SouthEast Updates

regional review
Feb 282012

This month, (February 2012) we had our first Southeast Regional board meeting.   Our entire board was present.   Let me introduce our board to you:

  • Stacie Dorris  -  President, Ft. Bragg, NC
  • DeBorah Tunnage  -  Vice President,  Ft. Bragg, NC
  • Sarah Rufenacht  -  Administrative Coordinator,  Shaw AFB, SC
  • Patti Minietta  -  Financial Liasion,  Ft. Bragg, NC
  • Carolyn Strong – Prayer Coordinator,  Ft. Bragg, NC
  • Nancy Wheatley  -  Titus 2 Advisor,  Ft. Bragg, NC
  • Michele Husfelt  -  Regional Training Coordinator,  Eglin AFB, FL
  • Florence Clay  -  Leadership Selection Chair,   Keesler AFB, MS

Suzanne Mikkelson attended our regional board meeting and facilitated our board bonding time and assisted us in creating our Vision Statement.   We were really excited about how the Lord guided us in creating our Vision Statement.

Suzanne asked us to write on post-its where we see God at work in our region and in our local PWOC’s.   Then, she asked us to write on post-its what two things we would want written on our epitaph to be remembered by.   Our results included notes on Love, Unity, Connecting, Strengthening, Growing, Refining, and for God to be Glorified.

We were pondering our notes when Flo spontaneously said, “Connecting in love deeply to reflect God’s glory.”   We immediately wrote down the statement.    To connect means to join or unite so we believed this word to adequately describe our desire for unity.   Also, we all strongly sensed the Lord calling us to walk in love.  We moved the adverb deeply to, “Connecting deeply in love to reflect God’s glory.”   So, that is our Vision Statement.  The first statement made became our vision statement.

We were all amazed at God’s clear and distinct guidance!   His presence was truly evident in our midst.   So, it is the desire of the Southeast Regional board to connect deeply in love with God, with one another on our regional board, with the local installations in our region, and with the International board.   Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength and the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself.  (Matthew 22:37-39).  It is our great desire to grow in love and to walk in love over the next two years of our tenure.    Jesus also said that,  “By your love one for another all men will know you are my disciples.”   (John 13:35)   Our number one aim in PWOC is to lead women to Christ.  How will we lead?   It is our prayer we will lead by loving God and one another and the result will be that God will be glorified and the lost will come to know him.

If we can love or support you in any way, please contact us!   Our goal is not to just have surface level relationships but to have deep connections with God and others.   Please pray for us as we strive to grow and walk in love!   It is our greatest joy to serve Him!

In His service, Stacie Dorris

Posted by Blog Manager at 5:36 am Tagged with: ,

Is It Really A Blessing?

Devotions
Feb 272012

Since I’ve been in Korea the last 2 1/2 years, I’ve had the same passage of scripture come up almost every month.   “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”  (Jeremiah 29:11)

Just by itself, I’ve heard it used as a general blessing that nothing bad shall befall God’s people.  If you add the context, you see a different blessing amidst great hardship.  God had judged Judah for her wickedness:  His already exiled people were going into a 70 year period of captivity under Nebuchadnezzar.  That doesn’t sound like nothing bad is going to happen…..it sounds like nothing but bad was already going on!  How could they be encouraged by that?  It was in that hostile land that Jeremiah meets them with this truth.  One commentator put it this way, “They were removed from the Promised Land.  They were sent off from the inheritance of their fathers.  They became strangers in a foreign culture.  It was a disaster such as the Jews had never seen.  They were in turmoil.”

Maybe you haven’t been in captivity under a King or a nation, but I know you have been in hardship.  Have you found yourself in a place where you are questioning the road ahead because you can see a bad storm approaching and you know it’s gonna hurt?  Jeremiah 29:11 is a verse of comfort to believers, especially to those in hardship, that God has a plan for them for their good.  For God’s people, that “good” is peace with God through our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.  In Christ, God promises us a hope and a future.  The next 3 verses of that passage give us God’s perspective of this blessing to HIS people, “12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.”  Though that hard road still comes upon us and we will walk through the pain of all the things that come through simply being on this Earth, His goal is to bring us closer to Himself.

