2010 May » PWOC International Blog

Potty Training Days

May 172010

Kimchi Blow

“But the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.” Galatians 5:22

Potty training, what more is there to say? This is a territory that is unexplainable, unimaginable and quite simply, hazardous at times, at least for this 38 year old mother of two toddlers! Yesterday, I spent all day, every 20 minutes like clockwork, in the bathroom begging my children to please cooperate with me. It is funny how a small, blue eyed, beautiful, blond haired, thigh size human being can bring you to your knees in a matter of seconds. I remember crying out to the Lord of Hosts to bring on a miracle immediately! I demanded deliverance, so it’s no wonder God had something to show me yesterday, right?

At any rate, after much perseverance and many, many changes of clothes, my precious 3 year old son finally made progress. The sight of yellow pee in the toilet was enough to bring tears of joy to my eyes and shouts of delight echoing off the small, confined walls, we call “The Throne Room!” It was like the Heavens opened and the angels descended down with harps playing! I imagined the scene in the New Testament where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. Jesus came up out of the water and the dove descended down on Him. The voice of the Lord spoke, “This is my son, whom I am well pleased!” Well, this mama was well pleased with her son too! Oh, but did I happen to mention to you that not 3 seconds before I was doubting God’s help and telling Him, if He was truly the Deliverer and Savior then make something happen already, a burning bush, a bolt of lightning, something? And then, the miracle occurred! My son did his business. Why this is important? Well, simply because God knows our breaking point, our point of no-return and more than that, He cares! Yes, even about potty training! The smallest details of our lives matters to the one who truly sits on the Throne.

Hmm, what did I learn from this experience, other than begging and pleading with toddlers doesn’t work? Bribery doesn’t work. Pretend crying doesn’t work. But patience and prayer makes things happen. Now don’t get me wrong, I said a few choice words to God during my own tantrums of asking Him why He wasn’t working this thing out on my behalf. After all, I cried out, “Lord, help me!” Isn’t that the secret? Call on the name of the Lord and you shall be saved? But what I learned was that help doesn’t always come in the way or time frame we want it to. Help for me yesterday was God allowing me to practice leaning on Him for something I didn’t want to do. I was tested in the much needed area of perseverance, patience and faith. I hoped that by the end of the day, anything would come forth out of these events as gold. The funny thing is that when God is involved, He promises to work all things out for those who are called to His purposes. It will work out in the end but we must be willing to wait for it, work for it and trust God with it. Maybe to you potty training is simply what it is, just potty training. But to me, it was much more than a toilet and a toddler. I am grateful for the small, humble reminders in life that I am not the one in control, but rather, the one waiting for the One who is. Expectations towards others doesn’t work, expectation on God does!

Today, we start another day in “The Throne Room” and although the clock has yet to strike noon, I have already changed my little ones into numerous outfits; but through it, I am continuing to stay steadfast in the Lord and allowing Him to work out that much needed patience in me. Funny how that works; I am potty training my children and God is patient training me!

Submitted by Kimchi Blow

Kimchi is a proud Veteran and military wife to Major Craig Blow. They have four beautiful children and are currently stationed at Fort Irwin, California. She is an avid home cook, photographer and artist. She is a Bible teacher, speaker and freelance writer who uses her humor and boldness to help train and motivate others to reach their God-given potential.

Prayer Points for May 16-22

Prayer Points

May 142010

Grace, Grace, Grace in abundance. What a wonderful word: Grace!

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. - II Corinthians 9:8

Dear Father God,

We thank you that all grace is abounding to us. It is abounding to us (coming in abundance) because You, Dear Father, are making it come to us in abundance as we pour out. We thank you that we have every thing we need to abound in the good works you have prepared for us to do. We rejoice that we can share with others out of the overflow of love, forgiveness, patience, mercy and grace you pour in to us. God, sometimes we are leaky vessels. Help us, draw us to the quiet place with you to be recharged. Sometimes we run on empty, Lord. Forgive us for not quieting our hearts to dwell and abide with You, the source of every good, abundant gift of grace.

God, we know that You oppose the proud but give grace to the humble. We humble ourselves and say we need more of You, more of your wisdom. Shine the light of your love into the secret places of our hearts. We surrender all of us to all of You.

