tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90905250976398905192024-03-19T03:51:44.322-06:00On Fire MinistriesIGNITE-INSPSIRE-APPLYOnFire-Ministries: IGNITE-INSPIRE-APPLYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16076775556135586717noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090525097639890519.post-54224867728555749102013-09-24T08:05:00.000-05:002013-09-24T08:05:05.491-05:00A Re-learned Lesson
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I
hope you have been blessed this week through your Bible study. God has reminded
me of the value of His presence. I am blessed to walk right in and sit with Him.
He invites me to bring my deepest hurts and fears and my most casual
conversation. He desires relationship. He welcomes wherever we are, broken and
weak, strong and joyful, calm and quiet, loud and laughing. He delights in the
presence of His people and longs for His people to delight in His
presence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Here’s
what I re-learned this week: His presence = fullness of Joy <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Sometimes
I get so wrapped up in the lesson I am writing or teaching that I forget to sit
and bask in His presence. I get to the end and see what He has taught me and
what He wants me to teach others and find I missed the greatest treasure. I
struggle to discern the relational aspect of being in His word to know Him and
being in His word to know about Him and what He is like. We definitely want to
know about Him and what He is like, but if it is not for relationship sake, we
miss the whole point. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I
truly do find my greatest time and place of joy is in His presence. Studying
His word is one way He intended for me and you to relate to Him and bask in His
presence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Why
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>do we study His word?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">To
know who He is for relationship sake<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">To
know His heart and desires for relationship sake<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">To
know what He says about me and His expectations for relationship sake<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Why
is relationship so important? For me, I am not a rule follower by nature. Apart
from relationship with Jesus, I saw the Bible as a book of rules. I now see the
Bible as a book of vibrant life that delights my soul! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Thank
you for joining the journey through His word! </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Now It’s your turn. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">What lesson
did you learn or re-learn that was most significant to you and why? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Pat Domanguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16220254765091413569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090525097639890519.post-59120477793530979662013-09-20T19:54:00.000-05:002013-09-20T19:54:10.797-05:00Week 1 - Forget the Past & Link to God's Word
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Well
Ladies, So glad you joined me on this journey, this Quest for Wholeness! Just
like Paul and Joshua, we all have things in our life we need to forget. </span></div>
<ul>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">F</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">orget doesn't mean that our past never comes in our mind again, but that we stop acting on the memory of it.</span></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">If not,
we might stay linked to a past that hinders us from the future, the Promised
Land, or the Wholeness that God intends. Our pasts and futures all look
different, but wholeness is a part of every believer’s future who links to the
truth of God’s word rather than the reality of their past. Linked to our past
keeps us connected to who we were.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Remember, through His
word we walk in wisdom, power, and victory on a successful path to wholeness. Linked
to God’s word keeps us connected to our God and what He can do. </span></div>
</li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Joshua
could have easily stayed linked to Moses’ memory and missed the Promised Land.
But Joshua listened and responded to God in obedience. Joshua learned to trust
in God’s love. He learned that God’s word and direction for His life was good,
right, and true. Paul learned the same lesson. Paul said, “what things were
gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. (Phil. 3:7) Therefore, Paul
said he forgot those things which were behind and reached forward to those
things which were ahead. (Phil. 3:13)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I
always think about the way God’s spiritual healing in my life affected my
children’s life. I remember the day my daughter (10 at the time) heard my
testimony of my ugly sinful past. Wise for her age she said, “Mom, do you
realize how different my life would be if Jesus had not changed your life?”