As we, God’s people, begin to enter this PCS season and you’re worried about the road ahead, remember the context of the Jeremiah 29:11 passage.  God has a plan for you amidst all your hardship, worries, fears, sadness, etc.:  to give you a future and a hope through a reconciled life in Jesus Christ.

 

Lauren Dillard

Posted by Blog Manager at 5:31 am Tagged with: , ,

What is Prayer?

Prayer Points
Feb 252012

James 5:16 tells us the earnest heartfelt, continued prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available-dynamic in its working.  Prayer is fellowshipping with the father. It is a vital, personal contact with God, who is more than enough.  1Peter 3:12 for the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous-those who are upright and in right standing with God-and His ears are attentive (open) to their prayer. Prayer is not to be a religious form with no power.  It is to be effective and accurate and bring results.  God watches over His word to perform it ( Jer.1:12.)  Prayer that brings results must be based on God’s word.

Hebrews 4:12-For the word that God speaks is alive and full of power-making it active, operative, energizing and effective; it is sharper than any two edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life and spirit, and of joints and marrow exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.  so prayer is the” living” word  in our mouths.  Our mouths must  speak forth faith, for faith is what pleases God.  We hold his word up to him in prayer, and our Father sees Himself in His word.  God’s word is our contact with Him.  We put Him in remembrance of His word, placing a demand on his ability in the name of our Lord Jesus.  We remind Him that He supplies all of our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.  That word does not return to Him void- without producing any effect, useless-but it shall accomplish that which He pleases and purposes, and it shall prosper in the thing for which He sent it.  Praise the Lord.  It takes someone to pray .  God moves as we pray in faith-believing.  He says that His eyes run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong in behalf of those whose hearts are blameless toward Him.

Prayer must be the foundation of every Christian endeavor.  Any failure is a prayer failure.  So, I encourage you to seek the kingdom.  Seek His face ladies.  Be that prayer warrior that He has called all of us to be.  the old saying “Got Milk?” Well, I ask you today, “Got Prayer?”  It is and always will be the foundation and kingdom key to living in the kingdom.

Be Blessed my Sisters,

Submitted by: Jane Ahl

Posted by Blog Manager at 7:38 am Tagged with:

God, You Are Awesome!

Bits & Pieces, Devotions, Praise and Worship
Feb 242012

I love our theme this year – “Your Kingdom Come.” What if we add to that, “Your will be done?”  We could stop and hang out there for a while! It’s something I’ve actually put in my prayers for many years now and I love that it’s our theme too! But, for the moment, I want to focus on the part that comes just before that. “Hallowed be (or Holy is) Your Name.” Or in other words, “God, You Are AWESOME!!”

Take a walk with me to Ps. 103:1-2 says, “Let all that I am praise the Lord, with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does or me.”

David right here in his own words was  saying, “God you are awesome! And you want to know why? Well, I’ll give you a list!” Then he proceeds to explain what he is praising Him for.

Just in verses 3-5 we see a list of things! “He forgives all my sins, heals all my diseases, redeems me from death. He crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things, and my youth is renewed like the eagle’s.“ (If you want a more fun approach to this passage, look it up in the Message!)

How often when we wake up in the morning do we start our day off with, “Lord, I will bless you today because YOU are awesome!”? I would venture to guess most of us begin to look at what we have going on that day, or remember what we’ve been dealing with for awhile and begin to focus on the issues and problems we are facing wondering how we are going to handle them. Maybe you or someone you know is dealing with a sickness, a rebellious child, a job loss, an estranged relationship with a friend, a recent death of a loved one, the list goes on.

I recall the life of David. He dealt with a lot of awful things in his life, yet he still was able to “rise up early in the morning” and declare the awesomeness and holiness of God!

I had the privilege of growing up under one of the wisest men I knew. He’s a great minister, singer, author, songwriter, and he is my dad. Recently he said something that I thought was very powerful.

“ Most of us start to count our troubles and add them up like a math equation.     Instead we should be counting our blessings – naming them one by one.”

David gave us a great example to follow! If you’re having trouble finding something to give God praise for, I would encourage you to flip through the book of Psalms for starters. Some of those writers walked through difficult times, but there was still something they could find to give God praise for! For some, you might only be able to say, “Thank you, Lord for waking me up this morning,” or “Thank you, Lord there is food in my cupboard today.” For others, you might be saying, “Thank you, Lord for a restored marriage,” or “Thanks, God for bringing my kids into a relationship with you!”

