Category: prayer

Pray With ______________ .

Posted on by Susan Panzica

A few weeks ago, I shared a post called Healing Faith. I have been praying for your requests as you have, and God has already answered. Amen!

Recently, my dear friend Lisa and I were texting. Her text asked me how things were going, and I texted back a prayer request. Her simple response was

“praying with expectation…”

I love that response. She prayed with the assurance that our prayers are not merely words floating like gossamer clouds through the atmosphere. They are known by our God even before we voice them. If He instructs us to pray, we can expect that He will hear and answer.  

Tonight in doing some research for my book, I came across some great quotes about prayer that I want to share with you. Enjoy!

The value of consistent prayer is not that He will hear us, but that we will hear Him. ~William McGill

We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties. ~Oswald Chambers

What we usually pray to God is not that His will be done, but that He approve ours. ~Helga Bergold Gross

We must move from asking God to take care of the things that are breaking our hearts, to praying about the things that are breaking His heart. ~Margaret Gibb

Before we can pray, “Lord, Thy Kingdom come,” we must be willing to pray, “My Kingdom go.” ~Alan Redpath

Prayer is exhaling the spirit of man and inhaling the spirit of God. ~Edwin Keith

Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden. ~Corrie ten Boom

Prayer is not merely an occasional impulse to which we respond when we are in trouble: prayer is a life attitude. ~Walter A. Mueller

Prayer may not change things for you, but it for sure changes you for things. ~Samuel M. Shoemaker


Call on God, but row away from the rocks. ~Indian Proverb
 
 
Did one speak to you? 

In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning, I lay my request before You and wait in expectation. Psalm 5:3
 

Healing Faith

Posted on by Susan Panzica
Our adult Sunday School class has been studying the Book of Acts, a book I never tire of studying. It is an AMAZING book, rich with drama, history, action as well as theology, preaching and doctrine. Sometimes it’s hard to move along because there is so much to be gleaned. Today’s discussion got hooked on one short verse. 

In Acts 14:8-10, Luke shares the story of Paul’s entrance to Lystra:
In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.

Our discussion centered on part of verse 9 – Paul looked at the lame man and “saw that he had faith to be healed.” What exactly does that mean? What kind of faith is the faith to be healed? Is it different from other faith? Was it Paul’s “spiritual eyes” that saw the man’s faith? Did the man himself know he had the faith? If he had faith, why wasn’t he healed already? Why are some of God’s faithful healed physically and some are not? 

What about our friends and loved ones? Some were healed, some were not. Some were sitting in our class. Some went home to the Lord years ago. Should we pray for healing? Should we pray for God’s will? Should we pray at all?

Interestingly, none of the study notes or commentaries addressed this particular part of the verse.  Our hour-long discussion is too much to be posted here, of course, but let me just say this: God is God. We are not. He is trustworthy, and we need to keep our eyes squarely on Him and view life – the good, the bad and the ugly – through His lens. We pray simply because He instructs us to do so. As a mom, I want my children to come to me with every concern, and how much more does our heavenly Father. Also, prayer is not about getting things or even getting answers. Prayer aligns our desires with His. As we pray and have two-way conversations with God, our spirit has fellowship with the Spirit, and we are changed by it.

Paul was used by God to bring about healing of this lame man. Yet Paul also asked the Lord three times for his own “thorn in the flesh” to be removed, and God’s answer was “My grace is sufficient for you.” The Susanpanzica translation: “Stop looking at your thorn and start looking at Me. I’m all you need.” See my post on that here.

After church, I came across this video in my inbox. It puts many of today’s questions in proper perspective.

My dad is battling stage 4 prostate cancer with a new chemo regimen started this week.
Kelly, a sweet friend of our family, will have surgery on Tuesday to remove a tumor on her pituitary invading her brain. She’s in 10th grade.
You all have a story to tell as well. Would you pray for these requests, and let me know your requests so that I can pray for you?
Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray.
Are any of you happy? You should sing praises.
Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. 
Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.
Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.
The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.
James 5:13-16

Be Our Guest! Wow – I’m a Guest!

Posted on by Susan Panzica

I'm a Blessed Guest!