WOW! Girl, do I ever! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Are
there things in your life that you have been able to forget, to leave behind,
or let God bury and therefore, experienced His healing and wholeness in your
life? What areas of your life have been affected because of that healing? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
Pat Domanguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16220254765091413569noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090525097639890519.post-84101513986369630112013-08-27T21:39:00.000-05:002013-08-27T21:39:33.433-05:00<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcncOTnsw6e4uEmnGMxWfXz93027yoV28quy7v8w3Le454FSaU3LmmtJ7DUOVqHyfvnKnLw6C-JKG-bwDfpilPU75f9S59EmBpsoHzsxktzVZ4v4TDS_A69hCymOScvKrhTNbgP9J-Ss/s1600/Quest+for+Wholeness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcncOTnsw6e4uEmnGMxWfXz93027yoV28quy7v8w3Le454FSaU3LmmtJ7DUOVqHyfvnKnLw6C-JKG-bwDfpilPU75f9S59EmBpsoHzsxktzVZ4v4TDS_A69hCymOScvKrhTNbgP9J-Ss/s320/Quest+for+Wholeness.jpg" width="202" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I am so excited to teach <em>Quest For Wholeness</em>
again! This study is personal because it has so much of my own journey from a pit
of sin to freedom in Christ. I do not teach as if I am a person who has arrived
but one still on a journey to wholeness. I don’t believe that in our flesh,
blood, and bones body we reach the ultimate place of wholeness, but we continue
to press towards that perfected state. Paul said in Phil.1:6 that we can be
“confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will
complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Yesterday a friend and mentor shared a
Scripture she felt God had laid on her heart to speak to me. I knew that God
was giving me a word of encouragement because the Scripture she spoke was one I
have treasured and prayed so many times throughout my journey. It was a
personal word to me from God. That is what God does in a daily walk with Him,
He leads, guides, encourages, and speaks personal words to us that affect our daily
life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">While our wholeness is completed in the
heavenly realm, Scripture pictures an earthly progressive transformation taking
place that continues throughout our earthly existence. I guess that’s why we
can’t say we walked an aisle once or once said a prayer and now we are fixed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<strong>
</strong><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><strong>We who are in Jesus Christ are called to a <u>daily</u>
life with Christ.</strong> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<ul>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Jesus
taught <u>daily</u> in the temple. (Matt. 26:55; Luke 19:47</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Jesus
taught His disciples how to pray saying, “Give us this day, our <u>daily</u>
bread.” (Matt. 6:11; Luke 11:3)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
early church in its infancy - “So continuing <u>daily</u> with one accord in
the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with
gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the
people. .And the Lord added to the church <u>daily</u> those who were being
saved.”( Acts 2:46-47)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> The early church pictured authentic faith.
What makes faith authentic is the daily-ness of our faith. Daily living with
Christ means our daily lives are affected by Christ and we are truly living
what we believe. Why was the Lord daily adding to the church those being saved?
Because they lived daily in Christ, for Christ, and through Christ, and people
could see the authenticity of that faith in daily lives. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Quest For Wholeness is about being on a daily
journey walking with Jesus throughout life until we step from dirt to gold and
are transformed into the perfected state of His image. What a glorious day that
will be! But until then, the most glorious day we can have every day is in His
presence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p><strong> </strong></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><strong>In
what ways does Jesus daily affect your life?</strong> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
Pat Domanguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16220254765091413569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090525097639890519.post-84559068867386594302013-08-27T20:16:00.003-05:002013-08-27T20:16:23.185-05:00<h2>
Upcoming Bible Study </h2>
<h2>
Quest for Wholeness - Healing the Broken</h2>
<h2>
Starting on September 17th. </h2>
<h2>
Go to our website for more information and to sign up.<br />www.onfire-ministries.org</h2>
Ashley Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13956018041968269535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090525097639890519.post-15132620154262421472012-02-03T03:28:00.003-06:002012-02-03T03:44:54.829-06:00Linking Arms - PatWhile reading the description (pg. 183-84) of the biennial International AIDS Conference Kay Warren attended in Bangkok in 2004, I remembered a time when Paul had a similar experience. Acts 17:16 - While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. In a place where God was numbered among many gods, Paul fulfilled his calling in that place by exalting the one true God and making Him known to those who had not know Him. I have a sentence underlined in my Bible that is in the middle of Paul’s teaching that day. He said, “For in him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28) Kay Warren mentioned another teaching by Paul that led her to understand her God given call to be His hands and feet in the world of HIV/AIDS. This is her passion because this is her call by God.<br /><br />God established His church to be His body – His hands and feet, but as Scripture teaches, each one is gifted to do that in a unique way. This would be a good time to read 1 Corinthians 12.<br /><br />So many times we struggle with our purpose or our calling. We wrestle with we aren’t that gifted; we aren’t that special; we aren’t that able, and the truth is, we aren’t. Jesus said, “Without me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) But as Paul said in Acts 17:28, “<strong>In Him</strong> we live and move and have our being.” I wondered if you had discovered how He has gifted you to be His hands and feet because He has gifted you to do that. It won’t look just like Kay Warren’s or Paul’s or Pat’s or your best friend’s or your spouse’s but in some magnificent way we are gifted to be His hands and feet, a light in the darkness.