Tag Archives: James River Women

Be the Revolution!

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While I definitely didn’t intend for my blog to be (always) gushing about James River Assembly, the church I attend in Ozark, Missouri, I can also share that sometimes you just know when certain things are inserted into your life and this church continues to breathe influence into my life that couldn’t be more well timed.  We just finished the 9th annual Designed For Life Women’s Conference and it was AMAZING!  We heard from Charlotte Gambill who leads Life Church in England, John & Helen Burns, who started Victory Christian Centre (now known as Relate Church in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada),  Nancy Alcorn of Mercy Ministries, Donna Crouch of Hillsong Church in Sydney, Australia, Marilyn Skinner of Watoto Church in Kampala, Uganda in Africa  and Debbie Lindell of James River Women, a ministry under the umbrella of James River Assembly.

Every single message contained life-giving words….God-inspired truths that resonated across the hearts of the 5,500 women who were there.  We heard:

  • That God is looking for movement through us.
  • You have to choose your position in life AND your disposition in life.
  • That the best part of life is who you get to do it with.
  • That some of the greatest pain in the world stems from “Dad” issues.  That every child is born connected to Mom but their self-identity and strength comes from their Dad.
  • That everything we need to live a full and abundant life is already in us in seed form.  It takes the Holy Spirit to water and fertilize each individual seed to help us have a life that flourishes that can then feed others.
  • If our children had to live on the power of our words, would they be able to?  A person’s childhood is the reference point of their life.  We must take responsibility for the atmosphere in our homes.
  • Time is the currency of life. (LOVE this one!)
  • Relationships should be based on commitment not convenience.
  • Pressure has a way of revealing exactly who and what we are made of.

I was especially excited about Project 12, which is an initiative to help encourage and inspire us to make a difference in the lives of others around us.  We have been talking at work alot about this same type of focus for helping people around us and this will help us take it to the next level.  The fundamental belief is that if we Impact ONE person in our community we will make a difference in the WORLD.  I love the following quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson….

“It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life, that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882); Philosopher, Poet, Author, Essayist

It goes without saying that I simply can’t wait for next year’s DFL Conference which is being held at JQH Arena in Springfield, Missouri.  Debbie’s goal is to have 10,000 girls there and given the revolutionary hearts that her conference sparked this year, I would guess that she will hit that mark!

Ephesians 3:20-21

20 Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Can you say WOW???

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How do you describe a season in your life when everything that is being placed before you has a common theme?  How do you explain it when it seems like you have some type of intuitive wisdom being breathed into your spiritual ear?  I can tell you that anything insightful, even remotely wise or forward-thinking has way less to do with my life experiences and more to do with me constantly asking God to keep me focused on the things that have eternal meaning.  I am humbled daily by the blessings he has granted me and try to wait in anticipation of what is around the next corner.

Back in February of this year, I did alot of research (unusual for me!) on a new desk for my office.  Long story short, I looked at hundreds of desks online until I found the perfect one that would fit in my office.  So I ordered it.  Simple, right?  Yeah, right up to the time that I found out it was “imported” and that it was delayed 5, yes 5, times before it finally shipped and I received it in July.  So at the busiest time possible in my job, I took delivery of my new desk and decided it was time to clean and organize my office.  I will mention that I had been feeling challenged with juggling alot of projects in the air and had almost decided that my life was meant to be chaotic this year.  As I called upon a few years of experience at realigning my own world and I waded through all the “stuff” currently on my plate, I asked myself if my world was crazy, who’s in charge of that?  If things were spinning out of control and I was struggling to get my legs beneath me, who controlled that?  Well, the answer was me.

I took a giant step back and assumed a high-level view of what I had on my plate, what areas I really needed to be involved in and what things I could shift to other, very capable Managers and started making a list.  I also thought about what dots could be connected for our company that would provide the biggest return for our customers and whether we were leveraging all of our resources towards helping our customers in the most ways possible.  What I soon realized was that by taking a deep breath and steadying myself in the fast-moving rapids of never-ending deadlines, problem solving and everyday issues I had enabled myself to gain some perspective that only a couple weeks before had been missing.  Had my work load changed?  Not really.  Had the deadlines moved?  Nope.  Was there fewer issues to deal with?  Not by a long shot.  However, the manner in which I approached those things had shifted.  I had prayed for God to provide wisdom and direction and to help me become “less busy” and to work smarter not harder and somehow that perspective had been gifted to me over a period of 10-14 days.

On the heels of that tremendous adjustment to how I had been approaching my job, I had been invited to attend a seminar at which Chester Elton, affectionately referred to as the Apostle of Appreciation, was going to speak.  He has co-written The Carrot Principle, The Orange Revolution and his newest book All In and if you have never heard him speak OR read one of his books, I would encourage you to do so.  It was one of the MOST amazing days I have spent at a seminar EVER!  Lots of down to earth ways to connect with people, both professionally and personally, artfully illustrated with stories, videos and resources that can be easily applied straight out of the gate.  And boy was I excited to share all I had learned that day!  I warned everybody that I might be a little hard to take for awhile. 