One of the best things about blogging is the friendships you develop in the “blog-o-sphere.”  My friend, Joanne from California, is one of those friends. We met at the She Speaks conference when I had no idea what I was even doing there. It was a God thing, to be sure. It was part of my “Get Smart” year where God opened doors for me, like the opening credits of the TV show and movie where Maxwell Smart walked through doors he didn’t open. For the first time in my life, I (like Max) walked through doors rather than run the other direction. Joanne, a gifted writer, was there to meet me after walking through the doors, an accomplished Agent 99 to my bumbling Maxwell Smart.

After initially meeting over lunch, we sat in on a session that we thought would be helpful. Instead, as Joanne says, she received “some disappointing news from a woman who was an over-achiever in the discouragement department.” So later, when Joanne had to leave for her publisher interview, she was understandably anxious. Rather than say (as I usually would) “I’ll pray for you,” I felt strongly impressed by God to pray WITH her, not just FOR her, to pray OVER her, not just ABOUT her. So right there, in the front row of the conference room, we 3 had a little heavenly tête-à-tête, Joanne, me and God. Normally apprehensive about putting myself out there, Joanne helped me learn a little about walking in obedience. And though the verse Eccl. 4:12 is often used in weddings, Solomon is also talking about friendship, and that afternoon it was alive for me:
“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

Joanne is a gifted writer, often with side-splitting humor. This month, Joanne is using her newly renovated corner of the web to interview some blog-friends, including me! She’s such a good friend, I don’t even mind that she called me an “oxymoron.”

You can read her interview with me here.

Thanks Joanne. May God continue to use you abundantly.
Susan

Longest Night – Blue Christmas Service

Posted on by Susan Panzica


Today’s message was written by my dear friend, Patti Niebojewski, at her request. Patti has had more tragedy in her short life than many have in a lifetime, but meeting her, you would never know it. Her spirit is one of hope and encouragement. Last year, alone she attended a Blue Christmas Service on Dec. 21st that changed her life. This year, she is sharing her experience with us.

Needed: rocks or coins, 4 votive candles to light


This day, the winter solstice takes place. According to Wikipedia, “The seasonal significance of the winter solstice is in the reversal of the gradually lengthening nights and shortening days.” In other words, each day’s sunlight will now be increasing and the night will be shortening by one minute each day! That knowledge alone makes me happier!


Susan’s vision of these 40 days included a category of “nothing blue” – all blogposts are to be positive and uplifting. But this date is known as the “Bluest”. I chose to share on this date because this date is normally known as the “longest night of the year,” where much grief, sadness and/or depression are emotions felt by many for many reasons. My prayer and hope is that you will sense God’s presence in your life as He lifts the darkness and pain in your soul and that you will soon find He replaced your soul full of light and joy.


Loss takes its name in many things; a loss of a loved one, a spouse, parent, child, pet, job, dream, money, health, home, marriage, possible memories, relationship and the list goes on.


Burden takes its name in many things; fighting illness and/or disease, financial burden, job stress, lack of job, overwhelming schedule, a need to forgive, a grudge, just to name a few.


What I ask for you to do is to think about all the loss that you have experienced this year and make a list of all these things that pertain to your life. Also add any burdens that you may have and add these to your list.


For each thing on your list, collect a rock or a coin whatever is easiest. Hold onto them until the end. They are your burdens. I will ask you to place this rock or coin on God’s altar to give it to God. Or, you may hold onto your burdens for as long as you need to, and when you are ready, please release them to God. You may see that the weight of these burdens is heavy. As you release them, my prayer is that you will feel lighter and at peace so that you may be able to enjoy the birth of Christ and rejoice with the angels of the ‘great tidings of joy’.


“Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30.


Please speak out loud:


As Jesus cried, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” How come you do not hear my words or my groaning?


ALL: Dear Heavenly God, my cries are day and night and yet you do not hear me? I cannot rest!






Our forefathers who believed in you had faith in you. They trusted in you and you delivered them.


ALL: You knew me before I was in my mother’s womb. You know the very number of hairs on my head. I am written in the palm of your hand. You are my God.






There is no one to help me and trouble is near. Please stay close Lord.


