A Fathers Blessing

Prayer Points
Jun 032011

Submitted by: Jane Ahl

This Prayer Point today is for Father’s Day, another special day for us to recognize a special person in our life.  The Bible has given us examples of how the fathers blessed their children with prayer.  A father’s blessing was desired by the children as they left home to start a new life. It was the father’s way of instilling God’s blessing on his children. I want to share with you this Father’s Blessing to pray with one another.  A Blessing from the Word of God to remind us how much we are loved as God’s Children.

Your Father’s Blessing

My child, I love you! You are special. You are a gift from God. I thank God for allowing me to be a father to you. I bless you with the healing of all wounds of rejection, neglect and abuse that you have suffered. I bless you with overflowing peace, the peace that only the Prince of Peace can give, a peace beyond comprehension. I bless your life with fruitfulness—good fruit, much fruit and fruit that remains. I bless you with success. You are the head and not the tail; you are above and not beneath. I bless you with health and strength of body, soul and spirit. I bless you with overflowing prosperity, enabling you to be a blessing to others. I bless you with spiritual influence, for you are the light of the world and the salt of the earth. You are like a tree planted by rivers of water. You will prosper in all your ways. I bless you with a depth of spiritual understanding and a close walk with your Lord. You will not stumble or falter, for the Word of God will be a lamp to your feet and a light to your path. I bless you with pure and edifying relationships in life. You have favor with God and man. I bless you with abounding love. You will minister God’s comforting grace to others. You are blessed, my child! You are blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus. Amen!

Psalms 123; Isaiah 53:5; Philippians 4:7; Deuteronomy 28: 1-14; Psalms 1:3; Colossians 1:9, Psalms 119:105; Proverbs 12:2

I pray this Father’s Day; you may grow more and more in Him and feel the touch of our Redeemers Love in your Life.  May your heavenly Father bless you this day and every day as we receive His bounty in our lives’.  To receive a blessing from our earthly fathers and from our Heavenly Father this day!

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A Mother's Day Prayer

Prayer Points
May 062011

Praise be to God for this upcoming Sunday for a Celebration of Mother’s Day!  I want every one of you to know that you all are mothers!  Whether a mother to natural, adoptive or spiritual children, you are all mothers in the sight of the Lord with all spiritual blessings to bestow on others.  So this Mother’s Day I would like to pray for all of you on this special day that the Lord will shine upon each and every one of you as a beloved daughter of the King!  Many blessings to you my sisters!

A Mother’s Blessing

May you be blessed with worth and virtue that is far greater than rubies

May you be blessed with a heart to honor and show love and trust toward your husband (wife)

May your marriage be blessed with prosperity according to God’s will and purpose for you

May you be blessed with extended days of your life to do good for your husband (wife); May the labor of your heart and hands manifest this goodness

May your household be blessed with an abundance of God’s wealth for all needs

May you be blessed with many vineyards and fields to prosper for Kingdom purposes

May you be blessed with strength for the days and tasks ahead; May your light be a blessing to many

May you be blessed with a heart for the needy, the poor, and the oppressed

May you be blessed with a spirit of courage; May strength and honor be your clothing

May you be blessed with a spirit of joy and rejoicing in the Lord Jesus Christ

May you be blessed with a spirit of wisdom and kindness upon your tongue

May you be blessed with a spirit of God ordained purpose that you may never question your self

May you be blessed with a spirit of praise and gratitude that the fruit of your hands, your feet, and your mouth would speak to generations who follow…And You will be praised in the Gates of Heaven!

Proverbs 31

With God in prayer, Rhonda Mixon

 

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Don't miss the blessing

Leadership Development, Leadership Wednesday, Seasonal teaching
Dec 292010

Kristin Hathaway

Kristin Hathaway

But although the world was made through him, the world didn’t recognize him when he came. ~John 1:10

Have you ever asked God for something only to miss the answer? One time my mom was in a gift shop in Mississippi, looking for a gift for a friend. She wanted something that was “uniquely Mississippi.” As she was looking, a man came in selling fresh pecans. My mom said, “No, thank you” and continued to try to find the perfect gift.

