We have many contributors to our blog. On Mondays, our devotions are written by a team lead by Andrea Plotner. Andrea has had a variety of roles since she has been involved with PWOC. Currently, Andrea writes from the desert of Ft. Irwin. She is married to Todd and they have 3 precocious boys. Family hobbies include travel, exploration, and avid reading.
You can reach Andrea Plotner by email at devotions@pwoc.org.
Just as our Aims are what we stand for, our logo/pin represents who we are, and here is what it means:
P: stands for Protestant, our heritage and our choice.
W: stands for women who owe a great deal to Christ because of the level to which He raised them during His time on earth.
C: stands for chapel where we can carry out our beliefs.
The Metallic Letters and Olive Branch stand for the precious metal of God’s love. In Psalm 36:7-9 are these words: “How precious is thy steadfast love, O God!”
Pure White Cross: symbol of our Christian faith. It is an empty cross because the one who died on it did not stay on it. One bar is vertical signifying our responsibility to communion with God, while the other is horizontal, representing our responsibility to our fellow man. It is white because that is the color of purity and cleanliness and represents Jesus’ nature.
Dark Blue: stands for freedom, which we know as Christians. Jesus died and we are free from sin. Jesus says: “…you will know the truth and the truth will make you free.”
Motto: “We are Workers Together for Christ”
Have you been to W.I.L.D. training yet? If so, you’ve already seen the new PWOC International theme for the coming year. Would you like to learn a bit more?
PWOC INTERNATIONAL YEARLY THEME
The PWOC International Yearly Theme, with its accompanying Logo and Music, provides continuity among the local PWOCs around the world. The theme can be used to inspire vision and direction for local PWOC board planning.The new theme is introduced to local leaders in May of each year. The Board then begins using the theme at the Fall Kickoff meeting. The theme may be carried through the following summer or the local PWOC may choose not to use an international theme during the summer. (The Women’s Ministry Manual, p. 13)
Our 2009-2010 theme, “Arise, For the Lord Extends His Scepter,” is drawn from Psalm 45:6-9 and 1 Peter 2:9-10. These theme verses capture the work our Savior has done on behalf of His bride, the church, and the calling that exists on each of our lives as He works out His Kingdom purposes through us.
To learn more about the theme image (below), theme explanation or music, click here.
Feel free to contact Saleta Johnson, the PWOCI Theme Logistics Coordinator, at Theme@pwoc.org with questions or for more information.
Prayer Points for May 24-30
Dear Father,
As we continue to celebrate Memorial Day Weekend around the globe We thank you for those who have given of their daily lives and even sacrificed their lives for the freedom of our beloved nation. We ask You to have mercy on our nation. We remember Jesus, who gave His Life out of His great love for us. Lord, help us to be your friends and love one another as you have loved us.
12“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. 14“You are My friends if you do what I command you.
One of my pet peeves is when someone sends me an email attachment that is unnecessarily large, slowing download time. One of the biggest offenders is PowerPoint slides. The army has falsely taught its ranks that this is an appropriate application for creating fliers. Let me be clear – they use it in the absence of a more appropriate application! Using this method creates an unnecessarily large attachment that many people can’t even open. If you must use PowerPoint to create your flier, learn how to convert your file to a PDF (Portable Document Format) before distribution.
Here are a few more thoughts to consider before hitting the Send button.
Ask Before You Send Huge Attachments
Don’t clog email systems without permission.
Resize Pictures to Handy Proportions Before Inserting Them in Emails
When your photos look good in your email, you look good, too! Learn how to make sure your images are not larger than screens and mailboxes by resizing them.
Keep Your Signature to 5 Lines of Text
“Signature” is a synonym for brief and unobtrusive — or at least it should be, because overly long signatures in emails are an annoyance.
No Need for Street Addresses in Email Signatures
Come visit me, everybody! Unless you want everybody and the whole world to know where you live, don’t include your street address in your email signature.
Source: About.Com
Prayer Points for May 17-23
As we begin preparations to celebrate Memorial Day Weekend, let’s agree together for our precious Holy Spirit, the Comforter, to overtake all those who have been affected by war in body, soul or spirit. Revive us with your life giving Word.
49Remember the word to Your servant,
In which You have made me hope.
50This is my comfort in my affliction,
That Your word has revived me.
51The arrogant utterly deride me,
Yet I do not turn aside from Your law.
“But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.” Romans 3:21
In the story of “The Chronicles of Narnia,” the land of Narnia is under the power and spell of the witch who keeps Narnia in perpetual winter. But, as Aslan the lion [a representation of Christ] comes closer, the Narnia winter gives way to spring.
When Christ dwells in our hearts by faith, there is a spiritual spring that inevitably spreads across the land of our hearts. The catalyst for this change is an intentional, daily, moment by moment revisiting of the central truths of the gospel. Romans 3:19-26 explains these truths clearly, and Jerry Bridges refers to this passage as “The Heart of the Gospel.” It is placed after a very detailed description of our condition as sinners. This portion of Scripture is one with which we should become thoroughly familiar and that we should “preach” to ourselves every day.
What does “preaching the gospel to yourself daily” mean? It means that you continually face up to your own sinfulness and inability to keep the law perfectly as God requires and then flee to Jesus through faith in His shed blood and righteous life. It means that you appropriate, again and again, by faith, the fact that Jesus fully satisfied the law of God, that God’s love has been awakened to you through the blood of Jesus, and that God’s holy wrath is no longer directed toward you. It means you are no longer condemned (Rom 8:1), you are forgiven (Col 2:13) and He now presents you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation (Col 1:22).
Knowing and remembering these truths softens the hard soil of our hearts so that God’s word can sink deeply, taking root, bringing life out of death , and spring out of winter. Why? Because out of that knowledge of the truth, a deep indebtedness and thankfulness for what Jesus has done bursts forth a deep desire to please that Savior who loves you so much. Hallelujah, what a Savior! Unlike the seasonal spring that occurs once a year, the spring that Jesus continually moves across the land of our hearts is always moving forward, into eternity, to be perfected when we see Him face to face!
Questions for consideration or journaling:
1. Am I familiar with the truths of Romans 3:19-26?
2. In your own words, what does it mean to “preach the gospel to yourself daily?”
3. Am I “preaching the gospel to myself daily?” How can I grow in this area?
Used by permission.
One of the coolest things about PWOC is that we have four aims that every PWOC chapter works and abides in. Every thing we do is put through the looking glass of the AIMS. How awesome is that? We are all working in one accord, no matter where we are on the globe.
Our Four Aims are:
Where can I leave a Comment?
Anticipating that many of you blog followers may be looking for the link to leave comments, you’ll find that the comments feature has been disabled. This is a directive from the Chief’s Office that we are happy to comply with.
However, if you would like to make a comment or suggestion you may send it to any of our contributors by emailing them directly or you may contact the blog manager. The blog manager’s email link is always available in the right column as the first link under the ‘Links’ Subtitle.
This communication tool will be a huge addition to our Communications Tool Chest and we’re very excited to watch what God has planned! To Him be All the Glory!