ALL: I am not alone for you God are with me. Your rod and your staff will comfort me. You will not hide from me but you will shelter me with your everlasting arms, your infinite love and mighty power. When I cry to you God, you hear me. Thank you God!






Please pray with me:


Dear God you are mighty and powerful yet gentle and humble in heart. You are Holy and full of grace. I am not worthy of your love yet you have limited yourself for me. You know me and have searched my heart. You know that my heart is not full of joy, and I confess that I am holding onto my grief, my sadness, and my anger. I do not believe that the angel’s song of ‘great tidings of joy’ is for me. I believe this joy may be for others this year. It is difficult for me to participate in the celebration of your birth. Help me to receive your grace and love. Help me to release to you my grief, my sorrow, and my anger. Forgive me Lord for holding onto it. Forgive me for not realizing that you are walking with me Emmanuel, you travel with me, and you will help carry my burdens. Please restore my soul with light, joy and peace. In His Name, Amen.






The Lighting of the Candles:


We remember as we light the candles:


Candle #1 represents those we loved and lost.


Take the time to remember their names, faces, voices and the memories of them.


Pray: May God’s everlasting love surround them. (Envision them happy in His presence.)






Candle #2 we light to redeem the pain of our loss.


Reflect on the losses that we have listed. Acknowledge the pain of this past year.


Feel it. Now, offer it to God asking him to replace it with peace.


Pray: Lord, take my pain and restore my soul to peace.






Candle #3 we think about ourselves, and all the people who have supported us through our tough times, by prayer and fasting, hugs and kisses, handshakes and pats on the back, financially, dinners, and just stood by us. We are grateful and give thanks to God for them this Christmas season.


Pray: Thank you Lord that the Light outshines and overcomes the darkness.






Candle #4 represents the fire of our faith and the promise of hope that the Christmas story offers to us. The gift from God is the promise that one day we will live with God and he will wipe every tear from our eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things will have passed away. He is making all things new! Revelations 21:3-5


Pray: We remember God’s gift this Christmas season, the birth of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, the Prince of Peace, the Great Comforter, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Great I Am, worthy to be praised. He is the Word who reveals himself to us in it. Praise, honor and glory be to you Lord Jesus Christ.


May God grant you renewed and continued Peace this Holy Christmas season.


Love, Patti Niebojewski

Dear Lord,
I thank you for speaking to Patti, and using her to speak to us. May you protect her on the journey she’s on and keep her close to You. May you be with those who have suffered loss and won’t be having a cheerful Christmas this year. May Your peace sustain them and give them hope. May the words above lead them to release their burdens to You.

For excellent tips on how to cope with Christmas while grieving, please check out this post by Stacie Ruth Stoelting on Lynn Mosher’s blog Heading Home.

Susan

A C T S of prayer

Posted on by Susan Panzica
For I cried out to Him for help, praising Him as I spoke.
If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer.
Psalm 66:17-19 (NLT)

Years ago, when my children were small, I learned a model for prayer that they and I have used ever since. It is especially timely during this season when it is common to hear the words, “O Come Let Us Adore Him.” But this model works all year ‘round helping us to keep our focus where it ought to be.

Using the acronym ACTS, we pray in the following order:
Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplications.

A = Adoration
When we start by telling God how much we love and adore Him, it immediately changes our heart from a “me” focus to a “Him” focus. To adore God is to appreciate God in our heart and mind and to tell him so with our lips.
The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. Luke 2:20

C = Confession
Confession is simply telling God what He already knows about us. It clears the way for honest conversation with God. The Spirit reveals to us our thoughts, attitudes, words and actions that are contrary to God’s best for us. Then it is up to us to confess and repent.
He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy. Prov. 28:13
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

T = Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is the key that opens the door to His presence. “Enter His gates with thanksgiving ….” Psalm 100:4 An attitude of gratitude enables us to recognize that God controls everything, not just the blessings, but the problems and difficulties too. Troubles becomes opportunities to exercise faith. Giving thanks is God’s will for us: “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”1 Thess. 5:16-19

I will praise God’s name in song and glorify Him with thanksgiving. Psalm 69:30
S = Supplications

