Question for your husband...

Good morning Ladies, It is a beautiful Saturday morning,a few rain showers and alot of clouds. A nice change from the "HOT" weather. I am doing something I have never done before today about 12 noon. We are helping to give out draws for the Braylon Poker Run @ Old Hundred Store. The bikers are helping raise monies for Down Syndrome Family Alliance of Greenville and for the SC Autism Society. You know why I am doing this,I truly love kids with any special needs and our family is doing it for Colby our baby. OK, back to the True woman,we had a great meeting on July 19th,we had about 13 ladies at the meeting. Our next meeting is Tuesday August 24th @7:00pm. We will be having a baby shower for Leigh Beasley at that meeting. It is a diaper shower. Come if you can we would love to have you join us. The assignment from last week intrigued the ladies so alot of them could not wait to come to the meeting. I asked the ladies for their husbands phone numbers to ask them a question and I ask the ladies to please not quiz their husbands. I did this because I wanted us to hear real answers from the men in our lives. So here is the question I asked the husbands and here are their responses..I don't feel respected when my wife______________________

When she ignores me when I say something to her

When she rejects my advances

she tries to control me

when she micro manages my every move

speaks negative toward me in front of others

lets what I tell her go in one ear and out the other

My wife shows me alot of respect and I am blessed I really should show her more



Now I want you to think about it do you know how your husband would answer. It would be nice if they could all answer like the last one. This was very eye opening for alot of us ladies. Some even knew what answer went with their husband even though I did not tell them. God had already started convicting us. Ladies on this journey to become God's True Woman He is opening up our eyes in alot of areas that we fall short and one is how we treat our husbands.Think about the question and if you dare ask it to him but you can't get mad at his answer let it help you grow. Ask God to help you be the best wife possible. So that your marriage can lead others to Christ. Love you,Saundra

Oh, the Depth of God's Riches...Pressing Deeper still

Romans 11:33-35 "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgements and unfathomable His ways! For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR? Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things, To Him be the glory forever, Amen.

I would love to be able to travel and see the wonders of this world that God has created outside of my surroundings.  Not that I cannot experience them just outside my door as I watch the birds, the hopy hopy's (EraBoyd's bunnies that frequent our back yard), the wildflowers, and all the things of nature as Randy and I ride through the woods with our grandgirls .,... God's hand is definitely in the small things as well as the big.  But I would love to look at the wonders of the Grand Canyon and just reflect at how God's hand "formed" this great wonder and all we can do is breathe in the majesty of His wonderful handiwork.  I have this feeling when I look at the vast ocean and how every detail is designed to operate simply at the Word of God!  It is overwhelming and all I can think is "Lord God, HOW?" It is absolutely too deep for my finite mind to comprehend. 

Let me share the above scripture from Romans as written in the Message with you:

   Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God,  this deep, deep wisdom? It's way over our heads.  We'll never figure it out. 

Is there anyone around who can explain God?

Anyone smart enough to tell him what to do?

Anyone who has done him such a huge favor that God has to ask His advice?

Everything comes from him,

Everything happens through him;

Everything ends up in him,

Always glory! Always praise!

Yes.  Yes.  Yes.

Nancy Leigh DeMoss uses this passage as the framework and context for our lives as women who are striving to become True Women of God - to display God's Glory in our womanhood.  She explains that it gives us a fixed reference point for our hearts which directs us to God's ultimate and eternal purposes.  It gives us a perspective for responding to His sovereign choices in our lives, especially those that we cannot understand or explain.

I am going to share with you some of the truths and reflections Nancy uses in her book "Voices of the True Woman" :

It starts with "Oh, the depth...

The Greek word translated "depth" is similar to our English word "bath".  The way we sink down into hot water in a bathtub from neck to toe - the depths of God's "riches and wisdom and knowledge" overwhelm us.  They rise above us.  They roll beneath us.  They float all around us - we just want to bathe in them.

Nancy tells the story of a Navy lieutenant, and a Swiss scientist that took a deep-diving, submersible vessel known as a bathyscaphe down to the deepest spot on earth - the Marianas Trench, a chasm in the Pacific near the island of Guam. 7 miles straight down under the ocean's surface, 35,800 feet, a massive, record setting human feat. It took them nearly 5 hours but they were finally able to locate the bottom of the ocean floor. Once they arrived - they could go NO FURTHER.  This is not the case with the depths of God. We could never get our mind around all of the depts of His riches, wisdom, and knowledge.  He is inexhaustible, limitless, and immeasurable!

Now to bring this down a little where I think we can all at one time or another truly relate, she goes on to explain. Even though we can never reach the bottom of God's unfathomable ways, we do know what it is like to reach the bottom of our own strength - down where life drags the floor of all human abilities, where everything feels hopeless and pointless and impossible to handle.  This is where many women give up and call it quits, or slink away into a pit of bitterness, or turn their frustrations on those nearest them - anything to cope with life at the bottom. But the true woman knows that deeper than her own limitations and problems is the bedrock of God's riches, wisdom and knowledge. His unseen yet sovereign eternal purposes are underneath it all, holding it all together.  Corrie ten Boom's sister, Betsie, wasting away and dying in the Nazi concentration camp urged Corrie to "tell people what we have learned here...that there is no pit so deep that He is not deeper still."  They understood the depts of the riches and wisdom and knowledge and love of God - they had been in the "pit" and used this as their ministry sharing what they knew - people listened to them because they had lived it out. 

Many of you today may have problems deeper than ever before. The issues of your life may have reached depths that perhaps you have never experienced before.  No matter how low you have been taken we must remember that there is something - SOMEONE - who is DEEPER STILL.  Deut. 33:27a "The eternal God is a dwelling place, And underneath are the everlasting arms;" Pastor John Piper says "When you get to the bottom of everything in your life you find the bedrock (granite) - the bedrock of our lives and our faith are the riches, wisdom, and knowledge of God.  That is what is underneath holding it all together.

