There are a lot of changes going on all around me that I am completely powerless to stop. My kids are growing up and the family dynamics are swiftly changing. My father is in the throes of dementia and my mother’s way of life (and by extension, those of my sisters and me) is changing. Things at work are always changing. The weather is always changing. My weight is always changing. Even my weekend plans are always in a state of flux.

Sometimes I want to dig my feet in and just say no. This situation is fine just the way it is, thank you very much. But in my attempt to be more in line with God’s way of doing things I decided to look up the word “change” in the bible. I thought maybe I could find some justification for staying the same.

Dangit.

The word is used in two different ways, neither of which support my hopes of a static existence.

As a human we should desire change. Change from the old self into a new self.

As God, HE is unchangeable. In fact, he is the only thing that does not change.

*sigh*

Which means I have to change my way of thinking. And the truth is, change isn’t always a bad thing. In fact it might be a little uncomfortable at times, but usually it’s a good thing. Sometimes a really good thing.

So how do I accept change with the right attitude? Not by myself, I’ll tell you that!

First I remember Romans 8:28 ~

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Okay. I love him and I know he’s called me according to his purpose, not my own. And he IS God, after all, which means he’s much smarter than I am. So maybe this change is a good thing.

Then I remember Philippians 4:6-7 ~

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

That “peace of God” part? It’s my favorite. Especially when the change isn’t welcomed at all, as in the example of my father’s declining health.

If I truly believe God is in control of everything then I suppose (albeit a little begrudgingly at times) I can handle the change.

Do you struggle with change? If not, what’s your secret? If so, what do you do about it?

When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.

Proverbs 10:19

An image of my 6 or 7 year old son trying unsuccessfully to talk his way out of something immediately popped into my head (it seemed I was constantly telling him he would get into less trouble if he’d just stop talking) and I burst out laughing. I was fairly certain this verse was put in the bible just for him and verifiable proof that God has a sense of humor.

I’ve never been good at memorizing scripture, but I certainly didn’t want to forget this verse so I wrote it down in a fat little 4×6 spiral binder with a quick blurb about why I liked it. Over time I recorded other passages – some funny, some pertinent to my situation at the time, and some encouraging. Some I found during a formal bible study, some I found as I was just perusing the good book and some I was shown by my friend, Beth.

All of that came to an end when I got sick seven years ago and I put the scripture journal away. I’m a little sad I didn’t keep up with it because it would probably be full by now. I came across my fat little binder in the drawer of my coffee table a few months ago. There are still a lot of empty pages in it, but not for long.

I would LOVE it if you would share some of your favorite verses here. It’s a really fat little binder and I’m going to need help filling it up!

Perhaps I may take the liberty to reword this sentence into something a little different: “Helping women see how they fit into the story of God.”  Not very catchy, but I believe this is the mission of the church, and therefore the individuals who make up the church.  I also believe that this is the intention of the CLEAR ministry of CCV.

Now this can be a bit intimidating to those of us who have spent a lifetime trying to determine “God’s will for my life”.  I am guilty of this, but after all these years I have determined several things.  God’s will in my life is not unlike the will of God for many.  He wants us to believe in Him and in the work His Son, Jesus, did while on this earth.  Simple, just believe.  In CLEAR, we want people to believe in Jesus Christ.

But it doesn’t stop at belief.  Once we have taken the step towards belief, we have responsibilities.  God has called His followers to action, primarily in the role of obedience.  Am I talking about the Ten Commandments?  Perhaps, but I think obedience is more like living a life that is worthy of His having called us to be His children.  Obedience is taking His commands and following them.  Some of His commands are to bring others into the family of God, disciple those who are within our realm of influence, encourage the discouraged, weep with those who weep, care for those who have needs, be hospitable, pray, become mature followers, and on and on.  The New Testament gives us a multitude of ways in which we can follow God and be obedient to His commands.  When we obey Him, we glorify Him.   CLEAR wants to help women identify where God has called them to be obedient.  In this, CLEAR can bring glory to God.