Supplications are prayer requests. Where Adoration, Confession and Thanksgiving have us focus upward, Supplication has us look inward at our needs and outward at the needs of others around us. It is partnering with God and asking Him to meet those needs.
Hear the supplication of Your servant and of Your people when they pray… Hear from heaven, Your dwelling place, and when You hear, forgive. 1 Kings 8:30

May my supplication come before You; deliver me according to Your promise. Psalm 119:17

I’ve found that when I start praying with my list of demands and desires, I can totally miss the fellowship with God that really is what prayer is all about. But when I start with my focus on the Lord, it puts my desires in proper perspective. It calms my emotions, clears my thoughts, and strengthens my faith.
For me, at this time of year, it is especially important to follow this model of prayer. I can get so caught up in my to-do list that my supplications go on forever! But when I read the Christmas account in Scripture, I see that adoration was the first response to meeting the newborn King. May it be our first response as well.

Lord, I love You.
A-You are worthy to be praised. I am in awe of Your might and of Your compassion. You, who the universe cannot contain, chose to humbly dwell with me and in me.
C-I confess that I am both impatient and a procrastinator. How is that even possible? Please forgive me. Forgive my sharp tongue and my delayed obedience.
T-I thank You for all You have done and still do for me. I thank You for my wonderful family and for friends who are like family to me. I thank You for Your provision, for healing, for miracles.
S-I need You. Please reach my loved ones who don’t know You. Give me the right words to share at the right time. Make me more like You, so that they will see You when they see me. Help me to accomplish what You want me to do, and only what YOU want me to do, not what I want to do.

Susan

Focus → Refocus

Posted on by Susan Panzica

A little while ago, I shared about focus and how it is so easy to focus on the 1% negative instead of the 99% positive. Last week in Bible study, one of the women made a sweet comment that Ashley’s hair was so beautiful and my nails were so nice. She didn’t say anything about anyone else in the room. Don’t you know my first thought was “What’s wrong with my hair?” Why, oh why, do we women do this to ourselves?

On a walk in the arboretum near my house, I again spotted my rainbow in the spray. I wanted to get a better look, so I moved past the tree to my right, and the rainbow disappeared!

A step back to my previous position and the rainbow returned. In order to see the rainbow, I had to be in the right place and to be looking in the right direction.
And to see the promises of God, I also need spiritually to be in the right place and to be looking in the right direction. When Paul says, “Think on these things…” (Phil 4:8), it is an instruction to us – “Do this… Think this…” God would not instruct us to do something if we would not be able to do it.
Years ago, my friend Ashley, the one with the great hair, went through a difficult time. Tests revealed that the baby she was carrying was very sick, a chromosome anomoly. It was uncertain how long her baby would live. Ashley was faced with worries most of us could never imagine. To combat her fears, she put Paul’s words to the test. She decided to make a list of “whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely,  admirable, excellent or praiseworthy.” As she wrote, she realized that she didn’t even have to go past “true.” With Ashley’s permission, here is her list:

Whatever is true:

1. The Lord gives strength to His people
2. The Lord blesses His people with peace Ps. 29:11
3. For You created my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother’s womb Ps.139:13
4. For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, “Do not fear. I will help you.” Isaiah 41:13
5. He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted. Job5:9
6. Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” Matthew 16:23

Whatever is noble:
1. This is what God the Lord says-
     He who created the heavens and stretches them out
     Who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it
     Who gives breath to its people and life to those who walk on it:
     I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness
     I will take hold of your hand. Isaiah 42:5-6
2. For God is the King of all the earth
    Sing to Him a psalm of praise
    God reigns over the nations
    God is seated on His holy throne. Psalm 47:7,8
For the remainder of her pregnancy and baby Laura’s short life, Ashley’s list kept her thoughts from racing in a downward spiral. Throughout her trial, Ashley and her husband were beacons of light to those around them. At the funeral, the pastor said that baby Laura was like a shooting star that he and his family saw while star-gazing on a recent camping trip. For a brief moment, all attention was given to this shooting star. And for a brief while, with all attention on Laura and her family, God’s light in them shone in the darkness. In their grief, they were able to comfort others with the comfort they received from the Lord. 2 Cor. 1:3-4
Be in the right place and be looking in the right direction, and the promises of God will be all you can see!