Thank you for abounding grace! We draw near to the throne of Grace, we draw near to You so that we can find the very thing we are looking for: mercy and help in our time of need. You are our daily bread, God of Grace! We love you so much! In Jesus Name, Amen

Journey of Transformation, Part 22

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

May 132010

The God of All Comfort

On the heels of the Halloween caper were more joy-filled moments. Judy and I got to spend a lot of time together which wouldn’t have happened under different circumstances. We listened to my Matthew Ward CD for a dose of encouragement and inspiration, and we heard good Bible teaching from the likes of Dr. Charles Stanley, Chuck Swindoll, and others. We clung to the words of hope spoken by these godly men as if clinging to life itself.

God will often give me a message from a sound preacher or teacher at just the right time to affirm something He’s taught me, or to encourage my heart. Back in November 2001 He did that through Chuck Swindoll. Chuck described trials other people had endured as he worked through 2 Corinthians 1:3-11, a passage titled The God of All Comfort.

At that time I was miserable, thin and weak, had calcifications developing on my knuckles and toes, and burning fingers that had to be covered with band aids every day. Although this wasn’t anywhere near how bad my condition would get, it was bad enough and it was all I knew.

As I listened to Chuck speak Paul’s words to the Corinthian church I was able to relate. He described much suffering including physical and emotional anguish. In verse 8 Paul mentioned the hardships he and his cohorts endured while in Asia and he even said, “We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.” I had those moments. I despaired of life itself.

But I had hope. I knew without a doubt that God had plans to use my tribulation to comfort and encourage other people. Eventually He would turn this ordeal into something purposeful, worthwhile, and life changing. When? I had no idea. How? That was an even greater mystery. The answers to those questions would be revealed at a later time, but there was an immediate purpose for me and my sister made clear in verse 9: “Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.” Despite the urgency of our trials, God wanted us to rely on Him, not on the obvious earthly sources. Namely, doctors, ourselves, or other people. He is the source of all.

The pain we endure always has a purpose. Wrenching our brains to figure it out is futile as I have learned. But I’m desperate for purpose and meaning. I need to know that every bit of misery, loss, heartache, anguish, illness, weakness, hardship, and agony will produce something useful not only for me but for others. Isn’t that why we’re here?

First and foremost we’re here to be in relationship with God through Jesus Christ, but we are the tools He uses to minister to others. Quite often it’s our mutual suffering that lends us credibility with those who need His touch. He has invited us to partner with Him in His grand scheme of salvation and redemption. Through this partnership He uses our suffering.

I felt a call, a purpose, back then. As my body grew weaker my heart grew stronger with the expectation that God would use me one day to make a difference in the lives of others. In the meantime, I had a rocky road ahead of me and I don’t mean ice cream. The clash of the specialists was next.

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES:

2 Corinthians 1:10-11, “He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.”

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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

Brokenness, Atrophy, and Healing

Real life stories

May 122010

On April 21, I was working in our kitchen and took a nasty fall. Our old landline phone was finally calling it quits. I had picked up a new phone and was setting up the cables and wireless router, plugging the whole thing in to the electricity source. In order to get to the socket behind the shelf in the kitchen, I had to move a plastic box we use for food storage. Typically, the box is on a shelf, but because I needed to move it to get to the electric socket, it was out in the open. I was up on a chair (don’t judge….), and while I was not unbalanced on the chair, as I was stepping out of it, I stepped onto the plastic box. My right foot went forward. The rest of me went flying backwards, breaking my left radius. While I was screaming, my daughter brought me an ice pack and called my mother-in-law.

A trip to the ER confirmed my fears. My left wrist was broken badly. A phone call to my own mother and a good dose of pain meds comforted me for a while, plus the visit of two friends from church and the prayers of many. I was set for surgery within a few days, and once surgery was complete, the pain in my left hand immediately reminded me of what our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, must’ve felt like in some small way when the nails were in his hands. He ministered to me in my pain; I connected with Him in His isolation.

A week after surgery I began physical therapy. I’m taking it slowly and am trusting that the methods of science and the providence of God will cause His will to be done in my life. And in my wrist. Please continue to pray for complete use. At least I can type with both hands, and that’s an answer to prayer! How can I keep up with blogs and facebook with just one hand?! LOL

My left arm felt like a bag of mush. The physical therapist mentioned that muscles will often atrophy within twenty-four hours of not being used. My mind automatically went into blogging mode, and I started thinking about how that applies to us spiritually.

What happens to us if we neglect God’s written Word for a day? A week? A month?

