Do any of you remeber the old tv commercial slogan... "Calgon, take me away!"  It was stated out of the heart of a hurried individual who was stressed to the point of no return. So she pulled out her Calgon and slipped into a blanket of bubbles and allowed the cares of life to just drift away.

 

Can anyone relate? I know I can. How do we make the world stop for a while so that we can recharge for another day? I believe the Lord knew what He was doing when He created the human race. He knew we need times of refreshing. That's why He rested on the seventh day. He gave us a model to imitate. Jesus also was referring to this need when He said, "But when you go into your prayer closet shut the door..."  (Matthew 6:6)  His statement was not a suggestion but a command. He knew we needed a place to shut the door and get away from all the distractions of life.

 

Shutting the door is very key. It is letting the Lord know that you are covenant and nothing is going to come between the two of you. He LOVES this kind of language. When I started to literally shut the door for my quiet times, I could actually sense His tangible presence come in. But instead of pulling out my shopping list of requests or opening up the Bible for a long drawn out study session I found myself weeping and not being able to say a single word. Why? Because He came and my body, soul, and spirit began to experience a Calgon moment. He began to teach me about soaking and led me to some very wonderfully soothing worship music that was designed to disable my brain for awhile so that I could meet with Him.

 

At first I felt guilty, like I wasn't doing what I was suppose to, that I was disengaging from the battles of life. But isn't that what the army will do with their soldiers? Don't they send them on a furrlow to get away from it all?  I believe there are too many Christians that are walking around with post traumatic stress disorder. They have stepped through or on enemy land mines, been in intense warfare, and don't know what to do with all it.  Maybe shell shocked would be a better term.

 

We need to daily go into our prayer closet, shut the door, climb on daddy's lap and listen to Him tell us that everything is going to be ok. We need to have Him remind us of who we are, why we are here, and that there is nothing to fear because He loves us. Don't feel bad if you have nothing to say or no energy to crack open the Word. If you just make it into your secret place, close the door and allow His presence to energize you, reading and praying will become a joy because you will have ears to hear, eyes to see, and a heart to understand. So go ahead and cry out... "Jesus, take me away!"

 A message from Beni Johnson on how we as parents can be praying for our troubled young people.

 

                                       Beni Johnson from Bethel Chapel in Redding, CA

 

http://www.youtube.com/watchv=nFgKvk1kGpE                                                                                                                                   

 

 Giving... Caring... Sharing

Thanks to all that made this year's Christmas Tea Benefit a huge success. We were able to raise over $2000.00 to help support the birthing center at our local hospital. The day was filled with fun and suprises as we bid in the silent auction. Also, a big congratulations to this year's top three raffle sellers. Enjoy those upclose parking spots this winter!

 I recently saw an interview with Lisa Bevere. She was discussing a book that she had written entitled "Fight Like A Girl." She said something very profound which caused me to stop and meditate on a very important revelation in my own life. She was comparing men with women. We all know the "Men are from Mars - Women are from Venus" catch phrase. Women are pink. Men are blue. But then I heard her say, "Men prepare for war. Women prepare for weddings. "  I smiled at first and thought how true that is. From the time we are little girls, we dream about getting married. We can't wait for that point in the movie where we know that our two beloved main characters will live happily ever after. ~Sigh ~  It has been put into the very fabric of our being by the Father of Jesus Christ. He knew that some day His Son would come back for a Bride and He wanted the best for His Son. So Father God made sure that the Bride awaiting would be one that was adoring, passionate, loyal. Someone that would dream about that beautiful day of unity.
 
Men prepare for war. Women prepare for weddings. Then it hit me. Those that are true believers in Christ are awaiting the day Jesus comes back and takes His rightful place in the hearts and lives of people everywhere. There will be no doubt in that Day Who is Lord. But there is a difference in the view of the objective of a Christian, depending on whether you are a man or a woman. The man wants to pass through the heat of the battle in order to see his Lord take possession. The woman wants to see her Bridegroom ride in on His white steed, save the day, and whisk her away to the wedding feast. After which, they will live happily ever after.
 
We as women must not confuse our objective with the men who battle next to us on this conquest. My revelation? If our objective is truly clear, we will be more motivated to fight. We will be more willing to give our all in this battle of the ages if we know why we are fighting and what will be the reward in the end. For most women, we are much more motivated to diet and exercise if we know how spectacular we will look in that black little dress hanging in our closets reserved for that special occasion rather than slipping into combat boots, fatigues, and war paint on our faces. It's all in the way we look at things.
 
