Bits & Pieces » PWOC International Blog

All One Cloth

Feb 092012

“Where can I run, Where can I hide, from You, You’re everywhere. You know all my thoughts, you see through my skin and still You come to me. So I sing, a love song to you.” – Jason Morant, “Love Song”

This worship song I learned a few years ago made Psalm 139 come alive to me. Combine that with Acts 17:27-28 and we discover that we cannot go anywhere that God is not, and even more so, He is IN US and we are IN HIM! In Him, we live, move and have our very being.

Hi! I am a wife, a mom, a member of MOPS, PWOC, another military club, and participate with the spouses of my husband’s unit. I am a worship leader and a Bible study class leader. I am a taxi driver, a part time nurse, psychologist, coach, teacher, chef, maid, and anything else the day requires! I am constantly multi-tasking!

Sound familiar? I thought so! But yet, in all this, God is with me, as we discovered in the passages above. I can call out His name at any time and He is there!

Life is not going to stop just so we can spend our 30 minutes in Bible study or prayer or worship. We have to find a way to carve this into our time. So, yes, this includes time doing laundry, dishes, dinners, cleaning toilets, vacuuming, car pooling. These are the times to intentionally carve the time in. It all flows together – daily life and life in Christ – it’s all one cloth, woven together in a beautiful pattern.

I learned a secret long ago, (and I had a great example in my mom), that there is always an opportunity to talk to Jesus, or worship Him.

A friend posted recently on Facebook asking how she can glorify God in doing the mundane things, like scrubbing toilets? There were some great responses, but the common theme that came in all of them was the heart and the attitude and doing those things that are “unseen” to the Lord. We do a lot of things to be seen and receive praise from people, but when the Lord sees those things we do that are unseen, there is a reward coming from Him far greater than what men can give! Colossians 3:23-24

Maybe you have an ipod, smartphone, laptop, etc. and can sing (or even dance) to your itunes, Christian radio or Pandora lists you have created while doing those “mundane chores!” If this does not apply to where you are at in life, then recall the songs from church or PWOC that week or other tunes that minister to you and begin to sing them again. Take advantage of the time. Do you commute much? Wonderful times of prayer and worship can happen in the car! (Just please make sure you are paying attention to the road! No closing the eyes!)

I try and find moments like this throughout my day when I can. And if I’m honest, it doesn’t go this way everyday, but when it happens, it sets the mood and tone for my heart and attitude ahead of time. So, when it comes time to clean the toilets – I’m there to do it all for the glory of God, because all we do in life is truly All One Cloth!

Kayla Atkins

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The Secret Place

Bits & Pieces

Feb 062012

Did you know that there is a secret place where God wants to meet with you every day? Adam was in the Garden of Eden. It was like a secret place where God would come in the cool of the day to fellowship with Adam. With Moses, he had a secret place to talk to God on the mountain and in the tent meeting. Song of Songs talks about being in the vineyard, the garden, a place where the lilies bloomed he yearned to be with His bride. Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane. Where he sweat blood for us, because of his love for us, a secret place where Christ went to be strengthened by his Heavenly Father.

Our Heavenly father wants so much for us to fellowship with Him. Can you paint the picture with me? A field of flowers, you are among the flowers and your heavenly father comes out to meet you. Oh my beloved, how he longs to be with you. Prayer is such an important part of our lives. Worship is a vital aspect of our prayer time. He is telling us to come away with Him, O Bride of Christ. But it will cost you. It will cost you radical obedience to find a secret place to come before Him to worship Him, fellowship with Him and listen to things he wants to tell you. The secrets he wants to make known to you, a place where he wants to hold you and love on you. The lovely words he wants to say to you to give you courage, hope, strength and love. How he yearns to be with his Bride. Prayer is a time to connect with your spiritual father to make your lives strong in the things of the kingdom of God. Come away my friend and come to taste and see that the Lord is good. His Mercy endures forever. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Knock ladies and the door will be opened. Render your hearts to him. Fall on your knees and let him clean your heart and let the rivers of life flow through your spiritual hearts. He is and always will be faithful. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding acknowledge him and He will direct your paths. Come away my beloved, come away!