What happens to us if we do not come to Him in prayer?

What happens when we make a choice not to join ourselves to Him through the Lord’s Supper or make little of His words to us to be baptized?

What happens when we make poor choices in friends or lifestyle?

We atrophy. Just like the arm muscles after two weeks in a sling. Just like my left thumb that doesn’t want to cooperate with the rest of me.

And so we heal. My hand heals. Our hearts heal as we come back to the author and finisher of our faith, even Jesus Christ. Let Him heal you today of all that has been broken. Of all that has atrophied from a time of misuse and neglect. Of all that is in need of healing today. He is the Great Physician, our Jehovah Rapha!

What do those letters mean?

Tech Tuesday

May 112010

You may have noticed that every computer filename ends with a period and three or four letters. Those letters actually have a purpose. They tell your computer how to open the file, ie. which application to use.

If you’re having trouble opening a file, sometimes it helps to know what app the file is looking for. I’ve included a quick list below. If I haven’t included an extension you’re curious about, simply enter that extension and the word extension ( .doc extension) into your favorite Internet search engine and you’ll most likely get your answer.

.doc	Microsoft Word 2003 or earlier
.docx	Microsoft Word 2007 or later
.xls	Microsoft Excel 2003 or earlier
.xlsx	Microsoft Excel 2007 or later
.ppt	Microsoft PowerPoint 2003 or earlier
.pptx	Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 or later
.pub	Microsoft Publisher, any version
.pdf	portable document file (Adobe Acrobat Reader)
.htm or .html	web page
.mpg	movie
.mp3	music
.jpg or .jpeg	image
.png	image with transparent background
.gif	animated or web image
.eps	encapsulated PostScript vector image

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

For Such a Time as This

Devotions

May 102010

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

The 59th National Day of Prayer theme is Prayer, For Such a Time as This. This is a well known Biblical phrase from the book of Esther. Many women in PWOC did the Beth Moore study on Esther this year because the International theme is Arise, For the Lord Extends His Scepter. By God’s providence, Esther, a young Jewish girl, was chosen to be the Queen of Persia. During this time a law was declared to destroy the Jewish people. Esther’s uncle, Mordecai, in a state of sorrow and repentance, went to Esther to encourage her to go before the king to beg for the Jewish nation to be saved. He believed Esther came to the position she was in For Such a Time as This.

Esther responded in desperation and love for her people and requested all the children of God to fast and pray for three days. On behalf of her nation, she went before the king without being summoned; a decision that could have resulted in death. She said, “If I perish, I perish”. The king responded by extending his scepter and allowed Esther to come before him on the throne and petition him. With a step of faith, she arose, and God used her to save His people. The Jewish nation wasn’t only her nation, but His nation too.

The story of Esther is an amazing example of how God was moved by prayer and intervened when His people cried out in repentance and asked to be saved. The United States is a nation in bondage; the evidence is appalling. God is calling us to be an Esther or a Mordecai and repent and cry out (petition Him) for the salvation of our nation. He desires and calls us to come before Him on the throne with hearts broken by sin and return to Him in faith for healing and deliverance. A nation can only be changed and become righteous when the hearts of God’s people are truly changed. What is it going to take for God’s people (the Church) to repent and turn back to Him…. a declaration of law against our freedoms and even our right to exist? God have mercy! May this never happen. It is time for the PWOC to fast and pray, repent, and Arise, For Such a Time as This.

“The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him.” Nahum 1:7

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Phil. 4:6

Prayer Points for May 9-15

Prayer Points

May 072010

Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 9

Mother’s Day is a day of joy for some and sorrow for others. Let us honor our mothers, and pray for our sisters around us. Most of all let us arise and be the righteous, loving mothers our children and communities need!

I, Deborah, arose a mother in Israel. Judges 5: 7b

Dear Lord,

We thank you for our mothers, who brought us life. We thank you for knitting us together in our mother’s wombs. God, help us to honor our mothers every day and not just this week. We thank you for every good they have given us and every sacrifice they have made for us. We ask healing for the places they failed us and brought pain. We ask for restoration and reconciliation with the mothers in our lives. We choose to forgive that which hurt. We choose to honor them according to Your Word.

God, we rejoice for every daughter that knows her mother’s love. Thank you for mothers who have trained us, comforted us, disciplined us and led us to Your feet. We bless the godly mothers who arose in our lives.