<br /><br />Many times we can discover our calling seeking God and merging our answers of questions like:<br />· What are you passionate about?<br />· What burdens your heart?<br />· What charges your battery and gives you energy?<br />· What are you most motivated by?Pat Domanguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16220254765091413569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090525097639890519.post-41465752747324660332012-02-01T03:24:00.000-06:002012-02-01T03:25:13.446-06:00An Unexpected Bond - PatDear Ladies,<br /><br />I have always been told that you never begin a letter with an apology. I wonder if the same rules apply with a blog… If so, sorry to break the rules and I am sorry that I fell behind in blogging. Life took a turn for the overwhelming this past 2 weeks and I am hanging on with the hope that this too shall pass.<br /><br />However, I did read chapter 9 last week and was struck by the perspective that Kay Warren gave me about the prostitutes. I never really thought about them from the perspective of what was behind their occupation may have been suffering and even no choice in the matter. It always was just a bad girl occupation not an evil forced on a young girl or woman to kill, steal, and destroy her life. The good news is that Jesus came to give abundant life. He also said in Mark 9:42, “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.” Evil may be free to do evil today but there will come a day when evil has to pay!<br /><br />The other half of the chapter focused on taking “communion” or the “Lord’s Supper.” I could not help but wonder how we have missed the true purpose and intent of remembering the great gift of His broken body and His precious blood which gave us a new and living way to enter into His presence, both now and forever, and with boldness.Pat Domanguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16220254765091413569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090525097639890519.post-30177076340641718042012-01-25T09:15:00.002-06:002012-01-25T09:38:17.302-06:00The Gift of Presence - Ashley<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">“<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">As followers of Jesus, you and I are containers of God.” (Pg.137) </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I love this statement, and it speaks masses to my heart. We tend to focus on the action steps and the list of activities while hurrying past hurting people. We are not just called to be His hands and feet, but also to allow Him to take up residence within us and behold His light, love, and power so that others can experience Jesus when they experience us. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; ">In 2 Corinthians 4:7 He calls this gift a “precious treasure”. He does not need us, but He chooses to use us to shine His glory because He knows we need Him. He desires to be seen and known—not us. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; ">It says: “But this precious treasure—this light and power that now shines within us – is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak bodies. So everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own.” </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">We do not have to go to Africa to have the opportunity to make an invisible God visible (although some may be called there). He sets before His children opportunities everyday to “just be” with hurting people. We must make room for Jesus in our hearts and become His containers of light, love, and power. Many times the greatest gift we can offer someone is not an "action step" but simply the giving of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; ">ourselves! </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">What is your container filled with? </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Is there “VACANCY” inside your heart for Him?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> </span></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment-->Ashley Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13956018041968269535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090525097639890519.post-84018306624483933402012-01-16T07:04:00.000-06:002012-01-16T07:05:21.440-06:00A Deliberate Choice – PatWhat kind of pain have I experienced in this life and how has it equipped me to be compassionate and suffer with others? This was the primary question that went through my mind as I read Chapter 8. My wonderful daddy suffered a sudden heart attack and died in an instant when he was only 61. I have experienced the devastation of divorce in both my life and my children’s life. There are others but just those two are enough to allow me to see potential to connect with another’s suffering.<br /><br />So much of the time, I want to avoid people suffering because I have believed that I have nothing to offer them that can make a difference. Words are dangerous because they are interpreted by the one suffering through their suffering and everyone’s experience and filter is different. The potential to offend or be misunderstood is extremely high in suffering situations. However, my eyes have been opened to the power of our presence for someone who is suffering. I pray God will give me the courage and compassion to suffer with others and then anoint me with is Spirit of comfort that others may be comforted.<br /><br />Here are some questions that Kay Warren’s words stirred up in me.<br />What suffering have you faced that can be used to minister to another?<br />How can that experience help you when reaching out to the suffering?<br />Are you willing to suffer with others?<br /><br />How about you?Pat Domanguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16220254765091413569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090525097639890519.post-55905600703473106552012-01-11T17:13:00.001-06:002012-01-11T17:14:38.201-06:00The Gift of Presence - PatI’m not sure what to think or feel about this chapter. "It" overwhelmed me. I am not even sure what “it” is. Is “it” conviction? I have never offered myself to anyone suffering to the degree of those Kay Warren ministered to. Is “it” discouragement? I don’t have a clue of how to start ministering to people suffering so severely and honestly, not sure I want to. Is “it” sadness? Why does life have to be so bad for these people? What kind of difference could I make anyway? One thing I do know is, I did not like “it.”