Father, I pray for there to be new passion of your presence among us. I pray that we all can find a secret place to go to, to be with you to learn of your ways and to be in the presence of our faithful loving God. In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

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Our Burden Bearer

Bits & Pieces, Devotions, Life Happens Jesus Answers

Feb 052012

Our prayer focus verse this month is Matthew 11:28-29 where Jesus said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls.”

If I marched in with a loaded rucksack today, you would know that I was carrying a heavy burden because my face would be contorted and I would be huffing and puffing. I’m not used to that kind of weight.

Soldiers who are used to marching for miles with that heavy weight on their backs look fine. They sweat because the load is heavy, yet they go for miles and miles without a break. They have been trained to carry a heavy load and they are used to it.

Just like soldiers on a march, there are burdens we carry around that we have become accustomed to. But, it is not part of God’s design for His people. Fear, anxiety, shame, secret sin, unforgiveness, trials at home or with others, frustrations, … the list goes on and on.

Think about what burdens you. Sometimes we are so used to a load, we think it’s our lot in life to carry this load. Some of us are carrying several rucksacks at once. May the Holy Spirit reveal those loads we were not meant to carry.

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you. He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” (Psalm 55:22) Do not be like the guy who was walking along a dusty road with a load on his back. Another man came along in a pick up truck and offered to give him a ride. The man however kept the load on his back. The driver stopped and said, “Put your load in the back of the truck.” “Oh no”, said the man. “It is very kind of you to give me a ride, but I do not want you to carry my load too.” It is just as foolish for us to persist in carrying our own load when the Lord, who is carrying us, stands ready to carry the burden for us.

Jot down any burdens that God may reveal to you that you need to give to Him. When you are done, bring those burdens to the Lord. Perhaps you can create a special place to put them like in a special box. The act of casting your burden on the Lord is something God wants you to remember. By releasing your burden to the Lord, it becomes an offering to Him. You are saying, “Father, I give this all to You because I know You care for me.” As you close your box and walk away, you are leaving your burdens right where they belong – in the care of God. Let your special box be a reminder to you of God’s faithfulness and desire to carry and care for your burdens.

The Lord is your helper. He will never leave you nor forsake you. God loves you so much that He gave His only Son, Jesus, to take your place so that you can have complete forgiveness of your sins. His final work on the cross was paid for you to be free. “It is finished!” Ladies, let’s lay our burdens where they belong, in the loving arms of our capable Lord!

Michelle Green

Prayer Coordinator,

Ft. Bragg, NC

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Your Kingdom Come

Bits & Pieces

Feb 022012

The PWOCI theme for this year is “Your Kingdom Come.” Many of us pray the Lord’s Prayer on a weekly basis. Do we really think about what we are praying? When we pray scripture, we become the voice of God’s word and angels take action. The angels have to act because they “perform His word, obeying the voice of His word!” Ps 103:20.

I want to focus on Matthew 6:10 from the King James Version. It reads: “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in
heaven.” Did you notice the use of ‘in’ earth instead of ‘on’ earth? Genesis 2:7a reads: “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground.” The word ‘man’ (Adam) sounds like the Hebrew word for ‘ground’ (adamah). We are in fact made of earth.

Heaven invaded earth at the coming of Jesus. When we pray for God’s kingdom to come and His will be done in earth (or on earth) we are praying that God’s will be done in us; through us just as His will is done in heaven.

God’s presence reigns in the lives of His people. We have the power of new birth; the real power of the Holy Spirit. Let us access the
power of the Holy Spirit, who lives in us, for the kingdom. God is looking for those who are actively looking and seeking Him.

Take the authority offered!

Blessings,

Marci Everson
Alaska Region Titus II

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Worship and Expectations

Bits & Pieces, Resources

Jan 292012

God has recently been teaching me not to worship my expectations, but to worship Him in the midst of the circumstances He allows. I first realized this while reading How People Change by Paul David Tripp, but am trying to move to the place of full surrender in this area. When I let go of my expectations, then I’m not so easily tempted to be frustrated, hurt, anxious or angry.

Another helpful book I’m reading along these lines is Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges – full of great reminders about the good news of the gospel for maturing believers in Christ.

Andrea Plotner, Asst. to the President PWOC International

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Tweet...tweet!

