Jesus

The Very Thought of You

/ Jana / 1 Comment

Her eyes were so red from crying that it made the blue of her irises all the more vivid. “Why am I believing in God if it is still so hard and nothing is changing?” she asked. “You talk about all this supernatural stuff but I don’t see it in my life. What am I supposed to do?”

My heart broke in response but I was also really, really excited.  I had been in this moment of desperation before. And now, I knew what was on the other side –  more of Him, more surrender, more freedom. She couldn’t see what I saw. She was what was changing. A year ago she was a different person. And today, the circumstances were hard, but she was stronger, she was different. She was waking up to a much bigger God.

What wall are you screaming at today? What bill, person, job, sickness, need is the focus of your energy and attention?  My friend was trying to assess who God is based on her circumstances. But after a good scream and cry, and after a good long look at His face, her circumstances were the same, but they looked different. She now saw them through His eyes. He has a way of doing that. He will do that for you too.

God is never overwhelmed by anything. Any thing. And if He isn’t, we don’t have to be either. Even as I write this, I understand that the “wall” seems larger than life. You have an enemy who is working hard to it make your wall appear so. But it is a lie. The Truth is God Himself is larger than life.

All through scripture is the instruction to “call upon the name of the Lord.” Why would God instruct us to do this unless He has an intention to answer?
Call upon Him today, expecting Him to give you more of Himself.

Here is a fun exercise. Just for your spirit’s refreshment today really listen to the song “The Very Thought of You.” I heard this song performed by Emily and Andrew McCoy. And it stuck with me for days… He and I kept singing back and forth to each other.  It was altogether — crazy. And yet, it was this very focus that took my eyes off of  my “wall.”  Try it. You might like it. I know He sure does.

The Very Thought of You
The very thought of you and I forget to do
The little ordinary things that everyone ought to do
I’m living in a kind of daydream
I’m happy as a king (queen)
And foolish though it may seem
To me that’s everything

The mere idea of you, the longing here for you
You’ll never know how slow the moments go till I’m near to you
I see your face in every flower
Your eyes in stars above
It’s just the thought of you
The very thought of you, my love

The Power of Praise

/ Jana / 2 Comments

Supernatural.  This is the word of the year for me. Hopefully it will be the reality of the rest of my life, and your life because it is one of the many ways to describe the beautiful, awesome, mighty God who lives in us and with us. As I explore the “how” of the supernatural way of living, it always comes back to worship.

This is not  something you get, or work for. It is an overflow of being with the Supernatural One.

God is not a magic genie, or a slot machine, or a formula to ensure success. He is a person who is moved to love and compassion. Just as any lover reacts to being loved, He responds to us when we love on Him. Enter worship and praise.  I guess you could loosely say that worship is God’s “love language.”  Smile.

On our last beach date, the Lord put into place a vision so big, so crazy God-like, that I know only He could pull off. It is truly supernatural. And He also revealed that the journey will have to be saturated in our worship. Not duty, not human smarts or effort, not rabbit’s foot suspicion, but true hearts that are abandoned in worship of the One who brings all dreams to life.

I am asking you to join us November 1st for WGR’s first official celebration as a non-profit ministry. We’re calling it, “An Offering of Praise.” When the Lord brought the word “offerings” to mind, I spent time in the Bible looking at God’s people, old and new testament. Before and after great endeavors, people would bring praise and offerings as a visible way of acknowledging all the Lord has done and would do. It was a beautiful picture of how we bring something of ourselves, our thanks and our money, and present it to the Lord. Both are outward signs of our hearts being connected to Him. They don’t call it a “love offering” for nothing. Our shared loved of God, changes the world.

I can’t tell you how I am busting to share this vision of hope and radical impact in our world. I can’t tell you how much I want us to enter into this season of rejoicing over all He has done. I am so grateful that we can bring our riches, some spiritual, some material, to build the Kingdom together.

“Fund raising then is a very rich and beautiful activity.  It is an integral part of our ministry.  In fund raising we discover that we are all poor and that we are all rich, and in ministering to each other – each from the riches that he or she possesses – we work together to build the Kingdom.  The Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of the poor.

