Women of Grace | Grace Community Church

Church Begins in the Driveway

You may not think lions are loose in Texas, but they are, and  most often on Sunday mornings. After my family arrived at church repeatedly in a state of discord and not ready to worship, I began to rethink our Sunday morning routines. Satan seemed to be getting the best of our morning ride to church.

_{Hello Friends,}

_{I’m not sure where to begin with all the incredible things we have to share with you this post…}

_{We have all witnessed God’s presence  at this retreat. We’ve heard so many great stories and feedback from the women that has been nothing short of “amazing” and so encouraging. By definition, the retreat was a success! These women are prayer warriors, and are now equipped to deepen their relationship with the Lord and disciple others.  They are committed to doing this beginning in March. God faithfully spoke through all of the teachers, lined everything up and took care of every detail of this trip. We’ve all been so blessed. None of us would trade this experience for the world!!! It has been a incredible spiritual, eye-opening time for us all.}

_{Besides the fact that these women are extremely loving and dedicated to the Father, they are very hospitable. The Romanians have made all of us feel like we’re at home.}

_{There is so much to say and we have been overwhelmed by the goodness of God, that I’ll share tidbits of our  praises and possible new opportunities for ministry.}

_Praises:

_{·         One of the women who attended this retreat rode her bike 25 miles just to attend; while others travelled 11 plus hours to be here. Don’t you just love it?!}

_{·         Thank you all SO much for praying for God to speak through our teachers! Gay’s sessions went very well. She opened her mouth and everyone listened. The ladies were just raving about her teachings, asked lots of questions, and had nothing, but positive feedback.}

_{·         The women really enjoyed their tea party and us serving them. We served a variety of cookies on decorative napkins and hot coffee in strong plastic teacups which we purchased at the party store back in Tyler. One woman asked if she could have one of the cookie tins (which we would typically just throw away) because she stated that she would love to put her flour in it. She said she’s never had anything to put it in. We told her of course! We also noticed many of the women saving their plastic teacups to reuse and napkins(which we’d also normally throw it away).  They were putting them in their purses to take home. It’s funny how much we take for granted.  Especially, the simple things like a hot shower, air conditioning, and decorative napkins!!!}

_{·         Betel took up a special collection for Moldova and Serbia yesterday and raised $400 US dollars to be split between the 2 countries to further their ministries! PRAISE!!!! *Note: Average monthly income for Moldova is $100 (USD) per month, and $150 (USD) per month}

_{·         During our last Breakout Session, several women wrote and had the courage to share their testimonies in front of everyone.  They shared how God had changed their lives, strengthened their relationships with Him and others.}

_{·         We had the honor and privilege of celebrating the accomplishments of about 40 women who have completed their 4-year discipleship training program!!! We awarded them diplomas and a Leadership manual which had been translated by Gina. They were all beaming with excitement!!! We are so proud of them and are excited to see how the develop into dedicated disciples of Jesus Christ!}

_{New Opportunities for Ministry:}

_{·         The lady in charge of Women’s Bible Studies here asked Gay to send her the Rules and Regulations of how she prepares Women’s Studies and to start a church library!}

_{·         Maria, one of our translators who is an engineer and a mother of twins, works for a Ministry called, Student Plus. Student Plus is a ministry which trains leaders to disciple others on leadership. She was very impacted by Linda’s teaching and stated, “this material could not have come at a better time!” She told Linda she was going to use the material in a few weeks when she trains her next group. Maria was also very interested in pursuing opportunities with Chrisitian Women’s Job Corps! Isn’t that incredible! God is just blowing us away, left and right!!!}

_{·         Mari from the church in Moldova has asked for us to send them the teaching material, so she and her husband Mark could give them away as they plant churches across South Moldova!!! WOW…Are YOU blown away yet?!?! Look at all He is doing!!!}

_{·         In one of the previous blogs, I had mentioned that we have been invited to come to Moldova next year.  Well, last night at dinner, the ladies shared why they wanted us to come. They explained that most of the women in leadership in their church are 65 and older. Their desire is to train the younger women in the church to step up and take that leadership role and they believe the material we have would equip them to do so.  If we were to go to Moldova next year, we would most likely be taking Romanian women with us. Please help us pray about this and the direction in which God is leading through the decision making process.}

