Unmasked

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Uniquely You

October feels like a good time to talk about masks.  Not the facemasks our season of COVID has required, but rather the kind we hide behind.  The masks of strength and courage, masks of busyness and happiness, masks of vanity and appearance, and even sometimes masks of faith.  But probably the most commonly worn mask is the mask of conformity… the one you put on to fit in.  To sound right, to look right, to think right, and to feel right.

So today, my friend Peni, has a message to all of us square pegs trying to fit into round holes.  Yes, we all have rough edges that need smoothing, but maybe, just maybe, you aren’t meant to round off all your sharp edges, maybe those edges are meant to leave a mark.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prickly Fuzzy

Have you ever felt like you don’t fit anywhere? You see the world through a lens of how things can be done better or differently and so people think you’re negative? That has been the story of my life. As long as I can remember people have called me weird. I do things my own way. I was oft referred to as a prickly fuzzy; (prickly on the outside, but if you hang in there all fuzzy and soft on the inside.)

            As with most people I learned to fake being the right kind of person to get a job done. I worked on a church staff, as a volunteer first and then as a part of the staff. I did poorly in relating to my teammates. I made a mistake and was completely myself. I did not wear a mask or soften any of my edges. People liked me or they didn’t. I thought church staff was a safe place to be. I forgot that no one is a saint, and everyone has baggage. I made efforts to repair damage but when those failed, I became angry and jaded. The uplifting quotes, beautiful songs, devotionals and studies that everyone around me raved about didn’t do anything for me. The rah rah culture was uncomfortable and foreign to me. I just wanted to do my job and be left alone, unfortunately for me, my church was highly relational. In retrospect, they taught me things about relationship and I am grateful.

I still don’t fit. I’m aloof and blunt. I’m okay with it. As a woman, many of the things in this world that are supposed to appeal to me because they appeal to lots of women…they do not. God has gifted me with an eye for the unusual, the outcast, the different. He has also used my weirdness to be able to see both sides of most things because I’m not overly involved, and I don’t get wrapped up in the emotional aspects of things. Please know that I have spent most of my life thinking that God forgot to give me a piece when he was putting me together. He has led me to know that I’m not supposed to fit. He made me that way.

I saw a bumper sticker one day and it said “Somewhere between Proverbs 31 and Tupac, there’s me” I laughed and thanked God for its timeliness in reminding me of how much He cares for me and I could rest in that moment. Philippians 4:6.

“Always be a first-rate version of yourself and not a second-rate version of someone else.”                                                                                                                                            -Judy Garland

 

Lead Me

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In The Presence Of My Savior

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders…..  You may recognize those words from the popular song “Oceans,” by Hillsong United.  The first time I heard that song, it called deeply to something in me.  The need for adventure, the desire to follow God anywhere, the passionate call to something more… and I wasn’t the only one.

Turns out that song spoke strongly to my daughter too.  She was in her first year of college, a place I wanted her to be, in a season where she wanted to be somewhere else.  She had completed several mission trips over the previous year and a half and she was hungry for more.  To love people, to change the world, to follow Jesus unconditionally.  The problem was, both her father and I desperately wanted her to finish school first, and if I’m honest, we were advising from our own “knowing what is best” instead of asking God what she should be doing.

Before too long, we were at a crossroads, she wasn’t doing well in school, simply because she didn’t want to be there, and she had applied and been accepted for a position with a missions organization in San Francisco.  Her heart was full, and she was excited.  I had concerns, I had fear, but I was also incredibly proud of her beautiful heart for people and her courage.

 

It wasn’t long before we were packing her up and sending her off.  As I helped her pack, bought airline tickets to fly us out, connected with old friends and set up meetings so she could have a safety net, should something go wrong 1500 miles from home,  she told me God had been speaking to her through this song.  I’m not sure I remember the early details, but throughout her application & interview process, this song had played notably several times.  The point at which she told me the story, we had just completed a sending off prayer & worship time with some close friends and mentors,  and that song had been in the set.  Just a week later, the song played again in the shuttle bus to the airport, again in the fast food restaurant we ate lunch in, and again in the rental car as we drove away from the airport into her new adventure.

We spent several days in California together and heard the song so many times in unexpected places. The last time we heard it together, was when we visited the church closest to her new work location to see if it could be a good fit for her, and it was part of the worship set.  God had chosen this song for her, to remind her that she was on track, to encourage her when she doubted, to combat fear of the unknown.  He gave it to me too.  To remind me parenting adult children is a act of faith and trust I never expected, that His plans are better than my plans, that she was His first and He’s got her.  When I left her at her new home, and flew back to mine, with tears streaming down my face, the lyrics were my prayer. 

