I knew my humanness. That's what made me smile.

I knew that this "great woman of God" lost her slip one day in a Big Boy Restaurant in front of a large group of church members; that she stepped into the wet cement of the new sidewalk at the church and lost her shoes; that she tripped going UP the stairs at her new office at the United Way building; that she got her heel stuck inbetween two joined platforms at another large conference and lost her shoe, nearly falling in front of several hundred women; that she forgot she was wearing a lapel microphone in the old days when they were hooked to the sound system by a cord and accidently walked too far forward, pulling then entire system to the floor!

Need I say more?

God is GOD. He doesn't use us because we've earned a special ranking in the kingdom. He doesn't show up when we teach or preach because we are extra-special to Him. He comes because He loves. It's as simple as that. When we walk in simple love and obedience to Him; when we keep our hearts and lives focused and pure; when we seek Him in study and prayer and serve in simple ways, we simply position ourselves to be used by Him. There's no earning God's gifts - they are freely given. There's no earning His Presence or miraculous manifestation. He comes because He loves and has found a daughter positioned and waiting for Him.

In a world that pushes for perfection and demands a drivenness for success, isn't it wonderful to know that God honors simple love and obedience to Him? God can use ANYONE!

Submitted by: Carla Ives; Heart Cry International

A MessengerWoman's Tropical Vacation Trauma!

2009-05-06T10:31:00.000-07:00

Every year I count the weeks until we leave for Hawaii, and every year the clock ticks away adding another 365 days to my age. I wish I could say getting older doesn’t bother me, but it does. I don’t like the sagging skin, the bulges around the middle, or the varicose veins popping up where they never appeared before. The emphasis in our society on youth and having the perfect body has affected me. Last year I had time to get in shape before we left for Hawaii. After years of coaxing (a pleasant way to say, “harassing”), my husband convinced me to join a workout facility.

A woman with the body of Barbie took me on the tour. As she showed me the women’s locker room with the jacuzzi, sauna and steam room I got excited. It was beautiful. I thought, this just might be like a resort vacation and maybe I can look like some of the gorgeous women I see. Well maybe, not quite, ‘cause they’re probably only thirty-five.

Barbie took me to the workout area and showed me all the equipment. It seemed like everyone was a jock. I felt intimidated. As I looked around at everyone exercising, their bodies were glistening. Oh yuk! They are all sweating.

I was entitled to one free session with a physical trainer so I made an appointment for the following week. Arriving in my stylish black work-out clothes, I hoped I might get the good-looking trainer. Yup I think he’s walking over to me. A tall muscular guy introduced himself to me. Wow, he looks like a Greek god. Hmm, I just might like this place. As he showed me the weight-training equipment he began to look less like the Greek god and more like Godzilla. He pushed me over the edge when he said I could some day lift my own weight. I almost yelled in his face. Are you crazy, why would I want to do that at age 60! I just want to lose a few pounds, not become a body builder.

As I went back to the spa area I laughed to myself, I’ll just stick to exercising my feet with pedicures, my hands with manicures and my face with facials. This workout torture was not for me, but I promised myself I would walk regularly and do lighter workouts.

With vacation only a few weeks away, it was silly to think I would lose the weight. It’s strange how last summer’s clothes have a tendency to shrink in the closet over the winter. Having been a fashion consultant I knew the perfect wardrobe could camouflage almost any flaw, so out the door I went to shop ‘til I drop.

I hit the stores with a vengeance. My greatest challenge: finding the ideal bathing suit to make me look fifteen pounds lighter and ten years younger. However, over the years designers first shortened the suit from the bottom, then the top and finally from the middle. Now there are no sides or back.

Opening the door to the shop, I saw it. “The Wonder Body Suit!” My eyes feasted on the lovely shade of purple and exquisite lines. I grabbed it off the rack and headed toward the dressing room where I tugged, pulled and squeezed for ten minutes. I felt like I was in some sort harness or medieval torture device. The material was so thick I figured I would sweat to death on the beach or the spandex would snap and my left cheek would burst forth. The only “Wonder” was that I was able to get it off! I hung up the suit, deciding last year’s black bathing suit looked better than ever.

One last item was the cover up. Not a bathing suit cover up but a varicose vein cover up. Those blue bumpy lines have haunted me for years. After using the best sunless tanning lotion on the market, my legs had a beautiful tan but so did the bathroom carpet. This did not add to the décor of our bathroom.

At last, the day came and we arrived in Hawaii. As we walked to our room I heard the roar of the ocean, saw the waves splashing on the beach, and smelled the fragrance of the plumerias.

