Put on Your Stompin' Boots

If you were a princess, would you see yourself as THIS kind of princess?





Or THIS kind of princess?




Which one does Psalm 18 describe?

LORD, you have brought light to my life; my God, you light up my darkness.


In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall.

For who is God except the LORD? Who but our God is a solid rock?


God arms me with strength; he has made my way safe.


He makes me as surefooted as a deer, leading me safely along the mountain heights.


He prepares me for battle; he strengthens me to draw a bow of bronze.

You have made a wide path for my feet to keep them from slipping.


I chased my enemies and caught them; I did not stop until they were conquered.


I struck them down so they could not get up; they fell beneath my feet.


You have armed me with strength for the battle; you have subdued my enemies under my feet.


You made them turn and run; I have destroyed all who hated me.


They called for help, but no one came to rescue them. They cried to the LORD, but he refused to answer them.


I ground them as fine as dust carried by the wind. I swept them into the gutter like dirt.


I totally, by God's grace, want to be the warrior princess type in that first picture! I want to have muscles and fierceness and courage and be able to stand for the protection and prosperity of the ones I love.

A word about who this enemy is that we're kickin' to the curb...

Ephesians 6 says, "For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.


Use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News, so that you will be fully prepared. In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere."

Put on your boots, sisters, and pray for your children. Buckle on that belt and stand in faith for yourself and those you love.

In my imagination, I see the Journey women in army boots more than I see us in stilettos. I see our time spent together in fitness training more than just social fun, although the social fun is fun, because you all are fun to have fun with!

SO, how can we stand as warriors this week?

I plan to pray for the health of all our children, little and big, since we seem to be beaten down by sickness these days.

How about you?

You're Invited to the Next Bible Study

The next Journey Bible study will be Saturday, February 14th, 2009 at 10:00 in the morning. We'll meet at Angela DeLong's house in Bethany, 6904 NW 32nd, Between Rockwell and Mueller.

We'll talk about chapters 3 and 4 of our study book. See the details to the right if you don't have a book. Study along with us and send an e-mail or make a comment if you can't join us! We love to hear what you have to say.

There's not a lot of parking at Angela's so you might want to park at the Grace Living center to the west. IN FACT... I have arranged for us to bring some valentines to Grace Living Center/Bridges Rehabilitation, at the end of our study time. There are about 90 residents in the nursing facility, so bring a few valentines. We'll make a some at church this Sunday with the kids, but feel free to bring some more!

Don't forget to keep praying for babies (Megan, Lindy) and for work/finances, (Neva, Christina, Diana, and sooooo many more these days).

Love ya!
Shari

There's You. And then, there's me.

A poem to start your Monday morning.


You, mysterious You
Remember
Me, pitiful me.

You heal me.
You hold me in the dark.
You hear me when I cry.

You, magnificent You
Created
Me, broken me.

You wove my inward parts.
You repair the fractured places.
You admire Your design.

You, marvelous You
Wait
For me, reluctant me.

You miss me when I'm gone.
You're never short of patience.
You come looking when I'm lost.

I, humbled I
Worship
You. Forever. You.


Shari Z. January 09

Have a blessed week!

Journey Women Rock!

The Journey Fellowship women's Bible study continues this Saturday, January 24, 2009 at 10:00 in the morning at Angela DeLong's house. ('cause she doesn't have kids, and her hyper husband is out riding trails or creating trails, etc. on Saturday mornings!) The address is 6904 NW 32nd in Bethany, between Rockwell and Mueller.

Good times, y'all!

We'll talk about the first two chapters of Being Yourself. If you can't come on Saturday you are welcome to join in by e-mail or by commenting on this blog.

Would you like to pray for a friend?



Keep praying for Lindy and that sweet baby boy of hers. If you want to help with meals or cleaning you can sign up at www.lotsahelpinghands.com. Amanda has all the info and directions for getting to the right part of the web page and getting logged in. Call Amanda or e-mail scrappygirl2@gmail.com if you need help. I can help you get there too, so call or e-mail me at shari_zimmerman@yahoo.com.

Neva asks us to keep praying for her, especially for a good job. She has lots of marketable skills as an EMT, a personal trainer, life guard, and generally eager-to-work woman!

If you didn't get Carisa's e-mail, she says,
"Hi ladies. I just wanted to let you know I will not be able to come to Bible study this weekend. I have a family birthday party to attend. I will apparently be hanging out with Lighting McQueen and Mater. Be jealous.
Hope you have a great time studying His word together."


Love you all,
Shari

The Mighty One and Me

This week's study includes one of my favorite verses. (OK, one of about 25 "favorites"!)
Zephaniah 3:17
"The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet [you] with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."

The LORD God, the Mighty One, will

1. be here in the middle of the mess
2. save me
3. rejoice over me with gladness
4. quiet me with His love
5. rejoice over me with singing

What response do I give to all that?

I think my one word would be relief. What one word response to all that is on your mind? (Amazement? Disbelief? Suspicion? Gratitude?) Feel free to share your word in a comment.

Phone a Friend

I remember sitting in church one day when I was newly married and thinking, "Wow, I SO don't know how to do this!" Meaning marriage, housekeeping, finances, life.

Actually, it was the 80's so I probably said something more like, "Like, dude, don't have a cow, but, like, I really don't know how to do this, know what I mean?"

Any way, having expressed that sentiment, I looked around the congregation to take an inventory of who I might go to for help. Ummm. Nobody, really. I had a Sunday morning only relationship with most of the women in attendance. I've always wondered if a little help then might have kept a few issues from getting too big later on.

So that's why I LOVE getting together with our Journey Fellowship women. So we can take good care of each other! I enjoyed breakfast today, and learned some important stuff I didn't know about a few friends.

So, here's the "assignment" for the next two weeks.

1. Complete chapters 1 and 2 in the "Being Yourself" book. We'll talk about it next time.
2. Ask another woman in the church how to pray for her. Then let her know you did, at least twice!


I'll let you know where we'll meet next time soon. If you can't meet with us, you might consider getting the book and keeping up with us through e-mail or this blog. Kelli has the books on reserve at Lifeway at Portland and NW Expressway, across from that one grocery store that has completely slipped my mind! Or you can order online.

Love ya!
Shari

Quality Marriage Advice From Yahoo?

I read most of my news and views articles on that deep pool of wisdom called Yahoo.com. And I realize you have to filter everything you read, especially on the internet and in the media in general, but, wow, this article about marriage is right on as far as I'm concerned! If you read and take to heart some of her wisdom, maybe it will save you lotsa drama, and create more peace. Unless of course you ENJOY provoking drama, but that's another topic all together!

Click here for the link to the article on "Seven Things No One Tells You About Marriage". Here are the main headings.

1. You will look at the person lying next to you and wonder, Is this it? Forever?
2. You'll work harder than you ever imagined.
3. You will sometimes go to bed mad (and maybe even wake up madder).
4. Getting your way is usually not as important as finding a way to work together.
5. A great marriage doesn't mean no conflict; it simply means a couple keeps trying to get it right
6. You'll realize that you can only change yourself.
7. As you face your fears and insecurities, you will find out what you're really made of.

Blessings Friends! Love ya.
Shari