As soon as the man left, it occurred to my mom that the man with the pecans was the answer to her prayers. Anyone who has ever been to Mississippi knows that pecans are definitely a “Mississippi” thing. God had sent the answer and she had missed it!

That is exactly what happened when Jesus came to this earth. For years, mankind had been asking for a Messiah; we desperately needed a savior. God sent THE answer, but we had our own ideas of what a “uniquely God” gift would be like, and we almost missed Him.

Don’t miss out because you have your own ideas of what God is going to do. Salvation is the best gift that Christ gave, but there are so many blessings that he wants to give you while you are here on earth. Ask for them; pray specifically. Most importantly, EXPECT him to answer.

Submitted by Kristen Hathaway, PWOCI Central Region President

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Magical Moments

Seasonal teaching
Dec 272010

Submitted by De’Etta Goecker, Asia Region President

Think of the magical moments in your life: a marriage proposal, a special Christmas, receiving your driver’s license…. One of life’s most magical moments, whether by birth or adoption, occurs when you finally hold your new baby. You melt into those endless eyes and realize all the potential of this child – the awesome responsibility Father God has entrusted you. The months of waiting were well-worth the precious moment you are living.

There came a moment in October when I held a new baby; it was Asia Region. I was struck with the knowledge of the awesome blessing God intends to pour into the kingdom through this new baby. She’s alive. She’s beautiful. She’s healthy. She’s breathing. She could only have come from the hand of Father God.

Another memorable moment, more terrifying than magical, is the first time you enter your home ALONE with your groom and a tiny, 5 lb baby. The responsibility can be staggering. Yet, God meets you at that moment and gives you direction for partnering with Him in raising this blessing.

In the natural,  two of our first goals in parenting are to win the heart of our child and to introduce her/him to God. Likewise, Father God has impressed on the hearts of Asia Region’s board a simple yet profound emphasis for this baby during her infancy/toddler years.

Our desire is for Asia Region to love God whole-heartedly and love others deeply. Our first responsibility is through mentoring relationships, training opportunities and Bible Studies to encourage a whole-hearted, passionate, lavish, extravagant, intimate love of God. This is foundational.

Our second responsibility is to truly love others deeply. This includes not only PWOC sisters but our unchurched neighbors and the nationals of our host countries.

As Asia Region’s Mama (President), I commit to you, once again, that each activity and decision will be bathed in prayer and filtered through this vision of love. We’ll ask two questions, “Does this express and encourage whole-hearted love of God? Does this express and encourage a deep, sincere love for others?”  This may lead us to some unexpected adventures, but our heart’s desire is always deeper intimacy with God and deeper, caring love of one another.  Will you pray with us as we seek the tools that God would use to mold and shape this brand new baby region?

Another day, maybe you’d like to hear Asia Region’s birth story.

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A Leaders who Shines..Connects with Excellence (II)

Leadership Development, Leadership Wednesday
Aug 182010

By Brenda Pace

Here’s a leadership question for you: Does excellence matter to God? Does God care about quality? Is He concerned with how well things are done? Some would say, “No, all God cares about is the heart.” That is true—kind of. God is primarily concerned with the heart; but God cares about excellence as an expression of the heart. The way I serve God, whether it is in church, home, or the workplace, reveals what is in my heart. The goal of a Christian leader is to honor God in every area of life through a spirit of commitment and a motivation to glorify Him. It’s not the things that I do that God cares about; rather it’s what those things say about my heart.

Excellence in God’s sight isn’t being the best; it’s being my best.

God has blessed each of us with gifts and talents.  Excellence depends on being committed to the development and usage of the abilities the Lord has given.  When someone has the talent but not the commitment they are often lazy and slothful and God condemns this in His Word.  When someone has the commitment but not the talent they are often unproductive and ineffective.  But, when we are committed to use the talents given to us by God and rely on the power available to us through the Holy Spirit, the result is EXCELLENCE.  This excellence is what glorifies God.

Why strive for excellence?
God deserves our best! Scripture states: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being” (Revelation 4:11 NIV).