_{There is SO much more to share, so you’ll just have to get together with some of us on the team for  lunch or coffee when we get back tohear more! I wish I had more time to share, but we have a busy next couple of days, so this will be the last post until we return.}

 _{Last night we were invited by Pusa, one of the ladies here at the conference, to go to Lugoi(it’s about an hour away) to witness her 17-year old daughter get baptized. We will be leaving shortly and have the opportunity to see some of the Romanian country side and the gypsy villages. At tonight's service we will get to witness 18 baptisms! We are SO excited!}

_{We leave first thing in the morning to make our way back home. We have a quick stop in Vienna, Austria and then homeward bound! Please continue to pray that we have a safe trip home, everyone remains healthy, none of our belongings get lost, and most importantly for the women that attended this conference. Pray that they remain on a high from everything they received this weekend. Pray He begins to stir in their hearts to step up as leaders and begin discipling.}

 

_{Love the Romanian at heart,}

_{Linda, Betty, Gay, Amy, Carol and Heather}

_{p.s. Make sure you check out the latest pictures. Due to technological software issues, we were unable to post the videos.}

The Photo Op

 

Baby dedications can be high stress. New outfits. Visitng relatives. Will the baby be awake, cry, or worse - spit up while on stage?

My neighbors spend a great deal of time each year in Africa with a missions organization. The wife told me the story of a very different baby dedication.

Nascut sa ma inchin (You and I Were Made to Worship)

"You and I were made to worship;
You and I are to believe;
You and I are forgiven and free..."

Well friends, we've made it to our half way point on the trip and we are having a marvelous time witnessing all God is doing here at the retreat.

Last night, we kicked off our retreat with scripture readings, prayer and worship. It was beautiful. I have never in my life been so moved by worship. The sound of the Romanian women singing to our King in unison was incredibly moving. It was like an army of angels singing. It brought tears to my eyes, as well as some of the other women on the team.

Amy and Betty completed their first round of teachings and wrapped their last sessions up this morning. Both of them did an excellent job and the women really seemed to be impacted by their teachings. Many of the women are coming up to us and sharing how much they are enjoying the retreat, what they are learning, and how the material is speaking to them. We are loving every minute of it!

Today, Linda and Carol have been teaching and both have done an excellent job, as well. The women are asking questions and taking a lot of notes. The women also seem to really be enjoying the contemporary Christian worship. Amy preformed her song, "We Are Free"(which I will be posting a video of later on today); meanwhile, Carol played "Made to Worship" on her guitar.  The women loved both songs!!!

We just wrapped up lunch, and are heading back to the sanctuary for more teachings and fellowship. *We had another delicious authentic Romanian dish called, Sarmale. Some of you may remember Linda making this for the " Taste of Missions" Night we had back at the WOG downtown center in May. It's flavored pork and beef wrapped in thin cabbage seasoned with spices. It was.to.die.for. Denny is right!!! SO much for losing weight on this trip. We're not going hungry that's for sure!

For those of you who would like to see more photos, be sure to keep checking the website for updates. Stay tuned for the video of Amy's performance and Linda's teaching.

Until then, please continue praying for us and the women attending this retreat. Pray that God will continue to speak into their hearts and that they make the material they are learning apart of their everyday lives. Also, pray for Gina who is feeling extremely exhausted and had a bit of a rough coughing spell this morning. As far as prayer requests for the team, I know some of the team members are feeling a little nervous about their teachings and/or out of their comfort zone which leads to being homesick.

Thank you for so fervently praying!

Your serving sisters,

Betty, Linda, Carol, Gay, Amy, and Heather

Dumnezeu Este Bun (God is Good)!!!

Good afternoon, friends!

WOW! What a day today has been...God has truly blown us away! Not only has he answered our prayers, but He has very much made himself known at this church and the women that are attending this retreat!We are SO glad to finally start seeing some of the women arrive.

We started our day by having lunch with some of the women on the Moldovian leadership team. We had a wonderful time of fellowship and learned that they all serve at the largest evangelical church in the capital of Moldova. These women are so full of joy and a pleasure to be around. With that said, we have some exciting news to share. During lunch, these women invited the Women of Grace to come to Moldova next year and teach!!! Can you believe it? God is SO good! This is definitely something we will be bathing in prayer. We look forward to seeing what Gods plans are for the future and with the women.

