Take time today to remember those who have served our country through our armed services. Pray for those you know serving now, both in the United States and around the world. Reflect on the freedom we have to pray, attend church, and worship Christ because we live here and because of so many who have died for our freedom. Thank God for the freedom we have through His Son Jesus!

In our final life lesson for leaders, #12 in this series, I want to encourage you to never give up. Take time to read about William Carey sometime. What he faced as he served as a missionary in India would make most people give up and go home, but not him. He refused to disbelieve God’s call in his life and because of it an entire nation was changed.

Disease claimed the life of his little son and his wife almost lost her mind from grief. It eventually caused her to prematurely lose her life. Even so, William continued to learn the language and preach the Gospel in India. He refused to give up and go home because he knew God’s call on his life was to stay put and trust Him.

He worked to translate the Bible into various Indian languages. When a fire burned up the press and valuable works, he still didn’t give up. He started over. When Satan attacked, William grew stronger and more determined. He truly lived out his famous quote, “Expect great things form God, attempt great things from God.”  His refusal to give up meant much for the people of India: the stopping of infanticide as well as the spread of the Gospel. He was only one man, but he marked a nation as he served God as His bidding.

We need to continually ask ourselves if we are investing in the eternal things of God, or the earthly things that pull at our time and attention. Galatians 6:7-10 gives us some encouragement to keep on doing His will: “Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows he will also reap, because the one who sows to his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, we must work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.”

A few years ago during a difficult time in ministry (read more here) when I was ready to give up, I sought God’s reaffirmation and He gave me this verse to memorize (the italics are my changes as I personalized it): “(S)he did not waver in unbelief at God’s promise, but was strengthened in (her) his faith and gave glory to God, because (s)he was fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.” (Romans 4:20-21 HSCB)

What obstacles in ministry are you facing right now? Have you asked God to reaffirm your calling? If so, and if He has, then persist in that calling in your life, even if it is difficult. The eternal rewards will be well worth the sacrifice.

For more helpful resources, check out Women Reaching Women Beginning & Building a Growing Women's Enrichment Ministry, Revised.

For more encouragement, go to other Life Lessons.

In our next to last Life Lesson in this series anyway, let’s address the issue of motivation for our ministry. Why do we do what we do? For whom or what?

Ask yourself those questions. Then read Psalm 115:1. What does this tell us about where the glory should go for all we do for the Kingdom?

Granted, it is encouraging when those to whom we minister let us know that it has touched their lives. If we have helped someone grow spiritually, find Christ as their Savior, or urged them to make a difference in the lives of others, we can begin to look forward to getting those words of support and pats on the back.  It is fulfilling to carry out our God-given assignments for serving Him. But we must always point back to Christ and His power through us as opposed to our own skills, knowledge, or experiences for why we are able to have an impact in His Kingdom.

I often read, and feel convicted by this quote from Beth Moore in Breaking Free, “Our motivations for reaching out and serving others aren’t always pure. My dear friend Kathy Troccoli, who ministers full-time, asked a critical question: ‘Am I ministering out of my need or out of the overflow of my own relationship with God?’ We would be wise to ask ourselves the same question. Do we crave the affirmation of those we serve and do they help us feel important? Or do we serve because Jesus has so filled our hearts that we must find a place to pour the overflow?”  

In Living Free, Beth wrote this, “To fulfill our God-given destinies—to allow the King of all creation to show Himself through us—we must overcome the temptation to seek our own glory by desiring His instead…we must recognize pride as more then self-promotion. Pride is a dangerous lure to captivity.”

Wow, if we are seeking anything other than His glory, we are prideful. Psalm 66:16 says, “Come and listen, all who fear God, and I will tell you what he has done for me.” As we serve, we must be telling the story of what God has done rather than what we have done. As we walk daily with Him, in His Word, asking for His wisdom and discernment, then we will serve out of the motivation of love for Him, who He is and what He has done. Our ministry will be the overflow of our walk with Him.

Check your motivation for serving today, and every day. Tell others what He has done!