Find your quiet spot today and begin your time with the Lord, by saying “God, You are awesome! And here is why…..” He is a holy God and worthy of our praise! Then, check your thoughts and attitude afterwards. I’m absolutely positive you’ll see a difference!

 

Kayla Atkins

Posted by Blog Manager at 9:13 am

When We Pray

Bits & Pieces, Devotions, Prayer Points
Feb 232012
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. ~ James 5:16
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I have struggled with the second part of this verse at times in my life.  “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective..”  In the past I have attributed answered prayer to “who” is praying… if I really need prayer answered I’ll ask “so-and-so” and I’ll see answered prayer.  Maybe you’ve felt this way before too.  The Lord took me through a couple life-lessons on Prayer to show me what prayer is really about.
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You’ve heard me share about my Dad.  It was May 2009, I just arrived home from speaking at a PWOC Retreat in Ft Belvour… as soon as the plane landed, my next stop was the hospital.  My spirit was so full of all the amazing things God did during the Retreat… I don’t know if I had a bigger measure of Faith in my life.  I prayed like I had never prayed before for healing for my father… yet, 2 weeks later my Dad died. I was disappointed and confused… what about this verse?  how much faith do I muster up to see a miracle, Lord?
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About a month later I had another opportunity for prayer.  To be honest… I stopped praying for awhile.  I had nothing to say.  A dear friend called from the hospital… she was in the middle of labor.  It had been a long, tiresome, painful day and she finally asked for an epidural… only to have it done incorrectly which meant the pain reliever was NOT working and she was only 3 cm dilated.  I couldn’t ignore the desperation in her voice… “Kristina, will you pray with me?”  Oh no… should I tell her my prayers are out-of-order right now!??  What do I do?  Okay… I’ll read Psalms to her.  So I began to read a Psalm to comfort her and remind her that God is our HELP in time of need.  I began to pray to the Lord for my dear friend.  Honestly, I didn’t really think He would do it… after 20 minutes of praying… we hung up.  I went to bed worrying for my dear friend.  She called me the next day to tell me as soon as we hung up the phone she had a HUGE urge to push.  The nurse didn’t believe it could be possible, so they weren’t in a hurry… again she wanted to push.  During our 20 minute prayer… God caused her to dilate from 3 cm to 10 cm.  And indeed… it was time to push!  Her sweet little girl was born shortly after our prayer.  God did a miracle…. despite my lack of faith.  It was GOD… it is the LORD who causes all things to happen according to His ways and His purposes.
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That was a huge lesson in prayer for me… it freed me up to TRUST that the LORD will accomplish His purposes despite my meager or great faith.  HE is the one who acts for the BEST in the situation.  I need to ASK and He will be faithful to answer the prayer according to His will.  Don’t let the enemy lie to you and tell you that your prayers are not “good-enough”…. it isn’t about you… it’s about GOD who is GREAT ENOUGH… POWERFUL enough… and ABLE to do all things.  You may or may not get the answer you are looking for… but you can be sure that your God is Faithful, and answers you according to what’s best.  His ways are higher than our ways… so we may not always understand.
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Speaking of the prayer of a “righteous man”… you have heard the verse, “The righteous will live by faith.”  Habakkuk 2:4.  The word “faith” is a word in Hebrew ‘emuwnah  (Strongs H530).  It might be better translated as firmness, steadfastness, steadiness, faithfulness.  It is the same word used in Exodus 17:12  When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up–one on one side, one on the other–so that his hands remained steady till sunset.    or Isaiah 33:6 ~ He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.   or Deuteronomy 32:4 ~ He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He.
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With that in mind… a better translation for Hab 2:4 would be, “the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.“  Not simply in their own FAITH… but Faith that is rooted, and firmly established on the LORD.  The word for salvation in the verse above (Isaiah 33:6) is yĕshuw`ah.  Yeshua… Jesus, our Savior… He will be our sure foundation for our times… good or bad… He is a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge in all situations.  We can trust that our prayers and circumstances are being handled by the One who holds all things together and knows what is best.
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We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints– the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth.~ Colossians 1 :3-6
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Kristina Estep
Posted by Blog Manager at 5:53 am