We mentioned in our last post that we were having some obstacles and hindrances that were causing a few problems...well, God answered those prayers this afternoon. We had two angels show up!

One, by the name of Allen. Last night we were having an extremely difficult time getting all of our memory cards to load into the laptop, so we could upload pictures. None, of us brought our USB cords, incase our luggage happened to get lost, so we had to make do with the 8 pictures we were able to load. Well, Allen showed up with a USB cord that fit my camera and we were able to upload all the photos to flickr! PRAISE!!!

Second, Carol had been asking repeatedly if the church was going to be able to provide a guitar for her to lead worship. Everyone we asked wasn't sure when she might be able to get a guitar to practice. Well, not 3 minutes after Allen showed up at our door with the USB cord, a lady from the church showed up with a bright blue guitar for Carol to practice!!! Isn't our God SO wonderful!!!

Right now, everyone is doing the last minute preparations before our conference begins. We're down to the final hour.

How you can continue praying:

• Amy and Betty will be teaching tonight, so if you could just continue to pray that the Lord will speak through them and that the women would receive it well and open their hearts to His prompting
• Safe arrival for all the women traveling to the conference
• For the health of Gina and the Romania team

Glad to be serving,

Romania Team
(Betty, Linda, Amy, Gay, Carol, and Heather

Greetings from Romania!!!

Click on link to see photos

Buna Ziua(Hello in Romanian)!!!

We made it to Timisoara with no travel glitches or lost luggage. Praise God!!!Peter was at the airport to greet us and from there we headed to the church, Betel Baptist, which will be our home away from home during our stay here.

We've all experienced a little bit of jet lag, but have been very productive on our first day. Betty and Linda met with Gina to discuss future plans, finalized the plans for the retreat while the rest of us spent the day with our wonderful tour guide, Magda, the church Secretary. We've seen lots of beautiful architecture and learned many historical facts about the city. We've also tried some authentic Romanian cuisine and encountered some incredible people. We've had the opportunity to witness many Romanian men devote countless hours (late into the night) to help the church complete their renovations of the sanctuary.

Tomorrow our retreat begins and we're all excited! Everyone is ready to teach. There are an estimated 120 women from all over Romania, Serbia, and Moldova that are expected to attend. Our team as well as our Romania team have been experiencing several instances of spiritual warfare. Nothing major, but just distractions, complications, and delays among them technological problems.

How you can be praying:

• A safe arrival for all the women, some of whom are coming quite a distance
• Health and preparation of the team teaching
• Rest for the team and overcoming jetlag
• Skill for the translators
• No technological or schedule difficulties (especially for communication/postings via computer and camera)
• Most of all, major evidence that God is impacting and the women are receiving all God has for them
• Gina, our Romania partner, who is experiencing severe health problems, yet continues to minister faithfully

 Stay tuned for more pictures and updates tomorrow!

Blessings,

The 2009 Romania Team
(Betty, Linda, Gay, Amy, Carol, & Heather)

Girls' Night In Celebration - Get Off the Bench

The month of July opened with a Celebration of Grace Community women and other Tyler groups joined together for the Girls Night in. This is but one of four annual events held by Women of Grace.

Out of the Nest

 

I wondered if I'd told my daughter everything she needed to know. I stood on the dorm steps and gave her one more last hug and kiss. I'd only had eighteen years with her and at that moment it didn't seem near long enough.

She pressed a letter into my hand and said, "Promise you won't read it until you get back to the hotel room."

Help Me, Lord

 

The other day my great niece attempted to gt into her carseat before her mother could get there to help her. I heard her little voice saying in desperation, "Help me, Lord!"

"I'm coming!" her mother said.

My niece retorted. "You're not the Lord."

"No, but I am your mother, and God gave you a mother to help you."

A Recipe for Friendship

We all would love to have that perfect friend.  You know, the one who is always there and never disappoints, who not only loves you but also enjoys you.  Below is a recipe for friendship.  It's a cake that's sweet, but not too sweet, light and fluffy, but not too high fo rthe cake pedistal.

