Stop Wavering!

Hey Ladies!

Long time no blog. My bad. I have no excuse. Bummer about not being able to meet this past Monday due to the weather (have I ever mentioned how much I *dislike* snow and cold?!). I was pretty pumped about the last lesson in our Wake Up series, so I thought I would take a blogging opportunity and give you the much condensed version of the lesson. :-)

Were any of you ever spanked as a child? I'm not ashamed to admit (maybe I should be) that I was spanked quite often. I was a very busy child and oftentimes my busyness got me in trouble. My mom was the spanker in the house. Bless her heart, God love her for not giving up on me, I gave her plenty of reasons to. My mom did something unique whenever a discipline need presented itself. She would spank me, and then she would hug me and tell me she loved me. A hug after a spank. The reason for the discipline was always explained and the hug assured me that no matter what the offense was, I was still her child and she loved me dearly. The last lesson in our Wake Up series was intended to be the hug after the 'spanking' we have taken all semester. (smile)

We spent a lot of time talking about the Israelites in the time of King Josiah and how they followed after God, but only in pretense. Their hearts were actually far from God (2 Chronicles 34-35; Jeremiah 3:10). We talked a lot about choices this semester - are we willing to tear down the Jesus idol that we have built in our own image? Are we going to be honest about the spiritual adultery we have committed? As I was thinking though all of this the phrase "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal is God, follow him" came to me. (You can read the whole story in 1 Kings 18 - one of my all time favs!) I did a little reading on the word waver and it means "to halt" and "to limp". The word picture here is of someone with one leg shorter than the other. Interesting, don't you think? Is the Church limping back and forth between two opinions? Are we seeking after our own desires and then limping into church on Sunday mornings? When will we decide to follow the one true God - wholeheartedly?

In Revelation 3:2, Jesus says "Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God." I have asked myself a lot lately, "what remains?" What was Jesus talking about? I'm no scholar, but I think He was talking about our FAITH.

So back to limping. Why do we limp? Paul admonishes us to run the race. How in the world can we run the race if we are limping? I personally believe one of the main reasons we limp is FEAR and guess what can't exist simultaneously alongside of Fear. Yep, you guessed it: FAITH. If we are going to strengthen our faith, we must remember how HUGE and POWERFUL and SOVREIGN our God is! Have we forgotten that God did not give us a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7)? Take a moment today and read Psalm 23. You may need to be reminded that you need not fear even in the valley of the shadow of death! Why? Only one reason: God is WITH YOU. Remember who your God is! If He is for you, who can be against you??

Let's step up our prayer life. Let's pray like the believers in the first century that constantly faced persecution. They prayed for BOLDNESS. If we fix our eyes on God Almighty, the Creator of the universe, the One who gives us breath, our fear will melt away knowing He is in control and He is with us.

No more limping! Pray for boldness! Strengthen what remains of your faith!!We have a HUGE God!! We need not fear.....anything!

There's your hug.
:-)

Got Issues??

Hi ladies,

Just looking for a little feedback.. actually A LOT of feedback would be more helpful.

Please tell us your number one "issue" that you are dealing with, struggling with, trying to get over, wanting to learn from, completely confused by, frustrated about, angry with, etc. etc...

What is your ISSUE in life right now?

Feel free to reply as ANONYMOUS.

thanks, girls!

I want you to cover me..

It was a simple scenario. My 5 year old daughter and I were on our porch waiting for the bus to arrive. It was a little chilly and I had even decided to put a light sweater on her. But when I asked if she wanted to wait inside, her reply was sweet and pleading: "No, I want you to cover me."

I immediately brought her into my arms and 'covered her' as best as I could. I also immediately thought of how much I long for my Heavenly Father to cover me.. and how thankful I am that he does.

His response is swift; without hesitation. His response is automatic because of his great love for us; he doesn't stop to think about whether or not we deserve it. He simply acts:

When we call, he is there.
When we cry for mercy, he forgives.
When we are desperate for healing, he sends forth his word and heals.
When we need direction, he guides.
When we are grieving, he comforts.
When we are despised and rejected, he defends and cherishes.
When we are empty, he fills to overflowing.
And when we plead for his covering, he covers us.

I have put my words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of my hand —
I who set the heavens in place, who laid the foundations of the earth, and who say to [you], 'You are my [daughter]'. ~ Isaiah 51:16

It's that time of year again!!