<br /><br />Lord, please help me to process the emotions and frustrations and fears this chapter stirred up in my soul. I want to be used by You however You choose to use me. Please help me overcome all hindrances to serving and ministering to the suffering, whatever that may look like. Thank You for Your grace and mercy! In Jesus name, Amen.Pat Domanguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16220254765091413569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090525097639890519.post-41282410231730322362012-01-05T09:56:00.003-06:002012-01-05T10:11:48.150-06:00Mirrors Don't Lie - Ashley<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Does the “good girl” part of you love God passionately and want your life to count? All the while, the “bad girl” part of you can’t seem to break the sin cycle, and you’ve learned to compartmentalize the two. (pg. 122)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">If you dare take an honest look, what do you see when you look into the mirror of God’s word? </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">A) “Good girl”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">B) “Bad girl”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">C) Secret combination of “both” </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;">Have you acknowledged any secret sin in your OWN life?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I love the way Kay describes how she compartmentalized the longings of her heart and her repetitive actions. As I ponder the above questions, I am asking you to do the same. These are deep, powerful, and life changing questions - not to be taken lightly. Get alone with God. Be still. Ask Him to reveal truth, and then listen. His truth changes everything. Along with truth He will send His healing balm of grace and mercy.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Click on the below link to listen to a powerful message by Kay titled:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> “Overflowing Grace” </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.kaywarren.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">www.kaywarren.com</span></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Lord, as we look into the mirror of Your truth, show us what You see. May the scales be removed from the walls around our heart so we may acknowledge the secret sins that breed within. May we have the humility to receive Your truth, mercy and grace and then offer it freely to others. In Jesus name we pray - AMEN<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment-->Ashley Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13956018041968269535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090525097639890519.post-40468526464259752702012-01-04T00:50:00.000-06:002012-01-04T00:51:58.691-06:00Mirrors Don’t Lie – PatHave you held up the mirror of God’s word and ruthlessly examined your own motives and actions lately? (Definition of Ruthless – having or showing no pity or mercy)<br /><br />Pg. 117 – “Might I, too, be full of depravity…”<br />Genesis 8:21 – “although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth”<br /><br />Pg. 118 – “…what I found instead was the monstrous capacity for evil in my own soul.”<br />Jeremiah 17:9 – "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?<br /><br />Pg. 119 – “…given the right circumstances anyone of us is capable of any deed.”<br />1 John 1:8 - If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.<br /><br />Kay Warren calls us to “ruthlessly examine” our motives and actions. While doing so, we must remember that “the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." We may fool ourselves but we can’t fool God. He knows us, individually, through and through. While this is a very uncomfortable book, I would rather face and address what is uncomfortable and experience transformation than stay the same. Praise the Lord for loving us enough to expose the evil in our hearts that we may be changed into His image and reflect our Savior.Pat Domanguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16220254765091413569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090525097639890519.post-16720288575178644992011-12-28T09:07:00.002-06:002011-12-28T09:10:40.087-06:00Exposing Evil - PatI read chapter 5 the second time the same way I drive down the road and know there is a dead animal in the middle of the road, batting my eyes really fast over the gross part so I don’t have to get a clear image stamped in my mind. On Christmas Day we went to see Mission Impossible 4 – Ghost Protocol. A couple of the movie locations were Bangalore and Karnataka, India and I could not help but think of what was reality there. I found the information below on this web-site when I had read Chapter 5 the first time.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/india.htm">http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/india.htm</a><br />Factbook on Global Sexual Exploitation<br /><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">· In cross border trafficking, India is a sending, receiving and transit nation. Receiving children from Bangladesh and Nepal and sending women and children to Middle Eastern nations is a daily occurrence. <br /><br />· In India, Karnataka, Andha Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu are considered "high supply zones" for women in prostitution.<br /><br />· Women and children from India are sent to nations of the Middle East daily. Girls in prostitution and domestic service in India, Pakistan and the Middle East are tortured, held in virtual imprisonment, sexually abused, and raped.<br /><br />· Some Indian men believe that it is good luck to have sex with scalp-eczema afflicted prostitutes. Infants with the condition, called "pus babies," are sold by their parents to brothels for a premium.<br /><br />· Every year between 5,000 and 7,000 Nepalese girls are trafficked into the red light districts in Indian cities. Many of the girls are barely 9 or 10 years old.<br /></span><br />I don’t know what to do but I know I no longer want to be guilty of ignoring, denying, or pretending it does not exist. Kay Warren stated on page 103. “In God’s value system, these responses are as wicked as endorsing, cooperating with, or embracing evil.”