ANGEL FOOD FRIENDSHIP CAKE

1 cup sifted life experience

1cup listening

1/2 cup trust

1 1/2 tsp. time together

1/4 tsp. laughter

1 1/2 tsp. encouragement

3/4 cup prayers

Stir the sifted life experience with listening.  Beat trust with time together, laughter, and encouragement to form soft peaks that are stiff enought to keep the relationship together but keep the shine. Last but not least, add the prayers, and bake to perfection.  It's a light and tasty cake fit for the "King".

Is this the kind of friend you'd like to have? Can you be this kind of friend for someone else? In her book "Pathway to Purpose," Katharine Giske writes that friendship needs to be a three-way street. We need to offer the friendship of receiving, sharing and affirming.  We receive through a friendship with a more experienced woman who is willing to share her successes and failures in the labaoratory of life.  She studies your potential and is committed to helping you grow. We share with a friend when we are both being honest enough to speak the truth to each other in love. We are affirmed when we take the time to give to each other.  All three are necessary in our lives.

The Lord is a perfect friend.  His Word is rich in insight and wisdom.  With the Lord as our best friend we have so much more to offer each other in friendship.

By Linda Alden - Women of Grace Director

                    

It's Not About You

 I heard a voice say, “I can do that” and realized it was my own!

 

It shouldn’t have been a surprise that I would volunteer to lead a Crown Financial Ministries’ small group study. After all, I was sitting there in the leaders’ training class.

The Glass Half Full

 

A recent electrical storm did a number at our house in the country. In the week after the storm we kept discovering gadgets and appliances that had been destroyed by the lightening strike.

I was exasperated not only with the mounting financial cost but the time it was taking waiting on repairmen. After the third workman showed me scorch marks along with a melted phone jack,  I decided that I should begin measuring our "catastrophe" in a different way.

Queen of Good Intentions

 

I adjust my sash, straighten my crown...no, I'm not a beauty queen, but thanks for the boost to my ego.

 

Don't you recognize me? Surely you have seen me before, perhaps even in your very own mirror.

 

I, my dear friend, am the Queen of Good Intentions.

The Offering

 

Do you ever feel that all you have to offer God is a big, tangled mess?

 

 

Whether it is relationship conflict, family issues or financial failures, we all feel at times that the only thing we can do is crawl into God’s presence and lay the confusing jumble at His feet… and wait for a blast of harsh words in response.

Good Mom Vs. Loser Mom

 

Today I was a good mom. One of my three daughters wanted to have a bake sale. And, despite the fact that we live in a two street neighborhood with little potential for her to reap any financial reward for her efforts, and despite the fact that I had so many other things to do, and despite the fact that when one child wants to bake, all three want to bake and eight hands are four too many in the kitchen, I agreed. I was a good mom.

KNOWING THE FATHER

 

The little girl clung tightly to her mother as they entered the room. Her demeanor wasn’t like the other children who smiled and laughed. She was quiet and withdrawn and kept her head on her mother’s shoulder. She appeared to be about four years old and I assumed she was just bashful.

 

The Father's Eyes

 

 My oldest daughter loved to go to the mall when she was four.  As a social butterfly she liked to be around the crowds. She never met a stranger. She had no fear.

 

This also presented a problem. My daughter did not feel the need to stay with her parents. She could handle the excursion on her own and expected us to keep up.

Mentoring through friendship . . . you do it all the time

 

God is neither distant nor aloof. He is personal and relational, and He has clearly communicated that our relationship with Him cannot be separate or isolated from our relationships with other believers at all levels of maturity. His Word, in fact, describes our relationship with other believers as a body – one body with Him. These relationships are not an option. They are as essential as the air we breathe and the blood that courses through our veins.

 

Just another Pretty Face

 

Have you ever realized the things that we take for granted? I don’t mean things like we have more money and more food and more jobs than most of the world. I mean, little tiny things. Things like, your eyes open and close when you blink, or sleep. You can chew your food and give someone a huge smile. I know that sounds crazy, but just stick with me for a minute.

 

Happily Ever After?

Have you ever been truly gripped by fear, so paralyzed by panic that you literally felt crippled? Fear has a way of manifesting itself in many forms. Maybe for you it’s finances, your prodigal child, the uncertainty of your job, or a rocky relationship. For me, it is cancer. It’s just one of those words that I never planned to add to my resume. Then again, none of these things are, are they?

