You Are Needed

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Support & Strength

At the core of who we are Finding Zarephath does not seek to sell services, but to offer all we can to support women in their ministry. While finances are a necessary part of any ministry, our team is dedicated to providing care for women in ministry who need it.

In order to do that, we need committed believers who value the work of the women in their lives and are willing to invest in them.  If you would like to partner with us financially, the options are linked on this page.  Your gift can make a huge impact in the lives of women serving in your church, other churches, and ministries everywhere.

We tithe too! 

As a ministry we set our first 10% aside to provide funds for benevolence, professional counseling, encouragement and celebration above and beyond our regular budget for these programs.   It is our desire to live a generous life personally as well as an organization, allowing women engaged in ministry to receive the assistance they may need to find more of the life and hope that Jesus offers.

 

 

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Donate – General Fund

The General Fund allows us to continue our encouragement campaigns, gifts, early coaching and resources.

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Donate – Scholarship Fund

The Scholarship Fund is specifically dedicated to help women attend our retreats, purchase courses, and receive extended coaching or counseling.

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Purchase From Our Store

Our NEW Store allows you to purchase a great encouragement product for yourself or as a gift, while supporting the ministry of Finding Zarephath.  

100% of the proceeds from sales go directly into our Encouragement Program.

Finding Zarephath’s administrative costs are kept as low as possible and are already fully funded by a committed group of of people who believe in the the mission and vision of our ministry.  All additional donations and sales are therefor 100% committed to the programs and services that Finding Zarephath offers to women in ministry.

Overflow

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How Many Miles to Empty?

 

“Sometimes we spend more time talking about God and not talking to God.”  I said to the pastor of a church in the greater Denver area.  We were talking about the ministry of Finding Zarephath and the need for care for women in ministry who spend much of their time supporting others, but often lack resources when they themselves are struggling.  The Pastor I was talking to paused and then acknowledged the truth of those words. 

I have spent some time this last week thinking about that conversation.  I have served as staff or volunteer in a church my entire adult life, I have always wanted to help people find the hope of Jesus, not just for salvation, but also for the here and now.  God is calling us to a life of adventure with Him, there are dreams, and giftings, and plans He has for us in this life.  As we move into those plans, as we see them take form, as we experience the amazing life that Jesus offers, we rightfully become passionate about helping others walk into their calling.  It can be an amazing process, a fulfilling experience, introducing somebody to Jesus for the first time or helping them see where He is moving in their lives… but sometimes, maybe more often then we care to admit, we make a shift of talking more about God than to God.  We pour out of our own talents, our own wisdom, our own strength and eventually the cup runs dry.

I have been studying the book of Job this week.  There are a lot of well meaning people pouring out their own wisdom, their own strength, their own talents.  It’s not based on nothing, these are God-fearing men who have a lifetime of knowledge and understanding and walking with God under their belt, but despite that, they never actually stop talking to each other long enough to talk to God, when God has had enough, he interrupts and corrects them.

I know that’s been me.  Even as I spoke those words to the Pastor last week, I think we both felt the conviction of them, so this week, prompted by that conversation and the leadership of our Board President who committed to praying for our team, our ministry, and our country every day for a week, I picked up where she left off and continued.  The time has been good, God’s in it every time, and I feel the internal shift away from the worries of this world, to the desires of God.  

Like me, like the Pastor, you have your own gifts and talents and wisdom that you operate out of.  That’s a gift directly from God, but this week I challenge you to make sure you are plugging into the source, that you remember to talk to God as much as you talk about him, may your cup overflow with encouragement, wisdom, and strength.

Waiting

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Uncertainty and Waiting

It’s been a weird season.  I know I’m not alone in that.  The whole world feels off its axis.  A virus that shut down most of the world, the end of large gatherings, and extreme travel restrictions.  The daily evaluation of whether our next outing is essential, wise, or safe.  I don’t live in fear, but I live in consideration.   There are people who have had to go out, for work or for services, and I don’t want to be dismissive of their need for distance.  I have a beloved circle of friends who represent some part of the at-risk population, whether it be their age, their medical circumstance, or the ages & medical needs of the people they care for.  I have learned some things about myself.  I can be cooped up with my family and not go crazy.  I can enjoy the sudden slowdown of our crazy schedules and just be present.  There are things that fill the “have to” column of my life that aren’t really necessary.  I also was starkly reminded that I do not like uncertainty and I don’t like to wait.