<br /><br />Oh God forgive me! Oh God forgive us! Show us how you can use each of us to help the helpless and make an impact against the evil of this world.Pat Domanguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16220254765091413569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090525097639890519.post-31049043363048498192011-12-27T10:16:00.004-06:002011-12-27T10:54:12.970-06:00Exposing Evil - Ashley<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">After reading this chapter I prayed for the Lord to open my eyes to the evil lurking around me. Within a few days I had this encounter:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">No words were needed as our eyes met. The light and glimmer, which once filled her “baby blues”, had long been snuffed out since her mother’s sudden death. Today her eyes told a different story that pierced my heart and made it hard to breath. Only cold and sadness could now be seen revealing the loneliness and desperation in her heart. Her smile was weary and her words were few for evil had come and stolen her childhood and ransacked her world. She was malnourished, cold, alone, and living in an unlit makeshift home with numerous holes in the floor and walls. She did not choose this life. It chose her! </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Spiritual moans of help pierced my heart, and I was keenly aware of the evil lurking right in my backyard. In the days to follow I began to realize the magnitude of what was needed for this precious child; it was much bigger than me. The easy thing would be to let the “truth” of what I had seen fade away because it was too disturbing. But I prayed the Lord would haunt me with “her eyes” if I attempted to turn the channel in my mind. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> I knew for certain three things: </span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left:40.0pt;mso-add-space:auto; text-indent:-22.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">1-</span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">God had opened my eyes to this unjust evil. </span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left:40.0pt;mso-add-space:auto; text-indent:-22.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">2-</span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">It is not too big for Him. </span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left:40.0pt;mso-add-space:auto; text-indent:-22.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">3-</span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">He had gone before me and prepared the way. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">It was time to fight for this precious girl and many others like her. What a privilege!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Lord God, continue exposing the evil that is right before our very eyes. Forgive us for closing our eyes and muffling our ears to the people who are hurting and desperate all around us. Equip us with Your Armor to fight, and give us the courage to stand. Thank You that we are never alone; You are always with us. In the Mighty name and blood of Jesus Christ we pray – AMEN.</span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> </span></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment-->Ashley Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13956018041968269535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090525097639890519.post-47473099047832563962011-12-22T09:16:00.004-06:002011-12-23T10:08:46.063-06:00Ready, Set, Stop - Ashley<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">“Do you believe God is good?”</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;font-size:medium;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">“Do you believe the heart of God is good towards YOU?”</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">“What do your actions reveal regarding the two above questions- in good times, difficult times, and unbearable times?”</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Many years ago my family went through seven years of unfair and unbearable trials leaving everyone of us deeply wounded, completely undone, and questioning if God even cared. I stayed on “my face” before Him day after day begging for His victory to break through the mire, the mud, and the continuous lies, but the fiery darts continued pounding and tearing at our hearts. In the end of the seventh year another huge disappointment came, and I felt more defeated and confused in my Christian walk than ever before. At this point I could barely open my Bible without doubting the goodness of God or believing He even cared.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">One Sunday morning at the end of all hope I ran into our Pastor, and he asked about my family. All I could say with a heavy heart was:</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">“Pastor, I have seen good, and I have seen evil. And I have seen evil win!”</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I could tell he was not expecting a response like that, and he stood there for a moment and pondered my words. He looked into my eyes and spoke firmly and lovingly these words of truth.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">“Yes Ashley, just like Jesus’ family, followers, and friends saw that day on the Cross. They watched Him get brutally beaten, betrayed, and hung. They saw “evil” and they saw “good” (Jesus), and they saw evil win (or so they thought).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">---BUT GOD had a plan, and His plan was GREATER!”</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">A lightening bolt as if from heaven jolted my heart, and a light broke forth in the darkness where I had been dwelling. It was the “goodness of God’s heart towards me” that I had not believed.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;"> I asked for forgiveness, and His peace consumed me.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Our victory did come at the very end of the seventh year, and oh how sweet it was. I can look back now and see many miracles God did in and through our family through that difficult season. We also now have great empathy for others who face the same mountains.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Please evaluate your heart and ask yourself daily – <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">“Do I trust that the heart of God is good towards ME?” Read again and ponder on the words the Pastor spoke to me, and may the Holy Spirit bath your precious heart and mind in the truth that it brings.