You may think, “This is all well and good, but what does it look like?  That is a big list and I can’t possibly do all those things.”  I don’t think God is asking us to do this for the whole world, but within our circle of influence.  We have families, friends, jobs, and other settings that we frequent.  Those are the areas in which we are responsible to minister to others.  Where we are and what season of life we are in is likely God’s calling for us right now.  It may change as we seek other opportunities or our children grow up and live their own calling, but being confident in the knowledge that God has us where we need to be at this time is priceless.  Resting in God is certainly a way to be obedient and to give Him glory.  CLEAR desires to support each woman in the stage of life that God has called her.

In the end, believing in Jesus the Son of God, and being obedient to the life God has called us to brings glory to God.  Ultimately, the CLEAR ministry desires to bring glory to God.

CLEAR’s tag line is Helping Women See How God Fits Into Their Lives. Work, husbands, children, friends, parents, pets, volunteering, books, TV, hobbies, social obligations, entertainment… the list of what consumes our time is endless. But just as a puzzle will only ever be completed if we take the time to sit there and do it, that puzzle piece that is God will only ever fit snuggly into that space if we take the time with him we need to.

What are you trying to fit into that hole? Is it God? Or is it something else?

That seems to be a fairly common story for most women so CLEAR will be doing casual during the summer months.

June has already seen our first Coffee Klatch and our second will be on Saturday, July 9th. Read more HERE.

Our August event will be a road trip to the charming town of Lititz, PA, for the Lititz Rotary Craft Fair – a blow out craft fair that’s not to be missed! Click HERE for more information.

1.   Diane and Terri stepped down to pursue a different avenue for ministering to women.

I admit that when Diane and Terri first told us they were releasing CLEAR to our small team I was a little concerned. Not that we couldn’t keep things running, just that we couldn’t keep things running as well. But the point of leadership is to grow up new leaders and that’s exactly what they did. Michele, Becky and I each bring something unique to the table and it seems to work pretty well. I have the sneaking suspicion that Diane and Terri had that figured out before we did.

2.   CLEAR held its first annual Christmas Expo.

Becky had the idea for the Christmas Expo and I didn’t know what to expect. What happened was we ended up with twice as many vendors as we originally planned for and over 200 patrons. Not bad for our first year. You can bet that the 2011 Christmas Expo will be even better.

The next twelve months will be more of the same old, same old – brunches, game nights, summer Coffee Klatch, the Christmas Expo…  But there will also be new experiences to be had like the upcoming retreat.

Michele, Becky and I are looking forward to serving in 2011 and are especially anxious to see what God has in store for the women of Christ’s Church of the Valley.

A few months ago when Michele and Becky and I started planning the brunch, Becky mentioned she thought it would be a great idea to talk about the women of Christmas. I had no idea what she was talking about, but she’s pretty smart when it comes to all things Biblical so I agreed. She then went on to tell us about the five women listed in the genealogy of Jesus and how she thought of them as “The Women of Christmas”.

Tamar the deceiver

Rahab the prostitute

Ruth the foreigner

Bathsheba the victim and/or the adulteress (a lot of debate here)

Mary the righteous one

Five very different women with such diverse backgrounds, but all used for God’s very grand purpose of bringing us Jesus. I don’t know about you, but I find a lot of encouragement in that. 

This past Saturday morning was the inaugural CLEAR Coffee Klatch. Michele and I got to the CCV Cafe early to brew coffee and set up a few tables, wondering the whole time if it would just be us or if we’d have someone else to visit with.  We didn’t have long to wait.  The group was small, but the chatting was big and friendships were either begun or strengthened in this comfortable, casual setting.

I don’t know about the other attendees, but I can’t wait for the next one! If you enjoy coffee (or tea) and pastries, and would like to get to know some other CCV women, mark your calendars for the next Coffee Klatch on July 24th.

Spring 2010 Survey – Part Two

We appreciate your help!

Becky, Michele & Jen