Staff -founder / president Melissa Pearce
-copy editor Laurie Hamby
-contributing writers Jamie Clawson Katie Cline Pastor Chuck Hamby Toni Hembree Maureen Kurp Melissa Pearce Ronald Pearce Mary Beth Pecora
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It’s hard to believe we just celebrated our second annual conference called UNMOVED.
At
UNMOVED, we had not only anticipation but expectation of what God was about to do within our lives.
He remained faithful to His people and we left the conference with our hearts
filled with great hope.
UNMOVED was not just another event, but we believe it was a
movement of God within our lives. God is looking to turn hearts back to Him. In this revival, people will have an inner determination to hold steadfast to His ways, truths, and principles. The Lord is about to do a mighty thing within the body of Christ. She is about to give birth, but before the birth can occur, the Church will need to endure labor. Childbirth labor requires a spirit of tenacity and determination.
During childbirth labor, the
expectant mother can rest knowing the end result will birth something beautiful. is in a season of childbirth labor.
The Church
Some of you are just beginning with the contractions, and
are overwhelmed with fear and anxiety.
For others, the intensity of your contractions have
almost wiped you out physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. No matter where you are in your childbirth labor, there is one thing you must continue to do.
You must PUSH until you see an end result.
PUSH is persevering until something happens.
PUSH is praying until something happens.
I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14). God needs us to be a people with inner determination to remain strong and steadfast in Him. He wants us pressing on to our end result. stop and rest in God.
God’s grace will abound even more within you.
the strength to endure until the end. you all the way.
When you think you have nothing left to give, He will give you
Stay focused on your Coach, because He will guide
He will remain faithful to you, never leaving you nor forsaking you, but
encouraging you. I hear Him say, “Child, push with everything you have, for you are able, because I Am Able lives within you! Push knowing the end result will birth something beautiful within your own life and will have a kingdom impact.” So let us press forward, knowing the end result will be beautiful within our individual lives and will make a difference for His Kingdom.
To Him be the glory and honor forever and
ever… You are almost there.
You are able to endure because the great I AM is within you and
will give you what you need! In Him, Rev. Melissa Pearce
The curveball is thrown. A plot twist arises. What we’ve expected, anticipated, or wanted doesn’t play out. Our routine has been thwarted, our thoughts diverted, and here we are facing the unseen. The car breaks down. A surprise baby is on the way. The coffee spills. A relationship ends. The basement floods. A stranger becomes a friend. The test results are positive. A loved one passes away. The acceptance letter arrives. A truth is revealed. Whether good or bad, the unexpected can be trying. Maybe you immediately embrace it with open arms and a smile. Maybe you’re more like me and greet the unexpected with one or more of the following: an exasperated groan, rolled-eyes, panicked thoughts, restless nights, and/or the beginning stages of a stomach ulcer. (Okay, so there is a possibility of some slight exaggeration there, but it’s not too far from the truth). The inconsistency of life reveals itself all too often; yet most of the time, it catches us off guard.
Life’s curveballs can stun us or even knock
us down. We can lose our footing as well as our breath when the unexpected comes.
I can live my life freaking out when the unseen occurs, or I can take comfort in the one constant I have in my life. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). gift is from above, coming heavenly lights, who
Every good and perfect
down
from the Father of the
does not
shadows (James 1:17).
change like
I know
for me,
shifting there’s
something so comforting about knowing that God is unchanging. He is my constant. He is my solid rock. Because He is solid and unchanging, and nothing like a shifting shadow, I can remain unshaken when the unexpected happens. I still struggle with saying “no” to anxiety and “yes” to trusting in God’s constant nature when the curveballs come. It’s not always easy, but it is my choice. Do I stick with Him when the plot twists and trust that He is all that His Word says He is,
or
my
own?
will I panic or try to do it on I
want
to
choose
Him,
because with Him, I will not be shaken. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress,
I will never be shaken
(Psalm 62:2).