So my encouragement to you, dear reader, is to "fight like a woman." Don't just think that you are in a man's world and have to do things like a man. You are in God's world and have been created to live as a daughter of the Most High. Your Heavenly Father is cunning. He is skillful, mighty in battle and you are (after all) your Daddy's little girl. So find out from Him how to fight this good fight of faith so that your battle cry in time of war is, "Come Lord Jesus!"

 Kingdom Keys

Are you at a place where you are wanting more? Has your heart been saying, "Well Lord, what else is out there?"  I know my heart cry is to be walking in the supernatural realm. A few days ago I had a discussion with Father God on that very subject. I wanted to share the conversation with you. It went something like this....


I was sitting in my back yard and the Holy Spirit told me to be still, to watch, and to listen.  As I did I began to observe the movement of nature. The sun was out. The breeze was blowing my chimes ever so gently. The bunnies and chipmunks came out to graze. I couldn't believe how many chipmunks we had in our yard. At first the little animals were leery of me, but when they saw that I had no intention of disrupting their routine they just continued about their day and accepted me as one of the neighbors out doing her thing.

Of course it took me a while to settle in. There were a thousand things I wanted and knew I should be doing. But when I was able to hear the bumble bees that were pollinating the clover at my feet harmonize, I knew God was about to teach me a very valuable lesson.

At that point, Holy Spirit reminded me that if I wanted to be in tune with His supernatural movement I was going to have to get into a still position in my spirit. I told Him I needed a scripture to help me succeed in doing this. His response was James 1:9,  "Be swift to hear and slow to speak."  (and all the women said...Amen!)

Once again I mentioned my desire to see, feel, hear, taste, and smell the supernatural. Do you want to know what His reply was?  Matthew 6:33,  "But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you." My response was then, "But God that is so cliche." I wanted to hear,  "You got it! Go forth and see as I see. Do as I do! Hear as I hear." But seek ye first the kingdom of God? It started to remind me of my early days of being a Christian and singing this verse around a campfire.

So as lovingly and as patiently as He could be He said, "Michelle, what is the Kingdom of God?" At that point I felt like Job so I asked Him to tell me. He reminded me of Romans 14:17,  "For the kingdom of God is not food or drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."  He then asked me if the world had such things. He told me that when this kind of peace and joy is walked out in front of an unsaved person's life it is very supernatural. Those people have a hard time understanding how Christians can be so calm and content when the world is falling down around them. I started to understand. Holy Spirit was showing me that I was already walking in the supernatural. Once again I was reminded that my ways are not always His ways and my thoughts are not always His thoughts. To me, walking in the supernatural is seeing angels, touching gold dust, hearing heavenly trumpets. To Him, walking in the supernatural is having the spirit man so disciplined that no matter what circumstances develop we are at total peace and can still enjoy the day He has made for us.

This brought me full circle to to realize that if I seek first the kingdom of God which is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit then I will be at a place of stillness and at that point I will be at a place to have all the other things added unto me like seeing angels, touching gold dust, and hearing heavenly trumpets.

So what did I do then? I surrendered, sat in my lawn chair and just watch the movement of God. And you know what? It was the best part of my day because I was at perfect peace and just simply enjoying my Father.

 

Have you ever noticed how sparkley things become after a fresh snow fall?  Beautiful. With the sun light reflecting off the snow crystals it actually looks like someone sprinkled diamonds everywhere.

 

I was looking out my window one morning, admiring Father God's handiwork, when the Holy Spirit shared an insight that I will never forget. He had me look at the sparkle and said, "When the light of the Son meets the precipitation of the Holy Spirit, you will will see the Glory of the Father." Wow. That took my breath away for a moment. As believers, we are always wanting more of God's presence in our lives. He is always with us, but as humans we are always craving for more.

 

May I encourage you as the Holy Spirit did me to allow the light of Jesus to mingle with the living waters of heaven and watch as the glory of the Father begins to manifest in greater measure in your life. Get a little taste of heaven ... and enjoy the sparkle!

 

www.girlfriendsunlimited.com/metro

The women's network has a new look, a new theme song, and new Gather Groups. This is such an exciting time for our ministry. I'd like to thank all who helped to make the rally a huge success, and congratulations to all the "Pampering Give Away" winners!

 

As we head into this new year let us remember that it's what is on the inside that truly matters. As Psalm 139:14 says, "I will praise You, O God, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made, and that my soul knows well."  If your soul doesn't know well that you are a beautiful creation of the Lord, come to one of our Gather or Grow groups and we'll help you to make that discovery.  And make it a G! year...

 

 

 

            ~Pastor Michelle