Waiting and uncertainty… that is the theme of this season and it is my least favorite.  Even in crisis or when something goes wrong a plan to make it better can be put into action.  And, of course, there is all the fun planning; the events, the vacations, the sports leagues, etc..  Here at Finding Zarephath we had all sorts of plans for this fall… the launching of retreats, one day events, fundraisers and more.  Everything is waiting, in a loop, and the elevator hold music is getting old….

Abraham and Sarah

But in this season, God has taken me back to a reading thru the bible plan.  And like most people, I’ve started many and finished few, so the Genesis chapters get read and re-read time again.  It’s easy to brush over them, the creation story, the flood, Abraham and Sarah, Moses.  We’ve read the stories, some of us have taught them, the meaning, the implication, the faithfulness of God, and we read them in this way where God makes a promise and then He delivers.  This time though, this time for me is different… I’ll tell you something… there is a lot of waiting.

Today, I’ve been reflecting on Abraham and Sarah.  God clearly had a plan for Abraham’s life, He made covenants and promises to them for their future, and yet there was a lot of waiting.  It’s easy to miss the time lapse.  If you read it casually, God makes a promise and they lose faith and try it their own way, God makes a promise again, they laugh, but ultimately God proves He is faithful and they have Isaac.  What is easy to overlook, or dismiss because we know the ending, is the waiting.  60-ish years from the first mention of descendants.  30 years from the covenant.  13 years after Ishmael.  That’s a lot of waiting.  I would not have made a very good Sarah.  I will also never judge her again for trying to fulfill the promise her own way or for laughing when God repeated it.  Don’t I do the same?  Don’t we do the same?

His Way

So, I will take the lessons of Sarah to heart.  My timing is not always God’s timing, my ideas and ways are not always God’s ideas and ways.  I will try to submit my plans, my timing, my goals to Him and I will trust His promises.  I may blow it along the way… correction, I will blow it along the way.  I will get the timing wrong sometimes, I will try my own way, and forget that His way is better, but I will try to do better.  I will trust Him, lean into Him, and walk with Him.  For His ways and thoughts are different, but they are better.

 

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,  neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.  “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. – Isaiah 55:8-9

All of You

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June Snow & Winter Sunshine

I love water and sunshine and sand, and I live in the mountains.  My sweet friend loves rain, and big fat snow flakes and lives near the beach… we both see the beauty of our locations,  it’s just not necessarily the preferred location.  That is also not the end of our differences.  We are different in so many ways, how we relate to others, how we see the world, the things we worry about, the things we stress over.  She calls me out of my own head space often, she likes to poke holes in the justification and reasoning I often try to hide behind.  She challenges me to be a better person, a multi dimensional person, and person who won’t settle for less than all Jesus has for me.  I have watched her struggle with her differences, I have watched her adjust, battle and accept those depending on the circumstances.  I have learned a lot from her about people, myself and Jesus.

Do you ever feel out of place like a June Snow – you know, like many of us woke up to today?!?  I pray you read her words,  allow them to flow over you.  We are all beautifully different, the very things we think make us “other” are the strength and gifting that Jesus gave us.

Her Story

I’m not like anyone I know. I’m not like anyone on TV or in the movies. When God was knitting me together and counting the hairs on my head, he most definitely made me unique amongst humans. I look at other people and they fit some societal mold that I don’t seem to fit in to but I tell you there is a secret. Everyone feels weird, alone, separate at some or most times in our lives. God did make us unique. I enjoy cloudy days and watching heavy laden snowflakes fall. I love a downpour. Sunshine is optional. I have loved Jesus for as long as I can remember, and it is that relationship that has sustained me. As with any relationship, I did not take care of it in the early years. As with many young people, I thought I knew better what I should do and of course, I didn’t. The beautiful thing is when I was flat on my face begging for forgiveness and reprieve from the consequences of my actions…Jesus picked me up off the ground, wiped away my tears and comforted me.

You are you. The world will often not understand you. Be kind, don’t be angry, just keep being who God created you to be. Grow your relationship with Him, stay in constant communication with Him to ensure your path remains straight. You will make mistakes, He won’t leave you. You will be frustrated and angry and sad…take it to Him. Some may say, “I don’t know who He created me to be.” One foot in front of the other. Keep learning, keep moving, He will make clear the path. I inquire daily as to whether I’m doing as He would have me to do. I feel like I’m annoying Him; I know that I am not. Embrace your uniqueness, use it to glorify your heavenly Father, whether it fits what the world thinks it should be or not.

