2010 April » PWOC International Blog

Prayer Points for May 2nd-8th

Apr 302010

National Day of Prayer is Thursday, May 6 We will focus our prayers this week on America and our military community.

Dear God,

We humbly bow before you now on behalf of our nation. God, forgive our sins and the sins of our nation. God, we confess today we need You. We ask for the precious blood of Jesus to cover the iniquity of our land. We deserve judgment, but we ask for your mercy. Please pour out Your Spirit and send a great awakening to America once again. You are only hope.

God, please give our leaders wisdom and humility. We ask forgiveness for decisions that are made against Your will. Give us courage to stand for truth. Restore righteousness to our land.

God, grant our military strength, endurance and grace. Please minister to military leaders at every rank and level. Draw them to Yourself. Place people around them who will shine their light brightly. Be with our chaplains as they minister to soldiers and families. Revive their weary souls. Comfort our military families. Bind our marriages together with cords of love and covenant that cannot be broken. Carry our military children in your arms. Be with every lonely wife, every lonely soldier. Lift up our widows and orphans. We ask you to heal us from the traumas of war. Protect us from evil.

This nation was founded on righteousness, we ask for a return to our roots. Father, we love you. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Journey of Transformation, Part 20

Life Happens, Life Happens Jesus Answers, Real life stories, Testimonies, Uncategorized

Apr 292010

The Wait Ends

The lab results finally came and they were normal. Soon morphine infused into my IV would provide relief. But the pain got so far ahead of me that two milligrams did nothing to ease it. Four milligrams didn’t work. Six milligrams helped. I had a total of eight. I knew that amount would make me sick.

To the nurse standing next to my lovely black plastic bed I said, “I think I’ll need an anti-nausea medication.” What did he say? “Okay. Let me know if you think you’re gonna throw up.” Then he departed.

Possible responses swirled around my brain with nowhere to land. This is what I should have said: “Okay, no problem. At the moment I sense I’m going to hurl I’ll jump off this bed and go on a nurse hunt. I’m sure I’ll find you in time for you to gather the supplies, get the doctor’s permission, accompany me back to the bed, and inject the medication into my IV. By then the nausea will have subsided and all will be well. I’m sure that’s how this will go down.”

Moments later it all came up. A big splash of water and morphine erupted from my stomach. It landed on the black plastic bed. Since there was no food in my stomach it wasn’t as miserable as barfing after a big meal. Even so, a technician had to clean it up. She was lucky it was fluid, not chunks.

Forgive my sarcasm. I have a hard time with stupidity. Comedian Bill Engvall has it right when he says, “Here’s your sign.” Sometimes people say and do things that just don’t make any sense. Excuse me but vomit won’t wait. When the stomach is ready to expel its contents you don’t have a choice but to let her rip. Any nurse ought to know that.

After my episode of expulsion I understood firsthand why the beds were covered with thick black plastic and not lovely linens. Someone would end up doing a lot of laundry, and who has time for laundry when they’re busy saving lives and killing pain? And at last my pain was killed. There’s nothing like relief from prolonged severe pain.

God can do that in our hearts and souls. He has a way of easing intense heartache so we don’t slide into despair. I would experience this in years to come. For now — October 2001 — I had to tend to my thumb.

Had I been able to see the future this trip to the ER would have seemed like a trip to Disneyland. The worst phase of my transformational journey was on its way.

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES:

We live in a desperately broken world. It’s easy to lose hope and enter periods of grief at every turn if we let ourselves. Our only true hope is found in Jesus Christ who has warned us of trials and tribulations, but who also has overcome them — I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

When I feel overcome by suffering or grief, or I’m angry at God, or I don’t feel like praying, I force myself to grab my Bible and open to the Psalms. Supernaturally, as I read, I feel the tension in my body subside and God’s indescribable peace soothes me. Some of my favorites: Psalm 10, 18, 25, 27, 31, 35, 37, 40, 41, 55-57, 91, 103, 139-145. Dive in to the book of Psalms this week and let the Holy Spirit soothe your soul with His peace.