There are many good and worthy causes to which I can devote time, but there is only one cause that is worthy of every ounce of work, devotion, sacrifice, and dedication. That cause is serving God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength.

What about excellence in PWOC ministry?

Today’s women lead busy lives. When they invest their time, money or energy in something, they want it to be worthwhile. Poor planning and careless organization lead to mediocre results. Bill Hybels, pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, makes two comments about excellence in ministry: It honors God, and it inspires people. These are worthy ministry goals!

Summing it up

The core purpose of excellence in ministry can be summed up in these words from Colossians 3:23-24:

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (NIV).

This tells me that excellence in ministry is:

1)   Encouraged by a heart to honor God and fulfill His will

2)   Exhibited in the giving of one’s best as an act of worship to God

3)   Expressed through faithful service to God and His purpose

May God bless you as you seek to serve Him with all your heart!

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A Beautiful Picture of God's Love

Local Limelight, Testimonies
Apr 072010

Submitted by Erin Nonaka, PWOC worship leader –  Fort Bragg, NC

In the planning and preparation for our final PWOC meeting before Easter and Spring break, I was praying that the Lord would give me direction for our praise and worship time.  For months as I prayed, the Lord gave me a vision of our women having the opportunity to lay their burdens at the cross and to find newness and freshness in Him.  What a better time to do this than when we are preparing our hearts to celebrate the sacrifice God made through the gift of His Son. What a time to start fresh; to have a visual representation of new life through the Cross. WOW!

So as the music team and I prayed for this week, we prayed that the Lord would intentionally place every song, every word, every scripture, and every person that would be a part of this time we were to share together. And that is what He did!!

As the worship began, there was a large wooden cross in the front of the room. Each woman had a piece of paper on their chair as they sat down. I shared with the women that the papers were for them to write down anything they needed or wanted to give over to God. The women could take the pieces of paper and place them on the cross at anytime during the service.  The time here was for us to do some business with God, so to speak; to get our hearts right before Him, to cleanse our hearts and our minds.

As our time together continued women came up one after another to place their papers and burdens on the cross. My heart was overwhelmed with how it created such a beautiful picture of the purpose of the cross for us.  It opened our hearts in a fresh way, and His Spirit filled the room with such sweetness. The way that everything was orchestrated could not have happened without the divine hand of our loving Father. To have the treasure of leading, participating and watching God’s goodness that morning was a great honor and tremendous blessing.

My prayer was then and remains to be, that women’s hearts will continue to be transformed as  we draw nearer to our unconditionally loving God who desires to call us His own.

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GIVE THANKS!

Devotions, Real life stories
Nov 252009

Melinda Hemphill, PWOCI 3VP CommunicationsTurkey. Parades. Mashed potatoes. Sweet potatoes. Stuffing. Cornbread dressing. Pies. That green bean casserole you either love or hate. Football games. Family times around the table, the yard, the TV, the fireplace. What is your definition of this American holiday we know as Thanksgiving? My children love the Peanuts version where the kids are sitting around the ping pong table, eating pretzels, popcorn and toast.

As far back as the early 1600s, white settlers and Native Americans would feast and celebrate and be thankful with the bountiful crops of the year. Or so that’s what we hear and think of when Thanksgiving rolls around the fourth Thursday of each November.

In thinking about giving thanks, I am reminded of what Jesus did “on the night He was betrayed.” Matthew’s Gospel says, “While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’ And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the remission of sins.’” (26:26-28)

In both this account about the Lord’s Supper and in Matthew 15 about the loaves and the fish, the word “thanks” is used to mean “being thankful.” The word is actually eucharist. The next time you approach the Lord’s Table to commemorate His death and resurrection, remember the words of Jesus Himself.

We ask a blessing before we eat a meal around the table. We give thanks. I pray these traditions are more than just what is common to do; I pray they are heartfelt prayers of thanks for the new life God has given you in His Son – and for the abundance of blessings God has given you. By remembering where we come from as a physical nation and a spiritual nation, we can’t help but be thankful. God bless you and yours on this special day. And if you are apart from your loved one due to deployment or other separation, I pray He pours out an extra measure of His grace to comfort you and give you strength.

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

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