“I DON’T NEED A FRIEND WHO CHANGES WHEN I CHANGE AND WHO NODS WHEN I NOD; MY SHADOW DOES THAT MUCH BETTER.”  -PLUTARCH

 

Hope

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Handing Out Life-jackets of Hope in a Sea of Darkness

That’s the quote I heard the other day, I believe it was a reference from a pastor about how his church feels at this time.  The words resonated.  Isn’t that exactly what we’ve all been trying to do?  In the midst of fear, isolation, financial insecurity, health risks, supply shortages, and employment loss, haven’t we been handing out hope and encouragement as fast as we can?  Blog posts, social media posts, online church services, fb Live prayer meetings, pastoral care on Zoom, daily scripture posts, online worship sets… the list is endless.  We are throwing and going.  The next drowning person is just a few feet away and the next wave is coming.

And we are like a search and rescue team operating at night.  We hear some cries for help, some people have enough strength to come to us and ask for help, and yet we know there are so many more.  Others adrift in darkness, alone and afraid, without the strength to call out for help, or lacking faith that anyone will find them or even cares enough to be looking.  So, we continue to shine spotlights in the darkness, and blast messages of hope and pray we are able to help…  just one more.

That has been our story in the Covid season, and just last week, as we were still searching the murky waters for people in need of rescue, another wave came in…. unlike the slow and steady rising of the Covid-19 flood waters, the waves of George Floyd’s tragic death and the following waves of rage, grief, injustice, anger, violence came in like the waves of a Tsunami.  The hit was hard and fast and suddenly there were more people in need of life-jackets of hope in our sea of despair.

Even as the water level rises on us, as we are not immune to the effects of all this loss and grief, we continue to grab as many people as we can, offering them a the only thing that can truly save them; the One who knows them and loves them, our God who is mercy and grace, love and compassion, righteousness and justice, steadfast and faithful.  We have hope because He gives us hope, we have life because He breathes life in us, we have faith because He is faithful.

Today, as you take on whatever comes your way, keep handing out those life-jackets of hope.  Keep proclaiming hope, keep searching for the hurting and lost around you.  Shine light in the darkness and cry out the truth and hope of Jesus.  Love on a friend, send a message of encouragement, offer compassion and understanding and remember where your hope comes from.  You are not alone.

 

“The Kingdom of God is advancing into the kingdom of darkness, a campaign to ransom people and the earth God intended us to rule. For the Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost. All that was lost.”  “Love & War,” John & Stasi Eldredge

 

Finding Zarephath

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“Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there; behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”                                    – 1 Kings 17:9

Elijah & The Widow of Zarephath

In 1 Kings 17, the profit  Elijah tells King Ahab of the coming drought and follows God’s instruction to flee the town and hide in a ravine, where he is fed by the ravens for a year.   However, as the drought continues, the brook runs dry and God instructs him to go to the town of Zarephath and the widow there.  Upon arriving and meeting the widow, he learns that she and her son have just enough flour and oil to make one final loaf of bread and have resigned themselves to their fate.  Elijah instructs her to make the bread and bring him some and promises her the flour and oil will not run dry until the drought is over. Elijah stays with the widow and her son, and they eat well every day.   Some time later, the widow’s son falls ill and dies, and Elijah performs the first recorded raising of the dead in the bible.

Promise of Zarephath

There is so much hope at Zarephath.  It is a place of safety and hiding.  It is a place of rest.  It is a place of God’s continued provision.  It is a place of life and resurrection.  It is a place of serving and being served. It is a place of miracles and a place of revelation.

Finding Zarephath

As women in ministry, aren’t we often in need of our own Zarephath? Our own rest, our own safety, our own place of provision, of fulfilled promises, even of resurrection? A time to be served and healed, a time to reclaim life and joy.  That is the significance of Zarephath, the place and story to remind us of the God who loves us, provides for us, heals us, and breathes life into us. It’s not about the place, it finding the promises of Zarephath that Jesus offers us here and now.