Happy Valentine's Day....Love, God

 

 The phone rang and I could hear the sobs in the young woman’s voice. She poured out her disappointment over a recent argument with her husband. 

 

“He just was not sensitive to my needs,” the newlywed cried.

 

I remembered the days of putting my own husband to such a high standard that he was doomed to failure. He had to be Brad Pitt, Mr. Darcey and Jason Bourne all in one well dressed package.

 

Guilt is like

reflux.

 

It just keeps coming back.

Whether guilty feelings are mild or seriously troubling,

they should not be ignored.

 

It is a potentially dangerous condition

that can damage your faith,

discourage your heart,

and delete your joy.

 

Take one capsule of sincere confession

each day

and

see your Great Physician for faithful treatment.

 

by Mary Rossman

 

Cleansing the Pain of False Guilt

 

I willl always believe that if the devil could steal just one truth from the church, it would be the foundational truth of repentance. And he has succeeded. God has given us a simple plan for repentance and cleansing the pain of our sin. Old Testament believers understood it. The first century church understood it. The Puritans understood it; but contemporary Christians have somehow lost this vital truth. Somewhere along the way we moved away from tearful repentance to dry-eyed confession of sin.

Thank You, Workers for LIFE

 

I met Leah Crawford on a sidewalk in downtown Tyler. She was taking part in a Stand for Life.  Her sign caught my eye and I had to hear her story.

THE STRANGER

A few years after I was born, my dad met a stranger who was new to our
small Texas town.  From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this
enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The
stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on.

CHRISTMAS Light

 

This holiday season we are reminded at every turn that money is tight. The headlines scream about Wall Street tumbles and dives. My friends have all voiced plans for scaled back festivities and fewer gifts under the tree.

Christmas light is really a course correction.

I ponder the first Christmas and marvel at the irony of its incredible simplicity. A baby whose father owned the cattle on a thousand hills was a street child birthed in a stable. That is a beginning with which half of the world’s population can identify.

During a season that has boasted increasingly more extravagance through the ages I read in Luke 2 of Jesus being presented to God in the temple on the eighth day of his life. His parents offered a pair of common birds – the poor man’s offering instead of the preferred unblemished lamb. The son of God was indeed born into a humble, poor earthly family.

I am finding my own family’s trimmed budget actually freeing. Less shopping -- less shipping. The paradox, “less is more”, could not be truer. As we leave behind the focus on the material we can realize the opportunity of walking in the reality of the spiritual richness of the holiday season.

Merry Christmas Light!

 

by Rhodema Cargill

SHINE LIKE THE STARS

Have you ever thought how the stars are always shining overhead? We don’t see them during the light of day. But they are up there – never wavering.

A Taste of Missions - Columbian Coffee anyone?

by Betty O'Maker

For many of us, probably the most we know about Colombia is that they export beans that make a fine cup of coffee.  And for some of us, we might even remember the figure of Juan Valdez leading his trusty burro loaded down with bags of rich coffee beans from the Colombian hills. 

But as you sit drinking that heavenly nectar at Starbucks, or McDonalds, or in the comfort of your own home, do you ever think about the country of Colombia and its people?  Probably not.  If you're like me, you're probably in an early morning stupor, hoping the caffeine will kick in and finally get you motivated into motion so that you can make to work on time, or get the kids breakfast, pack their lunches, and get them off to school - or possibly all of the aforementioned. 

From the Mouth of Babes

I wasn’t ready to answer THE question. I was driving my seven year old daughter, Kristen, to school when a news story came on the radio. She asked, “What is abortion?”

I looked at her across the front seat of the car. Her feet didn’t touch the floor and her pony tails bobbed about as she twisted intently toward me. I wasn’t ready to answer this. But, I’d rather it came from me than someone at school.

Date Night Blessings

Remember date nights?  Those are the special evenings that you are supposed to reserve for your husband for time with just the two of you. For some of us they are monthly, weekly or non-existant.

Maybe it is time to reinstitute this special tradition. Last night in Bible study one young wife shared a tip that might kickstart date nights in your marriage or revitalize them.