Suddenly it didn’t matter how old I was or how I looked. All that mattered was the beauty of God’s creation. I thanked Him for my health and the ability to travel. Perhaps the number of years we’ve lived isn’t as important as how we have lived those years. Maybe age is like a pant size. It’s just a number and really doesn’t really mean a thing. I was determined not to let myself become preoccupied with the aging process but to laugh, throw my shoulders back and head for the beach relishing the gift of a tropical vacation.

Share YOUR summer story with us by posting a comment below! Let's laugh together...

KathieWilliams 910 Corriente Pointe Dr
Redwood Shores, 94065
650-595-1252
kathieaw@yahoo.com

Women in Ministry - A Few Final Thoughts

2009-04-27T07:46:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, I had the privilege of hosting a precious young woman from Tacoma, Washington. She spent the weekend in my home, learning about my work as she considers her own future in missions. It was, in a sense, a business meeting, but in reality it was so much more.

For me the weekend was a gift from Father. It was an opportunity to share my life and the many lessons learned along the way with a young woman brimming with vision and potential. I have always known that one of the greatest calls to the women of my generation was to lay the foundation for those coming behind us. I see an incredible anointing on the women of God rising up today. I am confident that they will do far more than I or my generation could accomplish. It is therefore an honor and privilege to sow into their lives. Our ceiling becomes their floor to build upon. What joy!

In two days, the young minister and I prayed, laughed, fellowshipped, studied, worked, and dreamed of what God might do. This is mentoring. It is opening our lives to another and allowing them to glean all that has been deposited in us over time. It's not that we have all the answers - surely not! It's not that we've been perfect - absolutely not! It is simply allowing them to learn from our strengths and weaknesses; our successes and failures. Mentoring is when the older "sisters" spend quality time with our younger sisters, simply loving and receiving their love.

Some would diminish mentorship to relating truth and correcting wrong perspectives or behaviors. I fear that sometimes I myself have thought that my way was the only way, or at least the better way. Years have taught me that this is not true. My goal as a mentor or "older sister" therefore is simply to share what I know and have experienced. I allow them to determine what they will do with the information - who they will be and what they will do. Mentoring does not give us the license to control our younger sister, but rather to edify and equip her. When mentoring is offered in this framework, it is more readily accepted.

Perhaps, like me, you have daughters or daughter-in-laws that you love and wish to mentor in some way. Remembering that mentoring is optional - they have the right to accept or reject it - and must be offered with no strings attached is key in these situations. When our daughters become adults, they are women who have the right to choose their own course. Though they may not do things the way WE think they should, it doesn't necessarily mean their way is wrong. For me, that was a difficult lesson to learn! Smile. It takes time for mothers to see their daughters as mature women of God.

Last week I met with a woman pastor much younger than me, carrying a God-dream and ready to go. Sitting with her at the table, I was reminded of the fire and zeal of my youth. I left inspired to continue in my own God-dream with the same determination. I understood then that mentoring is a two-edged sword - it blesses both sisters in the process! The younger "sisters" in my life - my Washington friend, the woman pastor, and my own daughters have encouraged and challenged my life in so many ways. Thank God for the two-edged sword!

I feel led to conclude the series on women in ministry at this time. I'm waiting for questions and personal insights from you to determine where the blog will travel next. Please send me your suggestions. The purpose of this blog is simply to encourage this wonderful sisterhood of godly women in relationship and spiritual growth; to facilitate discussion and opportunities for mentoring. I challenge the older sisters like myself to feed into the discussion and the younger sisters to let their voices be heard! Whether we like it or not, we need one another...the Bible tells us so.

Know that you are loved today. God has a wonderful plan for your life. He has a God-dream for you. What He speaks, He will do. Together, we will see His Church arise, His glory come, and His world changed!

Submitted by: Pastor Carla Ives
Heart Cry International

Women in Ministry - Part IV

2009-04-20T08:09:00.000-07:00

The following portion of my testimony concerns my initial application for ordination with another fellowship many years ago. Remember that I struggled with insecurity and low self-esteem as you read today's entry...

I still remember the day of the interview with the fellowship’s ordination committee. I was sick and sad inside. My husband was so encouraging, but I feared he would be disappointed when they turned me down. The interview went fairly well until they arrived at the education portion of the application. “You must have missed this page,” they said. I assured them I hadn’t. I nervously explained that I had been in ministry with my husband since shortly after my salvation and had been needed to assist in teaching and preaching. There had been no time to take classes. They questioned how I was able to fill out the statement of faith so well. I spoke of the hours of study with a face flushed with red with embarrassment. They tried to help me remember some class – ANY class – I had taken that would qualify. There was none. I think we were all a little sad when I left the room that day.

