Turnover Time

regional review
Apr 072011

Submitted by Christine Young, Europe Region President

It’s spring here in Europe.  The baby sheep are here.  That is always a turning point for me.  I love this time of year, when things that have lain dormant over winter are now springing to life.  I especially enjoy this time of year in relationship to our PWOC leadership calendar.  Very soon it’s “Turnover Time” and I’m not talking about apple or cherry.  Leadership selection in our chapters is either in high gear or coming to a conclusion.  Hundreds of leaders are finishing their year in service and hundreds more are gearing up to serve the many women and Chaplains in PWOC.

I’m a people watcher and if you’re watching close enough, or involved in leadership at some level, you will see two categories of people who have served this past year.  Inevitably we will see women who have served and can’t wait to hand the baton to their successor.  It’s been a tough year, filled with messy ministry problems and they are exhausted and “so done” with being on the board.  Often times these women are too tired and distracted to adequately prepare turnover files and AARs (After Action Reports).  She’ll meet her new counterpart and run for the door.  Ok.  Maybe a slight exaggeration there…

On the other side of the spectrum, you will see women energized by their year in serving.   She has so many stories and testimonies to share about how the Lord used her as an instrument to touch lives.   She may likely have already signed up for another board position or, if she’s moving, she’s scoped out her next PWOC and praying about how she can serve the Lord there.   She has taken the time to catalog the key information her successor might need and maybe even put in a few extra goodies just for good measure.

Of course there is a range of people in between the woman who is “so done” and the other woman who is “so energized.”  My point today is, if you have served, where do you fit?   Are you “so done” or are you “so energized?” Ministry is not easy and it comes at a cost.  What lessons have you learned in serving this past year?  Is there any unresolved sin issue that you need to work out in your heart, on your board, with a PWOC sister?  If so, it’s never too late to repair a relationship.  What could you have done better or differently?  In closing, if you’re a board member, please work on your turnover files now.  J  Consider what would have helped you navigate better in your position this past year and work toward blessing the sister who will come in after you.  That would be a great way to end your year in service.  My prayer is that you finish well this year and can enthusiastically move forward to serve the Lord Jesus Christ.

Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

- Phil 3:12-14

 

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Prayer points for April 11-17

Prayer Points
Apr 162010

Be patient, then, sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.

James 5:7

I love the clean, fragrant smell of spring rain in April.  This time of year I often get what my family calls, “Spring Fever”.  For me it is not spring cleaning I do, but an almost unstopped need to touch the earth, to dig and to plant.  This year all four of our children worked beside me poking holes in the black earth, dropped impossibly small gray seeds into the holes, and then our vigil of waiting began.  We daily visit the garden to watch for signs of life.   Shouts of joy echo down the street when one of spots another green shoot poking up through the dirt.   It is just as much a miracle to me today as it was when I was 5, planting seeds in a cut off milk container.    Oh how I wish I could see the changes in the seed happening under the dirt, like time lapse photography.

What a picture of God’s dealing in our lives.  (James 5:7 and following)

Dear God,

Thank you for planting Your Word deep in the soil of our hearts.  We long for the day when we are with You face to face, when all of our tears are washed away and all of our questions are answered.  God, strengthen our hearts.  Help us not complain, not judge those around us, help us to endure.  We have seen the outcome of Your dealings, that You are compassionate and merciful.  Give us strength to wait for the spring rain, bringing new life to the desolate seasons.  Father, grace us to pray and praise, to bless and not curse, to patiently endure.  We long for the spring rain of Your Presence and Your Goodness.    We love you, in Jesus Name, Amen.

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Spring to Life: Bloom and Grow

Devotions
Apr 052010

Submitted by Laura Miller, Yokoto AB, Japan

Isaiah 45:8
You heavens above, rain down righteousness;
let the clouds shower it down.
Let the earth open wide,
let salvation spring up,
let righteousness grow with it;
I, the LORD, have created it.

Song of Solomon 2:12a
Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come,

Spring to Life: Bloom and Grow was the theme of the Yokota PWOC conference held on March 19-20. The theme and decorations were planned around the season and colors of the Sakura Tree. Sakura means Japanese flowering cherry (cherry blossom) and it is a beautiful season to observe in Japan and Washington D.C. too. The Sakura tree has the appearance of a dead tree during the winter months and in late March it springs to life (blooms) with delicate white or pink blossoms. The tree branches become loaded with these lovely blossoms; but within a week, they begin to float to the ground, dropping their seeds upon the soil, and the branches are replaced with light green leaves. As the tree grows, the branches develop more leaves that take in sunlight and by summer the tree is filled with dark green leaves that reveal a mature tree with abundant life. Under the tree the roots are taking in nutrients from the soil and water that nourishes the tree and makes it flourish above.

