A bestselling author and popular speaker, Lisa uses her own testimony and real Summer’s long, hot days leave the ground
life lessons to bring freedom to women of all ages and challenge them to embrace
parched and barren, yet a good rain replenishes
fearless living. Continually living life on the edge, Lisa passionately speaks the Word
and revives the land. It’s much the same for
of God that has already been made flesh in her own life: no matter the extreme.
us. The busyness of life, the stress of our world and the cares of our heart often leave our souls parched and thirsty for a heaven-sent rain. Come replenish your soul by soaking up a real, relevant
Rebecca Henricks, wife of Astronaut Tom Henricks, sings a unique mixture of soul and bluegrass with a Texas flavor. At the age of eleven, she felt God’s call on her life and began writing her own music. Through the media.
word from God and basking in relationships new and old. Join the women of Gateway for
Through the years of walking with the Lord, many trials and life threatening events have only come to strengthen Cheri’s understanding of God’s faithfulness. This is
an inspiring and refreshing time—consider it a exemplified by the name of the Summerall home, Amazing Grace. spiritual spa vacation. Debbie Morris, Women’s Pastor
EDITORIAL: Debbie Morris, Editor-in-Chief Mary Beth Miller, Executive Editor Judy Brisky, Managing Editor Stacy Pack, Editorial Director Laura Byrne, Copy Editor Jenny Drott, Copy Editor
By Debbie Morris
Gelson Rocha, Creative Director/Designer Dawn Franco, Circulation Manager
By Aja Schiewe
HOW TO CONTACT STUDIO G: STUDIO G 2121 E Southlake Blvd Southlake, TX 76092 817.328.1000 studiogmag.com
By Lisa Bevere
Women’s Pastor, Debbie Morris
By Laura Byrne
By Lea Land
By Anita McGee
By Nita Hunt 2121 E Southlake Blvd Southlake, TX 76092 Phone: 817.328.1000 Fax: 817.329.1897
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acations, snow cones, watermelons, cookouts and ice cream are favorites during the long sunny days of summer. While it is fun to have leisure days with the kid’s voices filling the house, it is also comforting to know it will only last for a few more weeks. Last year Robert and I were at a conference when Carol Stertzer, James Robison’s assistant said, “Lisa Bevere would like to meet you, do you mind if I introduce you?” We looked at each other wondering if we heard correctly. Within minutes of meeting Lisa, we felt as though we were visiting with an old friend. Lisa’s transparency was refreshing and inviting. In her article, “Authentic Marriage,” you will enjoy her candid and real approach to life and marriage. She will also be our key note speaker at our Replenish Conference in September. You will love how she presents truths that we can live and use. I hope you will make every effort to attend. Summer is all about families. In the summertime we go on family vacations and have more family time. It seems fitting to talk about families—something that is dear to every woman. Regardless if you are married or single, we all cherish the family in our lives, even if it is a family of friends. Troop L16 tells about a circle of friends that became closer than family. Families take on all shapes and sizes, and Lea Land shares insights into motherhood from an empty nester perspective. Are you better than a hot fudge brownie sundae with a cherry on top? Would some ice cream make you feel better? Let me suggest that you get your favorite flavor and sit down to enjoy this edition of Studio G. Blessings, Debbie Morris Editor-in-Chief
by Aja Schiewe
I remember the day in vivid color. I was in 6th grade and I still had my priorities straight. Fingernail polish and lipstick were not for me! I was all about sports, seeing how far I could spit and beating up the unsuspecting other sex. My mother saw right through my schemes to never become a “real girl.” In an effort to obtain some balance she instigated a new rule that school year: “Thursday Dress Day.” Once a week, my twin sister and I would wear a dress to school, making Thursday the day of the week I dreaded most; obviously with my interests, wearing a dress was a handicap. It is ironic that the day that changed my life forever was a Thursday. I learned early that if I smuggled a pair of shorts in my school bag, I could still behave in my usual manner. As