I got their call about one week later. My heart stopped and I burst into tears as the superintendant informed me of their decision. I would be ordained! They waived the educational requirements and accepted my writing, interview, and ministry experience instead. I was officially a minister of the gospel. I sobbed with gratitude, thanking God over and over again. The uneducated girl finally had something to prove she wasn’t stupid after all...or did this prove anything at all?

The title was very important to me. I wanted everyone to celebrate with me. But our church wasn’t ready for a woman pastor yet. My husband asked that I only use the title for outside ministry until the church matured in understanding. For the sake of the church, I agreed – but I was angry. A bitterness entered my heart. I felt rejected and betrayed. Though I outwardly complied, I was raging inside. At times my anger surfaced and I would strike out, but usually I pushed it aside and focused on what I could do. I argued with myself at times – why was it so important after all? Why did I want everyone to acknowledge my new title? I wanted them to be proud of me. I wanted them to affirm me. I wanted them to think I was something special.

It took many years before the church was truly ready for a woman pastor. There was no big announcement or celebration. People just gradually shifted in how they saw me. Those working with me heard me use the title on the mission field. The amazing thing was that by the time the church was ready to call me 'pastor', I no longer needed the title! I had learned that no title qualifies someone for ministry, nor does it prove you have an anointing. I was exactly the same person before and after being ordained in the eyes of God. His plans for my life were not altered by a small piece of paper in my wallet. I didn’t work any harder or earn any more money because of ordination. For me, the title simply confirmed what I already knew in my heart with or without it – I was called to five-fold ministry; to preach and teach the Word of God; to harvest nations with my heavenly Father and to serve Him in His kingdom “business.”

I was raised to call people by their title as a token of respect. I continue to do that as an adult today. I am blessed when people call me “Pastor Carla” – but not because it proves I am special or smart or being used by God. It blesses me because it means they see me as caring for and loving them. I am their pastor. When I hear this title it always warms my heart as when my children call me by my favorite title of all, “Mom.” I no longer need a title to prove anything to anyone. I know who I am. I know Whose I am.

Don't forget to post your comment so we can discuss the theme of this article together. Please don't use anything written here to belittle or discourage your desire for higher education - if I were as young as some of you, I would go to Bible School!!!

Women in Ministry - Part Three

2009-04-06T14:48:00.000-07:00

I really wasn’t stupid…

Learning just never came easy for me. I had to work and study harder than my classmates to achieve passing grades. Numbers became confused when doing math in my head. Memorization required word pictures and melody. I loved to read and write. The drugs and alcohol I used in high school surely didn’t help! I graduated with one of the lowest grade point averages in my high school – not something I wanted to boast about.

After high school I enrolled at a nearby community college. The first week I attended classes was terrible for me. I secluded myself from the other students. I kept my eyes down when I walked the halls. I lived in terror of the teacher calling on me. I knew that if I ever opened my mouth, everyone would know how stupid I was. At the end of the first week, I got very sick when waiting to give my first speech in class – and didn’t make it the bathroom before vomiting. The other students squealed and cursed. I was so ashamed. I determined I would never go back to class again.

This decision created a problem for me. I had recently given my life to Jesus and made a vow to stop all lying. I was a habitual liar before becoming a Christian. Now I was too ashamed to go back to my classes and too afraid to tell my parents what had happened – that I was going to quit school. My solution was to drive each day to the community college, sit in the cafeteria and study the books purchased for the classes. Then I would leave and drive to work before returning home. This worked fine…until the grades were sent to my house. That was NOT a good day! Eventually I gave up all dreams of pursuing an education and continued working in a steady job until marrying my husband the following winter.

Street ministry seemed perfect for me! When my Christian husband and I returned from our honeymoon, we moved into a street center called “The Open Door” in Midland, MI. With my background of Sunday School in my childhood, I had more Bible knowledge than almost anyone else who attended our meetings. I felt confident and gained boldness. This continued as we began ministering to youth in local churches. I was older, wiser and had their respect. When I taught, they believed what I said. I grew in my teaching gift and began praying for others with greater assurance.

Then came the dreadful day God called us to Mt.Pleasant, Michigan…a college town. Panic immediately set in. How in the world could I ever minister to young people attending college if I had failed so miserably in school? They would find me out! They would soon realize how stupid I was! I determined to focus all of my efforts on the poor of the community. My husband and I rented a home near a needy area and began going door-to-door. THIS I could do! I knew how to talk to people who were needy and hurting. I knew how to talk to youth lost in the world. I began to think I could make a difference in this town after all.