We weep for every daughter that felt rejection and sorrow. We arise on their behalf in prayer before Your Holy Throne. Bind up the broken hearted and set the captive free. Break cycles of abuse, loss, rejection and abandonment. Give us grace to start afresh and believe the truth about who we are in You.

We ask healing for every PWOC who feels cast out. We break every word of curse or hate that has pierced their hearts. We ask you to break the power of every lie we believe about ourselves and fill us with your truth.

We ask for comfort for every PWOC sister who has lost a baby. Fill the ache in her heart and her arms.

We ask you to remove the burden of shame and guilt from every PWOC sister who has had an abortion. We ask your waves of healing and forgiveness wash over them.

For every sister who has lost a mother, please comfort them with Your Word and Your Spirit, the Comforter. We ask you to tenderly bring women filled with Your love and wisdom to pour into their hearts.

And Dear Father, We ask special comfort for every sister who is struggling with infertility. I ask you to open wombs. I ask for healing. I ask for wisdom about procedures. If there is a motherless child some where in the earth, I who needs them, I ask You to supernaturally bring them together. I ask you to protect their hearts from hopeless.

We pray for every mother who has lost a child or has a wayward child. God, we ask for the prodigals to come home!

We ask your perfect peace over every mother that has made mistakes, that is weary and overwhelmed. Pour out your unending mercy that is new every morning. This task is great. Bring wisdom, forgiveness, and strength to each of us for the journey.

We thank you for your wisdom to create mothers. Let us be like Deborah, who arose, A Mother in Israel. Let us arise in our spheres of influence and be mothers who stand strong for truth, teach righteousness and justice for the oppressed, and lead others to You. Let us not shrink back or give up.

Arise, Deborah! Arise throughout PWOC around the globe. Arise, for the Lord extends His scepter to You.

We love You. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Journey of Transformation, Part 21

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

May 062010

(For those just joining us, here’s a brief recap of major issues that arose between January 2000 and April 2001: Red facial rash; swollen, inflamed gum tissue; fatigue; increasing weakness in my legs; weight loss; significant hair loss with bald spots; and the new development of hard white lumps under my skin that caused severe pain. The tentative diagnoses were systemic lupus erythematosis, Raynaud’s syndrome, and hypothyroidism.)

A Photo and a Bag

It was October 2001 and the time had come for me to renew my driver’s license. I adorned myself with a hat to hide the humiliating appearance of my head. The red rash on my face had worsened and my nose was swollen. I had cut my hair to get rid of the straggles but it looked scary anyway.

Mom took me to the DMV. When picture time came I pleaded with the woman to let me leave my hat on, but no, I had to take it off. There I was with no hat, flat sparse hair, red rash and swollen nose. To top it off I had a mark on my forehead from the hat rim.

The woman behind the camera was ready to shoot. I was ready to die. I fought to hold back the tears as I cracked an obligatory smile. Click. Beautiful. For nine years I’ve had that license in my wallet. Fortunately, I haven’t had to pull it out very often. I guess that’s why I never thought to get the photo retaken. Besides, I was too sick to care.

The really sad part about my appearance at the time is that I looked like the actor Michael Keaton as his character Beetlejuice, especially when my hair was freshly washed and stood straight up. That was my perception which might have been slightly distorted through the lens of a broken self image.

On a lighter note, through the pain and misery there were moments of relief and fun. When Halloween arrived, my mother decided that she, my sister, my aunt and I should go trick or treating through the townhome complex.

Back then Wal-Mart used grocery bags that had big smiley faces on them. Mom got each of us a Wal-Mart bag to put over our head. I had no qualms about putting a bag over my head after the incident at the DMV so I willingly went along with the plan.

My only concern was that neighbors might have thought we were killers coming to get them since we weren’t exactly children. And instead of handing us treats they’d call the cops and we’d spend Halloween in jail. In light of this we only rang doorbells of those neighbors my parents knew.

When we rang the first doorbell a man answered. His eyes expanded, his eyebrows rose, his mouth opened and before he could say anything my mother announced, “Hi Bill. It’s Elaine. Trick or Treat!” The shock took a moment to lift. Then a glimmer of light crossed his face as recognition of a name he’d heard before landed on his lips, “Oh, Elaine. I wondered who was at my door. The Wal-Mart bags are cute.”

