Women's Ministry

Making a Home During the Season of Singleness

October 10, 2016October 9, 2016by hcfwomenLeave a Comment

To me, hospitality means creating a welcoming place…for others as well as for yourself. It’s creating a place of beauty and rest. But this will look different for each person.

What does it mean to have a heart of hospitality, and how can you do that during a season of being single?

Some of you may think that you don’t really need to be “hospitable.” No one ever comes over to your house anyway! Or maybe you live in the dorm…How can you show hospitality there? Or maybe this whole idea of hospitality just overwhelms you, and you don’t know where to start. Let me tell you a few stories…

I learned about welcoming people into my home at a young age. When I was in junior high and high school, my parents helped lead the college group at our church. At least once a month (often more frequently), we would have a group of students over to our house. I learned to set the table (or set out TV trays!), greet everyone at the door with a smile, and help wash the dishes after everyone left. I didn’t realize then that I was learning a valuable tool for my future.

Learning how to implement hospitality in different settings sometimes takes creativity.

When I was in college, there was an upstairs lobby in our dorm. Besides using it for weekly dorm Bible studies, it was mainly abandoned. I asked my RHS if I could decorate it, and she gave permission. For less than $30, I blew up some pictures that I’d taken myself (mainly of landscapes or flowers), put them in a whole bunch of empty box frames from my parent’s garage, hung the pictures on the walls, and decorated the window frame. Then I would plug in my hot water kettle and invite people over for tea (Even some non-college adult women friends kindly humored me by coming to my little corner!).

Hospitality is not just for others; it’s creating a welcoming place for you to come home to, especially if you live by yourself. Two things that I learned from the book The Spirit of Loveliness:

Light lamps; It’s always nice to come home to at least a lamp lit in the hallway and in the bathroom (this has been true no matter what apartment I’ve lived in)
Play music; Music changes the atmosphere, and always puts me in a happier mood, even if it’s just for washing dishes

You don’t have to have a big or fancy place. It’s the atmosphere—the feel—that you give people when they come into your space. Do they feel welcomed? Do they feel relaxed? Do they feel at home?

Creating a place for people to come and feel welcomed is a spiritual activity. As we prepare and pray over our “space,” it opens our hearts up to the people who are coming in. And it opens up people’s hearts to experience the welcoming love of our God.

This post was written by Heather Dillard. To read more about her, click here.

Family, Holy Spirit, Hospitality, Marriage

Making a Home: For the Working Wife

October 3, 2016September 3, 2016by hcfwomen1 Comment

We are kicking off a new topic this month about Making a Home.

As women, we play a vital role in establishing God’s kingdom in our home.

We are carriers of His peace, love, and joy, and our homes should be bursting with the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit.

But when you need to get dinner out of the oven while simultaneously moving over a load of laundry, feeding the dog, and checking your kid’s homework, it sure doesn’t feel like a Sunday morning worship song.

For me personally, I have to battle the excuse that hangs on the tip of my tongue: “But I work too!”

And for whatever reason, this is the most challenging for me when it comes to dinner. Those infamous words that put me in my pain cycle: “What’s for dinner?”

The screaming crazy woman in my head—the one in business slacks and a nice blouse, setting her laptop bag down and taking off her heels—wants to shout, “I don’t know! I work too!”

Any working wives relate?

But my job is to establish my home; in fact, Proverbs 14:1 says,

The wisest of women builds her home, but the foolish, with her own hands, tears it down.

Do you see what power we have in our home?

I’ve also learned that I’m not supposed to build my house alone. I’m not a martyr, falling on the sword of unending laundry and “What’s for dinner?” conversations.

Dinner was my struggle, and all I had to do was tell my sweet hubs how hard that was for me to come home and figure out dinner after working all day.

Our guys want to help—yes, your husband too.

They often don’t know how to help us or what we need.

So, how can I build peace in my home between the hours of 5:30 and 6:30 when dinner needs to supernaturally appear?