Those first months of the new church proved me wrong. Not only the wounded, addicted, and lost came to “The Potter’s House”…soon I as replaced as worship leader by a TEACHER. A woman who graduated seminary and knew the Bible much better than me began to question some of the things I taught. Older women, wiser women, women who were better mothers, professionals, teachers, college professors all found their way to our young church over the next few years. I was intimidated and ashamed. I took any questioning of my appearance, ways, or teaching as an attack. I was afraid. Why would God do this to me?!?

The challenging questions of my teachings sparked a desire to learn God’s Word as never before. My husband taught me how to use a Bible Concordance and Commentary. My life was forever changed. A whole new world opened for me! I studied like a person starving for spiritual food. I realized how much there was to learn and loved every moment of study. I began staying up late at night after everyone else was asleep. Like an addict, I couldn’t seem to get enough of God’s Word. And with every hour of study, I was being changed. As I grasped the truth of God’s Word, new freedom came to my life. When I saw the impact of these same truths in the lives of others as I taught, I was “hooked” for life! What a gift to be able to teach truth that would set people free!

(I'll stop here in this chapter to pose a few questions for discussion...Is there an issue in your life that hinders your confidence in ministry? Have you discovered the delight of STUDYING God's Word? For those who have...what are your study techniques? For those who haven't...why not? Click on the "comment" and share!)

Women in Ministry - Part II

2009-03-22T22:29:00.000-07:00

It was a cool day in late Fall. I was sitting on the porch swing outside our little home, weeping and wailing at the top of my lungs. “Why God???” was the basic gist of my cry. I had been wounded once again. Another rejection by someone who felt I was in disobedience to God by being in ministry. What was wrong with me anyway? Why couldn’t I be content be a wife and mother? Why did I feel I had to do what men did? This time the rejection came in the form of a phone call that was followed by a letter. At least they were thorough!

So here I was again, alone and overwhelmed, dissolved into a pile of mush on my porch. The truth was that I had no answers for them. I had no idea why I was in full-time ministry. It just “happened”! I never really thought about it. I didn’t plan for it. It wasn’t on my wish list nor was it a career goal. Ministry simply evolved in my life. There was no huge vision or loud Voice from heaven in the beginning. It was a journey led by God…

I became a Christian as a young girl, but walked away from God in my teen years. During that time, I followed the partying life-style of my peers and threw myself into immoral activity. Whatever I did, I did one hundred percent! The wounds of my youth served as fuel for the fire and my life was consumed by sin. Thankfully, I found Christ anew at the age of eighteen (or did He find me???) and everything changed. I gave myself to God with the same devotion I once gave the world. There was no half-way commitment for me! It took some time and I stumbled and fell more than once, but I was on my way.

A few months later I met a handsome young man who ran a Christian coffeehouse. He was nearly seven years older than me, extremely poor, and divorced. His clothes never matched and his bib-overalls were torn. His hair was long and he didn’t have a car. He rode a bike to get wherever he wanted to go! He had been an alcoholic and spent time in jail for habitual drunk driving. He had a small son who was only three years old. He was everything I had been taught to avoid as a Christian…and I fell totally in love! Eight short months after meeting him, we were married in our church and launched into full-time street ministry together. What a life for newlyweds!

We shared our new home – the Coffeehouse – with a Christian guy named “Boots” and anyone else who needed a place to stay. Our bedroom was the only privacy we shared…and it had a one-foot space around the top of the wall that opened to the public bathroom. Nothing to spark the romantic feeling like men using the bathroom in the middle of the night! We shared the living and kitchen area with the boarders and they also used the shower in our room. The girls coming in off the streets wore my clothes. Everyone ate our food, used our dishes, and relied on us from morning until night. I didn’t think much about being called to ministry…I just did what needed to be done. I counseled, prayed, sang, and taught what little I knew about God to those who would listen. I cleaned and cooked, gathered clothes for the needy and did my best to be a wife and part-time mother.

At the end of our second year, my husband felt God calling him to ministry in his hometown of Coleman, Michigan. We rented an empty house that was cold and rat-infested and moved by faith. We had no idea what we would do when we got there. We only knew God told us to go. It was either absolute stupidity or tremendous faith! Our son Caleb was born the day we put our dishes in the kitchen cupboard. I had a difficult delivery and spent the next week in the hospital.

During that week, my husband visited the local Assembly of God church. A young pastor named Bob Roberts had recently taken the pastorate. The congregation consisted of about six people. It was a small beginning. Yet there was an instant witness between the two pastors and my husband knew he had found our next place of ministry. By the time I recovered from my hospital stay, we were hired as Youth Pastors for the small congregation, earning $50.00 a week. Again, there was no bright light or angelic visitation to announce my call to ministry…it just happened!