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Life Happens – Jesus Answers is a weekly column addressing the challenges we face in life, coupled with the presence and grace of Jesus, our One True Source of hope and peace. The column’s author, Laura Firtko, can be reached by email here: LifeHappens@pwoc.org

Radically Transient Leadership

Leadership Development, Leadership Wednesday

Apr 282010

submitted by Christine Young, President, PWOC Europe

It’s spring time and I love it. All the signs are here and that ushers in the exciting (and sometimes character building) arrival of new chapter boards and leadership from continent to continent. By itself the sheer number of leaders in transition in our ministry reveals that truly God is God and He alone is all powerful and knowing. Where else on earth would you find more than 150 chapels (churches) switching every leadership position in their women’s ministry? If we offered up this leadership model (the one year model and then start over) to civilian churches, I think we might get some “interesting” feedback. And then if we added to that and suggested to civilian churches, “We think we should change the Pastor/Chaplain every two to three years too.” And then while we’re at it we can throw in, “And we’ll send you to the desert for half of that and send in a pinch hitter.” Are you giggling yet?

This is our reality. This is our world. And this is our ministry. We are serving in an environment of radically transient leadership. With a modest estimate of 10 per board and over 150 boards, that infers that more than 1500 leaders are moving and shifting. Some of them are moving out of the military entirely. Some are moving to another region. Some are continuing on again in service with their same chapter. That’s considered both a rarity and a luxury in our ministry. But let it all settle in your mind for a minute. In the ministry of PWOC, God is placing more than 1500 leaders all over the globe. Talk about transition. Logically this does not make sense. But God. Short sentence I know. But God. Do you see God with His mighty hand outstretched over our ministry? Do you see His hand of grace placing leader by leader, just where He would have us be? It does not logically make sense and it would be nearly impossible to convince most churches to replicate what we do, and yet, God makes it all happen. He did it and will do it again. He sees you and me and He has made a place for us to serve. I marvel at the Lord and His infinite wisdom and power in this season of spring. He makes all things new – and in our ministry, He does that often! Glory to God. Let’s give thanks today.

Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. – 1 Chronicles 16:8

Printing Secrets, Part II

Tech Tuesday

Apr 272010

Last week we talked about using Print Preview to conserve paper. This week, we’ll talk about a huge paper-waster…Microsoft Excel. I wonder how many trees have given their noble lives for the 2,000 attempts to get a spreadsheet all on one page.

There’s no need for the print-and-see approach, however, because Microsoft Excel has a very cool feature called ‘Print Area.’ To use this feature, simply select all of your data, then select File>Print Area>Set Print Area.

With that set, then choose Page Setup from the File Menu. At this point, you want to set the page Scaling to fit your data either on one page (1 page wide by 1 page tall) or if you know you’ll have too much data to fit 1 page tall, you could leave that box blank and Excel will confine your print to 1 page wide, but use as many pages as necessary to accommodate your data.

The key to remember when using this feature is that Excel will shrink your data in order to fill your request. This is where allowing multiple pages would be used since forcing it to fit onto only 1 page may cause the text to appear too small to read.

[Versions and Platforms could make this sequence slightly different. If you have trouble finding this feature, simply enter ‘MS Excel’ with your version number along with ‘Print Area’ into your favorite search engine for specific instructions.]

Have fun trying out this new feature. And remember, more trees = cleaner air.

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“Tech Tuesday” is published every Tuesday. To reach Tracy with comments or questions, email her here.

Stability and Truth

Devotions

Apr 262010

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. James 1:5-8

I don’t want to be unstable. I want to have a firm foundation for my life, built on the Truth, and established by Christ. I want to be stable spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically.

How do I establish and maintain stability? By applying the truth of God’s word — the truth about who He is, and the truth about who I am. Do my beliefs line up with the truth? Do my actions? Are my choices built on God’s wisdom, omniscience, and sovereignty? Or are they driven by circumstance, feelings, people, the past, the pain, or sin?

Our lives are built one choice at a time. What we do today affects the quality and stability of our tomorrows. Jesus is the only One who can empower you to build a stable life. Ponder the passage below and ask Him to reveal any cracks in your foundation.

Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete. Luke 6:46-49

We were not designed to live haphazardly, being blown about by the winds of the culture, or by other people’s preferences and opinions. And if we allow ourselves to be governed by our own unhealthy beliefs and attitudes, then we are building our lives on the sand. We must be governed by truth – the absolute truth.