For more encouragement, go to other Life Lessons.

Recently I was memorizing James 1:1-5 and began to see these verses in a different way.  Read verses 1-4 and think about what is says. Does that really mean we are to find joy in difficulties?  That’s just not easy to do.  Then I discovered in verse 5 something I’d not seen before.  But before we get to that, let me share something else.

When I discovered this truth, I offered to lead our women’s team devotion time one week and was prepared to share this new insight.  That was pre-flood in Nashville.  Then on the weekend of May 1, an unheard of disaster hit our city and many others in Tennessee.  We cancelled the meeting that week as a result of folks not being able to get to the office and rescheduled about two weeks later.

As we began our meeting and I shared, it took on a whole different meaning as many faced such difficulties due to the flood.  In fact, Tanya, one of our team members lost her home and car. How did God know we would need this lesson that week?  We now know He postponed it for this week.  But the thing is, Tanya was already counting it joy as she’d shared both her pain and her strength in Christ with our team.  She’s hurting and sad, but she and her husband have already been able to see what God has done to draw them into a deeper walk with Him because of this loss.  That is something they wouldn’t trade for all the possessions they lost.  That’s counting it all JOY!

Our first thought in trouble is usually how can I get out of or through the issue and get on with “normal” life.  Charles Spurgeon said, “In shunning a trial, we are seeking to avoid a blessing.” God truly has incredible blessings as we seek Him in trials.  I’ve learned so much through infertility, loved ones with cancer, difficulties with children, and a mom with dementia that I’d never would have known about God if I hadn’t been so desperate for Him.

Job 23:10 tell us, “Yet He knows the way I have taken; when He has tested me, I will emerge as pure gold.”  That is why we can find joy even in hard times. We are being purified through it all.

But my new revelation came with verse 5. It tells us that if we lack wisdom, we should ask God to give us His wisdom and it says He will do that, generously and without criticism.  I’d never really considered the order of these verses, but it dawned on me, when we are facing trials, our first thought should be to ask God for wisdom in that situation, and as we do, we will be able to find strength and even joy.

I began to think about wisdom and Solomon came to mind immediately.  When God asked him what he wanted more than anything, and he could’ve had anything he wanted…riches, lands, fame…he asked God for wisdom.  He led well while he focused on godly wisdom, but when he lost his focus, he began to fail. (1 Kings 3)  Later in life, Solomon became unfaithful to God (1 Kings 11) and no longer led as the king he once was.

In my mind¸ I know that wisdom helps us count it joy in trials, but had never really seen the strong connection till now.  Our FIRST reaction to trials should be to plead for God’s wisdom to navigate the situation according to His wisdom.

In the book Abide in Christ by Andrew Murray, he says this, “and live, above all, day by day in the blessed truth that, as He Himself, the living Christ Jesus, is your wisdom, your first and last care must ever be this along: to abide in Him.  Abiding in Him, His wisdom will come to you as the spontaneous out-flowing of a life rooted in Him.  I abide in Christ, who was made unto us wisdom from God; wisdom will be given me.”

How are you daily abiding in Him, seeking His wisdom, and counting it joy when you face trials?

For more inspiration, go to Inspiration for Leaders.

Have you served in a place you felt so called by God, and then one day it just didn’t feel right anymore?  How did you feel? What did you do?

For years, my service was in an area that, though I’d not sought it, I’d felt totally called to serve.  God had been so faithful to lead, equip, challenge, and encourage through a number of years in ministry, and then one day…things changed.  Actually it was a culmination of a number of changes that led me to begin to wonder if I was still where God wanted me to be.  Until now, I had loved getting up (even in the dark before dawn!) to go to work and serve. It was such a gift to me to “get” to do this. That changed to almost a feeling of drudgery…something I’d never experienced in ministry prior to that time.  It had been difficult often, but I’d never doubted I was where God had called me to be.  Now I questioned everything.