In a world full of curveballs and plot twists, He holds me steady, and for that, I am grateful. Written by: Katie Cline
“ The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to go on the heights” (Habakkuk 3: 19). To understand how a deer walks, I did what
YET (Very important word)… I WILL rejoice
most folks do today—I googled it! Here’s
in the Lord, I WILL be joyful in God, My Savior
what I found out:
Deer have a special kind
of hoof that cushions and secures their leaping and walking. They have the great
(Habakkuk 3: 17-18). If the fig trees are not producing fruit and the grapes are not growing, and the crop is failing,
ability to jump over fences to new heights.
with no food being produced in the
The analogy the author wants us to see is
fields…Folks, that’s no income! Farmers
that when God is our strength—Sovereign
make their living by what they grow and
strength – we have the ability to walk securely in Him, (even through the difficulties), jumping over those obstacles that try to hinder us.
produce! If there are no cattle or no sheep…that’s no food either! However, “Yet” will he rejoice! He has clearly learned (as we should all learn) the
If you’ve ever watched deer, they move about
lesson of faith—to trust God’s providence
fast on a mission! I am not so sure about
regardless of circumstances. He declares
their ‘smarts’ when they choose to cross a
that even if God should send suffering and
busy highway with oncoming traffic, however!
loss, he would STILL rejoice in his God. This is one of the strongest affirmations of
The point is: They strive for new levels; they love to climb higher! Spiritually, so should we strive to reach new levels in God, not settling in the beginning steps—but advancing in the mature things of God. Look where Habakkuk was before He declared that the Lord is his strength:
faith in all of scripture. Maybe that’s what “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10) means – quieting any anxieties, knowing He is in control, and affirming that the “Lord is my strength…” This will enable us to climb to new heights in Him, to the places on top of the mountains, no
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there
longer resting in the valleys, but also enjoying
are no grapes on the vines,
the view….Seeing things from His point of
Though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, Though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,
view! Enjoying the View with You, ~Mary Beth Pecora
P
salm 118 is a song of thanksgiving to God for His deliverance from danger. Some say it was written by David at the end of his troubles
with King Saul, perhaps shortly after his own coronation. Some have said this was the hymn that Jesus and the disciples sang on the way to the Mount of Olives the night Jesus was betrayed. It takes powerful discipline to sing this Psalm on your way to be betrayed and crucified. Are you kidding me!? Rejoice in betrayal and torture? How is it possible to have that kind of peace in such daunting circumstances? How can we wrap our minds around the difficult things that are going on around us and still have the will to rejoice and be glad in it? Paul gives us a clue in his letter to the saints in Rome. In chapter 12 verses one and two, he says, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of
Your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” The ability to rejoice and be glad is transformative. We are not to be conformed… we are to be transformed. We all live in several worlds – the world of our family, our job, our school, our community, and even our church. Each one of these worlds has its own set of rules and goals for us to abide by. Always be on guard that these worlds do not cause us to conform to them. There is no joy in conformity. Conformity can be drudgery. Conformity is almost completely external. On the other hand, transformation happens internally. When we are transformed, we are changed in our essential nature. God the Holy Spirit comes and teaches us about Jesus and enables us to change and be like Him. How does the Holy Spirit do this? Paul says we are transformed by the renewing of the mind. There must be a renovation in our thinking. When we waken in the morning, what is our first thought? Do we say, “Good Lord! Morning!” or do we say, “Good morning, Lord!” Those are choices we can make before we open our
eyes or say our first word. We will have transformed lives when we begin to live what God says rather than what we feel. If I wake with a headache, it is still a day the Lord has made. If I wake and soon find I have a promotion at work, it is still a day the Lord has made. In John Keith’s great hymn, “How Firm a Foundation,” published in 1787, one of the stanzas reads: ”When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie, My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply; The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.” If you are like me, one of my favorite questions for God is, “Why?” He seldom answers me, but even in His silence, I hear the same message he gave Jeremiah, I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for (Jeremiah 29:11,The Message) This is why I can rejoice and be glad! I know Who made the day and that His plans for me are for my good and His Glory. Too often our adversary, the devil, comes and fills our minds with “stinkin’ thinkin’!” He reminds us of our failures and accuses us of being unworthy of God’s love, His forgiveness, and His promises. He tells us that what we are going through is what we deserve and God is not listening to us. So, we become like Adam and Eve; we hide from God. (Now that is an exercise in futility!) There was a span of time in my life when Satan told me I had committed the “unpardonable sin.” I had been somewhat “luke-warm” in my service to God and the devil used this to convince me that I had gone beyond God’s grace. I went to the Word of God because I knew that above all other things, God’s Word is true. I read in Romans 10:9-10 these words, …9that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is
10
made unto salvation.
I was raised in a church that had
If what the psalmist said is true, and it is, what
We would stand and
am I going to do with this day? The Psalmist
tell the congregation what God was doing in
said, “I will rejoice and be glad…” The “I will…”
our lives. Every time I got the opportunity to
statement is an act of will. Our will is a
do so, I would stand and say, “Jesus is my
powerful weapon; we don’t use it enough to
Lord, and He’s alive today.” There was no
win battles.