Bits & Pieces, News & Announcements

Jan 252012

On October 7, PWOC International posted its first tweet.

“What is tweeting?” you might ask. Tweeting is posting short entries (less than 140 characters) on Twitter, the social networking site known for its brevity. Started in 2006 by Jack Dorsey, the aim of Twitter was for a small group to have the ability to communicate via SMS texting (short messaging service). In less than six years, this form of communication has exploded. It now has over 300 million users, and over 300 million texts are generated daily.

Jesus called his disciples to, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15). This first century church He was addressing was called to physically “go,” but with the innovative tools that we have in our hands today, we are called to “go” using different media and methods. Twitter is one of those methods. It is another way to reach an age group that finds itself highly technical and desiring to be constantly connected. The majority of those who tweet are under the age of 25. It makes perfect sense for PWOC to have its presence where our young women are at…connecting…informing…and building them up in Christ.

The PWOCI Communications team sought out Heather Hayman to lead the tweeting for Protestant Women of the Chapel. Our main vision is to encourage and inform the PWOCI body through scriptural insights, upcoming events, videos, article links, songs and so much more. As women begin to “follow” PWOC on Twitter, they can be encouraged daily and feel connected to their military sisters worldwide. To begin following PWOC, find us on Twitter @PWOCIntl.

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YOUR KINGDOM COME!

Bits & Pieces, News & Announcements, Resources

Jun 012011

It’s official the new theme has been launched and all the resources for you to use at your local installations are available. YAY!!

Now is the time! Our theme for 2011-2012 comes straight from the Lord’s Prayer—Your Kingdom Come! This will be a year of not only discovering God’s Kingdom principles, it will be a year of living God’s Kingdom ways.

Theme Scripture:

Matthew 6:9-13 (New King James Version)

9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory.

Hymn:

Praise and Worship Song:

“Let Your Glory Fall” by David Ruis , © Vineyard Music

For more worship song ideas click HERE.

Theme Artwork:

Your Kingdom Come theme art is centered on the Matthew 6:9-13 passage, the model prayer Jesus taught His disciples. The theme design draws from many principles found in this significant scripture.

“Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.” Rays of light, from our Father in heaven, come down from above.

“Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.”

The light flows down from heaven above, intersecting with the earth that we inhabit. When our lives and our wills are surrendered to Him, the life we live becomes a beautiful relationship between the King and the one in service to Him. This connection between the light and the earth signifies living life in communion with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is illustrated by the dove, who is the power of God working in us, aligning the will for our life to that will which is in heaven. The globe represents our calling to take the Gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth.

“Give us this day our daily bread” is portrayed in the subtle loaf of bread to the left of the rays of light, reminding us of that which provides us physical sustenance. Our daily bread also represents a spiritual truth as we daily require communion with the Word of God.

“And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.” The lily in the bottom left represents the forgiveness we receive and give. The white in the lily stands for our purity in Christ. It is accented in red, pointing to the blood of Christ, which makes

possible God’s beautiful plan of salvation and His gracious means of providing forgiveness for our sins.

“And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen” The crown in the stained background, and the keys in the border represent The Kingdom of God and He who holds the keys to the Kingdom.

in the lily stands for our purity in Christ. the blood of Christ, which makes possible God’s beautiful plan of salvation and Hisgracious means of providing forgiveness for our sins.

Click HERE to access the resource library and get everything you need.

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What does God say about me?

Bits & Pieces, Local Limelight

Sep 242010

Submitted by Nancy Sheridan

What does God say about me?

The lies I’ve been told along the way fade and dim

as I hear the melody of who I am strummed

against the minor notes of pain in my life.

Who am I?

A light, a sparkle in my Father’s eye,

and when I nestle into His love,

the darkness flees as the next stanza resounds…

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Anticipation in my Spirit is Building

Bits & Pieces, regional review

Sep 152010

The anticipation in my spirit is building! I can feel it more and more with each passing day. It is the beginning of September and school has started. I am still surrounded by boxes from the recent pcs, but the thing I am looking forward to is PWOC Kickoff! It should be starting on military installations around the globe any day now. There are women out there who will be introduced to Jesus for the first time ever in the coming weeks. There are new Bible studies to be opened and read through for the first time. The anticipation of Bible pages turning is enough to make me giddy! Can you feel it too? As you prepare for kickoff remember the words of Christ, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” Through tears I pray for us all to be about the Lord’s harvest and nothing less. Come take over our PWOC’s Father and fill them with the fragment aroma of Christ. Bring the harvest Lord and help us to shine in this dark world until Christ returns! Yes, I can feel the anticipation in my spirit building, can you?