PWOC Speakers & Presenters List

Resources
Feb 222012

Are you looking for an excellent speaker or presenter who is dynamic, easy to work with, understands the special needs of PWOC women, has a special gift of communicating spiritual truths and connecting with the ladies? These are just a few of the descriptions event coordinators used to describe their experiences with women who are part of the PWOC Speakers and Presenters List. This list contains experienced PWOC women or those who have ministered to women of PWOC and understand our unique ministry. It is a great resource for retreat planners or anyone looking to bring a speaker or presenter to your local installation. Each biography contains a photo, short description of the presenter, where the presenter is traveling from, availability, required fees, and contact information. The list is accurate as those on the list verify their biographies every six months.

How can I find the list? The Speakers & Presenters list has its home on the PWOC Resource Library at http://resources.pwoc.org/speaker.

Perhaps you have considered applying to be a speaker or presenter for PWOC. To begin the process, simply email the PWOCI Resource Coordinator, Angel Mansberger, at resources@pwoc.org and request an application. Each speaker or presenter will be required to submit the name of a chaplain or pastor reference as well as a PWOC president or event planner where the applicant has shared.

Any questions? Email Angel Mansberger for more information at resources@pwoc.org.

Posted by Blog Manager at 8:32 am

Listen

Devotions
Feb 202012

I don’t watch TV. I’m not on Facebook or Twitter. I don’t have a Smartphone. It’s a challenge to check email some days!

Ah, silence. It must be so easy to hear God’s voice with all that silence, right?

Wrong! Most of the time, my own thoughts chatter so loudly and incessantly that God’s voice can’t get through. He refuses to compete. But once in a while, I do manage to turn off the brain noise.

Ah, silence. Now I can hear Him. What does He say?

“Listen.”

Hearing and listening are not the same. As every kindergartner knows, careful listening is the key to success.

Hebrews 3:8-9 says: “Today, please listen; don’t turn a deaf ear as in the bitter uprising, that time of wilderness testing! Even though they watched me at work for forty years, your ancestors refused to let me do it my way; over and over they tried my patience.” (The Message)

Most of the Israelites Moses tried to lead into their Promised Land turned a deaf ear to their miracle working God, their saving God, the God who rescued them from slavery and fed them with bread from Heaven.

What was the result of not listening?

Hebrews 3:10-11: “And I was provoked, oh, so provoked! I said, ‘They’ll never keep their minds on God; they refuse to walk down my road.” Exasperated, I vowed, “They’ll never get where they’re going, never be able to sit down and rest.”

This passage describes a spiritual state which I dread: that I’ll never get where I’m going; never be able to sit down and rest. I’m not afraid of losing my salvation, but that unbelief and fear will subvert my spiritual journey. I don’t want to wander in the wilderness, never really learning to trust God. I want to stay on the straight path of trust which leads to greater Christlikeness.

I must listen.

Listening leads to belief and trust, which lead to keeping my mind on God, which leads to walking down His road, which leads to reaching my destination, which leads to REST.

“Listen.” It’s what we tell our children. It’s what He tells us.

Listening leads to rest.

Gervais Baptist

Posted by Devotions at 7:27 am Tagged with: , ,

GOD-AWARENESS

Prayer Points
Feb 172012

Deuteronomy 6:5-9 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. “

We are commanded to love the Lord our God with all our being! That doesn’t leave any room for not loving the Lord our God. The above passage tells us how to be active by talking about the commandments at home, on the road, lying down and getting up, and to impress them on our children as well. We will talk about what we are excited about. I pray that God is in our conversations! As God’s people we are to live each day with a God-awareness – an awareness of His presence with us. It is comforting to know He is with us all the time. We can call out to Him at anytime. There’s always a signal with 4 bars and the line is never busy! Awareness of God’s presence can cause us to make better daily choices in our homes, workplaces, in our conversations, the television shows we watch, the music we listen to, books we read, friendships, spending money, how we communicate with our spouses and our children, and the list goes on. Being aware of God’s presence is so much more than our daily devotions and attending Bible Study and church. God really does have something to say about everything in our lives.  As we let Him in, He will change us on a very practical level. This is where growth begins.  I am so thankful God cares about everything in our lives, from the smallest to the greatest thing!  We must give Him authority and let Him be center of our lives and everything in our lives in order to experience all He has to offer.  Without God-awareness, we could miss out on opportunities to be involved in His work around us. Lord, help us not to miss out!  Opportunities are all around us no matter where we are.  God can use us in ways we cannot imagine. Perhaps He has and you don’t even realize it.