Both for her and for myself.

 

“Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You’ve never failed and You won’t start now
So I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise, my soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine
Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior”                               
                                                  -Hillsong United

 

 

Over the course of the next several months, God would use this song to remind her and to remind me that He was ever present.  When she felt lonely and out of place, when she questioned her choice to go, we remembered His promises.  When she called and told me about the shooting that occurred just down the street, I clung to His promises.

Even just last week, years after that initial journey, she called to tell me that God used the song to speak over her current situation.  Over the last 2 years, as God has led me out of a ministry that I loved, and into this ministry that I love, I have cried and celebrated and prayed with this song more times that I can count.

As we wrap up a month of talking about the different ways God speaks to us, can I challenge you not to keep Him  in a box.  There is no one way God speaks.  Sometimes it is loud and clear, sometimes it is a hint of something that we have to pursue to understand, sometimes it is through the voice of others, or the nature around us, and sometimes it is simply a knowing, an understanding.  Scripture, songs, teaching, the touch of a stranger, visions, dreams, a feeling of warmth…  God speaks.

And today, as you lean into Him, it is my sincere prayer that he lead to where your trust is without borders and you walk upon the waters, that you go deeper than you ever dreamed, that your faith would be made stronger and you would know the presence of your Savior.

 

Tuning In

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4am Wake Up Calls

This month we’ve been talking about hearing God.  What a messy area this can be.  God speaks regularly, I know He does, but I don’t hear Him as often as I’d like to.  Why is that?  Why is it after a lifetime of learning what walking with Jesus looks like, I still struggle to block out the noise and ask Him to speak, and worse, I don’t wait for Him to do it?  I know better, and yet from years in ministry I know I’m not alone.  We live in a world of instant gratification, immediate answers, and lots of voices.  A quick text message to a friend will solicit an opinion, and a quick google search will provide knowledge, a world of distractions will silence the quiet voice that whispers, “I have more for you.”

But our God is a pursuer of hearts, and He stands ready for conversation, real conversation.  Not just the prayer to-do list or the thank you message, although those certainly are important to Him too.  He wants to talk about our dreams and hopes and our fears.  He wants to speak truth over the lies of a broken world.  He wants to talk of purpose and joy and growth.  He wants to hear about us and wants us to learn about Him.

The last few months He has been talking to me about the future plans for our ministry.  COVID put a significant pause on our plans for 2020, and we found ourselves lacking excitement and purpose trying to plan things and events that may not be able to happen, certainly this year, possible well into next year.  And so often when I heard His voice and direction, my heart initially filled with excitement and my mind began to plan, but a few hours of swirling in the details and facing the 2020 obstacles, quickly had me putting my thoughts on a shelf for later, we’ll deal with it after… after the shutdown, after the group limitations are lifted, after the mask mandates are eased, turns out there is a long list of  “afters.”

Over the last few weeks, God has woken me up several times at 4am.  Not a restless sleep, or a anxious awakening, I find those tend to be from another source, but rather a full on wide awake at 4am thinking and planning.  The thoughts and ideas flood in so quickly, it only takes seconds to know I need to get up and start writing this stuff down.  And then those words lead to more conversation, more direction, more purpose.  I wish it didn’t have to be this way.  I wish I could sleep well past 4am, and sometime, later in the day, sit down with Jesus and have this conversation, but as my dear friend phrased it the other day, sometimes I have a doctorate in avoidance and busyness that keeps me from hearing Jesus.  I don’t like that that’s true, but I know that it is.  And so I will excitedly accept 4am wake up calls, even as I try to do it better moving forward.  

He speaks.  He speaks daily.  He speaks directly to us.   I know I need to pay better attention.  I know I need to stop and see the different ways He engages me.  How are you doing in this area?  Are you turning down the noise, tuning out the distractions.  Do you see your Father sitting with you wanting to talk about all your hopes and dreams and worries and fears?  Are you looking for Him in the sunset or the song lyrics?  Are you willing to answer Him at 4am when He calls?