the bell rang giving us the recess signal, I ran to the bathroom with my hot merchandise. My friends were already there, primping and speaking that foreign language again—boys. It struck me as they mused over the new boy in class; that something really may be wrong with me. I just didn’t get the fascination. To ease my troubled spirit, I slipped on my shorts and quickly ran to the baseball field. The early fall weather was ripe for a game of baseball. While waiting to be chosen by one of the male captains, I shuffled my feet, until someone nudged me. I looked up, everyone was staring at me. In disbelief that my name had been called, I quickly looked to my captain, “Ahhhh, the new boy.” I proudly strutted to my place on his team and gloated as I realized that I was the third one to be chosen. Of course, the game was miraculous; I couldn’t and wouldn’t let my captain down. I floated through the rest of the day until I heard my Mom’s car pull into the driveway. I ran to tell her the good news. I threw open the front door and yelled, “Scott Schiewe is better than ice cream.” She must have put two and two together as I rambled on about the game and Scott and how great he was. She didn’t even comment on my torn dress or the dirt under my fingernails, I guess she knew it was a downward slope from there on. Years later, on the anniversary of my Mother’s passing, I spoke to my captain, and now my husband. I expressed my disappointment that he and my mother never had a chance to know each other. Basking in my own private pity party, I opened the freezer to look for my favorite comfort food, hopefully in chocolate. With great clarity I heard, “Scott Schiewe thinks you’re better than a hot fudge brownie sundae with a cherry on top and so do I.” When it sank in, I cried and laughed and then cried some more. Hot fudge brownie sundaes are a big deal to me. To think that any one would consider me as great as that specific ice cream sundae is a brilliant complement for me. Even better, was the realization that I have a God that is so good He would allow me an intimate moment on a day when I just needed a little filling. My mother’s saying still rings true, “There is always room. Even when you think you’re full, ice cream fills in the cracks.” Have you told your Father in Heaven what flavor you are craving today?
For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height - to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:14-19
od is looking for some “real people” to confront some very “real issues.” He is inviting us to live in realms of greater authencity than we have ever known before, not just visit them. As I travel, I see a profound hunger stirring in God’s people for deeper and truer connections in their friendships and with their children. There is a desperate longing for intimacy in their marriages. At the risk of over-sharing, I want to approach this dynamic of authenticity in marriage. There has never been a time when marriages have been under a more obvious or vehement attack. The very core foundation of definition of marriage is under attack in our courts and culture while the church hovers at a divorce rate of 50 percent. Where is all this going? In answer, if we want to change directions, we first need to be honest about where we are. We need to be brave enough to say as Christians we have really blown it. We let a lot of this happen through our pettiness and lack of love, which has only been compounded by our almost epidemic lack of the fear of the Lord. Remember God hates divorce because it tears two who were one.
Now since I have been so tough, I will go gut level with you on this issue. I am not drawing my information from observation alone … John and I have experienced these attacks firsthand. Satan does not have any exclusive tactics. When he launches an attack against marriages, ministers are not exempt. His goal is the same as it has always been—to sow strife and turn us against each other. God’s original intent in the Garden of Eden was two with one heart. When two become one, there is agreement. Where there is agreement, there is power, and intimacy is our place of power. This plays out in our relationship with God in the dynamic to know as we are known. In His holy presence words are no longer necessary as they are overshadowed by the oneness of knowing.