Man time goes by fast! I can't believe the kids are already going back to school and the stores are selling sweaters. I don't even want to think about colder weather! Yuck! But, I have to remember, with the fall comes many exciting things that make the gross weather tolerable. One of those things is the Beth Moore simulcast! Woo Hoo!! This year will be the third time Ignite has hosted this awesome event. We anticipate it to be even bigger and better than ever before. We are partnering with K-LOVE and have contacted over 100 churches in the area to help us get the word out. We are praying for an awesome outpouring of God's Spirit and we can hardly wait to see what God has planned for us! Don't forget that this is a FREE event so grab all your girlfriends and head to The Creek on 9/18!!
Ignite is also gearing up for a new teaching series beginning on Monday, September 27th. The series is entitled, "Wake Up!" and the idea for the series came from Revelation 3:1-3. I don't want to give too much away at this point but I will tell you this; God has been preparing me and the other ladies who will be teaching the lessons this fall and we are so excited we can barely see straight! We know God has plans to shake us up this fall! Bring it on Lord! We are so tired of sleeping our way through life! We want to be women with strong faith and unyielding courage! We are tired of blending in with our culture!
I hope you will make plans to join us this semester as we cry out to God to WAKE US UP!

Restless?

Do you girls ever get restless? Like you know you are on the edge of some kind of change but you can't put your finger on it? You get the feeling that God is working on a plan but hasn't let you in on it just yet? That's the situation I'm in right now! I have been praying for so long that God would show me the details of His plan just like He did with Moses when He showed him the details of the tabernacle (and talk about details!)
This restlessness that I'm talking about is one of those that has to lead to action - I can't just sit still. Decisions are going to have to be made. I'm trying hard to make sure that the decisions I make are God-driven ordained decisions. I have long said, "It's easier to steer a moving car than it is a parked one." (And just for the record, this weekend I was honored to hear Sarah Palin speak at a Women of Joy conference and she said "God doesn't drive parked cars." Exactly!)
So, with the chance that some of you are perhaps dealing with the same sort of restlessness right now, I wanted to share some of the questions I'm asking myself to make sure my focus is right and I'm being propelled forward in the right direction. Always, always and I say again...ALWAYS check the motives of your heart!
Here's the questions:
1)What stirs my heart?
2)What moves me?
3)What gets me noticeably excited?
4)What propels me forward?
5)What frustrates me?
6)What do I want to set right?
7)What do I want to see?

If your answer to these questions accurately reflect the desires of your heart and you recognize that God Himself has given you those desires; then keep moving girlfriends! He will continue to direct your steps even if He's not showing you all the details of the plan right now. I'm trusting Him to do the same for me!

Looking forward to seeing you all at the Christa Wells and Nichole Witt concert next Monday! What a way to end the semester!!!

Love you all dearly!

BREAKING FREE

Hi girls ~ be sure to make your plans NOW to participate in the newly released Breaking Free study by Beth Moore. Beginning June 14th at 6:30pm Atrium B. To reserve a workbook, email Linda@ignitewomen.com

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO... you won't want to miss this!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIjZt5ux4Gk

I like to win!

I like to win. No, I mean, I really, really, REALLY like to win. Which means I REALLY hate to lose. I mean, I really, REALLY hate to lose. If you know me at all, you know that I am a University of Kentucky basketball fan, and I mean...I am a FAN. If you cut me, I will bleed blue. We have the most winning history in college basketball history. I know what it feels like not to just win, but to be on a winning team. Know the difference? Winning is the norm, not the exception. You get used to that feeling. Therefore, when a loss comes - well, I just can't even begin to describe to you the feeling. Maybe some of you are die hard Colts fans and you know what it feels like when your team doesn't perform the way you know they can and it costs you the game - the win. Ug! I hate that feeling! I'm still in the "I cannot believe this happened" stage and the wound is still fresh so no one is allowed to talk to me about this, at least for another week or two. But just for the record, I'm now hoping Butler takes it all the way.
Now, why am I whining about this to you? Because in the midst of my pitifulness this weekend I was gently reminded by the Holy Spirit of something that spoke to my heart like nothing else could have. Because I am a follower of Christ - I am on a winning team! And I mean... a WINNING TEAM! Maybe you are like me and sometimes you watch the news or you listen to the cries of pain from those around you resulting from broken relationships, pain, suffering, and even death. If we're not careful we can start to believe that we are losing this game. But, if we will take the time to look at the Team Captain, He's not worried! He knows what plays need to be made and He is in complete control and when that last buzzer (or trumpet!) sounds, WE WIN! The enemy doesn't stand a chance!! I'm determined not to get distracted by the other team's nasty remarks, flagrant fouls and cheap shots. The scoreboard may even look like he's winning at times but we can know without a shadow of a doubt, we will be the ones cutting down the net when it's all said and done. Now THAT gets me going because I LIKE TO WIN!

