"Our Group" minus a few that left early
Amy and Tricia Heflin
Our Hostesses
My New Friends from Louisiana
Pat Layton Teaching
Me and Pat
Pat Layton is coming to Texas.
My church Trout Creek Baptist is the hosting church for her
Surrendering the Secret Leadering Certification Training.
She will also be in our services on Sunday morning at 10:30 giving her awesome, powerful testimony of God's redeeming Love.
It will change your life.
Join us please.
Well I think I am all geared up for this weekend. God has been so faithful.
2 1/2 weeks ago there were only 4 women signed up for the Surrendering the Secret leader certification training. I was fretting it but Pat Layton, in her Godly wisdom, told me God would provide. He is so faithful. (did i already say that?) There are 21 women attending, not including myself, the training on Sat. From 3 states, coming from churches, crisis pregnancy centers, post abortion ministries, and 3 Christian Counselors. I am so excited to finally meet the women I have been praying for all these months. God is going to bless our socks off at the training. Praying for the sweetest spirit that day.
Please Pray for Pat as she will also be speaking to our church in Sunday morning services. Lots of prayer has gone into this weekend. I know God is going to open doors, heal hearts, mend marriages, and save souls this weekend. To God Be the Glory!
Back in June our local news station aired a segment called "The Abortion Debate Rages On". They interviewed the CEO of the Abortion Clinic and Director of the local Crisis Pregnancy Center. The Ceo of the abortion clinic made a statement that prompted this letter to the news station from me.......
You can view the interview online here: http://www.kfdm.com/news/says-32344-clinic-miller.html
In June, I heard a segment on your news titled,"The abortion debate rages on". Mrs. Miller, the CEO of Whole Women's Health Clinic, was quoted on your website saying "Not sit and judge them, but try to be supportive of them getting back on track and getting their life back together again is really rewarding part of our work." I am a woman who faced an unplanned pregnancy as a teen that resulted in abortion. For over 15 years, I lived in shame and secrecy, with guilt overflowing into every area of my life.
For me to hear a director of an abortion clinic say that the rewarding part of her job is supporting girls/women getting their lives back together is absurd. Being frightened, confused, desperate, unstable or selfish about news of an unplanned pregnancy is noncomparable to the overwhelming bondage abortion causes.
Abortion effects 1 in 4 women in the U.S. alone. A woman may live with shame and guilt from this hidden secret for many years in silence. For many the experience is devasting, causing severe and long lasting spiritual, emotional,and psychological trauma. Women hurt by abortion may suffer with grief, depression, anger, sleep disorders, drug/alcohol problems, all symptoms of Post Abortion Syndrome.
After many years of heartbreak, I was finally able to experience true freedom. I have since started a local ministry called Finding Freedom and I am passionate about seeing women healed from past abortion hurts. We offer women a safe and confidental environment and a weekly bible study specific to post abortion healing.
"Lost and Found"
by Letha Powell
February 7th,2000
There are many in this nation whose hearts seem hard as stone.
They deceive young future mothers telling them that it's not wrong
To remove that "fetal tissue", since your body's yours alone.
They convince you that what is wrong is right and it's O.K. to "go along".
They'll not tell you you'll be weeping in the quiet of the night,
Or how your heart will break in pieces once you've come to see the light.
They won't mention how you'll grieve the loss each time a babe's in sight.
Nor how you'll feel that it is far too late to make the wrong things right.
Are you feeling now the grief and loss of your own dear little one?
Do you weep alone in secret, suffering forthe wrong you've done?
Do you show yourself no mercy, are you lost in deep despair?
Remember, Jesus loves the sinner, open your heart to Him in prayer.
He will comfort and forgive you, give you grace for trials too.
When you reach out to the Savior you'll know He's reaching out to you.
In His Word you'll find the answer to the thoughts that trouble you.
When you put your faith in Jesus He takes the old life, gives you the new.
Both of the poems were written by my Great Aunt Letha, and posted with permission.
THE SILENT SCREAM
written by Letha Powell
September 8,2000
We are living in the shadow
O the silent scream.
Oh God help us stop the madness
of this evil scheme.
Help young mothers and young fathers
learn to love their own offspring.
To a million unborn infants
Sacrificed like throw aways,
It matters not the briefness
Of their lives in weeks or days.
They protest with strength and vigor
As pain and death invade their space.
Have you watched them kick their tiny legs
Then never move again?
Have you seen their tiny faces
As they cry out in their pain?
Oh, if you have ears to listen
Won't you hear their silent scream?
We've become a shameful nation
Innocent blood flows in our land.
We've sacrificed our unborn infants
Never mindful of God's plan.
How long, oh God of mercy
Will you stay your mighty hand?
The time has come for those to speak
Whose voices can be heard.
It's time for us who value life
To hear and do God's Word.
We must repent and take out stand,
The Word of God our sword.
