Life as a Christian Woman

We have a special guest writer today, Christian author and founder of AffirmingFaith.com Lori Wagner. I have written about Lori before when I featured her newest book, Quilting Patches of Life. Since that post, I have had the pleasure of getting to know her through e-mails. In addition to her writing, she is on the National Day of Prayer Task Force and recently attended the Coordinator’s Conference. Today, she is sharing her conference experience with us and the importance of continuing participation in the National Day of Prayer. She has also agreed to a virtual book tour and will appear on this site Friday, November 2, 2007, to discuss her book and to answer questions and comments from readers. Please be sure to join us on Friday to talk with Lori about her work for the Lord and her will to follow His calling in her life.

“Wow!” A Report from the National Day of Prayer Coordinator’s Conference
Lori Wagner, Detroit Metro Area Coordinator

Most people have heard of the National Day of Prayer but have no idea how much work goes on behind the scenes organizing and facilitating events. Beyond the observances, held the first Thursday of May each year, is an army of volunteers. Defined, an army is a “large body of persons trained and armed for war,” and with the aid of the small staff of the national committee headed by Mrs. Shirley Dobson, the National Day of Prayer Task Force hosts an annual conference to “train and arm” coordinators from across the nation.

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Some of the most famous artists and painters made their names known through religious art. The Sistine Chapel, The Last Supper, Madonna and Child — painted centuries ago, these works continue to touch Christians today. But of course, you don’t have to spend years painting on a ceiling to put artistic talents to use.

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This prayer request was sent out by another blogger. Please read his message and pray for Adam, a 17-year-old boy who was in a motorcycle accident:

My friends boyfriend was involved in a motorcycle accident today. He is only 17 years of age and lies clutching to life at the Selly Oak hospital in Birmingham. He is on a life support machine at the trauma unit and the next 24 hours of this young lads life are critical to a positive outcome.

Please spare a single prayer or thought for this young lad, his partner and their families at this devastating time. Shame on the passers by who callously videoed Adam lying in the road after the accident where he lay clutching to life as he stopped breathing shortly before emergency services arrived.

Pass this onto others please so your positive thoughts can help Adam and his family. Thanks for reading.

Marc (family friend).

Feel free to type in a message for him, and I will pass it along.

christian prayer, prayer request, prayer chain

Children and youth are more precious to our Lord than they are to us. We have a responsibility to care for them, teach them, and prepare the next generation of God’s workers. Churches offer numerous programs for kids and teens from Sunday school to Wednesday night youth groups. But there are many other ways to reach children, and many other skills and lessons they need to learn to truly be successful. This post is going to discuss ways you can minister to youth outside of Bible class.

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All Believers are called to ministry. We cannot all be pastors or priests, but as followers of Jesus Christ, we have a mission to serve others in His name. Our Lord grants each of us with gifts and talents. These gifts are vital to His kingdom, and we must make an effort to discover our God-given gifts and use them. I have written briefly before about my own personal ministry in God Given Gifts: Did He Forget Something?. After hearing Pastor Gary’s sermon on the subject Sunday, I decided to dedicate this week to helping you discover your gifts and how to use them for the Kingdom of God.

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Perhaps you already know what your gifts are. Maybe you spend 20 hours a week teaching children in church or leading Bible studies or speaking to different groups. Churches could not operate without people like you who are gifted with speaking and leading others. But what about the rest of the Believers who fear getting up in front of people, or who are newly saved and do not have the Biblical knowledge to teach? How can these people minister to others? How can a woman have a ministry when her church doesn’t allow women to lead?

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I try to regularly update my Prayer and Praise category, but it always seems like there are a lot more prayers than praises. So today, I am combining the two — I am praying for people to send me their praises! We all have things to thank God for. Even when it seems everything is going wrong, we can thank him for the sun shining, or much-needed rain, or the sound of our children’s laughter. We have to teach ourselves how to recognize God’s work in our lives and share those things with others.

I will start off with my own praise. I have had some rough times recently with my health and a few other things. On one of my feeling-the-worst days, a friend from church sent an e-mail just asking how I was doing. I unloaded on her for no reason except that she asked, so I vented. God knew I needed someone to listen, so He placed it on her heart to ask about me. She listened to me rant, uplifted me in prayer, and paid for my dinner at church that Wednesday so we could eat together and just talk. She gave me a hand up when I really needed one, and since that dinner I have felt better able to handle the situations around me. Nothing in particular has changed, but just knowing that God sent me a friend when I needed one made a big difference.

So what are you thankful for today? What is God doing in your life that is making a difference? Have you learned to recognize His work and listen to His voice? Tell us about it by leaving a comment. The more we hear other people’s praises, the easier it is to see His hand in our own day-to-day lives. Share His grace and mercy and praise Him to the heavens today!

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Quilting Patches of Lifeis the newest book from Christian author Lori Wagner. The collection of inspirational stories is from real men and women from around the world and looks at the many ways God speaks to His people. Wagner is the founder of Affirming Faith and a member of the Faith Apostalic Church in Troy, Michigan. She also is also active in the National Day of Prayer Task Force, Faithwriters, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and the International Thespian Society. Her latest book was just released in October 2007.

The book explores the connection of all the seasons and events of our lives — how the Lord quilts the fragments of our days into a lovely creation — a unique, functional work of warmth, beauty and purpose. The cheery days, the dark days, the boring beige days, God allows them all into our lives for a purpose.

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As you know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer is one of the greatest fears for a woman, and it seems everyone knows at least one person who has been affected by it. My paternal grandmother died while my mother was pregnant with me. I never got to meet her, but the stories have left visions of a strong matriarch who held the extended family together and could cook a mean Sunday dinner. Many of you have watched your own mothers bravely fight, and succumb, to the disease. In honor of those victims and the struggling daughters they left behind, I offer this poem:

HEAVEN FOR TWO

Somewhere in Heaven is a garden, just right,
With flowering vines and butterflies in flight.
She goes there sometimes, I like to suppose,
And sits at a table for two, with one rose.
She gazes at God’s beauty, then at the air,
Where she searches to find how I might fare.

