Encouragement For Women

     From the kitchen my ears over heard a voice from an episode of Top Shot Season Two (my husband & boys love this show):  "...What can really ruin a marksman is overconfidence." Which spun my cogs to thinking, "what can really ruin a _______ is under-confidence (which by the way is not an actual word), so what I should be thinking is "lack of confidence".  The word over- as a prefix to a word carries the meanings; so as to exceed or surpass, excessive, to an excessive degree, says Merriam-Webster.  Below or short of some quantity, level or limit is their definition for the word under when used in combinations with words such as underachieve.       Welcome to my own personal struggle.  Not being overconfident.  Proud, yes.  But not in that "be true to your school" kind of proud, the ugly pride kind.  I somehow lack a healthy quota of confidence.  I know that I am important, have self worth...

With but a few days before the Autumnal Equinox I savor in our NorCal "Indian Summer".  This comes fresh each day with bountiful fog (which is nectar for the Redwoods) and then an afternoon of expectant sunshine surprise.  This summer for me with my travels and personal "journey" has been a tousled sea of  arid, dry, anxiety, stress, fog (both real and emotional), surprises, adventures and times of spiritual drought.  To this I make this minute post.  I have so much to say about "this long strange trip", but not really the right words to put it plainly or descriptively.  A close friend recently said perhaps all this "unravelling" I am experiencing is to bring me to that place of surrendered "control".  Which really is a cramp on my style, being a hoarder of control. I am glad to know, that despite my ability to completely understand and grasp it in my hour of desperation - God really has "the whole world in His hands" and I...

I recently attended a Ladies Retreat and the speaker chose to hit on a few topics that were very real in our lives. My first thought was how brave she was to speak on such topics that are normally taboo, like stress, anger, bitterness, etc. Then as I listened it was an immeasurable blessing to finally have Scriptures and tools to help face some of these issues in my own life. This past year was one of the more difficult ones to live through, but with God’s grace and this retreat there were more victories than failures. At this particular time I’d like to share what I learned about stress. The first thing I need to do is break it down and define it. We need to separate “pressure” from “stress”. Defined, pressure is the external circumstances in our lives. For example… car breaks down, health issues, unemployment, elderly parents, financial struggles, and so on. In God’s providence, He allows these trials and testings to strengthen us. (James 1:2-4) Defined, stress is the internal re...

Due to a move, vacation Bible Study commitment and vacation to Grandma's house - the summer events have been cancelled. To those of you who have joined our Yahoo Group and participated in the R12 series - Thank You! Hopefully we can do more group studies in the Fall... In Christ, E. Garcia

Lesson/Week Eight In March of this year(2010) pastor John McArthur had the following to say to his congregation. “We enter into an undeserved, unearned condition of complete and total forgiveness by the sheer grace of God. That is the model for our forgiveness. We forgive out of grace, not because somebody earned it. We offer forgiveness freely, unconditionally, without restraint, without restriction. And with that offer of forgiveness, we abandon all animosity, all anger, all hatred, all desire for retaliation, all desire for vengeance, all bitterness. And this will guarantee for us a life free from the root of bitterness that it talks about in the book of Hebrews, free from carking anger and hostility that eats away at the joy of the soul. Forgiveness is the most godlike thing you can do. And He is the model. You forgive and you forgive again, and you forgive again, and you forgive again. As we learn from our Lord’s words to Peter, “You forgive seventy times seven, seventy t...

Lesson/Week Seven Pastor Neil Montgomery of New Heart Community Church in McKinleyville, CA exhorted his congregation October 10 th this year by reminding them of the following; We cannot focus on our own abilities, strength and status to accomplish God’s purposes. We must become profoundly aware that only God has the power to win the victory in the battles we face. Gideon is a great example of this truth. When we become so enmeshed in secular culture that we don’t even notice when we adopt ungodly practices- we reap the consequences. The solution: God’s word must be our standard and final authority for life and faith. Be like the Bereans. Make the time for God’s word. We cannot let our desires and impulses begin to rule our lives – rather that place should belong to the Holy Spirit. Samson is a good example of this. We continue in the cycle of spiritual entropy (peace, complacency, sin, pain, ...

Lesson/Week Six Now that you are riding your heart of bitterness (see, this will be an ongoing task) and you are seeking God’s forgiveness so that you will have a heart of forgiveness towards others (we cannot hold onto grudges, bitterness and records of wrongs – and at the same time be forgiven) be prepared for the “pop quizzes”. A quiz is a mini test, to show what you know. The “pop” portion is the unexpected hour at which the quiz arrives for you to prove your knowledge and show how to use it. These quizzes are like the aftershocks of an earthquake. The main test was the first time you faced a similar situation (the “earthquake”) and all the quizzes like aftershocks will follow. Some will be small, yet some will be almost as devastating as the action(s) that first threw you into the “pit of despair and bitterness”. In order to be prepared for the “pop quizzes”/aftershocks of life – you’ve got to be prepared. Once a year many Californians participate in th...