 

Girlfriends

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I’VE MISSED YOU

I got to see some of my friends yesterday.  I had to go on a number of errands and decided it was past time.  Some of these women I haven’t seen since before the Covid 19 lockdown.  I haven’t exactly been lonely, there are six people and 3 dogs in my home during this time, there is really no shortage of people, but there is something special about our girlfriends.   I missed them so much.  So yesterday I decided to grab some inexpensive flowers and go on a small visiting tour.   I didn’t get to all of them, but I saw four.  Four beautiful women, who have become very central in my life.  Women who truly know me, love me, and are always a call away.  Oh, how I have missed them.

We are all in different life stages.  One is home with young children trying to finish up online school, while her husband, an essential worker works 24 hour shifts several days a week.  One has grown kids and is working with her husband in their family business and they pretty much only see each other 24/7.  One who usually travels a lot for work has been home in this season, but unable to spend the time she wishes she could with her grandchildren during the lockdown.  Another is long since retired and lost her husband last year, grappling with all the firsts since her husband passed, and adding the additional isolation of this season.  All of them are beautiful women, who love people, love God, and love life.  All of them are impacted by this lockdown, and oh how we miss each other.

One of my friends actually squealed and jumped for joy when I arrived.  I visited with every one of them a little longer than intended, managed to overheat my car attempting to keep my groceries cool while we visited, it was worth it.  I had almost forgotten how refreshing and recharging their presence is.  We were created for this.  We were created to be in relationship with God and with each other, and in this season my friend tank was running pretty close to empty.

And yet, even as I write this, I can remember a time when these relationships didn’t really exist.  The days of girlfriends of my youth faded to my new marriage, my new family, work friends, church friends, mom friends.  They were still friends, but it was different, each of those only knew that side of me, our common ground was our environment or our children, not a genuine love of each other.  But in the last decade or so, God has taken me on an identity finding journey, and in that season He made clear the necessity of friends.  We have to walk through this life with others, we weren’t meant to do it alone.  So often, it is exactly the fear of being alone, that leads us to settle for lesser relationships.  In this last season, I have been incredibly blessed to have friends who have seen me at my worst and my best, they have cheered for me, cried with me, and yes, even yelled at me.  They have walked in truth and grace.  The road to that hasn’t always been easy, there has been hurt and pain and friendship lost, but staying in the fight, fighting for and with people we love, refusing to allow the accusing voice of the enemy to have the final say, and refusing to give up because it’s hard, is so absolutely worth it.

So, if today, your friendship tank is running low because of current circumstances, reach out to those women who fill your tank and allow their presence whether in person, over the phone, or through messaging to breathe life and hope and joy over you.  And if you find yourself unsure of who exactly those people might be, then invite God into that, odds are, they are already close by.

 

 

 

Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But som

eone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. – Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Unplugged

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“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” – Ann Lamott

Best Laid Plans…

Oh, the irony. Finding Zarephath encourages women in ministry in a number of ways, but a primary one is the mailing of regular encouragement messages and small gifts or tokens of remembrance. In February we ordered bookmarks with this quote to be distributed in our April mailer. Those mailers have not been sent out. First, because our work parties that usually meet to assemble them haven’t been able to, and second, because suddenly it didn’t feel like the most needed message. Telling 1500 women to take a time out and unplug, when they just spent a month at home on quarantine didn’t feel like the most apt message. Who says God doesn’t have a sense of humor?

And Yet…

This morning however, as I pondered the blog post for this week, I was reminded of the bookmarks. We initially just thought we’d shelve them for another time, another season. The days when we are all too busy chasing all the details, all the needs, all the problems will return soon enough. There is almost never a time in ministry when we don’t need a reminder to unplug, the right time will avail itself.

This morning, however, I really thought about the message and our current reality. Our lives have changed dramatically in the last 2 months. Our rhythms and habits have all be tossed into a giant mixing bowl. For many of us our financial situation has gone from tight to precarious. Our social interactions have changed dramatically and our work environment now includes our kids & pets. Nothing is the same it was two months ago, and yet, for myself at least, and I suspect for many of you, the one thing we have not done is unplug.

My weekly cell phone usage report seems to be a glaring accuser. How many hours a day did I spend on my phone? How many hours on my computer? Netflix, YouTube & Hulu? My kids’ hours on Xbox or Nintendo Switch? How many hours of news feeds and the comment on them? If there is one thing I know I haven’t done, it’s unplug. I’ve disconnected from the social world around me, but those aren’t really the same thing. The noise of all the other places I’ve been plugged into is loud. Deafening at times, it serves to silence some of the losses I’ve experienced in this season, but it certainly isn’t unplugged.