For the next year and one half, I served alongside my husband teaching, praying, counseling, and assisting with youth activities. I worked in the church nursery, directed a children’s choir, and helped with the women’s ministry. To compensate for the minimal pay, I took a job washing dishes in a local restaurant. Eventually, my husband found work on the night shift at a gas station, delivering newspapers, and coaching at Coleman Middle-School. Despite the challenges, this was a good season for us. We grew and began to discover our calling to teach and pastor.

A door opened at a Teen Challenge facility in Muskegon, Michigan. While packing to move, I suffered a miscarriage that caused me to arrive at my new home weary and sad. We moved into the Men’s Center where we lived in a remodeled classroom located next to the furnace room. Though the snow piled higher than our windows, it felt like the Bahamas in our room! I accompanied my husband to various churches each weekend to sing where he preached, and prayed for a few people who came to the altar, but my weeks were void of Christian work. I gave myself to mothering our son, but felt a growing restlessness within. I looked for ways to serve. My heart ached to help.

Four months later, we spoke at another Assembly of God church in St. Charles, Michigan. That night, the pastor invited us to become their Youth Pastors! A few weeks later we were settled into a one-bedroom apartment in the small town, thrilled at the opportunity to serve in a local church once again. I loved it! I felt born-again! I jumped into the ministry with greater enthusiasm than before. I started and led Bible studies for the teen girls, assisted with activities, served on the Worship Team, taught in the nursery, and helped with Youth Ministry. Eventually I was asked to serve on the Michigan District Women’s Ministry Board of the Assemblies of God, overseeing the “Y” ministry (Young Women’s Ministry) for the state. I didn’t ask for it – they came to me! I simply stepped through the open door.

Two years flew by in a whirl of activity. I led another musical, traveled to other Michigan churches and meetings for the “Y” Ministry, and continued tending the growing Youth Ministry with my husband. I was shocked when approached to speak at a Women’s Aglow meeting in a nearby town. It was one thing to minister to teenage girls – speaking to my peers was another thing altogether! I instantly refused and then reversed my decision after much prayer and pressure from the Holy Spirit. I was intimidated and sick with fear all the way to the meeting…but when it was over, I couldn’t wait for a chance to share God’s Word again! I couldn’t explain it and really didn’t spend too much time evaluating it…I just knew that a light switched on inside whenever I taught the Word of God. It felt right. It flowed. God didn’t have to tell me I was called to teach; I just knew!

While pregnant with my daughter, Nicole, I was invited to sing for a new Christian television station. Though I was terribly nervous, hugged my dress to frame my large baby-belly, and forgot my name while being introduced, that night opened the door to a whole new arena of ministry. I became a regular on the station, singing for special events and programs. Over time, I was interviewed and allowed to share my testimony. My confidence was growing and I was becoming comfortable ministering in new ways.

It was during my hospital stay following the birth of my daughter that God turned my world upside down. My husband announced that God was redirecting us to start a church in Mt.Pleasant, Michigan. It would be a “faith move” void of details, financial security, or our wonderful friends. The move would cost me my home, security, many friends, and close most of the ministry doors I had so enjoyed. I resisted, whined, and begged God for an alternative, but eventually made the move with my man of God.

Now I found myself in a broken-down house, with ugly colors and outdated appliances in a town where I had no friends. As the weather turned cool that fall, I shoveled snow from the upstairs hallway where it came in through the holes in the roof. I washed our clothes in the bathtub and rigged a vinyl tablecloth to catch the drippings as they dried on hangers clipped to the shower-curtain rod. Our basement flooded and destroyed many of my keepsakes, as well as the boxes of clothing gathered for the poor. We ate outdated canned goods that came from a generous soul that gave my baby daughter and I a bad case of food poisoning. I wish I could say I sacrificed gladly, but the truth was I hated every minute of it. I dreamed of returning to St. Charles and the life we’d left behind.

But there was no turning back. Soon we were pulling our children in a wagon and going door-to-door inviting people to the first church service. Then real ministry began! I led the worship, taught the children, prayed for the sick, took food and clothing to the poor, and prayed with the broken people we found. I had never encountered such need. It was overwhelming to me. I taught, counseled, cooked, and cleaned. Our spare bedroom became a revolving door for the homeless. Slowly we became settled in our new church and began to make friends with members of our congregation.