Buried Under a Pile of Manure??

Lovely title, huh? These are the kind of word pictures that come about when trying to teach life lessons to a 15 year old boy. My husband is GREAT about coming up with word pictures... me, on the other hand.. I get a headache trying to come up with even just one very simple, effective one!

So anyway, this morning we were talking to our son about having a rebellious spirit.. something his mama knows a thing or two about. We wanted to make sure, however, that he knew we weren't criticizing who he is, or that we thought he was doomed to be a failure because of his struggle in this area.

That's when my husband told him to picture himself as a really sweet 2011 Mustang Convertible. My contribution to this word picture was to ask him what color he was.. he was silver. So in the driveway sits this shiny, cool, new Mustang with lots of cool options - we're talkin' this thing is perfect and ready to go do what its made to do! But before it can back out of the driveway, a big dump truck comes along and drops 17 tons of manure right on top of the car!!! So now, when you look out in the driveway, what do you see? (a huge pile of manure) Is the Mustang still there? (yeah, but you can't see it) So what you are going to do about it? (dig it out and take it to the repair shop)

Our son got the picture... he is an awesome shiny new Mustang with great potential. He is wonderful in our sight and God's. His rebellious spirit sometimes covers up who he is.. like a big pile of manure. In order to be that shiny car, he needs to go to the "Repair Shop" where Jesus will make him completely new and ready to be effectively used!!

That's you and me, too... so what's your pile of manure? Arrogance, Jealousy, Insecurity, Greed, Shame, Lust, Gossip, Cheating or Stealing, Rebellion, Deception, Anger, Hatred, Unforgiveness, Self-Righteousness, Unbelief, Raunchy TV or books...

As women, most of us don't get particularly excited about car analogies.. but we get the point, and certainly none of us want to be buried under a pile of manure! You are beautiful in God's eyes and he has plans to use you effectively for his kingdom. Let's head to the Repair Shop where Jesus will glady and miraculously RESTORE US to our full potential; to be fully used by HIM!!!

For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10

Testimony Time!

Hello Ladies!!
After last night's Ignite meeting, several of you talked to me about the incredible discussions going on at your tables, and this morning I have received several e-mails filled with some awesome things that God is doing. This gave me an idea! I thought it would be great to have a testimony sharing opportunity on the blog! If God is doing something in your life or in the life of someone you know and you want to give Him some glory, now is your chance! I can't wait to hear how God is moving this semester!!
I love you girls!

Crazy Love

For several weeks, I kept hearing about the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan. It kept coming up in multiple conversations so after about the hundredth time of hearing about it, I ordered it because I wanted to see what everyone was talking about. Finally got it in the mail yesterday. I started reading it and I'm already on page 68. I just started the chapter "profile of the lukewarm". Hello. This book is awesome!
I love TRUTH!!!
I have such a burden for our generation of women who profess to know Jesus to WAKE UP. I used to dislike mediocrity. Now I can honestly say I HATE it. I believe it's what's keeping so many of us in bondage. We are starving to death for real meaning, for real substance, for TRUTH, and most of us don't even know we're starving to death. Why? Because we are nibbling away at meaningless things, distracted by anything and everything and it keeps our focus off what's really important - but it numbs the hunger pains so we think we're okay. We're not okay!! If we can't honestly say we love God with ALL of our hearts, with ALL of our minds, with ALL of souls and with ALL of our strength, then we're missing it. We're starving to death. When will we realize God is the ONLY thing that's important and deserves our attention, our focus and our worship? He alone is worthy!
If I could scream it at the top of the highest mountain, I would - What will it take for us to WAKE UP??? Come on girls! Do a heart inventory check today. Is God your focus? Are you madly in love with Jesus? Is He the reason you get up in the mornings? If you can't honestly answer Yes to those questions, I ask you this: What's your boat? What do you need to walk away from in order to free your heart to be consumed with Christ? We have one life to live. Let's DO THIS!!!
I love you ladies!

Up for the challenge?