A Simple Truth

So, this week, we are going to prep the mailers. We are going to move forward with the truth that all of us need a time to unplug, to silence the noise, and to make space to hear God in the silence. He waits for us there. So, whether you are beginning to return to some of your environments, or you are continuing to quarantine at home, will you take a moment and consider unplugging. Turn it all off. And breathe. Breathe in the silence, breathe in the promise of summer, breathe in the presence of God. He hasn’t been in quarantine, He’s been waiting for us to unplug.

 

Our Many Moms

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-Lisa-Jo Baker

This week we celebrate mothers.  All mothers. 

If we have eyes to see, we will recognize that we all have many mothers.  The women who influenced us, comforted us, taught us and fed us.  The women who showed up when we needed them.  They may be blood relatives, they may be friends, sometimes they were even strangers.  But the heart of a mother can be found in a million small kindnesses as well as life changing ones.  All women give life, some to their own children, some to others’.  Some to ideas and inventions and beauty.  Our world is a better place because of the life-giving beauty of other women.

To all the Moms

To the moms who treasure every hand-made gift they receive today and 

To the moms who receive no gifts.

To the moms whose children celebrate her and

To the moms whose children can’t.

To the moms of generations, who celebrate their children and grand-children and

To the those who have lost and miss them.

To the stepmoms, adoptive moms, foster moms and fill-in moms and

To the sisters, aunts, and best friend moms

To the moms who are overflowing with joy and

To the moms who are struggling.

To the moms who have lost a child and

To the moms who have never held their child

To the moms who are expecting a child and

To the moms who have never had a child

To the daughters of great moms and

To the daughters of broken moms

You are beautiful.

You are seen.

You are loved.

 

 

 

 

My God Who Knows

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It was Inevitable…

Deep down inside we all knew this wouldn’t magically end in 30 days or 45 days or even 60 days. 

Here in Colorado we are seeing the transition from the Stay at Home Order to Safer at Home policies, allowing for the beginning of some service industry re-openings, some return to work plans, and the hope of the reopening on a larger scale in the next few weeks.  However, even with the promise of an end to this first stage, the other losses trickle in.

Today, I opened my email to a list of places with travel restrictions.  I opened another email that confirmed that in addition to the cancellation of the remaining school year and with it all spring sports, the local summer youth leagues have also been cancelled.  I’ve already heard of churches making plans to not have services well into June, possibly beyond… and the sadness came.

I felt the tears welling up as I read the list of destinations we can’t travel too.  A few tears fell as it was confirmed that there would be no summer baseball. I miss my friends, the ones that, no matter how busy life gets, I know I will see in Church on Sunday.  And in the grand scheme of things, amidst job losses, and closed businesses, this is all relatively minor, but somehow right now, it’s heavy.

My God Who Knows

But my God is still on the throne and He knows the desires of my heart.  He cares about the big and small things in my life.  He cares about my employment and my small business.  He also knows how much I love to travel, that every summer, as the sun emerges, dreams of beaches call to me.  He knows that I love the beautiful mountains I live in, but also how I long for sand and water.  He also knows how much I love watching my kids play sports.  He knows that in the busyness of having two four-sport athletes, while I enjoy short respites, I would love to sit on the bleachers and cheer for them, yell about a call or too, and feel the rush of a narrow victory or even the pride of a well fought defeat. He knows.  And He cares.  Even about the little things.

So today, I do it again.  I take all my cares and fears, and hope and dreams and lay them at His feet.  My faith is not based on circumstance.  My knowledge of His faithfulness comes from a lifetime of experience and is not shaken by a momentary change of plans.  I will grieve the things I thought I would do this summer, but I celebrate that my God knows me intimately and there is nothing that I will ever surrender at His feet that He will not make something beautiful of.  I will cry out my sadness and praise His name, no matter what. 

 

So Will I

And as You speak
A hundred billion failures disappear
Where You lost Your life so I could find it here
If You left the grave behind You so will I
I can see Your heart in everything You’ve done
Every part designed in a work of art called love
If You gladly chose surrender so will I
I can see Your heart
Eight billion different ways
Every precious one
A child You died to save
If You gave Your life to love them so will I

Like You would again a hundred billion times
But what measure could amount to Your desire
You’re the One who never leaves the one behind

                         – Hillsong