“testimony services.”
doubt in my heart that He had raised from the dead. He had healed me of spinal meningitis; he had rescued me from danger. I knew Jesus was alive!
I will rejoice. That is an act that brings our body into subjection to our spirit. The apostle writes to the church, “Rejoice in the Lord always! I will say it again, rejoice.”
I would love to tell you that I was delivered from the deep sense of depression
Praise and rejoicing brings God’s presence
regarding my spiritual state, but I wasn’t. My
into any circumstance. Psalm 22 says, But
continual confession and my certain belief of the resurrection did nothing to change my
thou art holy, O thou that inhabits the
spiritual desperation. The really strange thing is that the relief did not come in a moment of devotion. It came to me in one of those days that the Lord had made! I was sitting on a Farmall F-20 tractor, pulling a plow in a 40-acre field. The sound of the tractor was very loud (There was no muffler on the tractor, just a straight pipe). I was looking back at the plow when an
praises of Israel.” God loves it when we trust and praise Him. The decision to rejoice is the decision to not be conformed to the pressures of circumstance. It lifts us to be seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. While “rejoice” is spiritual obedience, “be glad in it,” is kneeling to the sovereignty of our Great God. I know in Whom I have believed. I believe John Keith, the writer of
incredible peace came to my heart. In that
the hymn, nailed it!! When through fiery
moment, I knew that I was forever a child of
trials thy pathways shall lie, My grace, all
my Heavenly Father. I had a revival on that
sufficient, shall be thy supply; The flame
noisy old tractor and nothing has been the
shall not hurt thee; I only design Thy
same since! The Holy Spirit whispered to me,
dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.
“Son, now you know what faith is!” Later in
God always has a purpose. He knew us
Bible College one of my professors, Dr.
before the world began. This really IS the day
Donald F. Johns, would tell me, “Faith is not
the Lord has made… and He made it for us!
belief in spite of circumstances, it is
Let’s rejoice in it!
obedience in spite of consequences.”
~Pastor Chuck Hamby
Have you ever felt like your mind was like a
to clean up.
big cobweb?
God brought forth some revelations to my
The more you sought for
However, as I moved in closer,
clarity, the more entangled you seem to get
spirit.
within your thoughts?
We need to realize that just as a spider spins
I have recently been
there and know exactly that feeling.
I can’t
a web to catch its prey, we have an arch
tell you how or when it started, but only that
enemy, the devil, who desires to do the same
I was there.
to you and me.
For some strange reason God
The web itself is transparent
had me focus on a cobweb that was in our
in color and seems almost harmless until the
garage.
At first, I did not think anything of
prey land on it. The web then becomes a
it but thought it was just something else I had
trap for the spider to seize its victims. The
more the insects struggle to get free, the
longing to do within and through our lives.
more entangled they become within the web,
He has uniquely fashioned us together with His gifts and talents to be expressed through
sucking them in further until the inevitable occurs – destruction and death.
As God had
our diverse personalities.
Each one of us is
me view this web and the interaction between
a representation of the God of creation.
He
the spider and its prey, I gleaned so much
has created us in His image, and we have
as it pertains to our journey here on earth.
the opportunity to be a display for Him.
The first thing we need to realize is that God
as God has created us for a unique purpose,
has a plan for you and me.
When He
we must also know the devil wants us to not
created us, there was something He was
fulfill our destiny with God. He knows that
Just
every time a heart completes his/her mission for God, the Kingdom of God is being impacted even more. Secondly, we must realize who are opponent is.
The devil, otherwise known as Satan or
the tempter, is very real, but he is not more powerful than God.
His main objective is to cause
people
question
to
God’s
authority and the love He has for them.
He
uses his lies as tactics to derail them from the truth.
He
has no ability to create but power to mimic
and
distort.
He thrives on accusing people of their sins, habits, and weaknesses. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him.
When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father
of lies (NIV – John 8:44). Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have come the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ.
For the accuser of our brothers,
who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down (NIV-Revelation 12:10). For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith.
I was
afraid that in some way the tempter might have tempted you and our efforts might have been
useless (NIV-1 Thessalonians 3:5). These passages depict not only the titles our arch enemy carries, but give us further understanding of his character. of God according to John 10:10.
Satan’s overall goal is to steal, kill, and destroy the people Yet, God sent His Son, Jesus, so we can have life to the
fullest. Thirdly, we need to recognize how Satan works. that we fall into the web.
It is when we do not understand his tactics
Satan loves to use deception.
Just as the cobweb is transparent
and appears harmless, it is the same way with deception. over our eyes.