Sexually in marriage, when two are one their union is so powerful it can bring forth life. Marriage is God’s ideal environment to foster and nurture children to their fullest. Contrary to all our culture would espouse, sex is not intimacy. Intimacy only truly happens in the dynamic of covenant. Intimacy occurs when a trust is set up between two parties and everything each has is freely given. This cannot happen in an atmosphere of distrust or disharmony. John and I are in our twenty-second year of marriage, and some years have been more enjoyable than others. The last year has been one of the best, but 2002 was one of the worst. Why? We lost sight of our true enemy and began to wrestle with each other. This should not have surprised either of us as I had just written a
book of sexual purity (Kissed the Girls) and John was pressing in to write one on intimacy with God (Drawing Near). We made the mistake of thinking we were beyond the marriage dynamics. After all, we had spent a lot of time fighting in our first few years of marriage and moved on. This time it was more subtle. We were busy, and it caught us off guard. Little cutting remarks and unresolved breeches cropped up here and there, and pretty soon we had a mess to deal with. Honestly, it doesn’t really matter how it happens or happened, but when the enemy is successful in getting you to think your husband or your wife is a problem—or even worse, an enemy—you will quickly find yourself in a very vulnerable position. I began to see this reality when the Holy Spirit woke me up one morning to tell me a number of things. The impressions and promises were coming as fast as I could record them, and as I put my pen down, I heard so clearly this warning. None of this would happen if John and I functioned separately. God was not looking for what He could do through the one or the other … He was after two with one heart. Scriptures give us an inkling of this power: “How could one man chase a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight … .” Deuteronomy 32:30, NIV God is looking for a tenfold power increase. What He desires to do in our marriages, families, churches, ministries, cities, and nations will not happen through the onefold lone ranger anointing, but it will come through those who choose to walk as one. Even now I can hear your reasoning kicking in: “My spouse will not cooperate!” Let’s step back from this a moment and be honest. None of us have the perfect husband or wife, nor are any of us the perfect husband or wife. All of us have been disappointed in as well as have
disappointed our spouses. We need to move right on by the excuse “If my spouse were perfect I would be perfect too!” More than likely this is just not going to happen. We need to move away from the foolish and prideful position of proving we are right to our spouses, friends, or pastors and get in a right position before God. Forget John’s imperfections; even though I am the expert on them, I am far from perfect. There have been so many times when I have cried out to God about the “John issues”: “God, this husband you gave me…he does not honor me!” To which God would answer something frustrating like, “Lisa, if you want John to honor you…honor him.” Or my prayer request might have sounded like, “God, please change the way he is acting!” To which Jesus would respond, “Lisa, tell Me I’m enough for you.” It always shocks me how quickly God turns my requests for changes in others to changes in me. Sensing my immediate frustration, the Holy Spirit is quick to remind me of God’s promise to honor those who honor Him. od is asking us to bump it up a few notches and leave behind the realm of self where there are always unmet needs and desires. He wants us to step up to the realm where we find He is more than enough. He is calling the brave and fearless to the realm where love never fails. As soon as John and I repented and began to walk as one, everything began to
change. Wisdom and insight we needed were released. The things we had need of came into our possession, and even more than all this, we were not only getting along with each other…we were deeply in love again. “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.” Matthew 18:19, NIV God longs to heal your marriage. There is an incredible urgency for the life of our marriages in the body. Any time we see our spouse as an enemy or problem, there can be no intimacy. I challenge you to repent and ask God how He sees your husband or wife. Men, love and nurture your wives. Women, honor and respect your husbands. It is my urgent prayer that God would intervene and arrest all the hurt and bitterness now tainting your perspective. Marriages were never meant to be a place of abuse, hurt, or neglect. They were meant to be a foreshadowing of Christ and His bride. If there is domination and manipulation, then you have both lost your way. Christ came so you could have life in your marriage and have it more abundantly. Pray, forgive, and love each other today. This article is adapted from Lisa’s newest video, Life Without Limits.
by Laura Byrne
Carolyn’s gift for organization is staggering. She can organize a land and sea invasion for the Pentagon. No hand-written recipes from my girlfriend with the steel trap brain. All the delicious meals she has cooked for me are locked away in the creativity sector of her gray matter. One weekend I was able to convince her to write down the recipe for her famous Carolyn’s Mexican Corn Dip. Whenever I whip up her corn dip recipe, I remember the night we met twenty-two years ago: Two sopranos at the Wednesday night Baptist choir practice. Her voice like an angel’s, mine much more of this earth. I was new to the church, to the town, to Texas and needed a friend. Carolyn’s face is what I see when the phrase unconditional love is spoken. Occasionally, I make a single serving of the corn dip just for myself as a reminder of the redhead with an East Texas twang who welcomed a Louisiana Cajun to the Lone Star State.