“How happy are the poor in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven”. Henri Nouwen

Save the Date!
An Offering of Praise
November 1st, 6:30 to 8:15 p.m.
Abiding Glory Church
Midpark Drive, Knoxville, TN

Glorious Riches and Great Power

/ Jana / Leave a comment

Last night in WGR Class we talked about  the WHO of God and the WHY of God from Ephesians 2. (We are Going Somewhere this semester so I invite you listen or watch class to be able connect the dots.  The recording will be posted shortly.)  God has glorious riches and great power for “those who believe.” And what’s His purpose? That we might “know him better.”  This is God’s objective. He wants to show up and show off for you so that you will have confidence in WHO He is.

You will never believe this real life story I got this morning as Evidence of Believing. It is from Laura Jones in California.  Oh the adventure of God.

“So I just wanted to share Whitney’s story – one of the gals I asked you to pray for yesterday.
This woman left a mission she was on, gave up a serious relationship, and decided to follow the Lord’s call to Deeper School. She had all the money she needed for the full year’s schooling and a bit extra. Then God asked her to give it all away. And she DID.
Her gift kept a ministry from folding and left her with just enough for this month’s rent and her last two bills. Nothing at all for school. Just Jesus. And she came to California anyway, knowing that she would not be allowed to start classes without her payment. But God had told her to come.
Yesterday we went to register. Still no money. Yet she had total peace. She knew God had brought her here – even if it was just to be with the students in our house and spend time with Him – and she trusted Him to provide and make it clear if she was to be in school.  When she stepped up to the desk, she simply stated that she didn’t have the money. As expected, they kindly told her she had a few weeks and could still join the class later, but she had to have the money before she began.
Whitney was still fine. But I pressed her – “Did you tell them the story?? It may not change the outcome at all. You may still have to wait to start. But at least they will know how to pray WITH you. They’ll know you weren’t just blowing them off after they set boundaries.”
Whitney had to go to work, so I went back to tell her story. On the way, I met one of the other students and we stopped to pray in agreement that the Lord would give back to Whitney.  The staff were glad to hear what was going on and said they wanted to talk with her. They weren’t sure how it would work out, but we all wanted to pull Heaven’s resources down on her behalf and see her come!
We all prayed. Another student dreamed the Lord gave Whitney great wealth. And we waited.

Today, the school agreed to let her come to classes for a bit and see what the Lord brought in. Not half an hour later, someone donated $2000 towards her tuition! Enough for the first half of the payment plan and then some!  God is so, SO good! He is so faithful.”

Jesus you rock our world.  Lead us Spirit into “revelation and wisdom” that we might know You better.  Amen.

So what are YOU waiting for?

/ Jana / 5 Comments

There is lots of flux around me right now. Lots of dreams, lots of plans and at the same time lots of gaping holes. I have pieces missing, people moving away, plans falling through and I am watching in wonder as what I worked and hoped would happen simply fizzle out to nothing. So now what?

Sound familiar? What do we do in the waiting?

I noticed when everything started unraveling I took a deep breath and evaluated what I did know.

1) I know God loves me and only has good for me.
2) I know that I am not quitting just because it got harder than it already was.
3) I know that God never goes back on His word so somehow this change in course is going to get me closer to His plan.
4) I know that waiting on Him is the safest, smartest, healthiest thing I can do.

I realize now this is a pretty great place to be. Waiting sucks. But Jesus is better. Better than running ahead, running away, running crazy. And just to top off the day today, in the middle of the waiting, He gave me this passage:

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is the God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! Isaiah 30: 18

Are you resting in the truth that God longs to be gracious, giving and good for you? Are standing in the one truth that you will be blessed if you will but wait on Him alone?  Not waiting  on the perfect outcome, or getting your way, or happy endings…but waiting on Him. Alone.

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord.  Selah.