Deception causes a veil to go
Our perception is distorted and what appears harmless can ultimately become
destructive to us. But what causes us to land in the web in the first place?
What catches our eye? But I
am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ (NIV - 2 Corinthians 11:3). Our hearts can be devoted to God and desire to love Him with all of our being.
However,
if we have any insecurities, emotional wounds, and/or misconceptions about God within our hearts, the enemy views those as opportunities to come against us.
He uses his cunning
ways to make us believe something about ourselves and/or of God. According to Genesis 3:1-7, Eve bought into the deception of Satan when he caused her to doubt God’s authority and love. God was withholding from her. against her.
He twisted the situation around making her to believe
In reality, Satan was using Eve’s misconceptions about God
Eve took Satan’s bait and before she knew it, she was in a cobweb of
destruction. Deception occurs when we do not know the truth about God, the love He has for us, and the way He sees you and me. Satan waits patiently for us to become tired and exhausted.
Just as the spider waits patiently
for its prey to become fatigued from trying to find a way out, the devil waits for us to become physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually weary and drained.
The perfect opportunity
for him appears, and he then strikes with his fiery darts of doubt, fear, confusion, shame, and condemnation
So how does one break free from the cobweb?
As I watched the one insect struggle in
the web, I knew if I did not intervene, the life of this insect would be over.
Just as I became
the rescuer to this life, God revealed to me that He was the Rescuer of our lives.
He was
willing to face any conniving plan of the enemy so we could have life to the fullest in Him. He has already intervened for us; we just need to realize it. God has broken every chain possible that could ever keep you from Him. and nothing can escape from His power.
He is above all
He is Lord of lords and King of kings.
Everything
bows at the very essence of His most powerful Name. Looking back, I realized I had been deceived about the Father’s love towards me. bought into the lies of Satan and had landed into his web.
The more I struggled to get out
of this cobweb of confusion and disorder, the more I became weary. He came and rescued me.
I had
I cried out to God and
As I sat with Him as a child would with a loving Father, He
opened the eyes of my heart to realize that I still had deep wounds within my inner being that needed the touch of His unfailing love. He did not rebuke me for being weak nor did He condemn me for falling into the trap. did the complete opposite. experienced before.
He
He revealed His love in a more powerful way than I had ever
As I sat before Him, reading His Word, every Scripture that He took
me to, reinforced Who He is and the love He has towards me. You need to realize that the first part of breaking out of the cobweb you are in comes when you cry out to God. He then comes and becomes your personal Rescuer. break the cords of deception from you with His powerful truth.
Allow Him to
You have not failed God
nor have you disappointed Him. God knows more about you then you know about yourself.
He knows the very details of
your heart and is looking to bring complete healing and wholeness to your very being.
He
desires for His love to fill in every crevice of your brokenness and for the two of you to further engage in a deeper intimate relationship together. Allow God to not only be your Rescuer and Healer, but in the end, the Lover of your soul. In Him, Rev. Melissa Pearce
Do you ever wish that you could just slap a “Do Not Disturb” sign on your forehead? Or hop in the car and take a really long drive to “Nowhereville”? And don’t you just hate it when the phone rings during dinner, or breaking news disrupts your favorite TV program? So do I. As a goal-oriented person, I get irritated with interruptions because they keep me from doing “what needs to get done.” God, however, has an interesting way of using interruptions for a greater purpose. Two years ago, I was a full-time wife, employee, and graduate student…then I got pregnant. Needless to say, I have endured my fair share of interruptions lately: waking up 3-4 times a night, changing countless diapers, cleaning up projectile vomit, chasing a runny nose, and soothing bumps and bruises. Teething and toddling sure make me yearn for a place of solitude to escape to once in a while. But God has an interesting way of building our character in the midst of life’s chaos. The interruption of motherhood rocked my understanding of the plan that I thought God had set out before me. Over this past year, I often asked the Lord why He allowed me to get pregnant when my Masters’ degree was not complete? Was I not being obedient to His will in the first place? Was this His way of telling me to drop out of school when I thought all along I was obeying the tug at my heart to go back? NO – life happens. In order for God to use us more efficiently for the purpose He has called us to, He sometimes allows us to endure transitions, hardships, and change. It’s all part of our training to be effective ministers of His Word. Sometimes interruptions are opportunities for God to minister to us or through us. I did a lot of prayer bonding with God in this new season of motherhood- a season that I was ill equipped and unprepared for. Rarely a day goes by without me falling to my knees and asking God for his direction, wisdom, and help in training up the beautiful child he has given me. Although I came into this season as a rigid and inflexible person with a limited understanding of God’s ability to work out my busy schedule in the midst of rearing my precious son, I am slowly learning to stop and appreciate the life lessons in my daily interruptions.