I thought it was especially unfair when God replaced me leading worship and left me in the children’s ministry. From television and itinerant teacher to babysitting four children on a hallway floor…how could this be God??? I soon discovered my steps were led by God. As I adjusted my heart and perspective, He gave me His heart for the children. Before long, I realized that I had been called to be a Children’s Pastor. I knew I would minister to children for the rest of my life. Fireworks went off inside whenever I taught, held, or prayed for them. Just as I had discovered my call to teach God’s Word, I now stumbled into this discovery.

During those early years of our church, I poured my effort into the children’s ministry. I arranged special activities, children’s revivals, and Bible studies. I directed several children’s choirs. I worked with the court system and developed new materials to help children who had been abandoned or abused. My husband and I were a team, preaching, teaching, counseling, praying, visiting, leading, and mentoring the new believers. Our schedule was intense, but we didn’t mind. We were giving our all for Jesus!

Since then I have led or been involved in every area of ministry in the local church except the men’s ministry! I have taught the Word of God to every age. I’ve helped to pioneer new aspects of ministry and assisted my husband in his work. Twenty-two years later, I am leading the Women’s Ministry, serving on the prophetic presbytery, teaching in the local church and our School of Ministry, and participating in the ever-evolving responsibilities of a growing ministry. Along the way, I discovered a third “calling” to the nations – a calling that embraced both the yearning to teach God’s Word and my undying love for children. An international ministry was birthed outside the walls of the local church that continues today.

I have come to the conclusion over the many years of ministry, that we are often too concerned over personal destiny, calling, and/or fulfillment. Perhaps it is not necessary to know ahead of time all we will be and do for the kingdom of God. They key seems to be found in living a life of daily obedience to and sincere love for our Father. As we allow Him to lead our lives, our feet find their way into the heart of our destiny. In truth, our “calling” is one part of a larger plan of redemption that God is orchestrating around the world. We are joining with Him in His effort to bring His lost children home. Regardless of our spiritual giftings or personal talent, we are no more than His Voice, His hands, His arms extended to a lost and dying world. Our sense of fulfillment comes from living and working alongside the Lover of our souls – our true heart’s desire…from knowing that everything we do has eternal significance>…from experiencing our Father’s pleasure and witnessing the miracle of transformation His Word renders in every life.

A Word to the Wise…

Therefore my word of wisdom to the beautiful, gifted, talented, anointed women who are struggling to find their purpose and calling is: Stop! Enjoy the journey. Take your eyes off of YOU and fix them on the One you love. Let ministry be about HIM, not about you. Seek God and live a life-style of obedience. Let Him lead. Trust Him. In the end, He will order your steps into the destiny prepared for you since the beginning of time.

Life with Jesus is an adventure! I cannot say I’ve always enjoyed the element of mystery that seems to accompany the journey, but I love the surprises! Darkness always gives way to light. The fog lifts and the path becomes clear. As one who has been serving God for nearly 30 years in full-time ministry, I can promise you – He won’t forget you AND He will not waste the rich deposit He has placed within you. He’s working a great redemption plan and you have a part to play. Don’t get in a hurry! He will make sure you arrive at your destination at exactly the right time and with everything you need to succeed.

Thoughts to Ponder…

How has God’s calling evolved in your life?

Do you struggle with knowing/finding your personal destiny or purpose? Why?

Do you get in a hurry to see your calling fulfilled? Are you often restless?

Share your thoughts by clicking on the "Comment" below...let's help one another on this journey!

Women in Ministry

2009-03-19T08:34:00.000-07:00

Hello Ladies!

This is an experpt from a book being written by one of our MessengerWomen - Carla Ives. We will be running portions of the book in coming posts, hoping for more interaction with you on topics relating to women in ministry. The portion below is from the Introduction to the book. Be sure to post your comment at the end of this entry...we love hearing from you!

It was happening again.

We were at my oldest son’s home in Maryland for Christmas. The two boys and their dad were once again debating the issue of women in ministry. They love to “playfully” argue their perspectives on various aspects of theology and ministerial philosophies, and I sometimes join in the fun. But when this topic was put on the table, I fell silent.

My oldest son posed the question. “Should women be pastors?” He challenged an absolute “no” as hypocrisy – how can we say a woman can be in ministry and yet not be a pastor? It’s all or nothing! My other son leaned the other way while acknowledging that women are used by God in powerful ways…a brave response considering both his wife and his mother are pastors. My husband shared his views, which are actually much different than my own. What a fun holiday discussion!

The issue of women in ministry has been controversial and debated by Christians worldwide for centuries. No matter how much research is done, statistics given, and opinions stated – and regardless of the thousands of women used by God in life-changing ways – the topic has never been closed. The arguments continue. Eventually most decide to believe what they think is correct and agree to disagree with the rest of the world.