 

“Word Of God Speak,” Mercy Me

I’m finding myself at a loss for words, and the funny thing is it’s okay
The last thing I need is to be heard, but to hear what You would say

Word of God speak. Would You pour down like rain

Washing my eyes to see, your majesty
To be still and know, that You’re in this place
Please let me stay and rest, in Your holiness
Word of God speak

I’m finding myself in the midst of You, beyond the music, beyond the noise
All that I need is to be with You, and in the quiet hear Your voice

I’m finding myself at a loss for words, and the funny thing is it’s okay

 

 

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Hearing God

 

Seeking Truth

We’ve been talking about hearing from God, but sometimes that can feel so hard.  There is so much noise.  The noise of busyness, the noise of other people’s needs, the noise of our own brokenness and needs.

Often the hardest things to hear, are the things we desperately want to hear.  It’s a catch 22, I want to hear God tell me something, but because I so desperately want to hear it, I discredit it as my own voice when He speaks.

So today, I just want to take a moment and remind each of us of some fundamental truths.  I’ve chosen to write them as I statements.  Will you read them, ponder them and let God seal the truth of them into your mind, into your heart.?

truth

 

I am a reflection of God.

I am a masterpiece.

I am the light of the world. 

I light up the sky like a firework.

I am a child of light and a child of the day.

I am enough

I am so enough.

I am a God’s friend. 

I am created for good.

I am abundantly equipped.

I am known. 

I am known deeply.

I am known and I am loved.

I am chosen.

I am intentionally chosen.

 I am a victor. 

I am an overcomer.

I am divinely appointed.

I have a calling

I have a purpose.

I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

I am Wonderful.

I am His.

I am the beloved.

I am deeply loved.

I am divinely cherished.

I have great value.

I am a child of God.

I am chosen to be a child of God.

I am delighted in.

I am Royalty. 

I am Chosen.

I am Special.

I have a birthright.

I have an inheritance.

I have a glory.

I have been rescued.

I have been ransomed.

I have been restored.

 

 

Standing on the truth

Did you feel it.  Did you feel the power of those words and the love of your Father as you read them? Did you also feel the dismissal, the rejection, the “yes, yes but…?” 

The enemy is quick to move when when we walk into God’s truth.  When we move closer to owning our Identity, the voices of diminishment and disqualification quickly rise above the others. Accusation and discouragement join in as they cause us to hesitate to claim these truths.

But accusation is not from God.  Correction can be, but correction does not diminish Truth.

I am who I am because of whose I am. These statements are true, not because I’ve earned them, but simply because God says so. I am the daughter of the King. That identity is secured because of who He is, not what I do.

 

 

Hearing Him

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The Unexpected

I had been saying for years that God didn’t talk to me thru nature.  While I appreciated the beauty of mountains and seas, enjoyed the occasional animal encounters and sometimes noticed flowers and such, these weren’t the ways God usually stirred my heart.  Until one morning, a few years ago, after telling a group of ladies the night before, that God doesn’t speak to me thru nature – God with his sense of humor, sent me a hummingbird.  I don’t just mean I saw a hummingbird – I mean on a gray dreary  Wednesday morning, as I sat on the bench on my covered porch, a silly little hummingbird decided to fly straight into the porch, stop directly in front of me, and just hover, maybe a foot in front of me.  I could have reached out and touched it.  And then it lingered.  No flitting in and flitting out, but rather a full stop directly in front of me, probably for more than a minute.

I had just been railing against God.  Really I was trying to pray, but it wasn’t coming out that way.  I was mad that life wasn’t turning out the way we planned.  After losing my husband’s mother very unexpectedly the previous year, to spending months trying to sell a former rental after repairing it twice, to buying two  new cars within 2 months of each other because 2 older vehicles died, watching my daughter choose to walk away from college, having my son total one of the new cars, and coming up on 3 months of unemployment for my husband, after 19 years of committed service,  and none of that anywhere near resolution – my father-in-law was going in for a relatively simple heart procedure – but everything in me screamed God can I trust you?  And He answered with a HUMMINGBIRD.

Message Received

My immediate reaction – I laughed.  My heart bubbled up and I felt joy and then peace.  First, I laughed because clearly God has a sense of humor, sending me a bird 12 hours after announcing, not for the first time, that God doesn’t speak to me through nature.  Peace, because somewhere in my heart, I understood, Dad was going to be OK.  Mom’s favorite bird was a hummingbird, she painted them, she planted flowers for them, she hung feeders for them, and that was absolutely the right sign that day.  Because I’m curious, I did some research.  Hummingbirds are first and foremost a symbol of joy.   God was ushering in my joy – and then I went on to read that hummingbirds are different than any other bird – they can fly into the wind, or with the wind, they can go left/right/up/down/full speed/ full stop and of course they can hover in place.  And I felt the voice of God telling me to just keep up.  He wasn’t done.  I didn’t need to know where we were going, I just need to keep up.  Move in whichever direction he moves or just stand still.  He’s got this and He’s got me. 