_____

The 1VP update is submitted on the second Wednesday of each month. For any comments or suggestions send email to SpiritualDevelopment@pwoc.org

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PWOC Sunday 2010

Bits & Pieces, News & Announcements

Aug 112010

Submitted by Donna Castle, PWOCI Financial Liaison

Some of you may be asking, “What is PWOC Sunday?” During a specific weekend every September, local PWOCs are encouraged to work with their Chaplains to emphasize PWOC during all Protestant services on their military installation. PWOC women may volunteer to lead worship, sing with the choir, do a skit, act as ushers, do the Scripture readings, share testimonies of the impact of PWOC on their lives and families, hostess the fellowship time, etc. In other words, PWOC ladies may participate in the services in any way directed by the Chaplain.

Why? Because on this Sunday, the offerings received in all Protestant Army chapels is designated to go to Protestant Women of the Chapel International in support of the International and Regional levels of PWOC. When people see the transforming work of Jesus Christ through the ministry of PWOC, we believe that they will want to generously support PWOC with their finances as well as their prayers. The 2010 Army Chief of Chaplains PWOCI Designated Offering will be collected during the weekend of September 11 and 12, 2010. Other military chapel communities may also collect designated offerings for PWOCI.

How is PWOC funded? Let me count the ways:

Funding for Local PWOCs varies from installation to installation and is ultimately decided by the Installation/Garrison Chaplain.
PWOC International and Regional activities are funded by “sacred dollars” – that money which has been donated by chapel communities around the world through PWOCI-specific designated offerings. The annual Army-wide designated offering is the primary source of funding used to offset ministry operating costs such as expenses related to international and regional conferences, leadership training, Bible Study development, web site development, etc. From this designated offering, yearly regional grants are determined and distributed by the Director of Information, Resource, Management and Logistics (IRML).
Additional sources of funding for the ministry are grants from the various services and conference fees.
Donations from individuals and organizations are welcomed.

Currently, PWOC International operates in eight regions around the world: Alaska, Asia, Central, Europe, Northeast, Pacific, Southeast and West. PWOC reaches over 8,000 women on a weekly basis. There are active PWOCs on 152 military installations broken down as follows:

Air Force bases: 64
Army posts: 71
Navy/Marine installations: 12
Joint: 5

PWOC International’s ministry is expanding. We need your help.

Pray for God to open the heavens and bring in the support for this essential ministry to so many women who are weary from the long years of deployment.
Please get the word out about the designated offering received on September 11 and 12, 2010. Helpful documents including PWOC Sunday publicity bulletin inserts are available on the PWOC website under “Donation Information” located at the right side of the header (http://www.pwoc.org/DonationInfo.html).
Get involved with your PWOC Chaplain and plan a PWOC Sunday at every Protestant chapel on your military installation.

If you have any further questions, please contact the PWOCI Financial Liaison at financial@pwoc.org. PWOCI is collecting testimonies so that we can tell the story to those who give how this ministry is helping women grow in the Lord. If you are interested in sharing your brief testimony, please send it to Testimony@pwoc.org.

The International Board is here to help you have a successful PWOC Sunday and a great PWOC year. Rich blessings to all!

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Older Entries

PWOC International Blog

All One Cloth

The Secret Place

Our Burden Bearer

Your Kingdom Come

Worship and Expectations

Tweet...tweet!

YOUR KINGDOM COME!

Theme Scripture:

Theme Artwork:

What does God say about me?

Submitted by Nancy Sheridan

What does God say about me?

The lies I’ve been told along the way fade and dim

as I hear the melody of who I am strummed

against the minor notes of pain in my life.

Who am I?

A light, a sparkle in my Father’s eye,

and when I nestle into His love,

the darkness flees as the next stanza resounds…

Anticipation in my Spirit is Building

PWOC Sunday 2010

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