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment--> </span></div>Ashley Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13956018041968269535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090525097639890519.post-5980418075527362822011-12-19T06:36:00.004-06:002011-12-19T06:48:47.468-06:00Ready, Set,Stop - PatWell ladies, it’s week 4 of our book study and I have heard from many reading the blog. I am so glad you are participating that way; however, I really would love to hear from you.<br /><br />I could not read chapter four without that unsettling sense of fear threaten to overtake me! Was there anybody besides me who felt that way?<br /><br />About eight years ago, after I had surrendered my heart to Christ (16 years ago) and my life to ministry (10 years ago), the Lord allowed me to walk through a hard season of life. I was walking close to Him yet He allowed something very unfair and hurtful to take place. Why? Was God good or was I just bad and being punished for my bad past? Today I can see many treasures I was given and experienced during that time. I had some of the sweetest moments and encounters with the Lord. I wrote my first Bible study, Quest for Wholeness: Healing the Broken (now published). On Fire Ministries was birthed during that time. This was such a season of change and strengthening in my faith. Now I can say, I am thankful I went through it, but I could not say that then.<br /><br />Have you ever suffered in any circumstance of life and known the “blessings hidden in the messiness of that suffering?” (pg. 90) If you can, share about the treasures God gave you during that time. Your situation may be just the encouragement another sister in Christ needs to hear today!<br /><br />Become a follower of the blog!<br />Click on the small icon to the right of "Followers" of the blog at the bottom right hand side of the blog and follow the <u><strong>easy</strong></u> steps.<br /><br />Oh, by the way - Brace yourself for Chapter 5!Pat Domanguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16220254765091413569noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090525097639890519.post-9986173862327714992011-12-13T11:51:00.002-06:002011-12-13T11:57:18.204-06:00Gloriously Ruined - Ashley<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">“My children, our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action.” 1 John 3:18</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">As I read chapter three, truth unfolds and what is hidden deep in my heart is revealed. The Lord has lead me to give and take action many times, and this has become somewhat easy for me. However, the truth is I do not allow my heart to get “too involved” and that is disturbing. I keep my distance and make excuses because there is enough hurt and struggle in “my own kingdom”. To dare take on someone else’s pain might overwhelm me. The minute I feel overwhelmed with another person’s needs/hurts, I tend to “short circuit the process” of what God is trying to do in my heart (as she describes on pg.73-74) and retreat back to “my kingdom”.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Kay suggest at the end of this chapter to make a list of why you might hesitate to ask God to “ruin” you. Being as real and honest as I can – here are a few of my hesitations: </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> - Those I’m trying to help might hurt me.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> - I might not be able to make a difference, which equals failure in my eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> - I might get taken advantage of. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> - I might not have enough time or enough to offer.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> - It might take away from my families needs.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> - I might get rejected.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">These are indeed understandable hesitations. But every one of them is selfish in nature and, not one is justified. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">In the past years we have adopted a “family in need” for Christmas. The norm for us is to buy gifts, deliver them, pray for the family, get emotional, and then mark this “good deed” off our list. We feel good about our actions and then go on about our business – not letting our hearts get too attached, too involved, or too “ruined”. (Again- I am being honest.) </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">It is no accident the Lord has brought the pages of this disturbing book before my eyes, and it is not just for a good read. Starting now I want to surrender my protected heart to the deepest hurts and needs of others. I want to wrap my arms around the necks of those in need of a hug so they know they are loved. I want to walk alongside those hurting and battle with them through struggles. I want to be His hands and feet wherever He leads and allow Him to gloriously ruin me. May the walls around my heart come crashing down so that I no longer choose to short-circuit the process!</span><o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment-->Ashley Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13956018041968269535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090525097639890519.post-37347958479934370292011-12-12T06:23:00.001-06:002011-12-12T06:27:31.398-06:00Gloriously Ruined - PatThe intensity of the surrender that God is leading us to increases with each chapter. I wondered if Kay Warren did that with intention or if when the final period was laid the progression was realized. However, noting that this was her journey would explain the progression. Journeys are progressive, even our spiritual journeys with God. Spiritual journeys always begin with God drawing us to Himself and a deep desire within us to know Him “in deeper more extraordinary ways” (page 60). It is that deep desire that compels us to move forward in pursuing Him in ways completely contradictory to our natural inclinations and our comfort levels.<br /><br />Kay wanted to know Him “in deeper more extraordinary ways” so much that she would not chance missing Him to stay seated in her comfortable church pew and doing life as usual in the affluent county of the place she calls home. Somewhere along the line the transfer to compassion for hurting people showed up which is where I knew I dropped the ball. Compassionate people go and touch and do for the sake of the hurting. Even when I have gone and touched and done for the sake of the hurting, I would say it has been more based on the desire to know Him “in deeper more extraordinary ways,” but to know Him that way means a transfer must take place within me to a deep rooted compassion that can only be given to me by God Himself.