I had also reached the half way mark of life (turning 50) and a number of other changes had occurred that gave me an urgency to spend the rest of my life on the most important things, not just good things!  James 4:13-17 (HCSB) had become a challenge to me:

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit”.  You don’t even know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be!  For you are a bit of smoke that appears for a little while, then vanishes.  Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that”.  But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So, for the person who knows to do good and doesn’t do it, it is a sin.

God began to speak to me asking if I was doing what He’d told me to do.  Was there something He’d told me that I wasn’t doing?

Since only He knew how many years I had left to complete my assignments on earth, I wanted to be sure I wasn’t wasting time on things that didn’t matter.  My daily prayer was, “God do I stay here or leave? What are you telling me to do?”  My desire was to obey but I just wasn’t sure what He was asking. One day, He showed me that my focus was wrong. It had shifted from “getting to know Him”, to getting an answer!  So, I began to change my focus to, “Lord, what do you want to teach me about Yourself today?  Help me love You more tonight than I do this morning”.  As my focus changed, He began to show me new things about who He was and even about myself.

What I realized in the end was that I was where He wanted me to be, doing what He had truly called me to do, but that it was okay to periodically take a look at what I was doing just to make sure.  Sometimes we get so comfortable in a position, even if He is using us and teaching us new things, we just assume that is what we are supposed to do. Reassessing can help us see new things He’s asking us to do; or reaffirmed that we are right where He wants us to be.

Another thing He showed me was that my “calling” was not primarily to a place or institution, but primarily to Him.  I really knew that, but I needed a reminder of this principle. Secondarily, my calling was to my family.  Then my calling was to women, not the place or particular way I was serving. I’d gotten that confused thinking I’d been called to an institution.  That may be the vehicle He has allowed me to serve women through, now for over 15 years, but He can choose to change how I live out that calling any way He chooses.  He could even change my calling from women to children if He so desired.

For now, He has assured me I am to continue serving women right where I am.  But, I will reassess from time to time to make sure I haven’t missed an assignment He is placing before me.  Perhaps you have gone through a difficult season of ministry and He has moved you to a new assignment.  Perhaps He assured you to stay where you were and do exactly what He’d asked you to do. Maybe He asked you to stay in one place but change how you were ministering. The main thing is that we listen to Him daily to show us what He desires us to do.

How has God reaffirmed or changed your direction in ministry?  Share it with us in the comments section.

For more helpful resources, check out Women Reaching Women Beginning & Building a Growing Women's Enrichment Ministry, Revised.

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In Life Lesson #9, I’d like for you to consider what you have surrendered to the Lord to use for His glory. Now think about what you are holding back. Anything come to mind? A small part of your heart, your past, or maybe even relationships?

Luke 14:27 tell us that if we really want to be His disciple, we have to deny ourselves for His better calling. As a leader, we must be willing to allow Him to use ALL of who He created us to be for His Kingdom.

John 6 we read about a little boy who just had a few fish and loaves of bread. What was that in light of the huge need…thousands of people who were hungry? He could have held on to what little he had, but he gave it to Jesus to use as He wanted. In His hands, there was enough; and them some! I remember a former LifeWay director telling us as he brought a devotion on this scripture: “There is nothing too small that God can’t use it and nothing to big that God can’t fix it.”

Can you imagine what would happen in our churches and communities if everyone gave what little she had to offer and allowed God to use it for His glory? Well, let’s bring it back to us. What are we holding back, not thinking it’s enough for God to use? Or what are you allowing to be a roadblock to ministry that God can “fix” if we just hand Him what we do have?

Oswald Chambers addresses surrender several times in My Utmost for His Highest. Check out devotions on these dates: March 12 November 16.Pray daily asking Him to reveal what you have not surrendered and be ready to give it all to Him!

In Life Lesson #8, we will consider God’s commands to Joshua and the Israelites as they approached the Promised Land. If you scan the first few chapters of the book Joshua, you see over and over the words, “Be strong and courageous”.Obviously what God had instructed them to do would not be easy!

Ever feel that way? Please don’t say, never! I will be very intimidated if you do!