Carolyn’s Mexican Corn Dip 2 cans drained Mexican corn 1 cup sour cream 1 cup mayonnaise 10 oz. sharp grated cheddar cheese 1 small can green chilies 1 small jar pimentos 2 finely chopped green onions Optional – chopped jalapeño peppers Mix all together. This is best left in the refrigerator overnight. Serve with crackers or chips.
by Lea Land As a young girl, I often thought of how blessed Mary, the mother of Jesus, was. How awesome it would have been to be Mary. Since I couldn’t be Mary, I prayed that God would give me children who would love Him passionately. I prayed for children who would reflect Christ. After my children were born, I gave them back to God. Then, as they grew, I prayed over them. I prayed that God would reveal Himself to them and that they would never turn from Him. I wanted my children to serve God with a burning passion in their heart, not just because Mother and Dad believed in Him. God answered my prayers. My children are who they are only by God’s grace. Three of those children are raising families who also love and serve God. Our son, Austin, never got a chance to raise a family, because he was killed by a drunk driver in 1996 at the age of 22. Yet, he is not dead. He serves God in heaven. I am convinced, however, that good parenting begins with a good marriage—a relationship in which both husband and wife put each other first. At the age of 13, God called me to serve Him in Africa as a missionary. I imagined being like Mother Teresa, making an impact in the world by showing people the way to God. I had great aspirations of how God might use me. But when I fell in love with Mitchell, my husband, I tossed those dreams out the window, or so I thought. My direction now had to change. Leaving behind my ambition and calling, I committed to being a wife. In my youth group, I had memorized Proverbs 31:10-31. The passage recounts the duties and responsibilities of a virtuous woman. I also studied the story of Esther and thought about how she had prepared for the king and assumed her role as a dutiful wife and then fulfilled her calling to save her people. Esther had soaked in oil of myrrh for six months, followed by six months of soaking in perfumes. Esther so impressed the king that he selected her to become his queen. And later, her attitude of loving submission was the key to rescuing her people from genocide. It was from this story that I realized my first calling was to serve God by honoring and submitting to my husband. That’s where obedience, at least for me, began in my home, thus setting an example for my children. I gave up my hopes of leaving a mark on the world so that I could fulfill my primary responsibility as wife and my secondary role as mother. However, my aspirations of leaving a mark on the world, which I thought I had to give up, did happen. I embraced the high calling of motherhood, and now four families are spreading the Gospel instead of
just one. Now that our children are on their own, bringing up our ten grandchildren (with two more on the way), we’re left with that initial family: the two of us. It’s not easy living as empty nesters. We miss our children when they’re far away, especially our youngest son and his family who serve as missionaries in South Africa. But the fact is, we’re still a family even without the children in our home. I think often about what comes after what God said in Genesis 2:24: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” It’s a period. Even before the parenting begins, the couple must never forget that the first family did not have children at the beginning. Good parenting begins with a couple firmly committed to God and to each other—a couple willing to submit to one another, loving each other more than self. Submitting to each other and loving sacrificially are lifetime commitments that continue long after the children have left the nest.
ne more box packed, sealed and ready to go. As I looked around, I thought about the contents of the boxes that filled the room—some things were quite valuable to me, some were not; some should be taken on the journey, some should be left behind. I thought about lessons I learned in my Life Group earlier this year. Our Life Group leader, Jackie Cornett, passionately encouraged us to deal with lingering, unresolved issues of the heart so the Lord could move us forward into our destiny. Every lesson was relevant and timely. Past hurtful relationships left me with a spiritually bruised heart that needed healing. But, little did I realize how my physical heart was also suffering. I had been packing all day and was running short of packaging supplies so I thought I should go to Lowe’s before it closed. Just as I pulled into the parking lot I started to feel some pressure and tightness in my chest and some aches and pains in my back and shoulders. I thought it was just a muscle spasm from packing boxes all day. I took some breathing medicine for a previously-diagnosed condition which seemed to ease the pain. Once inside the store, the pain returned along with cold sweats and light-headedness. Apparently, I looked pretty ill, too, as the clerks insisted that I sit down and let them call someone. I didn’t have a family member in town that I could call for help and I didn’t think I was really that ill, so I tried to convince them I was fine and capable of driving. Fortunately, they insisted on calling an ambulance. Within minutes the paramedics arrived, assessed my condition, began administering nitroglycerin and informed me that I was having a heart attack. Needless to say, the next stop was the Emergency Room. That night, as I lay in the hospital all alone, I became fearful and started to cry and pray. At that point, the presence of the Lord comforted me and I knew everything would be okay. The next morning I called someone from my Life Group. That one call was like a call-to-arms for a fine-tuned network of caring and praying sisters in the Lord that I’m proud to call my Life Group, “Troop L16.” As the news spread, these precious ladies started praying for me. Several even came to the hospital for hours at a time.
