Author: Susan Panzica

Catch the dream – you’re invited!

Posted on by Susan Panzica

Her dream began in a village in Uganda. A dance major in college, she saw the ability to communicate without words through dance and the arts. That seed of a dream took root, and after college, she studied dance ministry at Hillsong College in Australia. She returned with a massive dream where, like the one-for-one model, affluent area arts/community centers would help to support those less fortunate in the US and around the world. “She” is my daughter, Lauren, and I couldn’t be more proud of her.

Lauren moved to Harlem and worked as a dance teacher in an elementary school for 7 years. During that time, the nonprofit Greenhouse Arts Center was born. Their mission: “to offer a welcoming place of hope where creativity thrives and the arts are a vehicle for the community to grow together and make a difference locally and globally, connecting with other cultures and raising future leaders.”

Greenhouse is and has been making an enormous difference in the lives of students in Harlem. And they are at a crossroads. Even though Greenhouse operates on a shoestring budget, finances are extremely limited. The teachers at Greenhouse are amazing artists who would be paid a lot more somewhere else, but they are committed to the vision and dream. They have seen first hand the impact they are making in their students and community.

Greenhouse needs your help now. To help meet their financial need, they are hosting their first benefit concert next weekend (11/12 in NYC, 11/13 in NJ). If you are local to either event, please click below to purchase a ticket. The events will feature dance, singing, basket raffles, and refreshments. Buy your ticket today – they will not be sold at the door. If you are busy or not local, you can contribute via the link below (you’ll receive a link to view the show afterward).

Beside an evening of great entertainment, with your donation, you can be guaranteed of a few things:

  • You will be making a difference in the life of a child.
  • Your money will be well spent: all the proceeds go to student programming.
  • Your donation is tax-deductible.
  • You are contributing to the growth of a future world-changing enterprise.
  • You’ll feel good having done something very good!

Here’s the link to donate

Here’s the link to buy tickets

Here’s a 6 minute video about Greenhouse (grab a tissue!)

#DreamCreateThrive

When you don’t know what you have…

Posted on by Susan Panzica

“Can you help me figure out how to watch HBO Max on my TV?” my sister-in-law asked. “I got an email that said it’s now included in my plan, but I can’t find it on the TV.” She went on to tell me how she watched movies on Amazon Prime on her iPad, but was hoping to watch movies on the big screen through this new app.

After the first challenge of figuring out which remote control to use, we located the never before seen apps section of her TV. When I saw a brown square that said Amazon, I clicked. And lo and behold, there was her Amazon Prime account! Hundreds of movies and TV shows at her fingertips. All the time she had been viewing her little 9” screen, she could have been watching in living technicolor on a massive 65” screen. After a required SMH (shaking my head) moment, she was thrilled to discover an option she already had in her possession, but never knew.

And how often, do we settle for crumbs when we have great treasure in our possession? <<clicktotweet>> How often are we satisfied with a little awareness of God when the Almighty creator of the universe dwells in us with power beyond our imagination? How often are we content to sip slowly from a puddle when a torrent of Living Water floods our beings. How often are we perplexed as we focus on the troubles of this world when there’s an inexhaustible supply of eternal grace and peace that God wants us to freely access.

In his first letter to the church at Corinth, Paul asks, “Don’t you know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit? The Spirit is in you.” (1 Cor. 6:19). In his second letter to the Corinthians (2 Cor. 13:5), he goes on to say, “do you not realize about yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you?” When Paul writes these words, he means that Jesus was literally dwelling within them. And just like the Corinthians, we believers today need to understand this about ourselves. The Lord isn’t an outside helper we beckon to help us. He is a font that wells up within us to provide the power, peace, and perspective we need.

God’s power within us is beyond our comprehension, but not beyond our possession. <<clicktotweet>> Eph. 3:20 assures us that He is “able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”

We’ve all heard stories of people finding an old painting in their garage that in reality was a valuable masterpiece. They didn’t know what they had. Or others who have valuable china pieces buried in a closet. They know they’re there, but they don’t bother to open the door, and so the treasure remains unused, collecting dust.

Let us not be like Jacob, who after experiencing the dream of the ladder to heaven, woke up and said, “Surely God was in this place, and I did not know it.”

It’s time to breathe deep and connect with the treasure within. To look deeper than the top of the iceberg to the mass below the surface. To realize what power we already possess instead of settling for less than best.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 2 Cor. 4:7

Are you asking God for something you already have?

How can you live out of your treasure instead of seeking it?