I remember the first time I had to speak in church. After using every excuse in the book (check out Moses’ excuses in Exodus 3-4and you will know what I tried as well) my supervisor basically told me I was to do it. As I voiced my concerns to the Lord, He finally got me to just trust Him with it. Basically, He said, “put your foot in the water and I will do it for you.” With fear and trembling, I experienced what God could do through me that I knew I couldn’t do myself! Not that it was easy, but He spoke through me.

As the Israelites were facing a huge obstacle in getting into Canaan, the priests were told to go ahead of the people and put their feet in the water. The waters did not part till they put their toes in. Now that says something to me. Often God will not part the waters till we obey in faith to what He’s already told us. The priests didn’t know how God would get them across the Jordan, but they obeyed what He’d already told them by approaching the river and moving on into it. That’s when God parted the waters so all the people could cross.

Coming to LifeWay over 15 years ago was another Jordan River to me. What, how, why would God call me to this place to do this work? I didn’t know those answers, but when my husband and I realized that was what God was asking us to do, we knew we had to follow or walk in disobedience. Daily I quoted Ephesians 2:10 (HCSB); “For we are His creation—created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should  walk in them.” If He had created and called me, I had to believe He had gone ahead of me to prepare the way.

What are you waiting on? What has God called you to do that you’ve yet to act on? Pray for Him to give you courage to put your toes in the water and then watch Him part it for you to cross!

For more helpful resources, check out Women Reaching Women Beginning & Building a Growing Women's Enrichment Ministry, Revised.

No, I am certainly not a “twenty-something”, but I know those who are!  I want to introduce you to the author of this blog post, Jacki C. King Jacki first wrote this for the Southern Baptists of Texas Women’s Ministry and has given us permission to re-post it. Jacki King is just a normal 20 something trying to live each moment for Jesus. She has been working and ministering to young women and teen girls for the past 7 years as she teaches how such an ancient "book" changes the hearts and life of a modern millennial. Her passion is to see the millennial generation seek after the One true God and to help those of older generations to come along side to live, learn, and do life together.

I think you will learn a lot as a leader as you read this young woman’s thoughts:

How do we reach 20 something’s? That seems to be a question that church leadership is asking regardless of church type or location. In this article I will simply ask some questions more than I will answer them. As I’m sitting here as a 24 year old, just thinking and reflecting on my own church experience along with those I call friends and acquaintances. In a way I would just like for you to pour a cup of coffee, sit back, and talk with me for a few minutes on what it looks like to reach my peers, friends, and ultimately the millennial generation.

Most can look at the millennial generation and see it as nothing more than a group of “kids” with holes in their jeans and ibuds in their ears, but behind the different kind of clothing and music genres are women who have lives and experiences just like you. Not all twenty somethings have the same story but theirs are not much different than yours. I know several twenty-somethings that have experienced the overwhelming grief in the loss of a parent, the divided heart and pain of a shattered fairy tale marriage gone wrong, the emotional, physical, and spiritual scars of life. These scars leave them searching for acceptance and community and answers. These scars leave them searching for acceptance and community and answers.  Within that community they find their answers. So the question is; are we fostering an environment where older women and younger women are able to converse about what we believe in Jesus.  This is where the church comes in. Are we willing to be that place that they are accepted with all their baggage? Majority of the statistics on 20 somethings and their view of church show that the church overall is judgmental and unwilling to meet people where they are.  Young adults are more than willing to listen, but no one is engaging them to tell them. This is a hard one to swallow because if first asks you to do an inventory on your own attitudes and feelings toward millennials, and then challenges your willingness to face them head on with the Gospel.

Have you heard the phrase “Doing life together?” It is a common and hip phrase used these days, but many don’t understand the meaning or action behind it. You are the church. You have been commanded to reach the lost and care for those that are wounded and hurting. There is a generation that is watching you to see what your response will be. It’s as simple as a phone call to see how they are doing. Or, offering your washer and dryer to a college student so they can do their laundry without having to wait at the Laundromat at school. It’s coming along side them with a crying baby in their arms and giving them a break. It is showing your flaws and life experiences and loving one another as broken and redeemed people.  All in all, I challenge you to recognize that you are needed. You have love, experience, and ultimately Jesus to share.