Shortly after they left, a doctor I didn’t know came in announcing he was going to do a heart catheterization. I didn’t understand and when I tried to ask questions, he seemed to become agitated with me. I didn’t know what to do, so I called Jackie, who also is an RN. She said to just hold on, they were coming. When Jackie and others from my Life Group arrived, we prayed together and within a few minutes, another doctor came in and explained there had been a misunderstanding and that he would be doing the surgery. He was kind and patient as he explained the surgical procedure. Because of the prayers of my Life Group friends, I was able to go into the surgery with great calmness. The next day I had someone from my Life Group with me around the clock as they came in shifts to sit with me. When I was released from the hospital, Ruth Price and Maryanne Kalush graciously invited me to spend the night in their homes in case there were any complications. My physical heart was on the mend, but my spiritual heart was still hurting. I had a few relationships that needed healing and one of those was with my son. He is in the military, stationed on the East Coast; but, when he learned of my hospitalization, he took a leave of absence and came to be with me. Our time together was very healing. However, the catalyst for the healing was when my son saw that I had friends that cared so much about me. After experiencing the goodness of God’s love, as demonstrated by my Life Group and members of Gateway, I wanted God to cleanse my heart from any remnants of unforgiveness, anger or bitterness (Ephesians 4:30-32) so there would be plenty of room to pack in all the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and faithfulness (Galatians 5:22). I have learned that there are some things that are vital to take on the journey and there are some things that must be left behind. — Story of Terina Rush written by Anita McGee Dedicated to the Life Group members of L16. Leader: Jackie Cornett Host Home: Ruth Price
A Life Group is a starting point for discovering your destiny Children beg to participate in our fun, educational ministry and have lunch with their friends Lessons are written by women, for women and are taught by women (The lessons are completely different from family groups) Variety, variety, variety… groups for all ages are offered on different days and times Children’s ministry is provided—and best of all, it’s free Pink is the official color Finding true girl friends is easy Laugh or cry—emotions are understood “Girl talk” is the official language Everyone in the group knows that when the term “hunting” comes up it means finding the appropriate size on the sales rack
December 9 | 7:00 pm | Westin Galleria Guest Speaker: Comedienne Jeanette Cliff George Tickets $35
by Nita Hunt Can you imagine three busloads of women wearing pink T-shirts with a G descending on the small East Texas town of Canton? It was show-stopping or should I say shop-stopping! Three busloads of women left Gateway Church on a Friday morning in June, anxious to get on their way to shopping. We were so focused on the Canton Trade Days that we were barely aware of our pink shirts. We played games on our bus, which we named “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” and talked and talked. The trip down to Canton passed in a flash. We unloaded and took off. As we shopped, people began to ask “What are all the pink shirts about?” or “What does the G mean?” One person said, “They come in all shapes and sizes and all ages; we can’t figure it out.” My sister-in-law Seana and I talked to many people about Gateway Church and almost everyone we talked to had heard of Gateway or had been there. The pink shirts connected us all and I think made us feel like we were a part of the group, just like Life Groups do. Plus, there is safety in numbers. Relationships are the key to bringing in people to Life Groups and our trip to Canton was fun and relationship-building. Life Groups are about evangelism, too, and our combined group did an evangelism work in Canton. I tend to be more of a serious person and it takes me awhile to loosen up and have fun, but I believe that the Canton trip showed me how you can have fun and be a Christian, too. After Pastor Robert spoke on grace and how Jesus was always with the sinners, I felt like we were doing what he was talking about. Not that Canton Trade Days is full of sinners, but we were away from the church and out in the world and I think we were good examples of Christian women that want to have fun. The Lord showed himself to be the Lord of our Joy and desires. I know I am one person that is very thankful to be able to have fun and to be a Christian, too. Sometimes, all it takes is a pink T-shirt and a shopping trip to make me happy.
Replenish - Gateway Women’s Conference
Christmas Party with guest speaker Jeannette Cliff George
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