Whenever I am in a room where this issue is debated, I suddenly feel like a lab specimen under a microscope. I listen as everyone around me discusses my life in theory. Sometimes I find it humorous….sometimes not. Over the years I have come to understand that I do not have the power to change another person’s opinion on the subject. I have also found it pointless to enter into the debate or to defend my calling. In the end, I point to the fruit and allow God’s Presence and ministry evidenced in my life to speak for me. No one can argue with the fruit. A good tree brings forth good fruit…a true calling produces genuine fruit for the Kingdom of God as well.

I am not writing this book from a theological position in an effort to change anyone’s thinking. The scriptures have been reviewed by experts and resulted in various conclusions. Think of me as the lab specimen that suddenly speaks to the probing microscope that stares and evaluates, “Stop looking and ask me what I am!” I am writing this book to give insight into one woman minister’s life and perspective, hoping that my honesty and transparency might take the sting and edge from the debate. This does not need to be a divisive issue in this century.
My second purpose in writing the book is to encourage the young women called to ministry today. Perhaps my experiences and/or insights will make their journey a bit easier. If nothing else, they will learn how to avoid a few of the pits I’ve fallen into as a result of this issue. May they learn from my mistakes and gain confidence with my triumphs!

A Question for You...

What are your current thoughts on women in ministry? What have been some of your most significant challenges as a woman in ministry?

In Pursuit of His Presence

2009-03-07T13:01:00.000-08:00

We've got a question for you...

What hinders your pursuit of God's Presence? And, what enhances it?

Read Nancy Fry's story below and take time to comment at the end of the article. Your story may help another woman in her pursuit of God's Presence. Feel free to share your concerns or to ask questions, too!

Intimacy with God
By Nancy Fry

Coming to a place of intimacy with the Lord is central to my personal testimony. And overtime, I've learned several key truths that I consider foundational for developing an on-going friendship with Jesus.

The Lord found me during my Junior year in high school. Our family was not very religious, but one day my brother - who had recently come to faith - invited me to church. Though I was reluctant to go at first, I did, and found that the love of God was strongly apparent...so apparent that I gave my life to Him by walking forward at an altar call. The change in my life was so real and dramatic that I immediately started teaching Sunday School, got in the church choir, and became active on the visitation team. My whole family came to Christ! My mother became a volunteer receptionist, my dad a deacon.

I became very busy for God. "Zeal for god's house was consuming me..." And it was a time to be zealous! It was the time of the early Jesus Movement and the Charismatic Movement, very exciting times indeed. People would get to church an hour early with their Bibles and notebooks and tape-recorders.

Love for Jesus meant action, movement, doing, and going. And that was great for me, because by nature I am a Martha. When you are a Martha, this kind of action is fun; it's a whole new world.

But the Lord looked at me and knew that the Mary part of me was pretty undeveloped. Deep within me I wanted intimacy with Him, but didn't know how to get there. Soon I was to find a whole new dimension in my spiritual life - the transforming Work of the Holy Spirit. Intimacy with Jesus begins the moment we yield our lives to the Holy Spirit. And the first thing the Spirit taught me was the priority of worship.

The First Key: WORSHIP

For me, worship was the beginning of developing real friendship with Jesus. For it is as I worshipped that I realized I could enjoy His Presence.

The first time I felt the Lord's Presence was at Steve's father's church. At that time evangelical churches sang from hymnbooks - and to the person's head in front of you! It was like singing the Star-Spangled Banner or something. But in worship you sang to God! Your eyes closed, focused on Him, with the freedom to lift your hands and even dance. And I noticed that people who were worshippers taught differently than those who just studied their Bibles and taught. Worship changed people. I discovered that worship and obedience were life-changing.

I observed that it was in that place of worship that believers found their identity. It seemed that while people worshipped many even received their healing. In fact, all blessings seemed released in a life-style of worship. And I mean "worship the lifestyle", not "worship, the one-hour service."

You know there are a lot of worship services that have good music, but no worship. Because worship is not just about moving music, it's about knowing God. I loved to worship - but I knew that transferring my "church worship experience" to my "private worship time" with the Lord was going to be more challenging. I knew that intimacy was not just about my desire to worship; it was about listening to Him.

The Second Key: HEARING GOD'S VOICE

Hearing God's Voice for the first time was one of the most incredible experiences I have ever known, and another key to intimacy. But hearing His Voice is costly - because hearing means you have to obey.

The first time I sensed the Lord was speaking to me, His Voice was like a feeling in my gut. At the time I was pursuign the ambitions I had since I was a small girl - agricultural studies. I was attending one of the best schools in California - Cal Poly, located in the beautiful beach town of San Luis Obispo.