Once we have them here – then what? Many times faith communities will, with good intentions, go out of their way to create some event or program to ‘attract’ a certain demographic. They do so without ever asking the question ‘what will we do if this works?’ Do you have community groups (Sunday School, LifeGroups, Nieghborhood Groups) that are built to relate to young adults and answer the questions they are asking? Do you have people committed to listening to young adults and extend the Gospel message to them, like you would for children, youth and senior adults? Are you ready for them to have a different opinion on how things may need to look or feel? All of these are questions that may need to be answered before you start ordering the new Bible study set and sending out the mass mailers.

It really is simple. If you care and foster relationships with 20 somethings and genuinely accept them and help them in their walk to becoming more like Jesus, you are doing more than reaching 20 somethings you are growing 20 somethings. So where do you start? Maybe instead of enrolling in the next DVD Bible study you walk up to that young mom or college student at church and asking them how they are doing, and really listening to their response. You fight the awkward feelings of insecurity and being uncomfortable and learn and take on life together. Don’t worry about not having all the answers or looking as cool and trendy as Beth Moore and just love them. That sounds simple I know, but that’s the point. You’re reading this on your computer screen, cup of coffee in hand, and an empty chair across from you. Who will fill it?

For further reading on twenty somethings and reaching them check out Lost and Found: The Unchurched and the Churches that Reach Them by Ed Stetzer.

Do you find as a leader that it is not always easy trying to reach women of all generations? Do your older women ever wonder what in the world the younger generation is doing and what will help them grow spiritually? Do your younger women ever say, “that’s my mama’s ministry and I want to create my own?”  It’s not easy seeking to reach women in at least 5 generations alive today. 

Join us on May 11, 2010 (12:00 pm, CST) for a Generations Dialogue with Pam Gibbs, Girls’ Ministry Specialist , Chris Adams, Lead Women’s, Ministry Specialist, Ashley Linne & Emily Cole, Student Ministry Publishing. We will talk about the generational issues in the different generations. Pam, Ashley, Chris and Emily will openly discuss some hot topics that pop up as we seek to bridge the generation gap in leadership and among women in general. We must bridge the generation gap if we are to leave a legacy of ministry and leadership.

Past Webcasts Archive

Generations Posts

More helpful resources: http://www.womensministry.net/public/389.cfm

Women Reaching Women

If you have ever experienced infertility, you know what it’s like to sit in church and bless moms while you are dying inside. Year after year I faced Mother’s Day that way. It was not hard to celebrate my own mom that day, but there was still a big hole in my own heart as I so desperately wanted to have children.

Perhaps you have had a similar experience, or have lost a child tragically and can identify with the pain that can be so prevalent on this special day of celebration. Due to my own experience, I always think of this and have concern for women who want to be moms.

I grew up wanting to be a mom and played dolls into my teens! After years of doctors, prayers and even a bit of jealousy as my friends were getting pregnant, God spoke to my heart. It was this experience that truly drew me back to Him in a recommitment of my life. I realized for the first time that I was not the one who was to be in control of my life. He was!  He led me to literally write my burden on a piece of paper and tear it up, leaving it on the altar of my church. When I stood up that night, I was a different person. I began to pray, “God if you do not desire that we have a baby, then you must have a different plan for our lives. Show us what that is and help us to walk in obedience. But if you leave this desire in my heart to be a mom, then I will continue to pray for that child that will one day be ours. Take this desire away if this is not your plan.”

It was Mother’s Day in 1977 that our adoption case worker saw us at church and said she’d been trying to call us the Friday before. My heart stopped beating for a minute and though she couldn’t tell us anything in particular, she said she needed to come see us the next afternoon. It was the greatest Mother’s Day of all for me on that Monday as we found out we would not only get a baby, we would get twins!  Who would’ve ever believed it? God had a plan all along for us, knowing not only would these precious babies need us, but that we too needed them!