Well, I work best with a plan. We plan what we can cook—emphasis on we. We plan what nights will be leftovers or something easy (e.g. hot dogs). We plan what can be pre-cooked and frozen—usually those are the best plans.

We grocery shop on Sunday, and we make a plan for the week. The screaming crazy woman disappears and is replaced by joy and peace.

If you want peace in your home, you’ve got to communicate with your family. Get a cleaning schedule. Create a chore chart. Plan your meals for a week (or a month!).

Whatever you need to do, talk to your husband and do it.

When we establish peace in our homes, we are a blessing to our husbands and our children; we bring God’s kingdom there; we invite the Holy Spirit to move; and we influence His reign in our families.

Don’t you want some of that in your house? I know I do!

This post was written by Laura Brandenburg. To read more about her, click here.

Books, Fruitfulness, God's Presence, Holy Spirit

Kitchen Sinks and Quiet Moments

September 26, 2016September 24, 2016by hcfwomenLeave a Comment

Where do you most feel the presence of God? I could give you my Sunday school answers such as: in my quiet time, during a worship service, or while deep in prayer. While all of these may be true (I am one girl moved by worship!) I have a definite time and place I can feel His presence most.

Ladies, to be honest, I most feel the presence of God at my kitchen sink. Something about scrubbing caked-on casserole pans and muddling through dishes that would suggest I fed a small army all day opens my heart in a way to feel God’s presence.

Maybe it is the fact that I am finally alone—no toddler demanding all of my attention. Maybe its because I am worn and weary from a day of serving my family. Or maybe it is simply the fact that I am not rushing about—I am still and fully present.

Here, in His presence, I have received promises of His love and provision. I have received grace to finish the day. I have received comfort for my tears (Please tell me someone else cries while washing dishes!). I have received words of hope and direction.

The fact that I stand in His presence elbow-deep in dirty water suggests to me that He is waiting for me always. I don’t have to wait for Him until my next quiet time or, heaven forbid, until the next time I walk into church. What great news!

Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens you are there;
If I make my bed in the depths you are there.

Psalm 139:7-8

Are you fighting to get into God’s presence when you are already there? Has your connection with God been stolen by religious practices? I believe it is possible to miss out on real, true relationship in the pursuit of a religious experience. Sisters, you don’t have to stand on your head while reading the Bible cover-to-cover to get to Him.

I encourage each of you this week to let go of your pre-conceived ideas about being in God’s presence and simply wait for Him in those quiet moments. Your “kitchen sink” might be while you are driving, while tending to your flowers, or in the still of the morning.

Wherever you are, lean your thoughts and your heart to Him, and feel Him embrace you with his presence—because ladies, He is already there.

This post was written by Makenzi Wethington. To read more about her, click here.

God's Presence, Prayer

It’s Not About Rules

September 12, 2016September 5, 2016by hcfwomenLeave a Comment

There seem to be so many rules about spending time with God: You should pray first thing in the morning. But, also pray throughout the day. You need to pray about J(esus) O(thers) Y(ourself). Praying for 30 minutes is a minimum. Pray the Word. Be quiet and listen. Pray in a prayer closet. Pray with others. Pray by yourself. Pray for your children (for sure before bed!).

Nothing seems to be wrong with any of these guidelines. We WANT to pray effectively. We WANT to be taught how. We will do anything in our power to get it right…And that’s where it seemed to break down for me. I realized I am dependent upon God, even for—especially for—prayer.

I recognize that I have rules/guidelines for interacting with my friends and family, but that is not what I am most thinking about when I have fellowship with them. My awesome heavenly Father captures my attention so much more, and woos me into a love relationship with Him. I just want to be with Him. I want to be led by Him as I grow in my relationship with Him in prayer.

Not that my relationship with God has to have parallels with my human relationships, but I think it does bring up some things to think about. Just as I don’t interact with my husband in the exact same pattern every day, I realized it is the same with my heavenly Father.