  • Take a breath. Breathe in God’s name, and breathe out your prayer request. Let God know how you’re feeling, and breathe in His peace.
  • Let Google be your friend – search for the unconditional promises of God. Print out or write them on index cards. Memorize one or more. Let each one serve as a reminder that you don’t have to ask God for what He has already given you.
  • Let music soothe your soul. Find a playlist or create your own.

What tips do you have? Leave a comment – I’d love to read them!

 

 

The Risk

Posted on by Susan Panzica

She had an issue. She was known by her issue. The “woman with the issue of blood.”

How would you like to be known by your issue?

  • The woman with the issue of trust.
  • The man with the issue of pornography.
  • The woman with the issue of envy.
  • The man with the issue of anger.
  • The woman with the issue of addiction.
  • The man with the issue of pride.
  • The woman with the issue of shame.
  • The man with the issue of greed.

You get the idea. The KJV version refers to her as a “woman with an issue of blood” – meaning “flow,” as in blood issuing forth – but it’s a good word for her situation – she had an issue! Thank God we are not known by our issues!

Sadly, this woman was – to her community, her family. She has had an issue for 12 years and has spent all her money on doctors – to no avail.

Word came to her that Jesus of Nazareth had landed on the shore of her town. Crowds made their way to greet the itinerant vagabond healer. Hope stirred in her heart.

Dare she take the risk? Her condition made her ceremonially unclean. She was relegated to solitude, to quarantine. Braving the crowds was a risk. Touching His garment was unthinkable. But maybe….?

The crowds pressed on, and then stopped.

Jairus, the synagogue leader, asked Jesus to come to his house and heal his beloved daughter. Would He?

Kind Jesus. Of course He said “yes.” Would she miss her chance?

Jairus’ daughter? Wait! She remembered when the baby girl was born. Could it be 12 years already? The same year her bleeding began. She remembered the joy in the synagogue and in Jairus’ family. The thrill of a promise fulfilled almost dampened her personal pain. Almost.

She couldn’t attend the festivities then, or in the 12 years since. Now Jairus was drawing the crowd’s attention again. And Jesus’ too. Jairus, with the power to have her stoned to death. Dare she take the risk of even being there in public, much less touching The Healer’s hem?

She lowered herself within the crowd, hoping to remain unseen, and stretched her trembling hand to His garment.

…

NOT The End….

I’ll be sharing a sermon about this woman, our own issues, and God’s plan in all of it on Sat. March 13 @ 5:30pm, and I invite you to join me at High Mountain Church via Facebook Live: facebook.com/HighMountainChurch

Starting Over!

Posted on by Susan Panzica

;

When  my mother-in-law was interviewed in our wedding video, her first words were, “We waited a looong time for this!” Since then, my husband and I have jokingly said that phrase thousands of times. And I’m about to say it today. I just wish you could hear it in my mother-in-law’s Jersey Italian accent.

I’ve waited a looong time for this!

For what, you ask?

For my broken blog to be fixed.

It’s been a year and a half, and I’m finally back – hoping to share a bit of encouragement to your day. Equal parts of procrastination and lack of technical skills led to months of silence on my part, at least in the virtual world.

But New Year’s is a great time to start fresh, and I’m so thankful to my friend Kim, the website wizard, for bringing my little piece of the web back to life.

Oswald Chambers so wisely said,

“Leave the broken, irreversible past in His hands and step out into the invincible future with Him.” 

I hope and pray that you will join me in an invincible future with Him, that you will allow Him to take your broken parts and fill them with His ever-loving presence, mending you and making you whole and wholly His.

I will be posting on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month. Because of a new email subscription service, to receive future blogposts, you must re-subscribe on the blog page of my newly fixed website. Simply:

Looking forward to our journey together in 2021 and beyond!

 

So Will I

Posted on by Susan Panzica

I’m dating myself here, but when I was a kid, I had picture books with clear plastic pages that lifted up to reveal another picture underneath – a picture that might depict a skeleton or cells or the blueprint of something for which the exterior image was on the plastic page. Remember those?

Well, tonight I experienced something like that in real life.

I attended a Hillsong United concert in Madison Square Garden, NYC. The arena was filled to capacity. My gaze swept over the crowds. Along the mid-level were gaping exits to the concourse. And I had a flashback to my visit to the Coliseum in Rome. It was as if a page lifted, and I saw the crumbling ruins.

And my imagination took me 2000 years back in history when our Christian forebears were thrown to the lions in front of cheering crowds. My chest tightened and tears wet my cheeks. Throughout the night, I thought of those saints of old – the ones thrown to the lions, others burned alive, those who fled Jerusalem’s persecution to bring the gospel to the rest of the known world. Their faith and courage both inspired me and convicted me.

