Alaska Region Update

regional review
Nov 032011

Submitted by Treva Slaughter, Alaska Regional President

I love Jesus,  not just for dying on the cross for my sins, but also for loving me the way He does and chasing after me the way He does. When I got here, God showed me that His desire for me and the women of this Region, was to be Caleb’s and Joshua’s and to possess the land that He had promised us (Deuteronomy 1:8). He was waiting for us to stand up and be the women of God, He had called us to be, and continues to call us each day. God desires us to trust Him, obey and follow Him TOTALLY and not to be just hearers but also doers of the word (James 1:22). Despite what we see from others in this world, or in our churches, His desire for us is to be true followers so that when people see us, our Father in Heaven can be glorified.

As we kicked off the conference season, I was honored to see God’s promise fulfilled through His women in the Alaska Region. I witnessed firsthand true followers of Christ. Women who took a stand and said, “No more will we be conformed to the pattern of this world but we will be transformed by the renewing of our mind (Romans 12:2).” I saw women that were totally focused on God’s will for His Kingdom. Women that put their own selfish desires, thoughts, religious customs and traditions away and went to God in prayer, supplication and true worship, proclaiming “Here I am Lord send me, I’ll go to the Nations so the whole world will know your love and compassion and WE together will possess the land you promised us. Powerful, Right? Now, imagine how we felt as we got to witness this first hand.

I believe God is speaking the same message to us all over the world. As you all approach your conference, Alaska wants to be the first to encourage you to continue to seek God’s face in prayer, forgive others and ask for forgiveness when needed so that your prayers will not be hindered. Trust God at His word, and then obey exactly what He speaks to you to do.

WE promise you sisters (and I know many of you know this) but for the slight chance some don’t. Our Father promised us in 2 Chronicles 7:14, if those of us who are called by his name will pray and turn from our wicked ways then He will hear from heaven, forgive and heal our land.

I know we are ready for our land to be healed Sisters, so let’s take God at His word and watch him fulfill His promise to the Nations. Know that Alaska is praying for you all and we can’t wait to hear the great reports of how God moved at ALL the conferences!

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Get Up!!

Prayer Points
Oct 212011

Proverbs 24:26 says “ For a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity”.

The greatest battle that you may ever fight, is the fight to forgive yourself.  Remember, my friend, all my chosen ones had to get up and receive God’s gift of grace to finish living out their faith.  Jesus gave His disciple Peter the strength to get up from the guilt.  God gave the anointed king David the grace to get up from the shame of committing adultery.  Jesus gave apostle Paul the mercy to get up from pride and arrogance.  God gave His warrior Gideon the courage to get up from his fears.  The Lord says, time is now and accept my forgiveness, and finish what I called you to do. Nothing can keep you down, because my power to rise again is in you.

In all these situations where man fell Jesus forgave everyone of them.  It is by his grace and mercy that we can come to the cross to receive redemption from our Lord and Savior.  He wants to pick us up and help us to stand once again.  He loves us so much that he is there ready to pick us up to help us continue to run the race that we are called to do.

Father, I receive your forgiveness now and I thank you for it, because your word says you are faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  Thank you that Jesus has been made unto me wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.  Lord Jesus, you sanctify me through your truth: Your word is truth.  I submit myself to you, Lord-spirit, soul, and body.  I commit to change whatever needs to be changed in my life, because the desire of my heart is to be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and fitting for the Master’s use and prepared for every good work.  Thank you that I am willing and obedient.  In His Name, A-men

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Intimacy with Children

President's Pen, Real life stories
Sep 152011

Submitted By Beth Mills, PWOCI President

My husband and I had our five children within six-and-a-half years, no twins. When I realized I was going to have five teenagers, I’ll admit, I felt a stab of fear. But the Lord graciously dispelled the subtle lie of the enemy that I had bought, that the teen years are supposed to be filled with bad attitudes and rebellion. The Bible has many promises for right relationship with our children, promises that extend far beyond the teen years. Praise the Lord, it’s never too late to begin anew with our children, no matter their ages. We’re living in the days when the hearts of the fathers are turned to their children, and the hearts of the children are turned to their fathers (Malachi 4:5-6; Matt. 11:14; Luke 1:17). Deep, loving relationships with our children are made possible through the Lord’s Holy Spirit at work in our hearts and lives.

Following are some ways we’ve nurtured intimacy with our children.

1.  Protect family time– We purposely spend regular time with our children. We had “Daddy-Daughter Dates” and “Mommy-Son Dates” when we just took one of our children for a soda or a walk around the block. That daughter or son had our undivided attention in those moments. Priceless. We guard our family meal time and keep one night a week free for games, stories, movies or just sitting around the fire together.

2.  Love language—using what we learned from Gary Chapman’s book The Five Love Languages, we “practice” communicating our love in each child’s language, and we taught them to do likewise with their brothers and sisters.

3.  Words—words have the power to build up or tear down (Prov. 18:21). The purpose of discipline is to build up our children. We determined to break their strong self-will without breaking their spirit. Speaking the truth in love and with grace builds trust in our relationship.

4.  Forgiveness—as much as we want to be perfect parents, we still make mistakes in our parenting journey. When we do, we ask our children to forgive us. Rather than making us “appear weak” by admitting our faults, forgiveness brings strength to our relationship. In turn, when our children disobeyed, we extended forgiveness to them and prayed with them in the disciplining process.

5.  Prayer—we followed the axiom, “The family that prays together, stays together.” We pray together over our moves, our challenges in school or with friendships, our future calling, etc. When the children were small, we taught them that their prayers were not small. Together, our faith in God has grown deeper as we share what the Lord has shown us in His Word and in prayer.