God did make us parents, but that is not always the case. And even if some women become moms, sometimes they have lost children along the way. As you celebrate this day, please be sensitive to those women in your church and community who cry each time they see a Mother’s Day card or flowers. Pray for those women and be willing to reach out to them in love and a warm hug so they know they have not gone unnoticed as you celebrate all the other moms.

Watch for upcoming web cast on infertility, adoption and prodigal children. 2010 Women's Webcasts

The days are getting longer, the temperatures are steadily getting warmer and I’m ready for summer!  Even though I am long past my school days and getting summer vacations, I still get that sense of “break” as summer is about to begin. Instead of scaling back or just taking the summer off, we should be making plans--now!  Here are ten ideas that give a fresh approach to ministry and fit a flexible summer schedule.

Where Do I Start?
For the summer, the most important thing to consider is how much time you should plan for realistically. Here's a simple formula to jump-start your planning:

•    Add the number of weeks between the end of school and when teachers return to school in the fall.
•    Subtract the week of Vacation Bible School (or any other similar church-wide activities that might compete for church members' time). Remember, you want to support other ministries, not compete.
•    The remaining weeks equal the time you have for your summer scheduling options. You'll probably discover six to seven weeks available for women's ministry planning.

Once you have a time frame in mind, consider the following three areas as you plan women's ministry activities:
•    Bible study
•    Recreation
•    Ministry

1. Reach new groups of women.
Home-schooling moms, school teachers, and school support staff are three groups of women who especially enjoy having access to Bible study opportunities during the summer months. By making special efforts to reach out to this group with a study that fits their schedule, you'll build bridges and help them feel valued.

2. Consider a drop-in approach.
For ladies who typically enjoy an in-depth study, try different approach. Crazy summer schedules often call for a more open and flexible study, so check out some lighter studies.

3. Try shorter formats.
If your women's study groups typically commit to one study for an entire semester, check out four- and six-week study options at Bible Studies for Women .

 4. Encourage home studies.
As another summer Bible study option, you might encourage women to lead a small group for their friends and neighbors in their homes. Home Bible studies are a great way to build seeker-sensitive relationships with others in the community, and God can use these home-based groups to help women plug into your local church.

5. Host "play days."
Backyard picnics, city parks, and backyard pools provide a sampling of inexpensive ways moms with young children can get-out-of-the-house and spend time with Christian friends.

6. Wrap up the summer or kick off the fall with a banquet.
By August, an organized gathering like a banquet with a focus of fun and laughter heralds the end of summer. It also provides a great opportunity to preview upcoming fall activities in your women's ministry.

7. Organize a retreat or campout.
Consider a mother/daughter retreat or campout. You won't have to compete with school activities, and mom gets to spend one-on-one time with her daughter and her own friends. An easy retreat is now available with Loving Well: Retreat in a Box by Beth Moore or When Wallflowers Dance by Angela Thomas. Both include everything you need to plan and conduct a retreat.

8. Welcome women to the community with a coffee.
According to the real estate industry, summer is the most popular time for families to relocate. It's also a good time to offer a "newcomer coffee" for women new to the community.

9. Lend a helping hand in your church and/or community.
With the help of your ministry/missions committee or other leaders in your church, identify an individual in your church who has special needs around their house that they cannot tend to themselves.  Painting, cleaning, yard work, or just an old-fashioned sing-along at the home of a shut-in would provide amazing ministry opportunities. Be sure to take digital pictures and share them to promote future work days.

10. Perform the ever-popular "random acts of kindness."
Brainstorm an outreach using "random acts of kindness," such as free car-washes, or distributing bottled water at parks can be. When possible, leave cards with a message of God's love.
 
With a little creative planning, your women's ministry can use the summer days to disciple, evangelize, and touch the world with Christ's love.

What are you cooking up for summer?  We’d love to hear what you have planned!