Today, I have friends in Nepal who are facing incredible persecution. In September 2018, new legislation outlawed sharing their faith. Aimed at Christians, these dear believers are witnessing increasing persecution at their gatherings. I receive cryptic private emails filled with miracles of God’s protection as they continue to share their stories, yet their lives are in danger every day. Their faith and courage inspires me daily and convicts me as well.

Too often, I take my freedom for granted. Tonight in the middle of New York City, 20,000 mouths sang praises to God, 40,000 hands were raised in worship, all without a thought of danger of any kind. I’m so grateful we live in a country where we can enjoy the freedom of faith our American forebears fought for.

And yet, with this freedom comes complacency. Forget about being willing to die for my faith. Or worse, letting a loved one die if I refused to deny Jesus.  How about just being willing to boldly share the gospel and risk offending someone or experiencing ridicule? How often do I keep silent to keep the peace? I don’t believe that we need to necessarily share our faith with everyone. Like pearls before swine, some aren’t able to recognize its value (Matt.7:6). But I know that there are times that I remained silent when I shouldn’t have. My desire to be obedient is beautifully captured in the song we sang tonight, So Will I. (link and lyrics excerpt below)

Let’s be inspired by the courage of the saints of old and those in places around the world where persecution is prevalent. And let’s appreciate the abundant freedoms we have.

“For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

 ‘He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in his mouth.’

When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” 1 Peter 2:19-23

So Will I  – by Hillsong Worship

If creation still obeys You so will I
If the stars were made to worship so will I
If the mountains bow in reverence so will I
If the oceans roar Your greatness so will I
For if everything exists to lift You high so will I
If the wind goes where You send it so will I
If the rocks cry out in silence so will I

If You gladly chose surrender so will I
I can see Your heart, Eight billion different ways
Every precious one, A child You died to save
If You gave Your life to love them so will I

 

More on how to discern when to speak and when to keep silent:   http://susanpanzica.com/to-speak-or-not-to-speak/

 

Who are you listening to?

Posted on by Susan Panzica

AJ Kim collage

“AJ, COME HERE!!”

My son AJ turned and put down the rake. Sweaty and tired from his backyard landscaping project, the last thing he expected was to hear our beloved neighbor across the street calling him so harshly. “There must be something wrong,” he thought. And there it was again.

“AJ, COME HERE NOW!!!”

Bewildered, AJ sauntered across the street and saw Kim in her front yard, hands cupped aside her mouth, bellowing, “AJ, COME HERE!”

“Kim, is something wrong?”

Her eyes landed on AJ, and when she saw the expression on his face, Kim broke out in hysterical laughter, hands on knees, almost rolling over into the driveway. It was several minutes before she was able to compose herself enough to squeak out the story. She was dog-sitting, and AJ-the dog had run away down the street.

AJ-the son,  greatly relieved that she was calling AJ-the dog, ran off to retrieve the missing pet.

There’s an important lesson we can glean from this light-hearted case of mistaken identity.

Often, we hear someone calling our name. We hear a familiar “voice” speaking harshly to us.

We “hear” that we’re not smart enough, not pretty enough, not good enough. The voice tells us we’re too fat, too skinny, too tall, too short. We hear that no one cares about us, or that we totally messed up, or that it’s just too hard, so give up.

And we entertain that voice, letting it entangle in our brains or pierce our hearts, mulling over these accusations as if they were true – but they’re not.

Referring to the devil, Jesus said, “When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44

When we hear these words of condemnation and criticism, we need to quickly recognize that they are not the voice of God who calls us with conviction and compassion. And then we need to combat them with truths of God’s Word – where He calls us His beloved, precious, chosen, child, friend, the apple of His eye!

When you hear those lies and accusations, won’t you choose to listen to the voice of truth? Philippians 4:8says

 “Finally, … sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

This is an instruction = “Think on these things” – not a suggestion or a wishful thinking = not “try to think…”

God would not instruct us to do something that is impossible. When you catch yourself drifting into false thoughts, lasso those thoughts – “take every thought captive.”

And the result of applying this Scripture to your thought life?

The verses before and after Phil. 4:8 tell us the peace of God will guard your heart and mind (v.7) and the God of peace will be with you(v.9). Your thoughts are surrounded by the bookends of peace!

” You will keep in perfect peace
all who trust in You,
all whose thoughts are fixed on You!”