But in God’s time, in a perfect garden for two,
We will sit at a table, our love made new.
She will show me the joys of that wondrous place
And, in the telling, His glory will light her face.
There I will see what I’ve missed all the while,
In that Heavenly home: I will see her smile.

To read more about how 451Press is supporting Breast Cancer Awareness Month, visit this post on the site Discussing Breast Cancer.

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The book of Exodus recounts the story of the enslavement and oppression of the nation of Israel by the Egyptians, and God’s deliverance after hearing their cries. The midwives Shiphrah and Puah played an important role in saving God’s chosen people. The Hebrews had followed Joseph after the famine in Canaan and were allowed to settle there by the pharaoh, with whom he had found favor by saving Egypt from the same fate. “So Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions there and grew and multiplied exceedingly.” (Gen. 47:27). “And Joseph died, all his brothers, and all that generation. But the children of Israel were fruiful and increased abundantly, mutiplied and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them. Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.” (Ex. 1:6-8).

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I would like to say a special thank you to everyone who has been praying for our young friend. I received another e-mail earlier today asking for your continued prayers and support for her. She has stage 2 stomache cancer, and is now facing surgery. I am continuing to forward your comments to her, so please let her know she is still in your thoughts. God’s voice is sometimes hard to hear when our inner pain is so loud. Pray for peace in her spirit and healing for her mind and body.

Another LCW friend just found out her mother has breast cancer. Since October is breast cancer awareness month, hopefully all the resources they need are readily available and easy to find. Jenna has asked for prayers for her and her family, so please add her to you long-term prayer list as well. You may leave comments here for her, as well. If anyone is a survivor, or your mother went through breast cancer, and you would be willing to connect with Jenna, please leave your information here for her. Or if you prefer, you can use the contact page to send your e-mail only to me and I will forward it to her.

On a good note, we have an update on baby Andrew. If you remember from previous requests, Andrew was born very prematurely due to a medical emergency. His aunt Debbie is a writer here on 451Press, and she left this message today:

He is doing just great! They have moved him to the less critical wing of the NICU and he is off the respirator. His weight is up to 2 lb. 13 oz. (from 1 lb. 6 oz at birth). He is very alert (except when I try to take his photo) and is starting to really fill out. Thanks to everyone who said a prayer for him. We so appreciate all of you!

Andrew will continue to have a long struggle, as well, and is certainly not out of the woods yet. Premature babies are very fragile, especially when they come as young he is. If you know any special children’s prayers, please say one for Andrew when you can.

My readers are great at answering these calls for special uplifting. Although we are not gathered together physically, we are gathered spiritually and God is with us. Thank you for continuing to spend your time to ask for God’s blessings for our friends.

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I have spent the afternoon and evening corresponding with a Life as a Christian Woman reader. She is a young woman who finds herself alone, battling cancer, and questioning her faith and her purpose in life. She has been placed on a prayer chain, and I have been praying for her all day. But she needs the support and love of all her brothers and sisters in Christ right now. She contacted me in confidentiality, so I will not post her information here. But please, anyone who reads this, leave a comment for her that you care for her and are praying for her.

Even Christians can feel the pain and suffering of this world, and we sometimes lose our way. But we have something that others do not — a community of believers built on God’s love and the sacrifice that Christ Our Lord made for us. He suffered and died in our place, so that we could know our God and receive His Holy Spirit to dwell within us, linking us forever to His awesome mercy and grace. I call on that community now to help our sister find her way to love.

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Domestic violence occurs in Christian homes just as it does in the homes of non-believers. Christian women are at times beaten into submission, with their attacker misusing the Bible to justify their own evil. The church has an obligation to provide a safe environment for victims and to help a woman realize her true potential as a beloved child of God. But domestic violence is not just a woman’s issue; it is a family issue. Just as the woman needs the help of the church, so does her abuser.

Many men who violate their wives and families are third or fourth generation abusers/victims themselves. Their lack of respect for women is a learned behavior they inherited by watching their fathers, grandfathers, uncles, or other male influences. They may have watched their own mothers being abused. They saw the power that their own fathers or stepfathers wielded, and grew to believe that was man’s right. For these multigenerational abusers, being a “real man” equates with subduing his woman with whatever means necessary. The behavior is not about sex or a warped sense of love; it is about absolute control.

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The first Monday in October each year is the Day of Unity, kicking off Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Several writers here at 451 Press are dedicating their sites to the cause for the first few days of the month to raise awareness of domestic violence, get people involved, and remember the victims who are living in terror, or who have lived and died at the hands of their abusers. I have already written several posts on this important issue as it affects Christian women, and will continue to do so regardless of the month. But I urge you for the month of October to take time to learn all you can, help raise awareness, and assist in any way you can.

Jesus said, “And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” (Mark 3:25). A house in which domestic violence is occurring is a house divided. When a man and woman are joined in marriage, they are joined as one. But when a part of that one lives in fear, the dividing line has been drawn and the house will crumble. It may crumble through the sin of violence. It may be through attempting to raise children in an environment of fear rather than love. It may be by destroying the faith of all who live there. Rest assured, it will crumble.

In an abusive home, a man and woman are no longer joined in a Godly marriage. By lashing out against his wife, a man defies the Lord’s commandment to love his wife as he loves his own body. The house, however, is not the only dwelling that becomes divided. We can also see the parallel to the soul. For the Spirit of God lives within us, and we are His temple. An abusive husband divides this temple within his victim.

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