Good word for today

Come Out of the Stronghold TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2, by Os Hillman 11-18-2009

"...Do not stay in the stronghold. Go into the land of Judah ..." (1 Samuel 22:5). David and his fighting men had been hiding in the cave of Adullam. He was fleeing Saul. Many of life's down-and-out had come and joined David's army. David was content to stay in the stronghold of safety. Then, God's prophet came to David and told him that he must leave the stronghold and go into the land of Judah. Judah means "praise." When life beats down on us and we get to the place where we want to hide in a cave, God often places people around us who prod us into moving in the right direction. He does not want us to remain in the place of discouragement. He wants us to move into the land of praise. I recall when I went through a very difficult time. It seemed to drag on and on with no change until finally I wanted to retreat to a cave and forget pressing on. It was a great time of discouragement. A godly man came to me and said, "You must keep moving! There are too many who are depending on you in the Kingdom." I didn't totally understand what he meant at the time. Now I know he was saying that God is preparing each of us to be the vessel He wants to use in the life of another person, but we will never be that vessel if we give up and hide in our cave of discouragement. Not only must we keep moving, we must move into a new realm. Our attitude must move from discouragement to praise. "He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners - to comfort all who mourn. ... a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor" (Isa 61:1-3). It is only when we move past discouragement to praise that we begin living above our problems. Make a decision today to go into the land of Judah.

Refuge for Women - Holiday Serving Opportunities

Brothers& Sisters:

Overwhelmed. Humbled. Excited. Provoked.

Words cannot adequately summarize God’s amazing Hand of Grace. On October 27, Women for Refuge launched. Hundreds committed to partnering with God in changing the course of the lives of women almost destroyed by the adult entertainment industry. We all sensed God’s call to act, participate, and contribute to His plan for these women as children of God. Thank you for your obedience to the call!

We remain grateful for your partnership in restoring significance to these women thru displaying affectionately the love of Christ in everyway!

Get Involved. Stay Involved.

Volunteer. November 30 and December 1-- Refuge for Women is hosting a jewelry making event to raise awareness for the ministry. Each piece of jewelry made and sold helps provide an opportunity for a woman to leave the adult entertainment industry. *See announcement below for complete information. You will not want to miss serving at this event!

Distribute. Are you willing to make a difference in the life of a woman escaping the adult entertainment industry? Can you find creative ways to sell jewelry to your community, friends, and family? Are you in a busy office, church, or circle of friends? Join our team to help support the women at Refuge for Women and give back her dignity.
Contact Rebecca Hatton: rhatton@southlandchristian.org.

Give. Can you purchase home goods/items for the farmhouse? Refuge for Women is registered at Target in order to make preparations for the home these women will be living in. Contact Kathy Toplski, Phone: 859.548.5444 Email: topolski7@aol.com.

Adopt. Women and their children need help as they transition out of the adult entertainment industry, can you partner in their support? Contact Veronica Miller, Email: godisable3711@yahoo.com



Holiday Serve Opportunity: Jewelry Making Event

Make jewelry to help raise awareness for Refuge for Women. Each piece of jewelry made and sold helps to provide an opportunity for a woman to leave the adult entertainment industry.

Date: November 30 and December 1.
Time: Three sessions daily: 9-11a.m., 1-3 p.m., 7-9 p.m.
Where: Southland Christian Church, Building C
Who: Families, life Groups, Bible study groups, individuals
Contact: Sarah Doyle at sarahbdoyle@yahoo.com or 859.396.0632 RSVP's NEEDED
Details: We need 300 volunteers to accomplish the goal of distributing 5000 bracelets by Christmas. These bracelets will make great gifts for family members, teachers, employees, and friends. Choose one or more sessions to volunteer, and take pleasure in the privilege of serving God!

*Please no children under 10 year of age. Childcare not provided.

Get Involved. Make a difference. Anticipate….We will keep you notified of future events/opportunities coming up for 2010, Refuge for women!

Challenges

Thank the Lord today for the challenges you are facing. 1 Peter 1 says that struggles produce Godly traits in us that only come through this channel. While in Washington D.C. recently I read a t shirt that had a quote on it from the Marine Corps. It said "Pain is weakness leaving the body". i dont like to view pain this way but for me it has been the prescription to help me equip me with endurance. It is through the challenges I face that my spiritual muscles develop. The struggle of today is preparing you for the challenges of tomorrow.

Reminder

One of the individuals the Refuge has been serving rededicated her life to Jesus on Saturday night at a worship service. In the midst of fundraising, construction, communications, team building and more what a great reminder of what the ministry is about. A relationship with Jesus!!!

Praise The Lord!

I went to Helping Through Him this morning to get a truck to move furniture down to the new office. When I walked into the storage facility an individual I hadnt seen in a while had heard about the Refuge for Women and was really excited. He asked me if I happened to need a plumber for the project on the house. I quickly told him we had been praying for a plumber and had not located one yet. He told me a friend of his had a local plumbing business and he was recruiting him to help us. He gave me the phone number of the individual and this afternoon we made contact with each other. It looks like the plumbing need is taken care of. What a week of God putting skilled laborers in our path to complete the house.

Divine Appointment

When Jon Weece announced from stage this past weekend at Southland that the Refuge for Women was officially beginning it ignited some buzz. A woman who was very excited contacted me and said she wanted to be involved in the ministry. She said that she wanted to cover any needs the girls may have with hair cuts. This is what she does for a living and that could be a way for her to serve. Oh by the way she adds, I am out of the adult entertainment industry as well, and would be willing to let you use my story in any way that would benefit the ministry. Wow!! What a divine appointment. I am starting to realize this ministry is not only going to affect women in the industry but those out of it already. I discussed the idea with a woman this morning of having a monthly support group for those who are out and want to connect with women in similar circumstances for ongoing encouragement. She loved the idea and said it had already been being talked about amongst several of the women. God was already at work!!

Another Step

Talked to an individual today who owns an electrical company in town. He has decided to do the electrical work for the farmhouse at no expense. He even has a lot of the needed materials that he is going to provide. We have prayed for someone to get a vision for this ministry and help us out with the electrical and plumbing needs. It seems like 50% of the prayer has come to pass. Praise God!! I am excited to report when the other half comes to pass as well.

Still Reflecting...

I don’t know exactly all that happened last Tuesday night at the Refuge for Women launch but I know it was important. Stories with emotion are still being told about the event. I think God showed up in a powerful way and touched the hearts of all that were in attendance.
I will never forget the comments of one of the girls out of the industry when she couldn’t believe that 450 people would show up for strippers. She commented that “we are the lowest of the lowest in society.” How sad! The feelings of value were so low that she didn’t feel worthy to have people care to that degree. It especially amazed her when everyone applauded for those in attendance who had been stung by this industry. It was an applause that said you matter and we are here for you.
I told the women it was their cries to God for help that has us here tonight. He heard their cries and activated the Body of Christ to be the solution. We serve an amazing God that is in the business of restoring value to those who have had it stripped away. God is Good! He is the God who restores what the enemy attempted to steal.

If you would like to read some of the stories of the women who wrote out their journey's go to www.refugeforwomen.org