I had such a good time with you ladies on Monday! I left with a renewed sense of anticipation for what God has planned for us this semester. I know it's only been two days, but I'm wondering if any of you have sensed a more clear direction throughout the day because you began the morning with the words "Yes Lord, TODAY I will follow You!" I hope that over the next few weeks you will remember the Invitation: "Come, follow me" (today!), the Promise: "I will make you what you aren't" (thou art....thou shalt be!!) and the Challenge: "What's your boat?"
Remember, I signed up for the challenge too! I'm fasting something that I will miss on a daily basis so that I will be reminded to ask God to reveal to me what my "boat" is. What is it in my life that I need to walk away from, to leave behind, in order that I may be a fully devoted follower of Christ? I want nothing to stand in my way! I don't want to breeze through this life and miss out on what God has in store for me if I will just follow Him.
I'm asking God to do amazing things among us this semester. I'm asking that He shake each of us awake from our spiritual slumber and His hand be so evident in each of our lives that we can't help but to be stunned and respond with Radical Devotion!!
I want to encourage you ladies to share your personal journeys with each other this semester. By sharing and hearing about one another's walk with Christ, we can each learn and grow. Let's tackle this challenge together!
I love you ladies and am praying for you!

A Party in Your Honor

Imagine you're planning a wonderful surprise party for someone you dearly love. You've made the plans, invited all the guests, and decided on an exquisite menu. You can't wait for the big moment when all the guests yell, "SURPRISE!" and your loved one finally joins in the festivities. You know she'll understand just how cherished and adored she is when she sees everything that's been done in her honor.

Finally, the time for the surprise arrives. All of the guests are waiting in anticipation at the front door. You see your loved one pull into the driveway, and you hear her car engine turn off. As she opens the car door, you see the interior lights come on while she gathers her things. Your heart races as you see her heading up the driveway. Suddenly, she makes an unusual turn and heads to the back door.

You quickly make your way to the back door to redirect her. Your cheerful greeting is met with a halfhearted smile, and your attempts to send her to the front door are brushed aside. She insists she is tired and will look at what you want to show her tomorrow. Only you know that tomorrow the guests will be gone, the leftover food will be stored away, and the party will be over.

How sad for the guest of honor who missed her own surprise party! And how disappointing for the party planner who orchestrated the event.

God must feel the same way when we miss the "surprise parties", the divine appointments, that await us each day. How it must disappoint Him when we don't hear or don't listen to Him redirecting us to the front door. How it must grieve Him when we walk through our lives oblivious of His activity all around us. How it must break His heart when we brush aside something that not only would make us feel special and noticed by God, but would allow us to join Him in making life a little sweeter for others as well.

How many times have we missed our own surprise party?

~ excerpt from Radically Obedient, Radically Blessed by Lysa TerKeurst ~

Ladies, life with Christ is not meant to be BORING and MUNDANE. If that is our experience, then trust me, it ain't Jesus' fault and it doesn't have to be that way!! Beginning Monday, January 25th, come join us for a fresh look at the RADICAL DEVOTION of the apostle Peter. His life with Christ was FAAARRR from boring and mundane!!! Let's walk in his footsteps for a bit and get a taste of what life with Christ is meant to be like FOR US. Let's start experiencing some SURPRISE PARTIES thrown by the King of Kings in our honor!!!

Are you contagious?

Last night I headed to bed before my husband. This is nothing new because I like to get up at the crack of dawn therefore I like to go to bed...early! My husband usually stays up later than I do. After I kissed him goodnight and told him and my dog how much I loved them, I left him alone to enjoy a movie he had found on tv. I'll admit, I have seen this movie and it's not really one I'd choose to sit through again, but Jake loves it. Thinks its hilarious. As I was walking up the stairs, I heard him let out a big belly-laugh. I love when Jake laughs like that. Oh, I can get him to laugh on a pretty regular basis, I doubt that we have ever gone all day long without sharing a laugh, but those belly-laughs are awesome. I mean, the man was really getting tickled at this stupid movie. By the time he let out another one, I was laughing at him laughing. Then he heard me laugh and he laughed at me laughing which made me laugh at his laughing... you get the point. By the time I made it to the top of the stairs, I had tears in my eyes I was laughing so hard! Good times, Good times. :-)
I'm thankful that our laughter is contagious. But you know as well as I do, sometimes so are foul moods. Every been perfectly happy-go-lucky till you get around that certain someone who walks around with a permanent growl? Like the cartoon person that always has a rainy cloud over their head? What happens when you are around that person? Is your sunshine contagious or do you allow their rain to get you wet?
I want to strive this year to spread the laughter. I hope that there will be many moments of holding my sides and tears of laughter streaming down my face!
Happy 2010 ya'll!