But this "feeling" in my gut told me that I was to leave this perfect environment and go to Bible College. Which to me was a painful, costly decision. I was the pin-up girl in Ag School. At that time agriculture was a man's field and I was the new woman. So I had a lot of people rooting me on. I disappointed those people when I followed Jesus to a Bible School. I lost dear relationships; my adopted grandfather who gave me my horse, my High School agriculture teacher, some family members who simply couldn't understand why I would do such a foolish thing...there is always a cost to obedience.

This was a big cost...and I thought to myself that if I passed this big test, I wouldn't have to do anything so difficult for the rest of my life. Ha Ha!

After a year and a half in Bible College, the Lord's Voice started calling me again. Again it was in a radical, costly direction. Jesus was calling me to leave Bible College and come home. For me that was okay, because coming home meant interning at my home church. So here I was - nineteen years, on staff at one of the fastest growing churches in America, a young woman with a great future - and that's when the other shoe of God's guidance dropped. The Lord called me to leave my home church and begin attending a Charismatic church across town! I knew that it would mean a loss of dear friends who weren't at all Charismatic, and who wouldn't understand why I was doing such a thing.

But there was an ache for more, an ache for God's Presence.

So, I obeyed - and once again lost friends. And went to a church where I had no friends! I told my Dad that I was leaving my internship at the church, and for the time being leaving college. I told him I felt God was telling me to do this. Well, that set off some fireworks! But he let me do it - and within two weeks of going to that church I met Steve - and married him six months later!

While we were dating, the Lord presented me with another challenge to hearing His Voice - and it came through Steve. He wanted to know if I had a "call" on my life. "What is a call?" I wondered. I knew I wanted to be in full-time ministry, but what in the world was "a call"? So again I prayed - and I felt a strong impression to turn to an Old Testament passage, and I felt that God was saying this chapter described my call.

I shared it with Steve, and he was exuberant! That chapter was the exact same chapter God had given him years before about his own call! What are the chances of that? I knew that God had spoken directly to me! And that whetted an appetite in me that has never gone away!

I knew then, as I know even better now: GOD DESIRES ME JUST AS I AM.

What Mary & Martha Didn't Know

2008-10-13T20:35:00.000-07:00

The Bible tells the stories of two sisters who once entertained Jesus in their home while he visited with their brother, Lazarus. The two sisters were very different in giftings, interests, and behavior. However, they shared one thing in common - they both adored Jesus Christ and considered Him a true Friend.

One day their brother fell ill. As he grew worse with each passing hour, they feared for his life. In their distress they knew exactly Who to call upon for help. They sent a message to their dearest Friend. They knew Jesus loved them and would come quickly when He heard the news.

But Jesus did NOT come quickly. As they waited, watching for Him hour after hour, their hearts must have questioned why...but no answer came. They could not see or understand Jesus and as their brother breathed his last breath, they lost all hope. Their disappointment in their Friend was great, but held privately in their hearts. Their were so many disappointments...the "friends" who DID come, bringing their questioning of Christ's goodness, their mourning and despair...the choking sorrow as they wrapped their beloved brother's lifeless body in gravecloths and laid him in the tomb. It was too late now for the miracle they prayed for - the dream of healing they once held in their hearts.

Days later, Jesus came. The sisters were confused and questioned Him. Why didn't He come? Their hopelessness and intense pain gripped the heart of their Friend, and He wept. He wept perhaps because they didn't understand. They didn't know that as soon as they sent their request for help, a plan was set in motion to fulfill it. They didn't know that Jesus had a strategic timing for their miracle that would bring the Father glory. They didn't know how excited He was to answer their cry. Most of all, they didn't really know how much He loved them...in truth, they didn't know Who He truly was.

Despite their disappointment and questionings; despite the fact that they had given up on the dream, Jesus fulfilled their request. He came as Resurrection and Life, resurrecting their dream and giving life to it once again! Though their "dream" of Lazarus was wrapped tightly and hidden away, Jesus revived it and brought their brother back to life! Jesus was not moved by their pain, disappointment, or questionings. He kept His Word. He loved them too much to ignore their request.

This is how He loves you. YOU are His beloved friend. He remembers every ministry, dream, and gift He has given you. He has heard every prayer. He has set a plan in motion to fulfill your request and has a strategic time for it, so that the Father will be glorified. No matter how "dead" the dream, He is the Resurrection and the Life. Shake off the questionings and silence the doubt. Embrace the incredible love Christ has for you. Trust Him with your dreams. Trust Him with your ministry. He is faithful to fulfill His promises!

Carla Ives
Heart Cry International