Susan

New News

Posted on by Susan Panzica

Thanks so much, sweet cybersisters, for your prayers on behalf of my family. It was a tough, but worthwhile trip to Florida. We had 5 doctor visits in 4 days. We saw the internist, kidney specialist, oncologist, a new chiropractor and back to the internist. It was a perfect storm of scheduled appointments, each one providing valuable new information. My dad came home from the hospital on Tuesday having regained strength after having his blood sugar level restored. My stepmother’s hyponatremia (salt loss) can be regulating by restricting her fluid intake and taking salt tablets. That’s the good news, but there are still several serious issues that need prayer. Both are very fatigued, and my dad is having some uncomfortable side effects from ongoing chemo treatments. It’s hard being far from family, and they would like to move back to NJ, but the depressed real estate market is making it difficult for them to sell and buy a new home up north. They are both very appreciate of the prayers on their behalf.


On a different health issue:


Patrick Swayze’s recent death from pancreatic cancer brings to the headlines an condition that has affected our family deeply. Almost 4 years ago, Tony’s cousin, Ron Weber, passed away after battling pancreatic cancer. Then last summer, one of our favorite patients and friend, Jerry Schwartz, lost his battle with pancreatic cancer just a few months after being diagnosed. And exactly one year ago, my cousin, Allen Woolf, died within one month of being diagnosed with this same insidious disease.


On Sept 27th, my family and I are walking to support research for a cure for pancreatic cancer. The Lustgarten Foundation was extremely helpful to the Weber family during their ordeal, and they are leading the charge to finding a cure and effective treatment for this disease.

We will be walking in honor of Ron, Jerry and Allen.
If you would like to give a donation by credit card online to support this wonderful organization:
Go to: www.lustgarten.org/panzica
Click on: Sponsor Me in the upper right corner
Fill in your information
Click on: Donate Now at the bottom of the page

Susan








Let’s Storm the Gates!

Posted on by Susan Panzica

I flew down to Florida today unexpectedly because my dad is in the hospital and my stepmom is facing dire health problems of her own. I’ll be here until Thursday, attending doctors appointments, investigating resources and making home health care arrangements.

I’d appreciate your prayers for their health, both physically and spiritually.

I once read a story by Corrie ten Boom who was in a concentration camp during World War II. As she was being taken away by the guards, her friend ran past her and whispered, “I’m storming the gates of heaven for you.” Those words made a great impact on me regarding my prayer life. Do I have the sense that I am storming the gates of heaven when I pray?

Would you storm the gates of heaven with me? And let me know what I can pray for you.

Susan

The Last Update!

Posted on by Susan Panzica

So much to say, so little time!
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I’m back from my 2 conferences and my special 3 days in between with my family at the Jersey shore. It’s been a whirlwind, but a good one. I learned so much and met so many, that it’s hard to keep it all straight in my brain.
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Things I’m grateful for:
– the invitation to be part of the VA posse – Kelly, Sonya and Laurie (girls just need a group, don’t they? And this group welcomed me & was so sweet, funny and encouraging.)
– hearing encouraging words from editors, even the agent who gave excellent constructive criticism that I took to heart, prayed with me & directed me to devotion publishers
– Marlene, the conference director, who spoke to the Father as she spoke to us – He & we were her audience
– faithful men & women of God who are farther along in their journey taking the time and effort to mentor those who are less accomplished. This echoes my desire for ministry (my blog, speaking & writing) – may I be one beggar showing another beggar where the bread is.
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I’m so grateful to you all for your prayers, and I have some good news. But you’ll have to keep prayin’! There were 4 publishers who expressed interest in my book. So now I have much work to do. I need to keep writing it (duh!), plus I need to do a lot of followup work and some platform-building work, such as writing devotions and doing more speaking engagements. It’s exciting stuff, but a little terrifying too!
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Thank you to those who responded to be part of my prayer circle. Your support means more than I can say. And if anyone else would care to join this prayer circle, please let me know. I’d love to have you come on board.
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Resting in: He who began a good work will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Phil 1:6