I love the book of Ephesians.  A few years ago I was drawn to Chapter 3 for weeks.  Verses 14-23 became my prayer - and God seems to bring me back here from time to time. 

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,

from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,

that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory,

to be strengthend with power through His Spirit in the inner man,

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;

and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

may be able to comprehend with all the saints

what is the breadth and length and height and depth,

and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge

that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think,

according to the power that works within us,

to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus

 to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

To that I close with YES.  YES.   YES.  Will you join me in pressing on through whatever the depth of life you are in today and reach DEEPER STILL?

Blessings,

Donna

Choosing Faith Over Fear

In reading the book, Voices of the True Woman Movement, I was reminded of how Satan, the enemy, can use fear to keep us from being the true women God has called us to be. I want to share what I gleaned from Karen Loritts, one of the authors. She writes about being crippled by fear when her last child goes off to college and the empty nest syndrome sets in. I could relate so well to that as I am about to have Lauren, our oldest daughter leave for college in August.

Loritts describes her emotional meltdown as not something a woman who has been in ministry for 30 years should be experiencing. She confesses to having a hard time admitting to family and friends. Sound familar to anyone? Despite pressing ahead with her schedule and being faithful to prayer and bible study she hard a hard time shaking off the fear!! She gained some valuable insight that I want to share with you all. It helped me and I pray that that the next time fear tries to sneak up on you, you will arm yourself with these strategies.

Before I share the strategies I want to make sure we understand how powerful fear can be. Do you realize that fear does not travel alone? Fear packs some evil enemies when planning its attack. The following is a list of 10 evil companions of fear.
1. Fear distorts reality.
2. Fear victimizes.
3. Fear adds stress.
4. Fear creates doubt.
5. Fear cripples us.
6. Fear replaces faith.
7. Fear disappoints us.
8. Fear makes us doubtful of success.
9. Fear fills our heart with despair.
10. Fear steals and destroys.

Now, I know after reading this, you're probably not very uplifted, but we you must fear, becasue fear has met its match!! There is HOPE in Christ Jesus. Now for the Good stuff!! Lorrits writes that she realized she needed to turn to the Bible and read some things she has known all along. She read Exodus 14:14 "The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent." When the children of Israel were trapped by mountains and sea with the Egyptian army pursuing them from behind, Moses encouraged them. In other words, "Be still, be quiet and see the power of God working for you!! Loritts resolved to not let fear rob her of joy and blessing. We must do this also ladies!! Don't let Satan steal your joy. We are going to have troubles, hardships and difficult situations living day to day, it's part of our refining process. So we must be prepared and recognize fear when it starts to creep in.

Finally, here are the strategies found in James 4:7-10.

1. Submit to God. Or another word for submit is surrender. We are learning this is crucial as we study the True Woman manifesto. It's not a one time surrender either. I find myself having to surrender throughout the day. Sometimes, I fail to surrender and have to ask for fogiveness.

2. Resist the Devil. I'm sure you all realize the DEVIL is real, he's not a little make believe character dressed in red, carrying a pitch fork. Here's my favorite part of this verse-Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Did you hear that? God assures us that if we resist, he will flee. It doesn't say the he might flee, or he will probably flee, or he will think about fleeing it says, he will flee. It takes action on our part though-we must first resist him, then he will flee.

3. Draw near to God. We do this through prayer and spending time in God's Word. We also need to ask others to pray for us. Break down the wall of pride. Don't listen to the voice of the enemey.

4. Cleanse your hands. Repent of any sin and experience the freedom found in a right fellowship with God. His love is unconditional and bounds in grace.

5. Purify your heart. Get rid of any anger or bitterness you may have built up inside and not even realize it. Psalm 139:23-24 "Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way." These verses can be so helpful to us if we will just apply them. We must pray them daily.

6. Humble yourself. We must be willingly to let down our guard with those we trust and admit we are struggling. I have found when I do this I am always supported and usually learn that my friend, who I thought had it all together, is struggling with something also. Let's face it. We were created for relationships with other women. Fulfilling our day to day responsibilities consumes a lot of time, but we must be intentional with making time for other Christian women.

I know this was a long post, but I shared what God laid on my heart!! Enjoying the journey to becoming a TRUE Woman of God with you all!!

In His Love,
Renee :)

Happy July 4th

Hello Ladies, I hope each of you have a Happy July 4th with your family and friends. Wow, what a great service at WBC this morning. I don't know about you all but for me this summer season is flying by. I am excited about the True Woman Journey that many of us or on. My group has already had our second meeting and I was so blessed to hear how God spoke to some of the ladies through the foundation. I believe God is speaking to many ladies about taking back our homes, our children and our marriages. But like I told my group in our meeting in June if you are doing what God wants, you better watch out for satan's attack because it will come. But if you are walking with God and being a True woman of God then you are going to have victory believe me when I tell you all of this. The day before my June meeting I had an attack from satan and I did not believe that the next day I would be able to lead my group time. So I called Donna and a few other ladies and asked them to pray for me because I felt defeated. But within a few hours of these calls I had such peace and God spoke to me and said are you going to be a true woman or not? I texted Donna back and told her if Job could make it so could I. I want you all to believe in the power of prayer like that. I knew I had friends lifting me up and God showed me that even in the valley I can still be a true woman of God, my problem is still here but I choose to trust God and not myself with it. If you are not in a True Woman group please contact Donna,Kay,Renee or myself we would love to help you get plugged in to a group. Ladies, most of you should be reading through the affirmation part of the manifesto. Looking forward to seeing my group July 20th at 7:00pm. Love you all and I am enjoying being on this journey with you. Saundra