Are you listening?

It’s been 4 years since that Wednesday morning on the porch, and I’m still just trying to keep up.  What I know now, is that all the challenges of that season, were just the precursors to the next season, and then the next season.  The truth is each year has held challenges and celebrations.  Each year has held disappointment and hope.  Each year has held unknown next steps. 

How is God speaking to you in this season?  Where are you missing Him because you aren’t expecting Him there?  He can be found in the beach and the mountains, in the hummingbird and the moose, but also in the isolation of quarantine, in the loneliness of social distancing, in the messy kitchen or the dusty living room.  He is waiting to talk with you, are you listening?

 

Beach View

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UP UP & AWAY

On the last day of our vacation in Florida, we went parasailing.  Well 4 of the 5 of us did.  My oldest son, has always struggled with a fear of heights, and generally is a risk adverse personality, but he still went on the boat with us and participated as the camera-man and stuff holder.  My husband and I each paired up with the younger 2 kids who have yet to meet an adventure they don’t want to take on.  I am afraid of heights, but I am also a close your eyes and jump kind of person, so while I tend to avoid anything that makes me look down for too long, or really makes me climb up to the heights, if you can get me up, I will take the plunge.  I was very nervous, nervous about the take off and landing (both of which happen from the front of the boat), but I was also nervous about the amount of time we would be in the air, 400 ft in the air to be precise.

And suddenly it was our turn.  My daughter and I climbed up to the front of the boat, already having been strapped into our harness, the guides snapped us into the sail and sat us down on the deck. As they released the sail, we felt the tug on us, leaned back into it a bit, and lifted off.  I had expected a bit of a jolt, a jerk into the air, but instead it was just this smooth lifting us off the boat.  The tow line was let out and smoothly and without much time passing, we sailed up and up, higher and higher, away from the boat.

Perspective Change

Perspective is a funny thing.  Usually when we are in the middle of something our view feels like the only view, our experience the only way to experience, our emotions the only right emotions.  But as we all know, once we look at something from a different angle, things don’t always look so black and white. 

With the benefit of hindsight, we can look back on a million moments in our lives and see so many other things.  The end of the world was only a blip on the radar of our story,  that failure that we thought would mar us forever, has long since been forgotten, that hurt that we thought would never go away, healed with minimal scarring.  Hindsight changes perspective.

Experiences change our perspectives too.  The way we see and experience something, looks very different if we have never experienced it.  However, as soon as we see something through the lens of “been there done that,” things change.  Before having kids I viewed the mother/child interactions much differently than I do now, after having four of my own.  My grace is much greater, my empathy much wider, my perspective much fuller.

Then, there is the physical change of perspective.  A literal change of our environment and view.  As a I floated about the Gulf, above the birds, everything is different.  For starters, other than the laughter and wonder from me and my daughter, it was quiet…. the noise of the world washed away.  But also from up here, just 400 feet above it all, the 2020 world had washed away.  No masks, no distancing, no politics, no media…  from the ground it can sometimes feel like nothing is right in the world anymore, but from up above… The ocean still swells and crashes to the shore, the birds still dive for fish, the dolphins still swim and frolic, the sun is still in the sky where it belongs.   

SEEKING HIM

Sometimes without even realizing it, we actually need a physically different perspective.  In my years working for a church, I often discovered that getting outside the walls of our building, talking to people outside the community of staff and church attenders, looking at challenges outside of the status quo, was not only desperately needed, but not sought out enough.  Taking a hard look at not only what and how we are doing something, but why we were doing it.  Physically distancing ourselves allows us to examine our hearts, motives, and desires.  Do we need to extend more grace, have more compassion, be more open or stand firm?  Have we developed tunnel vision or are we doing things out of habit? Have we chosen the right battles to fight, the right hills to die on?  It’s easy to lose perspective, to allow the walls to close in around us, how are you doing with this?  This week, will you find a moment to physically step outside of your current perspective.  Seek higher ground, and look around.  Where do you need to reexamine your thoughts, your feelings, your plans?  Where do you need to step back and ask God for direction?  Where do you need to take up the sword or lay it down?  Or maybe you just need to step out of the noise, splash in the water a bit, and laugh.