(Other passages to consider: Psalms 127:1; Proverbs 24:3; Matthew 7:24; 1 Peter 2:5; Hebrews 3:4)

Prayer Points for April 25-May 1

Prayer Points

Apr 232010

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. ¹⁷Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. ¹⁸Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

Dear Father,

Give us courage to confess to each other our struggles and hurt. Give us courage to tell our story to someone. Give us courage to ask for prayer. When we hear our sister’s story and struggle, give us a heart to stop and pray for her. We long to be healed. We are righteous in the sacrifice of Christ. Make our prayers full of power, effective to accomplish Your will. Give us faith like Elijah, who listened to Your Voice and spoke Your Words, affecting even the rainfall. He was a human being, just like us. We confess our weaknesses so that we might find our strength in You. We love you. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Journey of Transformation, Part 19

Jesus Answers, Life Happens, Life Happens Jesus Answers, Real life stories, Testimonies

Apr 222010

Waiting for Relief

The ER doctor inquired while assessing the condition of my thumb,“Why is your thumb black and how long has it been that way?” My response eased his furrowed brow, “My mother thought that applying a poultice to the area would draw out any infection. We just applied it today.”

Now more amused than concerned, he stated, “At least the black color isn’t from necrotic tissue. I thought you might lose your thumb.” Then he proceeded to clean off the sticky black stuff and asked me to sit in the waiting area – without pain killers.

Dad and I took seats. We waited. We sat. We waited more. I don’t think the ER staff took me seriously. Eight hours went by and the tears rolled. During those hours I never saw anyone having a heart attack or bleeding profusely. Those cases are always taken first. If they aren’t present who goes next? Apparently people in extreme pain go last.

It was hard to tell why the other people were there. They sat calmly like they were waiting for haircuts. None of them appeared to be hurting. Was I dismissed because my excruciating pain came from an area the size of a large pin head? Did the size matter in their minds? Did they think I was a wimp with a low pain threshold? That’s how I felt.

Finally, around 8 p.m. I was taken to an area partitioned by a curtain and told to lie down on a bed covered with thick black plastic. It was creepy. It reminded of death. I waited more. Then a male nurse wearing light green scrubs came in. He took my vital signs and asked with an air of doubt, “All this pain is coming from that?” as he gawked at my extended thumb.

My response to that insensitive nurse was a simple “yes” but if I had to relive that moment I would say something like this: “Yeah. Go get me an ice pick. Hold out your thumb. I’ll be glad to demonstrate for you how much pain you can have from an area this small!” I didn’t need questions and doubts. I needed morphine!

Once I had been placed behind the curtain I expected quick relief. But they had to take blood. Then they had to wait for results. All this time I waited – again without pain killers. They always like to get results before medicating a patient. Why? I don’t know. Maybe to test liver and kidney function to see if the organs can process the drug safely.

The day was so long and tiring I don’t remember if I prayed. I was too miserable to do anything but clench my teeth and cry. This was the first of several visits to the ER and it wasn’t over.

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES:

Why is life filled with pain? Sin. We have Adam and Eve to thank for trips to the ER. Otherwise we’d be enjoying pain-free living. As we all know, life brings more than physical pain. It brings emotional, mental, and even spiritual pain. Hard experiences can cause us to close our hearts toward God, especially when they seem to be without any worthwhile purpose. That’s when we are forced to choose – do we withdraw from Him or trust Him?

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Life Happens – Jesus Answers is a ongoing weekly column addressing the challenges we face in life, coupled with the presence and grace of Jesus, our One True Source of hope and peace. The column’s author, Laura Firtko, can be reached by email here: LifeHappens@pwoc.org

Stewardship

Bits & Pieces, Real life stories

Apr 212010

Submitted by Mary Crow, Fort Gordon, Ga

I have been thinking about being a better steward a lot lately. It started with a PCS and has snowballed from there. When we got to our new duty station, we were uncomfortable due to the city like, everywhere. Of course, when setting up house, you also end up visiting various stores. I noticed that a few of these stores actually give a discount for using reusable bags or not using their plastic bags. Brilliant! There’re also a couple that charge for the bags. Again, brilliant! Not only does it make you stop and think about what you’re doing with your money, it makes you stop and think about what you’re doing with the environment. Well, that, and when you see plastic sacks drag racing around the parking lot of your favorite super center.

So, I bought a couple of reusable bags. There was a small problem. I always forgot them at home! Then I noticed the shopping bag recycling outside of the store. Getting rid of my plastic bags in a good way was somewhat freeing. So, whenever I forgot my cloth bags, I snagged a couple more since they were only a dollar apiece. One day, I was in a certain store, and noticed that they had bags that folded into a convenient purse-carrying size. Brilliant! That way I wasn’t cluttering my purse, and I wasn’t forgetting the bags either.