Women Getting Real Weekly Class

/ Lyschel / Leave a comment

Remaining class dates are: Oct 11 & 25, Nov 8 & 22, Dec 6 & 13

I am shooting for the moon. I am flinging open the doors and inviting you in.

We believe that God wants to share life intimately with us. Most of us have heard that. Some of us experience that. Many of us are at least open to the idea. So we try different things to move into this life with God.

We also believe that God wants us to share life intimately with each other. And that is… where we close the book; turn off the TV; hit delete.

But it is true. From my humble perspective, after speaking to many, many folks from different parts of the country, and even in Zimbabwe, it seems that we don’t really like each other and for sure don’t want to get too close. This is especially true of Christian women. We often feel the most shut down and shut out relationally.

However. This is the very miracle of “God among us.” When we come together, it isn’t just you and me and our drama. It is you and me and our drama and the Living God. There is a power and synergy and healing that can happen when the Spirit of God is given permission and freedom to live and move and breathe within us together.

We see things. We hear things. We experience things that we couldn’t see, hear, experience alone. I have amazing revelations with the Lord alone. But it is radically different from what happens when I am with other believers. I hear your story and it taps into my story and vice versa. Your breakthroughs strengthen me. Your weaknesses reveal mine. And our shared bond of Christ keeps us looking to the One who heals and restores all things.

So I want to extend a personal invitation to you. Through the WGR class we desire to create a community of authentic, honest, real relationships. We desire to dispense with the petty comparisons, the surface mindless chatter and go for real heart connections. We desire to journey and not judge, to strengthen and encourage instead of play denial or fix-it games.

Women Getting Real Class is beginning August 23rd and you are invited to come. BUT you are also invited to join in with some of your friends and be part of the the online connection.  Many folks can’t come in person but they still want the connection. So can you, will you, take the effort and invest in real community? Will you gather 1-4 of your friends and watch the class together and really participate, share and go deeper with Christ and with someone else? You sitting in front of a computer is still you looking from the outside in. It is safe. And sanitized. And comfortable.

Life with God and others is messy and marvelous. It is a rollercoaster and a haven. Real honest relationship is life-changing.

If you are playing the “I just need me and God” card, will you consider adding a card to your deck called  “sharing your God life with others”? If you are playing the “I don’t trust other people” card, will you add the “I trust God in those people” card? Even if you have been burned before, will you learn the lessons of what not to do and try again?

Whether you like it or not, agree with it or not, even know how to do it or not, we are a Body. His body. We need to be together in some way, to share His Spirit among us. The WGR community on Tuesday nights, live in person, or live in your living room, is one humble honest way for us to share that connection.

Pray about it. Look at the obstacles and excuses. Then ask the Lord for the courage and faith to do Real Life with Him and others.

What’s Your Excuse?

/ Jana / 3 Comments

I love how Seth Godin just cuts through the crap to ask serious questions.  Here is an excerpt from his blog.

WHICH OF THE FOUR ARE GETTING IN THE WAY?

You don’t know what to do

You don’t know how to do it

You don’t have the authority or the resources to do it

You’re afraid

Once you figure out what’s getting in the way, it’s far easier to find the answer (or decide to work on a different problem).

Stuck is a state of mind, and it’s curable.

All I can add to this is AMEN and AMEN!!!  When you evaluate these statements honestly without the drama and B.S. it enables you to live and move differently. And secondly, when you present any or all of these questions to the Lord, He is able to speak truth and lead in power.

You know, God is not stuck. Ever. Ever. Ev-er. So we can find our shelter, our direction, our provision and our hope in Him. Do the hard work. Identify which one of these stops you and then press in to the truth. You will find more and more over time that being stuck is curable. And Jesus is the healer…

Sweetly Broken – Abortion Healing

/ Lyschel / Leave a comment
Sweetly Broken

Finally find freedom with yourself, God and others about your abortion.

Play One Woman's Story

 

“I thought I was over it.”

“I’ve never told anyone.”

“I’m afraid God is punishing me.”

“How can I make this right?”

“How can I forgive….?”


We know how you feel. We have been there too. Through the fear, nightmares, denial, anger and regrets.