Sometimes I can sit quietly in His presence and be refreshed. Sometimes it looks more like a great interceding for a matter that He has placed on my heart. Sometimes I sing a love song to Him (although not as often as I would wish, and certainly not with a microphone). Sometimes I pray for those matters that it says specifically in His word that we should pray for (like our leaders and for Israel).

Right now, I have a desire to grow in these things. I also don’t want my life to be so segregated, but to fellowship with God throughout the entire day.

I love having a sweet reminder of His presence when I see the sunrise. I love when I sense His leading as I seek Him silently in the middle of a difficult conversation. I love when He brings a Scripture to my mind. Walking with Him and abiding in Him all day long is my desire. But it is only in His strength. Thank you, Lord, that your strength is all I need.

I love Philippians 2:13 that says,

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

It’s all in Him. He gives me the desire to have greater fellowship with Him, and then He doesn’t leave me hanging—He gives me the power to do it. I’m grateful.

This post was written by Karen Earhart. To read more about her, click here.

Faith, God's Presence

Awareness of His Presence

September 5, 2016August 30, 2016by hcfwomenLeave a Comment

When I was in my early 20’s, I attended a Walk to Emmaus. During one of the talks, a woman told us how she spent her quiet time with the Lord every day. She had a cozy chair, in a specific spot in her house. She had a CD player that continually played worship music. She had a journal that she faithfully wrote in every single day. She read a chapter in the Old Testament, a Psalm, and a chapter in the New Testament. She used different colored highlighters to mark certain topics in her Bible. She seemed like she had it all together! So I took out my paper and made a checklist of all of these things. I figured that if I did everything she did, my personal time with the Lord would be….…EPIC!

Unfortunately, keeping up with her checklist for myself left me frustrated, feeling inadequate and like a failure. Can anybody relate to this?

I had to learn this truth: I will never experience abundance or fulfillment in my personal time with the Lord if I am fixated on the process itself. It’s not God’s intention for us to just feel good about ourselves, because we read our Bible today. Psalm 86:11 says, “Teach me Your way, O Lord, and I will walk in Your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name.” He wants us to know Him, and He wants to reveal Himself to us. This takes practice, patience, perseverance, living in your truth, having an undivided heart, being aware of His Presence, and being vulnerable and obedient to His Spirit.

This looks different at different seasons in our lives. Currently, all four of my kids are in four different schools. I’m also a preschool teacher to fifteen 4-year-olds. I’m a pastor’s wife, a worship leader, and a life group host. I have thousands of loads of laundry to do. Somebody has to feed all of these people in my house. Then there’s the “driving everybody to all of their stuff” everyday! Life is pretty overwhelming right now in this season. BUT, my Father has things to reveal to me. And I want to know Him more every day. So I wake up very early, and I spend time with Him. I pray. I worship. I read His Word. And I listen.

But that’s not all!!! I have friends who speak life to me. I have a church family that surrounds me in prayer and love. God even reveals Himself to me in the 4-year-olds that I teach. You see, He is everywhere all the time. The time you spend with the Lord doesn’t have to be confined to your comfy chair in your special place in your house, with your vast assortment of highlighters, and all the right worship music. It is living life, being aware of His presence, and responding to His love by bearing good fruit to all He puts in our lives. Jesus says in John 15:16,

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.

You, Beloved, have been chosen by the Father. He has great things in store for you! Make the choice to commune with Him today and see what He reveals!

This post was written by Allison House. To read more about her, click here.

Faith, Family, Marriage, Trust

The Heart of a Wife

August 22, 2016August 7, 2016by hcfwomen1 Comment

When I was single, I used to dream about being a Proverbs 31 wife. I used to pray and plead with God to bring my husband to me, and in exchange, I promised to strive to be just like her.

I knew how to sew. Check.

I loved to cook. Check.

I feared the Lord. Check.

The problem with my logic was that naively, I was only focusing on the lengthy list of what the P31 wife did, and never really stopped to consider what must have been in her heart. You know, who she really was. When I finally married my husband, Bryan, I quickly realized I wasn’t even close to making good on my promise to God. I identified much more with the contentious woman in Proverbs whose husband preferred to live on the corner of the roof. Can any of you relate?