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Off to a Great Start

Leadership Development, Leadership Wednesday, President's Pen
Jul 142010

We are in the leadership season of receiving the PWOC baton from the past board and running a new leg of the “race” in 2010-2011. The path before us can look much different than in seasons past, even different than the immediate past board’s path.  Because of this difference, it is important to start your leadership year off right by seeking the Lord for His direction. Whether this is your first time leading or your fiftieth time, there is always a new path for you to take.  God is moving forward with His Kingdom calendar and has a specific assignment for you and your PWOC each season of your lives.

As you seek God’s direction for your PWOC, challenge yourself in the area of leading out of the overflow that comes from spending quality time with Him.  By meeting with God daily and asking Him to reveal Himself to you, He will fill you up with His love and show you the direction you are to go.  It’s easy to jump start the race and get ahead of His plan for your PWOC.  Watch and listen and then when He gives the green light, run with confidence the path He has given you and your ministry team to complete.

Some of His plan will include looking at how you are shining and reflecting His glory.  Over the course of a year, He may reveal some “pot holes”, which will need some attention in order that you can continue growing as a leader.

It’s my desire that you continue to grow as a leader who shines in the light of God’s glory.  Below you will find a list of attributes that I think are important for every leader to move towards.  These attributes are good prayer points for yourself and others on your ministry leadership team:

  • Love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength
  • Serve out of the overflow of your relationship with Him
  • Serve out of a pure heart and pure motives
  • Live your life in balance with God’s plan for your family and ministry
  • Listen for the Lord’s voice and walk in radical obedience to what He says
  • Courageously join God in His Kingdom work
  • Extend forgiveness, grace, love and mercy to others
  • Celebrate each other’s victories and growth in the Lord

There are many people praying for you.  Keep seeking the Lord and watch to see how God shows up and shows off in your life and the lives of others around you.

Wild About Jesus and You!

©Copyright 2010

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Prayer Points for July 4th - July 10th

Prayer Points
Jul 022010

Lord, as we celebrate America’s birthday this week, we ask for your forgiveness for our sins and for your healing mercies to be poured out in our land and on our people. We pray Psalm 51 for our beloved nation.

Psalm 51

1 Have mercy on me, O God,
because of your unfailing love.
Because of your great compassion,
blot out the stain of my sins.
2 Wash me clean from my guilt.
Purify me from my sin.
3 For I recognize my rebellion;
it haunts me day and night.
4 Against you, and you alone, have I sinned;
I have done what is evil in your sight.
You will be proved right in what you say,
and your judgment against me is just.
5 For I was born a sinner—
yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.
6 But you desire honesty from the womb,
teaching me wisdom even there.

7 Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Oh, give me back my joy again;
you have broken me—
now let me rejoice.
9 Don’t keep looking at my sins.
Remove the stain of my guilt.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a loyal spirit within me.
11 Do not banish me from your presence,
and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.

Posted by Dawn Kennedy at 2:00 am Tagged with: , ,

Prayer Points for March 28-April 3

Prayer Points
Mar 262010

But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.  John 2:24-25

Father,  We celebrate Palm Sunday around the world.  On that day, You were welcomed and hailed as King.  People filled the streets shouting Hosannah!  But You knew they would be the same crowd calling for your crucifixion a few days later.   Thank you that you know what is in each of  us, but you love us and pursue us despite our wayward hearts.  Protect us from trusting in man, in the flesh, in worldly wisdom.  Fill us with the knowledge of God and the Spirit of Wisdom from your throne.  Please forgive us when we plot and strategize, and then ask you to meet our expecations.  We lay our expectations and human wisdom on the altar of sacrifice.  We come humbly bringing every man and woman we have idolized in ministry or leadership before your throne.  Forgive us for trusting in a certain person or church group.  Forgive us for trusting ourselves and leaning on our own understanding. These things disappoint us and leave us hurting.  Help us to love  and forgive people and trust only YOU.  You are the only wise and true God.  Your Name is Faithful and True.  We receive your forgiveness and cleansing. We receive your generous outpouring of godly wisdom.   Thank you. In Jesus Trustworthy Name we pray, Amen.

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Would you go to bed with dirty feet?

Devotions
Jun 012009

andreaplotner_may09“Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6:11-13)

It’s baseball season, and while my oldest son practices, my other two boys play in a powdery red dirt pile. Yesterday they buried themselves up to the neck, like you do at the beach in summer, and I wouldn’t even let them into the house until their feet were clean. There’s a reason children get baths before bedtime: they’re filthy! Cleansing goes beyond a nicety to a daily necessity in our house.

Cleansing should be a daily necessity in my walk with God as well. Though I would never go to bed with dirty feet, many days I go to bed with unconfessed sin.  Matthew 6, an excerpt from the Lord’s Prayer above, indicates clearly that coming clean with God – in forgiveness and repentance – should be a natural part of my everyday life. Why? One reason given in verse 13 above is our protection.

Ephesians 6:14 tells us to stand firm with our breastplate of righteousness in place. When I am daily receiving God’s forgiveness, and extending it to others who have offended me, I become right with God anew. This is no small thing because a breastplate covers my vital organs – my heart, my lungs -and protects my life!

So, in the same way we wouldn’t go to bed with dirty feet, let’s remember to go to bed with hearts clean before God as well. I can’t help but picture a freshly washed little boy kneeling by his bed, clean in every way – an old fashioned image with a message for today. May I be like a little child in this way, too, daily receiving my Heavenly Father’s cleansing and protection.

Questions to ponder or journal: Am I meeting with God in focused, daily prayer? In my prayers, am I confessing my sins and extending forgiveness to others? Am I holding any grudges? Am I relying on God for every kind of provision (daily bread), or am I walking in my own strength? Check out Hebrews 10:22.

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