<br /><br />Her pen pierced my heart once again on page 71. “Giving financially loosens the grip of materialism and selfishness that we all struggle with, but it can be a way of quieting our conscience while keeping our distance from those in need.” How many checks have I written to subdue the drawing towards compassion? I fear - too many.<br /><br />Oh God, have mercy on me and help me to really die to myself! Help me not to short-circuit the process of what You are doing in my heart because it hurts. Change me into a compassionate person because Your heart is in me. Forever alter my heart to go, do, and touch for the sake of hurting people. I want to never be the same again.Pat Domanguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16220254765091413569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090525097639890519.post-38468777285327912562011-12-06T10:53:00.001-06:002011-12-06T13:14:21.122-06:00The Kingdom of Me - AshleyI have heard these three steps all my life: “Deny yourself”, “Take up your cross”, and “Follow Me”. But the way Kay Warren unpacks these truths in chapter two shook the foundation beneath my weary feet and shined a vibrant light on the truth of what real “Surrender” looks like.<br /><br />Denying Self – As much as I desire to deny myself, I realize that much of my life is about (as Kay describes it) – “The Kingdom of Me”. I fight daily to protect my domain and to be right leaving little room for anything else. In her statement “most conflicts are rooted in selfishness”, I am made keenly aware of the selfishness that has entangled my life and snuffed out the Holy Spirit fire in my heart. I am challenged to search my heart and allow the Lord to reveal and uproot this life-killing weed. I am also challenged to stop and ask myself what am I fighting for……..My kingdom or His?<br /><br />Taking Up My Cross – “But your 'Cross’ is not literal; it is instead an attitude of radical obedience to God in which you willingly accept any consequences for Jesus’ sake” (pg. 46). I love the way she goes on to explain personal crosses, many of which I can identify with. I have overbearing and small crosses everyday that I attempt to move, ignore, or fight. It is not often I think of embracing them. However, I often beg God to remove them. My heart is encouraged, enlightened, and invigorated by Fenelon’s observation on pg. 50.<br /><br />“God prepares a cross for you that you must embrace without self-preservation. The cross is painful. Accept the cross and you will find peace even in the middle of turmoil. Let me warn you that if you push the cross away, your circumstances will become twice as hard to bear. In the long run, the pain of resisting the cross is harder to live with than the cross itself.”<br /><br />This is profound and powerful. My crosses are painful. I have spent years attempting to resist, avoid, ignore, and remove each of them. It is time to embrace the very things that I have begged God to remove. Trusting that in my embrace His peace will consume my heart.<br /><br />Follow Me - This section wrecked me, and I am grateful. I have a new perspective on what “follow me” looks like. Jesus does not want my eyes searching to and fro looking at what He is doing in someone else’s life or not doing in mine. No, He wants my eyes fixed on Him so that every step I take I am following Him. My steps may be encircled by “hurt”, “unfairness”, “sickness”, “stillness”, and even “death”, but as I trust Him He will plant the soles of my feet onto “His Highway of Holiness”. I choose today to walk in faith, obedience, and surrender.<br /><br />Prayer: Lord, enable me to whole-heartedly deny myself. My instinct and nature is to self-preserve, but I chose today to embrace my crosses. May I keep my eyes fixed on You and follow You daily. I need You Jesus; I surrender all! In Jesus name, AmenAshley Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13956018041968269535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090525097639890519.post-72938540371553071932011-12-05T09:33:00.002-06:002011-12-05T09:36:24.211-06:00The Kingdom of Me - PatWow! I can so identify with Kay Warren’s struggles in chapter 2. I loved how she taught about surrender and identified practical ways surrender looked in her life. “Voluntary surrender is the key…He only assumes the leadership of my life when I voluntarily yield to Him. Every other moment of surrender to Him grows from His initial invitation to join His kingdom.” (pg. 43) “Your ‘cross’ … an attitude of radical obedience to God in which you willingly accept any consequence for Jesus’ sake.” (pg. 46) Kay said that dying to self was not easy and took years of practice involving all the details of our life. This morning my daughter asked me to curl her hair. While curling it, I told her when she had free time she needed to practice curling her hair and she would get good at it. That goes with anything in life, even dying to self. The more we do it the better we get.<br /><br />Her marriage confessions were meaningful to me. She shared that she had wasted too much time arguing about meaningless stuff with her husband. Ditto. I am a slow learner too, but my husband and I are also realizing loving each other is more important than being right.<br /><br />I too have been put on a shelf by God after a profound encounter with Him in which He showed me I had been called and appointed to full-time ministry. The season of sitting on the shelf was the most difficult of my entire Christian walk. I am a doer. I want to make a difference. I want my life to have significance and make an eternal impact on those around me. But, when God sits you on the shelf and says, “not now,” you will question everything that you know is real. How many times did I point to someone else in ministry and say, “What about her? What about him? Why do they get to do and I don’t? Did You decide I was too big of a mess? This last question has been one of the greatest hindrances for me in ministry and in life. I guess that goes along with the bad past, but I am learning more and more to remember that life and ministry is not about me – that I have been bought and paid for and given a robe of righteousness simply because God extended His glorious grace to the least of these! Praise His name!