What if we looked deeper into the story of this incredible Proverbs 31 woman and asked God to show us her heart? When I read about her without zeroing in on her many accolades, I am able to see a woman that, at her core, trusted God completely and was full of faith for her family.

My husband, Bryan, is a farmer, and when we got married, I couldn’t fathom the measure of faith that I would need to be a farmer’s wife. In the five years we’ve been together, I can’t think of very many things that Bryan has asked of me. He is the most giving and caring man I know and demands little from me as a wife. But, the one thing he does consistently ask of me is to have faith. He asks me to pray, often. For him. For rain. For rest. For peace. For us. He knows and understands that when I choose to trust God and have faith for our family, his heart can trust in me.

The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. ~ Proverbs 31:11

Sure, I could make my own lengthy list of what I think the heart of a wife should look like.
Submissive.
Loving.
Honoring.
Gives respect.
Selfless.

But, aren’t these qualities that must flow from a heart full of trust and faith?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not depend on your own understanding. Submit to Him in all your ways and He will make your paths straight. ~ Proverbs 3:5-6

I truly believe that the most loving thing I can do for my husband is to trust God and receive faith from Him. I’m kidding myself if I think I can trust and submit to Bryan if I can’t first trust and submit to God.

It’s when I’m spent and exhausted, depleted of peace, even fearful at times, that submission, honor, and respect for Bryan have to be forced and if I’m honest, are a burden. However, when I am full of faith, putting all my trust in God, I find that submission, honor, and respect become a mantle. They flow from the heart of a wife that is full and satisfied.

To me, the heart of a wife embodies many things, but in the deepest parts, I believe it holds a steadfast trust in God and a capacity to receive great faith from Him.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. ~ Romans 15:13

This post was written by Amber Curry. To read more about her, click here.

Faith, Family, Parenting

The Heart of Adoption

August 8, 2016December 24, 2016by hcfwomenLeave a Comment

Adoption: the act or process of giving official acceptance or approval to something.

Wow, that definition just makes my heart sing!!! Today, I’d like to share my family’s story with you. My husband (John) and I had a battle with having birth children. We did have our first daughter (Mckenzie) fairly easily, but when we decided it was time to grow our family, it wasn’t so easy. We started seeing a fertility specialist and exhausted every option and emotion we had. One day as we were driving to work, God laid it heavily on both our hearts at almost the exact same moment that he had great plans to grow our family…it just wasn’t in the way we were going. It was adoption, providing official acceptance to a fatherless child. That very day we stopped seeing the fertility doctor, gave it all to our Father, and left it all there with complete peace.

We went from there to CPS and began the licensing process to foster/adopt. The process took a bit of time for us and kind of frustrated us at times, but we held on to the promise that God had great things planned for us!! On October 14, 2010 (my birthday), we were contacted that we had been a chosen home for a 2-year-old boy!! His plan was perfect!! God cares about every detail. That was the best birthday gift I could have ever received, Braydon…our son!!

The moment he walked through the door he called me ‘mommy’ and my husband ‘daddy.’ My heart melted. He knew he was HOME!!!

He has taught us a love that’s different—a truly unconditional love. He has added so much to our lives!! He is OUR son, and our lives have been forever changed by him. You see, the definition of adoption says giving acceptance and approval to someone, and that’s exactly what our son did for US!! He’s made a difference in our lives just as much or more than we have made in his!! He stretches us to grow more and more every day. He’s shown us our Father’s love, the true spirit of adoption!!

If you are struggling today, I challenge you to press in and let God speak to your tender heart exactly his plans for you…he’s a good, good Father!!

God had already decided that through Jesus Christ he would make us his children—this was his pleasure and purpose.

Ephesians 1:5

This post was written by Kisa Luther.

Family, Fruitfulness, Parenting, Scripture

The Heart of a Teacher

August 1, 2016July 19, 2016by hcfwomen1 Comment

At a young age the Lord showed me that one of my greatest attributes to spread His Word would be to teach. Today, I have the privilege to teach 2nd grade, and everyday I pray my students leave my classroom being successful disciples for the Lord.