Isaiah 26:3

 

 

 

Mission IS Possible

Posted on by Susan Panzica
picture by Jonathan Ogden
picture by Jonathan Ogden
One Sunday morning in church a few years ago, our pastor prayed for the youth who are going on mission trips this summer, including my son and daughter who were going as youth leaders.

As part of his message, our pastor shared that with the Lord, all things are possible. Of course, we need to do what we can, yet trust the Lord to deliver what we cannot do on our own. He then had us write our impossible situation on an index card. Individually, we wrote our cards and laid them at the altar, giving our situations to the Lord.

I didn’t know it at the time, but on her card, my daughter Lauren’s impossible situation was that she had to raise $1300 in the 10 days remaining before her trip to Uganda (she needed to raise $3800 in total.)

With no hope in sight, my husband suggested that Lauren reach out to her college friends and ask them to donate a “virtual cup of coffee” toward her trip. She balked at the idea since many of her friends weren’t Christian and wouldn’t understand her vision of ministry. Plus how many “cups of coffee” could possibly meet the needed $1300 threshold?

After our family Father’s Day celebration following church, Lauren spent 2 hours on facebook, contacting 60 college friends to whom she had not sent support letters, informing them about her upcoming trip. She asked for a donation amount equal to cost of a cup of coffee. 18 seconds after she logged out, she received the following email:

“Prayers are answered, the Mission Team has voted to give you the entire amount. $1,300. If you still need that much, if not let us know what you need. I’ll need your address so we can send the check, or if you prefer you could pick it up at the church office or at my home. Please let me know. Sorry it took a little while but we needed to contact the as many team members as possible.”

The sender: First Reformed Church where Lauren had been invited to share a liturgical dance as part of their worship service last fall. Then twice in the spring, she shared her gift of dance with them again. Knowing that they are mission-minded and that she was short of her goal, a few weeks ago, she asked if she could share about her upcoming trip with the congregation and possibly raise support. The initial reply said that many teens from the church were going on trips and have been doing fundraisers, but they’d see what they could do, if anything. And then she didn’t hear back from them… Until 18 seconds after she logged out of facebook tonight!

Despite giving her impossible situation to the Lord, despite singing “All Things Are Possible” that morning, despite her conviction that the Lord was calling her to Uganda, Lauren doubted. And she wasn’t alone. With so much money to raise in so little time, and with the people who contracted malaria on the recent Uganda trip, my husband questioned whether God was closing a door. This most unexpected email with this abundantly generous gift erased our doubts and confirmed much more than just a mission trip experience.

While at first, Lauren thought that she shouldn’t have sent out those facebook messages, perhaps bothering her non-Christian friends, she further realized what our pastor had said. That we must do what we can. We ought not to slack in our efforts and claim that we are waiting for God like a deliveryman. The added benefit to her actions is that she now had opportunity to share what the Lord has done and will do in her life and on her trip. Any extra money raised will benefit the ministry in Uganda.

Lauren also learned that although things may seem impossible, God is still at work. Over the course of several weeks, when it appeared that prayers went unanswered, phone calls and emails silently coursed across the airwaves among the members of First Reformed Church. God spoke to people, unseen and unacknowledged, moving their hearts for this girl’s trip.

Lauren’s conclusion:
“It’s Father’s Day, and my Father gave a gift to me.”

Do you have an impossible situation? Can you trust the God of the impossible?

Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.” Luke 18:27

 

 

A Change in Perspective Changes Everything

Posted on by Susan Panzica

I was devastated. A fire on April 13, 2019 completely destroyed the Dunes boardwalk pavilion in Ocean Grove NJ. Nicknamed “God’s Square Mile,” Ocean Grove is a beautiful seaside town at the Jersey shore, and my favorite local vacation spot. The Dunes had just been rebuilt after the destruction from Hurricane Sandy a few years ago. They had done a wonderful job, and I deeply felt the loss on behalf of the owners and merchants who had rebuilt as well as the vacationers who would now miss out on dining there.

But then on April 15, 2019, another fire made the news. Notre Dame cathedral in Paris was in flames.

Somehow, the Dunes fire seemed so small in comparison. It’s all a matter of perspective.

My heart’s desire is to bring an eternal perspective to our earthly situations, to widen our focus to see that the God with whom we converse about our troubles has no trouble keeping the entire universe spinning in perfect harmony.

In our daily lives here on earth, we often receive news that threatens to devastate us. We see what’s right around us and lose sight of the God who inhabits eternity.