Dear Lord,

Please help me to be conscious of your presence with me in everything I do and everywhere and anywhere I go.  Help me to see you when you are moving and hear you when you are speaking. Help me to be obedient to your leading.  Thank you for your presence. In Jesus’ name, AMEN

Kathy Walls

Posted by Blog Manager at 6:16 am

Pacific

regional review
Feb 162012

Aloha and greetings from the beautiful state of Hawaii. My name is Dipala Brown. I am the Vice President for the Pacific Region. I must say getting here has been a humbling experience for me. It seemed as though I had to overcome one obstacle after another. I just kept praying and saying, “I want to meet Jesus under the palm tree”. Well I am here now. I have met Jesus under the palm tree and I continue to meet him daily in various places. He has blessed me with the position of VP for the Pacific Region. It is an honor and privilege to be able to serve in Protestant Women of the Chapel (PWOC), a ministry that touches the lives of many women.

I was introduced to PWOC in 2002. A friend said to me, “Let’s go to PWOC”. I had nothing else to do so I went with her and I have been hooked ever since. In 2005, I served as the Hospitality Chairperson at the local level, in Seoul Korea. Since then I have been an active participant of PWOC, learning and studying the word of God through various bible studies. I have also been involved with the children’s ministry and have helped with other ministries within PWOC.
Despite the changes in my life as a military spouse (different places, different homes, and new schools), PWOC has remained the same for me. It is a place where I can always find God, love, a community, food, fellowship, and fun. It is a place where I can be me and I can continue to grow and develop into what God has called me to be.

My family consists of my wonderful husband, LaVaughn. He has been in the military for eighteen years. We have three beautiful children. Our son, LaVaughn, is a senior in college. Our daughter, LaVauria, is in middle school. And our youngest daughter, Lasaiaha is in kindergarten. My family and I are very grateful to the Protestant Women of the Chapel. So along with my family’s support, it is an honor and a blessing to serve in this position.   My family and I attend Church at the Aliamanu Chapel (AMR chapel) in Honolulu, Hawaii. I attend PWOC there as well. We enjoy AMR chapel because we have found a community there and our faith is being and has been strengthened.

I am looking forward to learning, growing, and working with you wonderful women of God! My vision for the Pacific Region is to work closely with our board and others to inspire and unite women to experience the love of God, so that they can grow closer to Christ.

Posted by Blog Manager at 4:34 pm Tagged with:

Trying Times

Devotions
Feb 152012

Luke 4:1-2a “Jesus, being full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days He was tempted by the devil.” I have read this verse and its equivalent, Matthew 4:1, many times and many times I have missed a vital piece of scripture. Both scriptures very clearly state the fact that Jesus “…was led by the Spirit to the desert” (Luke 4:1 and Matt 4:1). Not only was Jesus full of the Holy Spirit from His baptism in the Jordan but He was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert, and there He ran straight into the devil.

Anyone who knows me knows that I can be involved in many things. However, I try not to commit to any new thing without prayer and a clear confirmation from the Holy Spirit. Admittedly, there have been times that I have found myself in a position I was not called to and had to make some course corrections. However, more often than not, when I start to doubt what I am doing or my ability in Christ to do a job He has called me to, it is simply a temptation from the devil to take me out of my calling. This starts spiral thinking as I begin to wonder why I have let my guard down and question my spiritual standing. The next step in this spiral is to begin to feel very far from God. This is a lie from the devil and these verses confirm that. Right before Jesus is led into the desert God says to Him “This is my Son, Whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.” (Matt3:17) Jesus was not far away from God when he was led into the desert.

When I am in trying times and I start questioning not only who I am in Christ but what I am being called to do, I can fall back on this verse and remember that I can be filled by the Spirit, doing exactly what I am being called to do, and still run face-to-face with the devil, Jesus did.

Alicia Mayer

Assistant Training Coordinator

Posted by Blog Manager at 7:46 am
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