However, my teaching doesn’t stop there. I also have two little boys at home that need to be taught. Everyday they are learning new things, some good and some bad; but that is where I come in, to “weed out” the bad in them. I know sometimes, when a child disobeys, it’s just easier to take away a toy, spank them or give them time-out, and let them be on their way so you can get back to the dishes, TV or work (I have been there and done that too). But we need to remember that our children are precious gifts from the Lord; He chose us as parents to be their earthly teacher.

So I want to encourage you to pull out your Bible the next time your child disobeys and teach them what the Lord says about their sin. Even if your child is little, it is never too early to teach them God’s Word. After you have taught them, have them memorize or repeat the Scripture you talked about (they are also never to young to memorize Scripture), so that God’s Word is stitched in their heart.

Teaching doesn’t just stop with our children, the Lord told us told us to be “fishers of men.” There are people everywhere that need to be taught God’s promise, and opportunities arise all the time for us to teach. We just have to be like David, strong and courageous, and not be scared to teach others about God.

For a teacher to have successful students we must first do two things:

Plan, so that we are prepared to teach a lesson, and
Listen to others so we know better ways to teach.

Plan a time to sit and read Scripture; plan a time to have Bible study with yourself, your kids, spouse or friends. For us to teach Biblical lessons to others, we must first study the Bible to educate ourselves. The Lord has a plan for all of us. He has a plan for each life that is brought into this world, including His own Son, who died on the cross for us.

Lastly, for us to be great teachers, we have to learn to listen (which for some women can be hard, because we love to talk). I love listening to other teachers’ ideas that they are using in the classroom and incorporate those into my own lesson plans—therefore making me a better teacher. So let’s sincerely listen: listen to our husbands, to our children, that friend at work that may be suffering, and most importantly, listen to what the Lord is trying to teach us—because ultimately He is greatest teacher of all.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

We are excited to have Bethany Williams as our guest writer this week. Bethany is a 2^nd grade teacher at PCA, and is married to her high-school sweetheart, Cole. Bethany and Cole have 2 kids: Gunnar and Remington. Bethany grew up on the farm, where she and her siblings were raised to work hard and love the Lord.

What do you enjoy doing?
Teaching, crafting, baking, reading, organizing and being outdoors.

What is your favorite Bible verse?
2 Timothy 4:7 – “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

What is the best advice you’ve received?
To listen to people who are older and more experienced than me, because I can learn from their mistakes so I don’t have to make them, too.

Faith

The Creative Power of Words

July 18, 2016July 16, 2016by hcfwomen1 Comment

Eight years ago, I lay unconscious in a hospital bed in ICU. The doctors had told my family that they did not know if I would live through the night. But I had people who were praying for me that night—warring for me, declaring that God’s kingdom come to the earth in my life. These people knew about the power of speaking life through their words. They spoke over me God’s promises for my future. They spoke healing over me, even when others doubted. They spoke LIFE. And today, I am a living testimony of the power of their prayers.

Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…”

God spoke creation into being. In the same way, our words have the power to create. What we choose to create depends on the words that we choose to speak. And when we choose to speak life and speak God’s word into situations, God’s Kingdom comes. John Eldredge wrote, “Christianity is not a passive religion. It is an invasion of a Kingdom.”

Romans 4:17:

God…gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.

When we get a word from God, that puts supernatural faith in us to speak it out and bring the kingdom of heaven into the earth.

So what are we speaking…

Over our families?
Over our workplace?
Over our children?
Over ourselves?
Over our future?

Are you speaking God’s word and His promises, or have you succumbed to lies that are trying to kill, steal, and destroy?

Ask God to show you how He sees your life. Ask Him to show you how He sees your kids and your marriage, and speak that out over them.

Let’s decide today to choose life….Choose to speak life over our families and spheres of influence. Your words have the power to create life—right now, right where you are.

This post was written by Heather Dillard. To read more about her, click here.