The writer of Hebrews tells us, “For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.” Heb.13:14

We are engaged in spiritual warfare, and an effective enemy tactic is to distract our focus. He uses busyness, family or friend problems, work concerns, over-sensitivity, self-consciousness, financial worries, even national and local elections, to attract our attention. But when we concentrate on eternal matters, the things of this world dim in comparison. Like looking through the lens of a camera, if our focus is on things nearby, those details in the background are fuzzy. When we adjust the lens, we can bring the background into crisp detail, and the close things are less harrowing. We can see them – we’re not sticking our heads in the sand, but they no longer consume our thoughts throughout our days.

Francis Chan has a wonderful illustration about the brevity of life that helps to bring an eternal perspective. Using an “endless” rope to reference eternity, he points to the short piece in his hand to indicate life on earth and challenges us to focus on preparing for our endless eternity rather than our short earthly life. Take four minutes and watch:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86dsfBbZfWs

 “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 

If we choose, as Paul did, what we focus on and “fix our eyes … on the eternal,” by comparison, we will be able to view our troubles as “light and momentary” AND “achieving eternal glory.”

A change in perspective helps us see our troubles as blessings in disguise.

Susan_signature

Francis Chan

When must we NOT show mercy

Posted on by Susan Panzica

Jn 15-1-2

 

I find so many illustrations about the Christian life when I am tending my garden. Maybe that’s why it all began in a garden.

The truth is: I have a love/hate relationship with my garden. Oh, how I love the blooms, the fragrance, the sheer beauty that shows its face each spring. Oh, how I hate the seemingly endless care that it requires. And to be honest, I’m not the most gifted gardener. But, I try.

Yesterday, I was attacking an overgrown lilac bush with the pruning shears. Perhaps “attacking” is too strong a word, but I think the lilac would disagree. From the plant’s point of view, I seemed just vicious, showing no mercy. But in fact, I was saving its life. There were shoots of dead wood, and if left intact, they would have a negative impact on the rest of the plant, as well as the other plants in the garden, especially the peony next door.

At times, I feared I was too aggressive, but I’ve had this lilac a long time. We’ve been through this before, and from past experience, I know that this seemingly harsh treatment is very beneficial. My lilac rewards me every spring with a bounty of blooms because with the life-sucking shoots gone, its energy can be directed toward new life.

As Christians, we are instructed to show mercy. Jesus says “God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” (Matt. 5:7). Mercy is the very hallmark of the Christian. But there are times when what appears to be mercy, isn’t.

  • When a friend or loved one is engaged in dangerous behavior, they need boundaries and consequences, not an enabler.
  • When sin is crouching at our door, it needs a swift kick right out that door.
  • When envy or bitterness or resentment start slithering under our skin, we need to uproot and destroy it.

Just a few verses after Jesus teaches about mercy, He says, “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” (Matt. 5:39) Oooh, well, that doesn’t seem too merciful to the eye, does it? No, but sin is like gangrene. It may start small, but unless it is amputated and removed, it will spread causing death and destruction.

So the truly merciful thing to do is nip it in the bud, just like my lilac.

 

He is Risen… but that’s not all!

Posted on by Susan Panzica

When in Israel, this was one of my favorite spots. The garden tomb, and the sign on the door that you see after you see the folded clothes on the empty bench inside the tomb.

How many times have I read the angel’s words in Matthew’s account of the women at the empty tomb? And how many times did I miss important treasures? I was always so focused on the statement, “He is not here, for He has risen, as He said,” that I missed what came before and after.

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary had gone to look at the tomb. While there, an angel came down from heaven, caused an earthquake, and rolled the stone away. The guards so shook in fear, they became like dead men, but the angel addressed the women. Before giving instructions for them to go the disciples and to Galilee, he said,

“Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” Matt. 28:5-6

Let’s unpack this a bit:

“Do not be afraid” – always any angel’s first words. They must be scary! The guards were terrified, but the angel didn’t address them. His words were for the women. He had a message just for them, so he put their worries at ease.

“I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.” – He knew they were seeking Jesus. And because they were seeking Jesus, he shared his message with them. Are you actively seeking Jesus, my friend?

“He is not here, for He has risen, as He said” – the foundation of our faith, right here in these  words. Death was conquered, and He could not be found in the tomb. Just as He had promised!

“Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” –   The women were invited in to see for themselves. The stone was not rolled away to let Jesus out. In His resurrected body, Jesus could pass through material barriers. No, the stone was rolled away so that others could enter His space, to see in,  and to be fully persuaded that Jesus had indeed been raised from the dead.  We too are invited to come and to experience Jesus for ourselves.

In summary:

Don’t be afraid.

Seek Jesus.

Come and experience Him.