Sometimes they are to build my endurance, perseverance, and patience. Sometimes they are for breaking down walls of self-reliance and pride in my heart. Isn’t it wonderful that God does not give up on us when we act selfishly, but he still has a purpose for us in spite of our stubborn hearts? We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps (Proverbs 16:9, NLT). I love the story of Jonah. Here is a man who loves the Lord but has a narrow view of what God wants to accomplish through this prophet. Instead of embracing God’s plan to go to Nineveh, Jonah tries to run away in the other direction to Tarshish. Jonah could have easily avoided being a whale’s lunch, but God obviously had some work to do in his heart. Through this interruption, God brought Jonah to a place of dependence on Him. Jonah quickly realized the error in his thinking and humbled himself before the Father. God restored Jonah to dry land and gave him favor with the people of Nineveh. Because Jonah relinquished control of having things done his way, the citizens repented and turned their hearts to the Lord! When we learn to recognize interruptions as opportunities from God to grow, we are better equipped for the task he has called us to do. Interruptions may be God’s way of strengthening us for the path he has us on. If we don’t give up control, how can we expect God to take control? Not once has God allowed me to throw in the towel during this season in my life. Every time I ask Him if it is time to surrender something, like school or work, I hear the still small voice say to me, “Keep walking straight ahead.” In this season, my beloved little boy has taught me to love more, live with less, embrace each moment, and treat life as the gift that it is. Everyone’s path is different and what you are experiencing right now may be far more complicated than maintaining a busy schedule, but no matter what it is, keep walking straight ahead. You will encounter interruptions along the way, but they aren’t necessarily meant to derail you from the course. God will guide you through the detours and you will come out on the other end with more experience and more wisdom for the task ahead. While it may not appear to be the neatest or most orderly path, God will determine your steps – His Word promises that (Proverbs 16:9). So, the next time life hands you a surprise, be it big or small, welcome the interruption and expect God to do great things in you and through you!
~Toni Hembree
Depending on your workplace, faith on the job can be a sticky subject. A hostile environment, mocking co-workers, and the fear of man are just some of the obstacles faced when sharing your faith at work. Even if your workplace and co-workers are respectful of and receptive to your faith, maybe you just aren't sure how to effectively shine the light of Jesus there. In either circumstance, living like Jesus taught us will prove successful...for that person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers (Psalm 1:3, NIV). 1. Be real. Jesus was no phony! He wasn't the head of a new religion trying to gain a following; He was God become a man, displaying His Father's heart and holiness. He never pretended to be something He wasn't, but He met people where they were and loved them in the moment. People won't respond to a list of rules and regulations. They don't need any more negativity or condemnation. Be real – you're a sinner who needed a Savior. So are they! Don't be afraid to share your weaknesses and struggles with those who are seeking to know their Savior. Your vulnerability might be the catalyst in their walk of faith. 2. Be a good employee.
Submitting to authority and honoring others is Biblical:
Submit
yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men...Show proper respect to everyone (1 Peter 2:13, 17, NIV). By doing so, you gain respect with man and increase the power of your witness. As a follower of Christ, man is not who you ultimately work for anyway. Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving (Colossians 3:22-24, NIV). Go to work every day imagining Jesus as your boss, because He actually is!
3. Don't act like the world. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:2, NIV). Avoid worldly things so that people notice a difference in you! Don't do this in a snobby, self-righteous kind of way; but be careful about the conversations that you have (gossip?), the jokes that you tell or laugh at (impurity?), and the integrity (or lack thereof?) with which you accomplish your job. People may call you a “stick-in-the-mud” or “religious,” but it's the character of your heart that will draw them to you when they are in a crisis or time of need in their life. They will remember that they saw something true and powerful in you – Jesus! 4. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have (1 Peter 3:15, NIV).
It's not always easy to talk
about our faith. Personally, I get quite tongue-tied when discussing the Lord with people. But it doesn't have to be difficult! Establish a sincere way to answer people when they have questions about Jesus. Tell them what He means to you and what He has done for you. It's as simple as that – and as glorious as the truth of everlasting life with our Savior! 5. Pray!
We all know people – and
probably work with many – who don't know Jesus yet. Whether or not the opportunity arises for us to converse with them about Him, we can certainly pray for them to know the One in Whom we have found our freedom. Remember, The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9, NKJV). Let's go be salt and light in the workplace! ~Jamie Clawson