Now, I use reusable bags as much as possible. I keep them in my vehicle or right next to the door to grab when I leave, or both. I did have to convince a worker at one store that I didn’t need my glasses wrapped in plastic bags to keep them from breaking, but otherwise it has been seamless.

What’s next? Pray about what else can be change to become a better steward of this earth with which the Lord has blessed us!

Printing Secrets

Tech Tuesday

Apr 202010

Paper isn’t free and ink ain’t cheap so why print something before you know what it’s going to look like on the printed page? I wonder how many pieces of printer paper get thrown away straight from the printer’s output tray simply because the printer didn’t do what was expected. Hmmm.

There’s an easy fix for this – it’s called the Print Preview. Depending on your operating system (Win/Mac) or your application (Word, Internet Browser, Email), there’s almost always an option for viewing your print job before sending it to the printer. Check the File menu for ‘Print Preview’ in most apps. Mac users can choose the Print Command from any app, which will open the Print dialog box. A Preview button can be found along the bottom margin of this box.

I use Print Preview many times every single day and it’s a real paper saver. The biggest paper eater, in my opinion, is email. Often I’ll need to print an email message but left to its own devices, the sucker eats up 2-3 sheets of paper…and it was a short email! There are several reasons for this that vary from message to message but the most common culprit is when email providers tack on ads to the end of every exchange of a message which translates into printed paper later on. Avoid this by checking the Print Preview first and selecting only the page that contains the information you wanted on paper in the first place.

Make it a habit to check the Preview before hitting the Print button. Who knows, you may save a tree this year.

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“Tech Tuesday” is published every Tuesday. To reach Tracy with comments or questions, email her here.

A Message in the Midst of Grief

Devotions

Apr 192010

Feelings of grief come and go. Sometimes they surprise me when they return after a period of joy and relative peace. Grief hit me smack in the face on Monday morning. The past few months have been full of reasons for grieving, I think I’m in a season of it. There have been deaths (loved ones of all ages, from a baby 2 days old to a grandfather who was almost 103 years old), senseless violence, life threatening illnesses, deployments, and many other horrible heartbreaking things. It seems like it is all around me, happening to those I love and many people close to me.

But life goes on and blessings abound. Flowers are blooming, and I love flowers (Hello bluebonnets!). Grass is turning green. I got used to feeling good again. Then WHAMMO! That ugly grief thing reared its head. Monday morning I was hit by an overwhelming sense that I wanted to talk to my husband face to face, for more than five minutes, and in person. This is the husband who has been in Iraq for about 5 months. R&R isn’t for another 93 days or so, give or take. There has been so much going on that I can’t just type it all in an email. Goodness knows that I love Skype and how it has blessed my family. But it isn’t enough sometimes, especially when those conversations happen right before MDH gets out of or into bed. We are constrained by his requirement to get to a meeting or his need for every precious minute of sleep he can get (not to mention the little ones sitting on my lap trying to get their face time with daddy).

I was bummed all day Monday and into Tuesday. Tuesday is my PWOC day. I found it very difficult to get ready on time and had been in tears at least once that morning. I finally made it in the car and was trying to obey the speed limit on post and still be on time for our program. The clouds and fierce winds outside reflected my mood on the inside, gloomy, fitful, sad. As I came around a big corner, the clouds opened up for a brief moment. A big shaft of morning sunlight pierced the clouds and beamed directly towards the side of my car and lit up my face. It felt like a big spot light aimed at me in my car. It made me laugh out loud.

During my last study we had been learning about “God’s Love in 3-D”. One of the lessons encouraged us to find ways that God was speaking directly to us. So I knew that this blast of sunlight was coming directly from Him. He made the sun, after all, and moves the clouds where and when He wants to. He was sending me a message. This is my interpretation of it:

“Hey you, sad daughter of mine, Rachel! I am here!
I AM here! Always, even it’s behind the clouds. I love you. I think you are special.
I moved these clouds just for you, just for this instant to remind you how big I am and how much you mean to me.”

Then I arrived at our chapel where I was surrounded by my fellow sisters in Christ who further blessed and encouraged me. God is good and He is faithful. He is our help in a very present trouble. If you are grieving, or in the midst of deployment, or just in the throws of your busy life, please be encouraged to look for ways that God is revealing Himself to you. He loves you in a very real and personal way.

Psalm 46

1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see the works of the Lord,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
he burns the shields [fn2] with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

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