As I reflect upon the cycle of a Sakura tree; I compare it to the life of a Christian. Do your branches appear dead? What is the condition of the soil of your heart? A fertile heart is created my allowing the Holy Spirit to plow deep into the heart to reveal sin and strongholds that leads to confession and repentance; turning away from sin. God places His seed, Jesus–the Word of God, into the soil of our hearts and causes salvation to spring up and righteousness to bloom and grow. May our hearts be fertile ground and the seeds planted through daily devotions, weekly Bible studies, monthly programs, and PWOC conferences be brought to germination by the power of the Holy Spirit. God desires to create a woman full of the Holy Spirit; a beautiful flowering tree that appears on earth that offers up a sweet fragrance unto Him. His plan is for us to drop or sow seeds of His Word and bear fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:8). Are your branches bearing fruit? Abide in Him (John 15). Are you sowing seeds of righteousness and sharing the gospel? Hearts that are cultivated and watered with prayer and the Word of God will result in transformed lives and mature women in Christ. Allow the Son to shine upon you and bask in His presence in prayer. Sink your roots deep into His Word so that you may bloom and grow and flourish; even under adversity (winter).

Adversity creates an environment that can destroy a tree, such as a wind storm or freeze. Adversity can actually make you stronger if you remain firmly planted and rooted deep in Christ and trust Him to get you through the struggle. You will not be uprooted or die and can withstand the harsh winter months and burst forth with fruit in due season of time.

This morning as I drove my children to school, I noticed the Sakura trees that line the streets of my neighborhood are laden with flower buds. Yokota AB will soon be filled with shades of pink and white. I hope as we witness the cycle of the Sakura blossom or any other flowering tree or plant this spring; from the budding of the flower, to the blossom floating down to the ground, then see the development of the leaves as they grow and multiply into a mature tree, that it will remind us that is what God wants to do within our hearts.

I would also like to remind you that it was upon a tree that Jesus died and gave His life for you and me. Spring to Life: Bloom and Grow as you celebrate the resurrection of Our Lord and Savior. By the power of the Holy Spirit, may Jesus be resurrected in you!

Acts 13:29
When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.

Acts 5:30
The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead—whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree.

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Eternal Spring

Devotions
May 252009

“But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.” Romans 3:21

In the story of “The Chronicles of Narnia,” the land of Narnia is under the power and spell of the witch who keeps Narnia in perpetual winter. But, as Aslan the lion [a representation of Christ] comes closer, the Narnia winter gives way to spring.

When Christ dwells in our hearts by faith, there is a spiritual spring that inevitably spreads across the land of our hearts. The catalyst for this change is an intentional, daily, moment by moment revisiting of the central truths of the gospel. Romans 3:19-26 explains these truths clearly, and Jerry Bridges refers to this passage as “The Heart of the Gospel.” It is placed after a very detailed description of our condition as sinners. This portion of Scripture is one with which we should become thoroughly familiar and that we should “preach” to ourselves every day.

What does “preaching the gospel to yourself daily” mean? It means that you continually face up to your own sinfulness and inability to keep the law perfectly as God requires and then flee to Jesus through faith in His shed blood and righteous life. It means that you appropriate, again and again, by faith, the fact that Jesus fully satisfied the law of God, that God’s love has been awakened to you through the blood of Jesus, and that God’s holy wrath is no longer directed toward you. It means you are no longer condemned (Rom 8:1), you are forgiven (Col 2:13) and He now presents you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation (Col 1:22).

Knowing and remembering these truths softens the hard soil of our hearts so that God’s word can sink deeply, taking root, bringing life out of death , and spring out of winter. Why? Because out of that knowledge of the truth, a deep indebtedness and thankfulness for what Jesus has done bursts forth a deep desire to please that Savior who loves you so much. Hallelujah, what a Savior! Unlike the seasonal spring that occurs once a year, the spring that Jesus continually moves across the land of our hearts is always moving forward, into eternity, to be perfected when we see Him face to face!

Questions for consideration or journaling:
1. Am I familiar with the truths of Romans 3:19-26?
2. In your own words, what does it mean to “preach the gospel to yourself daily?”
3. Am I “preaching the gospel to myself daily?” How can I grow in this area?

Used by permission.

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