<br /><br />I want to leave you with a challenge. Go to <a href="http://www.kaywarren.com/">http://www.kaywarren.com/</a> and type in “ego assessment.” Listen to her 42 second message. Download and print the ego assessment. Take the ego assessment into your quiet time and ask the Lord to reveal, redeem, and restore your attitudes that are not His kingdom focused.Pat Domanguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16220254765091413569noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090525097639890519.post-76781403064506260352011-11-29T10:30:00.004-06:002011-11-29T10:59:22.781-06:00Peeking through the Cracks - Ashley<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">“</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">To want to serve God in some conditions, but not others, is to serve Him in your own way. But to put no limits on your submission to God is truly dying to yourself. This is how to worship God. Open yourself to God without measure. Let His life flow through you like a torrent. Fear nothing on the road you are walking. God will lead you by the hand. Let your love for Him cast out the fear you feel for yourself.” – (Francois Fenelon Pgs.32-33)</span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">The truth lying in the midst of these words from chapter one disturbs my heart. </span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I say with my lips I want to serve God, and I make efforts with my actions daily. But the truth is my actions are conditional and measured:</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">- I will submit, but not die to self.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">- I will surrender, on my terms.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">- I will trust, when I understand.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">- I will go, when I know where and how.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">- I will love others, if they don’t hurt me or do things I don’t approve of.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">- I will sacrifice, if I remain comfortable.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">- I will let go, when I am not afraid.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">- I will give, when I have extra.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> </span></o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I am being blatantly honest and the truth is gut wrenching. Instead of allowing His life to flow through me like a torrent, I have obstructed His outpouring with worldly fears, standards, comforts and measures. I have limited His work in my life based on my feelings and understandings. I can no longer retreat to a life of comfort while others are in desperate need. I must engage. It is time for a Holy dangerous surrender in my heart, and I will start this journey shouting - “YES LORD”!</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> </span></o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Lord, change my heart to feel what You feel, give me new eyes to see what You see. May I act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with You. (Michah 6:8) May there be no complacent breath in my body. Make me a “disturbed women” for Your Kingdom work. - In the Name and blood of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment-->Ashley Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13956018041968269535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090525097639890519.post-6744067716135267462011-11-29T05:10:00.001-06:002011-11-29T05:20:04.213-06:00Peeking Through the Cracks - Pat“Will you decide to say yes to God, even before knowing the full implication of what that yes may mean for you?” (pg. 35)<br /><br />Prior to chapter one, my immediate answer to Kay Warren’s question would have been an immediate yes. She forced me to reevaluate my answer. Yes, in the comfortable circumstances of my life. Yes, with a lovely home and a church catering to my need for comfort. Yes, to sending money to help those less privileged than me. Yes, to focusing on a poor family at Christmas. My yes’s all reveal my desperate desire to do for His kingdom and hold onto what makes me comfortable. This came to light at about page twenty-one when Kay asked herself “How does becoming a seriously disturbed person affect the way I live?” She exposed my greatest hindrance to “really” saying yes to God with her confession of her previous problem, personal comfort.<br /><br />Greatest hindrance number two showed up on page twenty-five. I want all the information up front. How about you? I mean for goodness sake, couldn’t He just give us the costs up front. When I decided to build a house, I had to count the cost up front therefore I needed to know how much the total cost would be. The problem with this may be that He did give us the cost up front, we just don’t like the possibilities of what that may look like in our life. Remember the living sacrifice of Romans 12:1 which is our reasonable service/worship to the Lord. Or how about Galatians 2:20, For I have been crucified with Christ it is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me… One more, Luke 9:24, Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it (said Jesus).<br /><br />If that wasn’t enough, she dug up one more greatest hindrance, my own ordinariness. Reading this section reminded me of extra-ordinary people in the Bible who struggled with their ordinariness. Moses (Exodus 4:10), Gideon (Judges 6:15), Mary (Luke 1:48), Hebrews 11… God chose the people of Israel because they were the least of all peoples (Deuteronomy 7:7). Why? But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; <a id="es32091" name="essm">and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, </a>that no flesh should glory in His presence (1 Corinthians 1:27-29).<br /><br />Here is my personal prayer; you are welcome to join me:<br />Oh Lord, open my eyes to see as You see, open my heart to love as You love, open my mind to understand Your personal call in my life. I give you my hindrances and ask You to transform them. Help me to say yes before I know the question. In Jesus most powerful name, I pray. Amen.Pat Domanguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16220254765091413569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9090525097639890519.post-40761482065325657882011-11-27T13:32:00.000-06:002011-11-27T13:32:09.314-06:00Dangerous Surrender<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Read along with us and experience what happens when you say yes to GOD. Our journey begins this week as we dive into the pages of "Dangerous Surrender" written by: Kay Warren. We will read one chapter a week and post weekly to ignite and inspire all who follow. Please purchase your book now and join us! </span>OnFire-Ministries: IGNITE-INSPIRE-APPLYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16076775556135586717noreply@blogger.com3