Susan

Susan

News from Susan

Posted on by Susan Panzica

Dear friends,
I interrupt my summer reruns & hiatus from posting to share with you a brief update on how the conference last weekend went and what’s coming up.
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On the way to Charlotte, I was delayed an hour in Newark airport. What else is new? (or as Grandma used to say – “So, vat elz iz noo?”) Then 20 minutes into the flight, the pilot announced that we were returning to Newark airport because of trouble with the landing gear. So eager was I to get to Charlotte, my first thought was “Why are we turning back? We could crash land in Charlotte as easily as we could crash land in Newark!” Have you ever been so eager to get somewhere or do something that rational thought completely escapes you? Anyway, turn back, we did, and as we approached landing, the flight attendant warned, “Please fasten your seat belts tightly.” Tightly? Did she really say “tightly?” Would a tight seatbelt really make a difference in this situation?

We had to deplane (btw-is deplane really a word??) and wait for a new plane. My husband (through texting) wisely suggested I write while I wait. Here’s my divine inspiration: “They that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength… Obviously, Isaiah never waited in Newark airport.” Now, that’s good writing!

Once there, I missed my connection to the hotel, but was able to meet up with my new friend, Karen (another woefully delayed sister thanks to Continental Airlines), and we had a beautiful time of fellowship on the way. God can always redeem a mess!

There is much to tell, but I’ll just summarize briefly, then share what made the greatest impact on me.

– On the first day, two editors took my book proposal for review. One wants to consider reworking the project for a teen audience. This is very exciting for me since I already had a vision for developing it for teens in the future. Who needs to learn about true identity more than teens? Shortly after this meeting, I was introduced to Shannon, a beautiful young author, who has written 10 books for teen girls, offering me help to tailor my message in the language that teen girls can receive. You can find her at www.beingagirlbooks.com

Then, on the last morning of the conference, I met a friend from last year’s conference, and I may have the opportunity to write devotions for a new ministry focused on young women ages 18-29, possibly in conjunction with my 20 year old daughter (who is thrilled about this possibility!) See a pattern developing here? Thank you Lord.
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– Then, on the second day, based on a 1 sentence description of my book, an editor said that I need to do more research – there may too much competition on this topic out there. Well, that was all I needed to hear to send my spirits to the basement. I have researched the competition and found very little that speaks the message the way I do, but frankly, it occurred to me how much easier it would be for me to acknowledge that the need is already met and give up writing for publication. I took a step heading down the slippery slope of despair. How quickly the joy of yesterday melted under the disappointment of today.

– Later that evening, Lisa (my dinner table-mate), shared what her book-to-be about. She could have been describing my book word for word, but with a different, excellent format. She seemed so much more confident and wise, younger and more beautiful, and definitely more spiritual than me. Okay, guess I should just hang it up. I’m heading into the empty nest stage, I would love more time to relax and enjoy my time with my husband.

Our speaker that evening was Jennifer Rothschild. If you want a blessing, you can read about her here http://www.jenniferrothschild.com/. After hearing her, the only thing I could think of was: It’s not about me. It’s about Him. Nothing else.

Lisa and I had the most wonderful conversation after the message. She had experienced exactly the same feelings I had! We laughed, we cried, we prayed, we hugged. It’s not about either of us! It is about HIM empowering women to know who they are because it’s who God says they are and to equip them to live with strength and do what He’s called them to do. And whoever writes this book, and publishes it, and gets the message out there is who God wants to. And in the end, we know that each of us will be equally happy if either of our books is published. Because it’s not about us. It’s about Him and His message.
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– Now I have to edit my proposal to reflect what I’ve just learned, so I can present a better version this weekend in Philadelphia. One thing that I was encouraged to do is to develop a prayer circle. If this work is to go forward, the enemy is sure to come against it. If you would consider being a part of a prayer team with me, please comment or email me. I will keep you posted every 2 weeks (or as needed!).
[and JoEllen – I did get your message but need your email address to respond!]
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So ladies, that’s it for now! Please keep this weekend (Aug 6-8) in prayer as I attend the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference. I so appreciate all of you!!

Susan