Mountain Beaches

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Mountain Beaches

In our Stories from the Beach series, the beach is a state of mind.  For me, it is most often an actual beach, for my dear friend Jackie, the mountains are her happy place.  Her place to rest, recharge, see Jesus in her surroundings, find rest for her soul.  2020 has brought it’s share of losses for all of us, Jackie included, and she was excited to finally get away for an extended camping trip.  Here is her story.

 

Asking Big Expecting Bigger

I just read a devotion by Nicole Crank in “Hi God (its me again)” about how we should pray for what we want and what we need…Calling out Hebrews 4:16 “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” and Ephesians 3:29 “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” Don’t just ask, ask big, because we have a big God. So as we headed out for vacation that’s what I did. I prayed for the best campsite, lots of glorious wildlife (at a safe distance of course), the best fly fishing my husband has ever had and lots of rest and restoration. I couldn’t wait to see how it turned out. On the way we had to first go to my dearest friend and second Mom’s ranch in the Colorado mountains for her memorial.

In a Moment

The unthinkable happened the day before the memorial.  As we were setting up, the forest started on fire heading straight for her place. We had to evacuate. As we drove off the property I wanted to throw up, feeling like I would never see it in its glory again. There is only one way out so we had to drive past the fire. I called out to our God for protection and I cried. There wasn’t going to be a big memorial. It wasn’t supposed to be like this!

It wasn’t supposed to be like this…

2020 has been one crazy year. I am certain I am not the only one this year who has felt that way. My heart was broken and still is as I write this. And yet God was there. My family and friends are safe and my friends’ place was spared.  God provided in a big way as I begged him for protection. All the glory to Him.

Praying Big

No it wasn’t supposed to be like this, not for you and not for me. So what are we supposed to do with that? It is ok to grieve and be disappointed. Call out to God, he can handle it. Reach out to your peeps and let them know you’re hurting or need prayer. Check on them too. 1 Thes 5:11 says “So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.” I don’t know about you but somehow I feel better when I remember others are also hurting and I can encourage them too. No it wasn’t supposed to be like this, but our powerful God is still in charge.

 

The Story Continues

Jackie sent me her story early last week.  In the seven days since then, the fires in Colorado have continued to rage along with dozens of devastating fires throughout the western states.  The ranch Jackie loves is still at risk, that threat became more real again last night as the winds shifted.  And still we pray. And we pray big.  Jesus come… Calm the storms, protect the lives, heal the land.

Need Prayer?  We are always happy to pray for you.  You may email us at admin@findingzarephath.com or message us through fb or instagram.

 

Beach Story

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In Need of Rest

I love to travel.  Warm watery destinations are a favorite relaxation trip for me.  The self-reflection time, the soothing of the water, the calming warmth or the adventurous waves each speak to me in different ways.  I grew up in water… pools, lakes, oceans, they call to something deep inside me, the voice of the younger me that hasn’t always been allowed a voice.

Two years ago, God gave me a gift.  He opened the door for a 6-day trip to the beach with a couple of my friends.  I was in need of rest.  It had been a season of recovering from the trauma of my husband’s heart attack, a season of organizational change in the ministry I was working in, and a season of God taking me down memory lane, reminding me of who I was in my younger years.  I wanted to go alone, run away to the seashore, but my husband asked me to take a friend.  I picked two of my most introverted friends.  I was hungry for rest, and I wanted people who would not require much of me.  One of my friends called it, when she said, you just invited us so you don’t have to eat out alone.  False…  I love their company, they were a great choice… and True… as an extravert wanting to be alone every now and then is fine, but eating out alone is hard. And so, the three of us embarked on our adventure..

.

God Speaks

It was a peaceful adventure.  Room, beach, pool, food, repeat.  No major plans, no shopping or sightseeing, just soul care.  I brought a journal, a bible, and a book. I spent time frolicking in the waves of the Atlantic coast of Florida, daydreamed in the calm of the pool, and journaled on a beautiful driftwood bench looking out over the beach.  I took my heartache and my exhaustion to God, I also took him some tough questions, and he met me there.

We had some honest conversation about who I am, who I was designed to be, who I was.  The parts of me that are growing and thriving and the parts of me that have been locked up.  He reaffirmed all the stories he’d been reminding me of that year, that underneath the young and silly was the heart of the woman I am today, and part of her was being locked away.  He called me a Dolphin, showed me the image clearly.  He spoke truths over my soul.  Smart.  Kind.  Loyal.  Playful.  Fierce.  Protective.  Fun.  Free.  Beautiful.  I vowed to take it home with me, to remember to be silly and fun and playful when the world felt heavy.  To be light in darkness.  To not allow the enemy’s accusations to speak louder than God’s truth. 