Deliver us, O Lord, from darkness.
We have gone so far astray.
Set our feet on holy ground, Lord,
Help us walk your holy way.
Give us wisdom, give us strength
To stop the silent scream, we pray.
OR
http://www.shespeaksconference.com/
SATAN'S MEETING: (Read even if you're busy)
Satan called a worldwide convention of demons.
In his opening address he said, "We can't keep Christians from going to church."
"We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth."
"We can't even keep them from forming an intimate relationship with their Savior."
"Once they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken."
"So let them go to their churches; let them have their covered dish dinners, BUT steal their time, so they don't have time to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ.."
"This is what I want you to do," said the devil:
"Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!"
"How shall we do this?" his demons shouted.
"Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds," he answered.
"Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow."
"Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6-7 days each week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles."
"Keep them from spending time with their children."
"As their families fragment, soon, their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work!"
"Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice."
"Entice them to play the radio or CD player whenever they drive." To keep the TV, VCR, CDs, PDAs and their PCs going constantly in their home and see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-biblical music constantly.."
"This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ."
"Fill the coffee tables with magazines and newspapers."
"Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day."
"Invade their driving moments with billboards and cell phones."
"Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order catalogs, sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products, services and false hopes.."
"Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines and TV so their husbands will believe that outward beauty is what's important, and they'll become dissatisfied with their wives. "
"Keep the wives too tired to love their husbands at night."
"Give them headaches too! "
"If they don't give their husbands the love they need, they will begin to look elsewhere."
"That will fragment their families quickly!"
"Give them Santa Claus to distract them from teaching their children the real meaning of Christmas."
"Give them an Easter bunny so they won't talk about His resurrection and power over sin and death."
"Even in their recreation, let them be excessive."
"Have them return from their recreation exhausted."
"Keep them too busy to go out in nature and reflect on God's creation. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, plays, concerts, and movies instead."
"Keep them busy, busy, busy!"
"And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences."
"Crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Jesus."
"Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause."
"It will work!"
"It will work!"
It was quite a plan!
The demons went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere to get busier and more rushed, going here and there.
Having little time for their God or their families.
Having no time to tell others about the power of Jesus to change lives…
I guess the question is, has the devil been successful in his schemes?
You be the judge!!!!!
Does "BUSY" mean: B-eing U-nder S-atan's Y-oke?
Just the Facts:
· Half of all pregnancies of American women are unintended;
Half end in abortion.
· In 2002, 1.3 million abortions occurred
· Currently, 1 in 3 American women will have an abortion by age 45.
· 88% of abortions occur in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
· A broad cross-section of U.S. women has abortions:
* 56% are in their 20s
* 61% have other children
* 67% have never married
* 57% are economically disadvantaged
* 88% live in a metropolitan area
* 78% report a religious affiliation
*Source: AGI, agi-usa.org
Grace gave us what we didn't deserve ~ God's Favor
Mercy restrains what we did deserve ~ God's Wrath
As Christians we do not have free rein to sin.
Make Worship a Lifestyle
God hates sin because it hurts you and violates His Character
God knows every storm we'll ever encounter and provides a way for us in each one.
When Jesus calls us to follow Him, He always pushes us beyond our experience and beyond our abilities.
God allows our circumstances to come for a reason. God can redeem any situation. He can equip us to live in a way that brings Him Glory and He can help us grow in faith through our trials.
God isn't looking for what the world would call the "total package" when He looks for someone to carry out His mission.
Weakness is an opportunity for God to say, "We'll walk this road together -
Just wait & see what I can do!"
Our weaknesses are a funnel for God's power to flow through.
Jesus' death on the cross was the ultimate example of strong weakness
My Ministry Table
My Sister Colleen and I
My #1 Prayer Warrior, Stacy and I
This evening I will head over to the local retreat camp for a women's prayer retreat with my SIL and her sister. A bittersweet time with my Lord. A much needed time of praise, and prayer. These last few weeks have been full of ministry busyness. Aside from my daily outside the home job, and my family I have been very busy getting ready for my first ever Conference where I will a guest speaker. That takes way more preparation than I realized. Not to mention speaking to our Celebrate Recovery Group at our Church right in the middle of it.
God has been preparing me for this next weeks conference for the last 4 weeks since I was invited. And my life has become a play ground for the enemy. He has tried to attack me every way he can. But I have stayed in Prayer, Worship and in the Word of God to find my strength to fight through this.
Other Big News in my life is that we have finally set a date for Pat Layton author of Surrendering The Secret to come to our Church for a Training Session and to give her testimony at our Church on Sunday. This is so awesome because we are centrally located in East Texas and close enough to Louisiana that this will cover a huge area. She has penciled us in on her calender for Sept. 26 and 27. We are so excited to see what God will do and the women that will surrender to this ministry.
Not much time left I have to pack my bags.
