journey Archives - Page 2 of 2

Thanks AND Book Giveaway

Posted on April 28, 2010 by Susan Panzica

What a joy to spend a day with the women of Calvary Chapel North Jersey on Saturday. It was a special day dedicated to the beauty of the Lord, and the beauty that He instills in us.

How good and pleasant it is when sisters live together in unity! Ps. 133:1

My first thought was how good it was to be there, to be in the company of such lovely women. And I remembered someone else who said,”It is good for us to be here.”

One day, Jesus took His inner circle, Peter, James and John, up on a high mountain. Miraculously, Jesus was transformed into a figure of blazing white, and He was joined by Elijah and Moses. Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here…” Matt. 17:4

Peter also suggested building 3 shelters so that they could stay on the mountaintop. But that wasn’t God’s plan then, nor is it now. In His grace, He provides us spiritual mountaintop experiences, but He doesn’t want us to set up camp and stay there. Were we to stay permanently up on the mountain, the people in the valley would never get to hear the good news. Also, fruit doesn’t grow on mountaintops. Fruit grows in the valley.

So thankfully, we get glimmers of glory, and then we are commissioned to share what He has shared with us. We enjoy brief periods of R + R before we head back to the struggle, back to the valley. Yet whether on the mountaintop or in the valley, He is with us.

Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for You are close beside me. Ps. 23:4 NLT

So as much as I would love to stay on a retreat, experiencing the sweet joy and fellowship with God and His people, it is necessary to take what I’ve gleaned and return to the frontlines. To continue the blessing and as a thank-you to the women of Calvary Chapel, I am giving away the book “Who Calls Me Beautiful” by Regina Frankin. I will make 2 copies available.

Who Calls Me Beautiful?—Finding Our True Image in the Mirror of God

Who Calls Me Beautiful? helps you to identify the forces that influence your life and affect how you understand “beauty,” and encourages you to embrace a biblical and spiritual balance that honors the God who created you.

“I am an ordinary woman who has faced the same struggles that other women face,” says Regina Franklin. “But we have an extraordinary God who sees us as His beautiful vessels.”

Contest Rules:

1. For the Calvary gals, if you sign up to be a follower or subscriber to Eternity Cafe, and leave a comment with your email address, you will be entered to win.

2. If you already follow or subscribe to Eternity Cafe and leave a comment with your email address, you will be entered to win.

Contest ends Wednesday, May 5th

A River Walk Talk

Posted on March 6, 2010 by Susan Panzica

Today, my guest blogger is my friend Mina’s 14-year-old daughter, Ellen. She is sharing her testimony of what God spoke to her at Harvest Christian Fellowhship’s Women’s Retreat last month.

After the workshop at the HCF Women’s Retreat of 2010, I decided to take a walk because the message was very heavy. The subject was “Rejoicing in Trials,” and I had been having conflicting feelings about a crush on a boy at my school. So I put my coat and sneakers on, and left to walk along the river. The sky was completely blue, and there was no sound except the wind. I decided to put my iPod on and listen to a song that I call “Me and God’s song.” The song is Beloved by Tenth Avenue North. I was listening to the song and looking at the water, when all of a sudden, I heard a voice in my head, and it said “Look at the water.”

And I replied “Yeah?”

Then it said, “How is the water moving?”

I replied, “That way.” and I was pointing to the right, which was the way the water was flowing.

The voice in my head said, “No, I mean symmetrically.”

I replied, “As one.”

And what it said next brought me to tears.

“Exactly, and that is how I want to be with you, but you keep pushing me away.” This is when I began to cry, my heart broke to hear that. So, to my surprise the next thing he said was “Ellen, will you be my bride?”

And my response is what I will never forget. I said, “You will be my daddy, my husband, and my best friend.”

Since that point, I have realized that I have started becoming the woman that God wants me to be. I strayed away, but I realized that still, through everything I’ve done, God loves me so much. I will never forget that day.

And, Ellen, I will never forget your testimony. You have moved me to tears, and I pray that I too walk symmetrically as one with my Lord, my Abba daddy, by husband, my best friend.

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea-billows roll—

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

It is well, it is well with my soul. —Spafford

Susan

The Journey – Part 2 – Road Signs

Posted on February 25, 2010 by Susan Panzica

“Set up road signs; put up guideposts.

Take note of the highway,

the road that you take.”

Jeremiah 31:21

Signs (and wonders) were common in the early church. Is it appropriate to expect signs from God today? I think God provides signs everywhere. Sometimes, we overlook them, make a wrong turn, head down a wrong path. But He provides guidance (a real GPS!) through the Spirit, through His Word, through the counsel of others, occasionally through circumstances, to lead us in the path He wants us to follow.

Your word is a lamp to my feet

and a light for my path.

Psalm 119:105

Adorning the walls of the retreat conference room were road signs (and an amazing map) all with Scripture references that guide us on the path of life. Because the theme was to Reflect, Rejoice and Renew on the Journey, the signs were the perfect complement to the spoken messages.

I took pictures of the signs to share with you to encourage you on your journey. Many thanks to Marie Beemish, graphic artist extraordinaire!

Welcome … 1 Thess 5:16
Be joyful always…

Under Construction … Heb. 13:20-1
May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Wait for Green … Ps. 27:14
Wait for the LORD;

be strong and take heart

and wait for the LORD.

Prov. 3:6
In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make your paths straight.

RR Crossing … 1 Cor. 1:18

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,

but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Scenic Overlook … Psalm 23

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters,

he restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousness

for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk

through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me

all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD

forever.

Slow … Psalm 145:8

The LORD is gracious and compassionate,

slow to anger and rich in love.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Retreat Theme Verse … 1 John 3:2

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears,we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

The Map … Heb. 12:-12

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. Psalm 86:11

He is faithful. He will lead. He will guide. He will prompt us to follow. He wants us to do His will even more than we do. Too often, we seek a sign before we move. What He desires is for us to seek His way, to seek to be taught, to be sensitive to His leading and obedient to His call.

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it. Isaiah 30:21

There are things that are crystal clear – activities and attitudes to avoid, and those to pursue. That’s where our focus should be. For what is not clear, we walk by faith, not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). We walk according to what is clear and trust Him to reveal the rest in His timing.

The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. Heb. 11:1 (The Message)

How to make it through the journey?
Follow the signs for what you can see, and trust God for what you can’t see!

Susan