Then immediately following the seminar by Chester Elton, our church that I love with all my heart James River Assembly hosts a women’s conference each year Designed for Life and I attended a 3-day event there.  Priscilla Shirer, Dianne Wilson, Christine Caine and our own beloved Debbie Lindell all spoke at the conference and, as usual, it was LIFE-CHANGING!  And talk about layering over the top on the very things I had just spent the last couple of months reviewing and managing….everything just helped me gain even better footing in those rapids I was describing earlier and really solidified in my mind that I was on the right path and spending time on the things I was supposed to.  You know how sometimes we ask God if we are really committed to the things we’re supposed to be?  Well, I’ve had those moments too and this wasn’t one of them.  I knew exactly what I was supposed to be doing and where.

So, because I know I’m going to be a little hard to put up with over the next few months as I try and put in words all the things I have running around in my head, I’ll apologize now and get it over with.  And if you want to hear a truly remarkable story about a life that has been transformed, do some research on Brian “Head” Welch, former member of the heavy-metal band Korn.  His new website can be found by clicking here.

More to come!!!

Layers

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Sometimes I wonder how God can remain patient with us.  Even knowing we are sin-ridden creatures, my own thought processes continue to disappoint me.  I had the great privilege of attending the James River Assembly’s Women’s Rally last Friday night and got to hear Nancy Alcorn once again deliver a message full of compassion and hope.  Every word moved me, every passionate plea that came out of Nancy’s mouth inspired my soul to broaden my perspective and not be that person that judges.  I turned to the scripture that she was highlighting as a part of her message and read it along with her.  Matthew 7:1-2     “Judge not, that you not be judged.  For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.”   Nancy went on to talk about the speck in our brother’s eye which we can’t even begin to help get out until we remove the plank in our own eye.   She makes you want to be a better person.  To really take a hard look at ourselves and see how we are filtering our own life before taking a poke at anybody else.

Then the most humbling thing happened.  One of those shameful moments that you almost hate to speak it out loud for fear of how others will view what you are sharing.  At the conclusion of Nancy’s message, she asked a friend of hers to come on stage and sing a song that she said was being released on an album she had recorded.  When the friend came on stage and started singing, I think I am safe in saying that not many in the room knew quite how to respond.  She was very tall and the music was not at all what I expected.  You could tell that she was trying so hard and was trying to appear comfortable as she paced back and forth on the stage delivering what was vocally a very good performance.  The only word I can think of to describe it, however, was awkward.  I didn’t know what to think.  Who was she, what was Nancy thinking to have her sing this song?  After being delivered to such great heights of introspection by Nancy herself, this felt like a very disappointing crescendo on what had been a truly remarkable evening.  As the song neared its conclusion (still beautifully sung) and Nancy joined her on stage, my mind still couldn’t help from questioning what the purpose of that had been.  Just a couple minutes later, Nancy stated that this girl (her name was Michelle, I think) had recently written a book about her life story and was connected to Nancy’s ministry, Mercy Ministries, somehow.  She said that ‘Michelle’ had more right to sing that song which was about being victorious than anybody she knew.  The moment those words came out of Nancy’s mouth, I immediately recognized my shameful error.  ‘Michelle’ had a beautiful voice and you could clearly tell that she took great joy in singing her praises to the Lord and claiming victory over whatever her past had held for her.  However, the only thing that I had focused on was how awkward it felt to see her up on that stage.  I simply wanted to cry.  Not five minutes before, I was “all in” to what Nancy was saying and even read the red text in my Bible clearly outlining Jesus’ own words about not judging people.   I wanted to go hide.

Needless to say, God got ahold of me and quietly spoke to my heart about his love for me and understanding our human (and sinful) need to distinguish our differences.  God also placed on my heart the idea that he sometimes “fixes” us just like you would a nail hole in sheet rock….one layer at a time.  First, he uses awareness to bring into the light the gaps that are present in our lives.  Like when he points out that I just formed an opinion about somebody before even looking into the circumstances that had created them.  Sometimes that is more gently done than others.  On Friday night, the awareness hit me so hard it made me feel ashamed and then I cried.  Yes, Lord, I heard you loud and clear.

Second, he then fills that hole with love and forgiveness.  He knows how our minds work and loves us anyway.  That has to be the most amazing thing in all of creation.  As I jump to conclusions, make hasty judgments and profile people, God gets in front of all that to let me know that doing that is not what he intends for me and I am to back up and take another look at those things using the Holy Spirit’s lense this time.  The change in perspective and the differences in how you feel will take your breath away.  The infrequent times I have been able to do this on my own are the most humbling and fulfilling experiences I have ever had.  Praise God for lending me the Holy Spirit.

Thirdly, he then covers the hole with compassion and acceptance.  How he is able to smooth over such raw emotion with feelings of mercy and tenderness never ceases to amaze me.  The peace that resides within my heart after he has touched it in this way is something I constantly crave.

Fourth, he then puts the finishing touches on the spiritual repair he just performed by refreshing my spirit with a soothing coat of “texture” which I know has been fashioned from love and grace.  I’m sure if you asked the girls who were at the Rally with me, none were aware all of this had taken place within me.  All of this happened in a flash and was over before I really even knew what had hit me.  And what I felt was thankful.  Thankful that God cares enough about me to keep it real with how I am viewing life.  Thankful that I was surrounded by great girlfriends who accept that it is not uncommon for all of that to be going on underneath the surface with me.

I can’t wait for the Designed For Life Women’s Conference taking place on September 27-29.  It’s going to be a fantastic event!