Under Attack

I failed.  Yes, you read that right.  I failed.   I returned to a storm.  The enemy had not been on vacation while I was away, and the winds of change had blown in again.  Over the course of the next two years I would find myself desperately clinging to the truth God spoke on the beach that day, and other days I would shove my younger self back in the corner and tell her to take her silliness and fun and playful with her.   It was a battle that ultimately lead me to Finding Zarephath, and for that I will always be grateful, but every battle comes with a price and scars.

 

God Speaks Still…

 

This year, God opened the door again, and took me back to Florida.  This time to the Gulf side with my family.  The rhythm was much the same, room, beach, pool, food, games.  And there God met me again, in a boat with my family… with a simple reminder… playful dolphin.

 

His truth always prevails.  His promises are always fulfilled.

 

Stories From The Beach

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Voice of Hope

In January we made a Blog plan for the year, open to change of course, but we laid out some topics for each month and then some weekly topics within those months.  That plan was sent to women we felt might want to contribute early in January.  Covid wasn’t on our radar yet, not really.   In January we discussed identity for four weeks, in February Love, in March we did stories of rescue as we geared up for Easter, and then our world changed.  Covid lockdowns, shutdowns, unemployment continued much longer than anyone expected, protests and riots came into the news, throughout the months of April, May, June, July, we felt called to pause our plans and just try to shed a moment of light in a hurting world each week.  That continues to be our goal.  To be a voice of hope, joy, inspiration, that for a moment, the few moments it takes to read a short post, reminds us that God is still bigger than this, that He still has dreams and plans for each of us. To remind us to draw close to him when everything else is pressing in.

The original topic for July was “Stories from the Beach” this was meant to be a general time of rest and relaxation and the topics would be wide open to anyone who contributed during this time.  I personally planned to write stories from a literal beach, I had hopes and dreams of summer vacations and time resting and recharging.  As our world changed, none of that took form, and yet…

Way Maker

Our God who makes a way when there is no way, knows the desire of my heart.  He knows what beaches and water do to refresh my soul.  He knows what each cancelled trip this year has cost me emotionally, and suddenly he opened a door, and very last minute 5 of the 6 of us got to go spend a week on the beach.  Ridiculously cheap airfare, a condo deal that had already been paid for, and a small rental car and we got to spend 6 days going form our room to the beach to the pool.  We bought groceries to keep the eating out down, wore our facemasks everywhere outside of our relatively empty hotel and played games and swam.  We did get to do a couple other things I’ll write about in another post, but as the days slowed and peace surrounded us, I remembered our plan for “Stories from the Beach.”  This month we will return to that plan, not ignoring or running away from the challenges of our everyday life, but to shine light and hope and joy and encouragement in what feel like a lot of dark places right now. 

Our prayer for you

In the midst of chaos God is still working.  He is still romancing us, He is still calling us.  He has gifts to give and dreams to fulfill.  He has plans for our days that are not on hold.  Whatever the “beach” is in your life, that place that you find beauty and peace and joy, may God show you where He is working, where He is waiting where He is gifting you.  I pray today you are able to see a glimpse of how much he adores and loves you and the beautiful things he has for you.

“Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper Light in the darkness My God, that is who You are
You are Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper Light in the darkness My God, that is who You are.”

For You

Posted on by FZadmin

Encouragement, Growth & Celebration

The struggle for women in ministry is real. Often underpaid and under resourced church staff and volunteers become tired. Demands of ministry reach well outside the boundaries of normal work hours and normal emotional & spiritual boundaries. John 10:10 tells us that Jesus came to give life to the fullest, but too often we lose sight of our own abundant life in helping others find theirs. 

The work of women in ministry is often a windy road through hurt, pain, betrayal, and exhaustion amidst the joys and victories.

Finding Zarephath holds at its core the desire to encourage & renew the women who are supporting the work of their local church. To encourage and pray for all women in ministry and to help them connect with each other and with Jesus.

Finding Zarephath seeks to be a constant reminder of the life of joy  that Jesus offers. A place to refill and refresh, a place to rest and recharge – in a moment of encouragement or in a time set apart.

Are you in need of encouragment today? Do you know someone who is?  Follow the link below to be added to our gifts and encouragement lists, receive prayer, and be kept up to date when we announce retreat and care offers.

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