But we have passed through to a new place called peace, and true forgiveness. We are still sad about the fact of our past, but we are no longer held captive by it.

God has shown us there is beauty in our brokenness.

We invite you to a tender, honest and safe weekend to hear about how to walk forward in freedom.

What you can expect:

Time to process, time to worship, time to hear truth, time to be honest, time to sort out what’s next?

Teaching and materials by Jana Spicka. Assisted by Alexa Stephenson.
2 night’s lodging in a large spacious chalet.
Check in at 3pm. Check out at 11am.
Heated pool on site.
Four meals and snacks. Breakfast, lunch and dinner on Saturday and breakfast on Sunday morning. (Friday night dinner is on your own before first session.)

This is an intimate gathering limited to 12 women. Click here to register now or become a donor.

$40 per Woman Attending Retreat

$100 Donor/Prayer Partner

We want every woman who needs to come, to be able to come but they need your help spiritually and financially. We want every women who comes to have a prayer warrior standing with her in spirit, and to help her bear the burden of the cost. Will you invest your prayers and your funds in another woman’s freedom?

Join us for this unique retreat held at Smoky Mountain Christian Village, a beautiful complex out of the traffic zone of Pigeon Forge, TN.

But for the Joy. . . .

/ Jana / 3 Comments

The night before Easter, our family watched the movie “The Gospel of John.”  And as is often the case with God, we saw and heard nuances that we hadn’t seen before in the story.  Jesus was so emphatic about what He was going to do. He wanted His followers to be prepared, to believe, to keep on believing, no matter what happened.  And yet, though He knew the “rest of the story,” still He was in great anguish about what He must go through. What was His motivator? What kept Him going? Just obedience? I don’t think so.

Easter Sunday morning we were reminded about all that Jesus did for us. Suffered, sacrificed, raised from the dead.

It is truly an “unbelievable” story unless the Spirit breathes on a person so that they might see and believe and be saved. But here is the ah-ha moment:

“But for the joy set before him he endured the cross.” Hebrews 12:2.  The pastor passed over this verse but the Spirit connected that verse with scenes from the movie the night before. The joy. What joy? What joy could be so great that it could carry Him through His last hours on this planet?

Paying for the sins of the world? Yes, but there’s more.

Jesus was the only person on planet earth who knew what it was to be filled with the Spirit of God and to walk in complete connection with the Father. And He knew, if He endured the cross, that we would be able to experience what He already enjoyed all the time. Talk about a motivation.

His joy was completely based on the benefit for others. For me and you. He was willing to die purely for the purpose that we might have our true lives back with our Father.  Jesus said, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:11 ) But for the joy set before Him… He had a long view of the journey and His goal was the the blessing of others.

I don’t think I suffer very long or very often just so that others might come to fullness of life. How about you? But here is the hope. He did it. He went through it all and now we do have the Spirit. We do have fellowship with the Father, the Son and the Spirit. We are restored. We are children of God with His joy inside us. So let us run truly out of His joy for the benefit of others. Allow me to expand this beautiful passage…

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,
       (People just like you and me who had to walk through hard life circumstances)
 let us throw off everything that hinders
       (So release the counterfeits and coping and quitting)
and the sin that so easily entangles.
       (and silence the enemy’s lies about being unloved and unworthy)
And let us run with perseverance
       (Everyday believe anew, try again without grumbling )
the race marked out for us,
       (the journey of living out His plans)
fixing our eyes on Jesus,
       (allowing Him to adjust our vision to see what He sees)
the pioneer and perfecter of faith.
       (He has done it, He is doing it, He will do it.)
For the joy set before him
       (With a heart full of confidence for our good)
he endured the cross,
       (he made the blood payment that settles every debt)
scorning its shame,
       (shutting up the accuser once and for all)
and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
       (He showed us our rightful inheritance.)
Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners,
       (The Spirit leads you through the maze of living)
so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
       (so you can experience that He is everything you need for life and joy.)

Hebrews 12: 1-3 (expanded)