Whew. See what I’m saying. That was a close call. Bill’s immediate reaction was exactly what I’d feared. Fortunately Mom spoke up before something really scary could happen. To avoid frightening the entire complex we only went to two other houses. These folks appeared equally stunned. At the last house we took off our bags and had a good laugh.

I find it fascinating that during some of the worst times in my life I’ve had some of the brightest moments. That’s God’s way of easing a heavy burden and showing me how to live with peace and joy in the midst of suffering. Only He can make that happen.

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES:

Stay connected for more. There is joy and blessing woven through the trial. But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction. Job 36:15

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Do U Txt?

Tech Tuesday

May 042010

Are you an analog person living in a digital world or a digi-geek reveling in the rapidly accelerating conveniences of technology? Either way, you’re sure to have heard, or even tried, texting with your cell phone.

It’s a wonderfully convenient way to communicate when time is tight and you need a quick answer. I can remember a shopping trip when I saw the cutest bag on the clearance table. It wasn’t my type but it was screaming my friend’s name from across the store. I simply took a picture of the bag with my phone, sent it to her using SMS (the language used for texting), and heard back from her with orders to claim the bag immediately. Not too many years ago this scenario would’ve appeared only on SciFi shows but now it’s commonplace.

Just yesterday, I was in my yard gardening when a group of 8-10 teenage boys walked by talking, laughing, and enjoying one another’s company. As I looked up, I noticed one of the boys look at his phone, no doubt checking for a text. They don’t remember a world without texting and here we are trying our best to learn this new language it uses. I refuse to let that make me feel old!

So, according to Wikipedia, here are some of the most common abbreviations used for texting although you may also see some of these in emails. If you come across new ones not listed here, simply enter the abbreviation into your favorite Internet search engine and you’re sure to find its meaning. HAP E Txting!

Word or phrase	Abbreviation(s)
As far as I know	afaik
As soon as possible	ASAP
At the moment	atm
Be right back	brb
By the way	btw
Got to go	g2g or gtg
Great	gr8
I don’t know	idk
Later	L8r
In my humble/honest opinion	imho
In my opinion	imo
Just kidding	jk
Laughing out loud / lots of love	lol
Rolling on the floor laughing	rofl
Take care	tc
Talk to you later	tty l8r or ttyl or t2

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

Love’s Sacrifice Brings Joy

Devotions

May 032010

One day as I was seeking to encourage a downcast person, my words were met with a harsh rebuke. It left me feeling rejected and judged. Resisting the urge to leave, I sat down and asked the question I know the Lord gave me. “What would it look like for me to encourage you?” The person changed from silent and withdrawn to talking and sharing. If I had left this person after the initial rebuke, I would have missed an opportunity to see how the Lord could use me to minister to this person. Because I stayed, I experienced an intimacy with this person I would have never shared had I left. The joy and blessing I felt left me thinking, “Wow, I need to do this more often!”

By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

1 John 3:16

When Jesus was on the cross for our sins, he was insulted and rejected by those around him. Even though he could have called down angels in heaven to stop the madness and the insults, he remained faithful to carry out the mission of the Father. That mission was to take upon himself our sins so that we could have eternal life. Even while enduring the pain on the cross, Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” As we encounter people who sometimes reject us we need to remember what Jesus did upon the cross. He forgave them, committed his own spirit into the Father’s hands and allowed God’s will to be done.

How does a person lay down his/her life for others? Believers can sacrifice (die to self) because Jesus sacrificed His life for us. When we realize in our hearts how our sin grieves God and the cost of His Son on the cross, it results in a gratitude for what He did and a growing desire to please and obey Him. One of the ways we please Him is by loving others. Because we are sinners we are utterly incapable of doing even the smallest of things right without His grace and the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. Sin no longer reigns in our hearts, but Jesus reigns, resulting in a constant access to His unconditional love, compassion, mercy, acceptance, and all the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22. We can now respond in new ways to the people and circumstances of our lives. He made it so we can give our lives for others by laying down our need to be right, our desires, and our agenda, even our demands to be loved and accepted. Living life remembering all He did to free us from our sin and the way He lived brings a sweet communion with Jesus that produces that inexpressible joy in relationship with Him and others.

What relationship is before you that needs the Redeemer’s work? Allow Christ to work through you in your words and actions; He will indeed bring healing. Love’s sacrifice does indeed bring great joy; for in that we know Christ and knowing Him results in abundant life.

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