I am so at peace with my life and how You are leading and how I am following,
attempting to be obedient
and You are rewarding and I am surrendering,
treasuring every moment, living in the present, happy to be alive
and embracing the life you have given me,
knowing this is not the end but the beginning of a new journey
and adventures lie within my grasp but I am no longer grasping,
I am letting go and letting You take me to places I've never been
and those places lie deep within where Truth resides
and when I allow You to do a deeper work on the inside,
You expand my territory on the outside
and when I trust You more with the inner workings of my life,
You trust me more with the greater things that You have long planned for me to do,
and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives within me...
and this is a running sentence
because I am throwing off everything that hinders me and the sin that so easily entangles me and I am running with perseverence the race You have set before me,
and I refuse to run aimlessly-- I am in it to win it!
Sisters, I just need you to know that I am fully committed to this relationship with my Savior. I am entering this race as one intent on fulfilling the dreams and plans God has for my life. I vow to no longer allow disobedience, insecurity, fear, nearsightedness, or negativity hinder me from believing that I am all He says I am. I can do all that He has for me to do..."I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength"(Phi. 4:13)! I am in it to win it, girlfriend! Love, love, LOVE, ~Cindy
How about you? Are YOU IN-IT TO WIN-IT too? If so, let's encourage one another by leaving a simple comment below or at Woven Women on FB with your commitment: "I'm In It to Win It!"
Ah! I am enjoying this Sabbath moment in my new office~
the freshly decorated space (my boy helped hang my artwork yesterday)
the more comfy love seat (I understuffed the overstuffed pillows.) who knew?
the Spring blooms on treetops across the street
the plump red cardinal viewed from above on my front steps (connecting me with my friend in NC, who shared the same view from her office window in our phone convo yesterday) ~sweetness!
the sunrise shining through my office window...
Ah! The Sun! That huge ball of flaming yellow, shining her rays across my face against those understuffed pillows. Enough radiance to light an entire planet, yet she feels so personal this morning--perfectly positioned outside my window, looking in as I look out. And she begins to fill the room with her presence...
And as I rest my eyes on the wall beside me, at my fave new artpiece, I read...
"She was learning the most beautiful thing of all:
by letting her light shine brightly,
she was giving others permission to do the same.
SHINE!"
And the Son speaks to me through the sun.
And together, on my love seat, on this Sabbath morning, we embrace Spring.
On the outside and on the inside.
I am a speaker, writer, artist and an ordained minister in the Church of the Nazarene. I lead the women at NewarkNaz in Newark, Ohio. In 1998, God gave me a vision for Woven: Women of Virtue Network. It's a blessing to be involved in so many women's lives. Sometimes I think my heart will burst.
So very thankful for my hubby Mark. Extremely proud of my daughter speaker/author/activist Nicole and son-in-law Matthew Bromley. Love my grandsons Jude and Isaac beyond measure.
Loving the Lord with all my heart and leading others to do the same is the greatest joy of my life!
Ever get an answer to prayer that was not exactly what you had in mind? I've been praying for God to revive my adventurous spirit. This is what happened...
Last week my daughter and I had a joint speaking engagement in Poteau, Oklahoma. We flew from Columbus to Atlanta, then on to Fort Smith--at least that was the plan.
The plane began to shake, rattle, and roll as we traveled through a thicket of cloud cover. Then the captain's dreaded announcement. Air Traffic Control did not give clearance for us to land. We were rerouted to Little Rock "due to tornadic activity".
After landing, the airline announced there would be no flights to Fort Smith until morning. It was a 3 hour drive to our destination. What would YOU do?
Ask our host to drive 6 hours round trip to pick us up (a 3 hour wait in the airport)?
Rent a car and drive 3 hours through the storm?
Wait for the morning flight with the risk of being late for our speaking engagement?
While trying to figure out our best option, Nicole was charging her phone and communicating with our sponsor. I was running back and forth for the latest update. As I approached the gate to be sure that I had heard correctly, a tall gentleman with a Southern drawl looked down at me and asked,
"Ma'am, is that your daughter that you're traveling with?"
I said, "Yes." And the adventure began! He offered us the back seat of a rental car to Fort Smith. His company would foot the bill. He had already teamed with another man from the flight. Sounded like a good deal to me.
It felt like such a role reversal when this mom went back and checked with her daughter about getting into a car with two complete strangers in an airport! But quite honestly, that did not hit me until we were loaded in the car and driving into a hail storm.
In the eye of the storm, I began to question my scruples! Driving bumper-to-bumper, we began to share our stories. The driver was an industrial salesman from Nashville. The passenger worked on the Alaskan pipeline but lived in Poteau (what a coincidence?). They were so moved by our story that they could not stop asking questions. They said they had never heard anyone talk openly about sexual abuse. Who would've guessed? This was the first stop in our Breaking the Silencetour.
Two hours later, we stopped for dinner. By then, we were laughing and tormenting each other as if family. And we ordered dinner: family style! They shared pictures of their children, talked about their church, wives and lives. They were so kind, true gentlemen. It was obvious both men were Christian. If we had any doubt, it dissipated when one of them prayed for our meal... and also for us.
As I sit here in my office, it all seems surreal. I see how God prepared the way before we even got off the plane. One of the men sat in front of me, though I never saw his face. The other sat across the aisle from him. I noticed him and even asked Nicole if we had met him earlier. She said we hadn't, but there was a familiarity that was unusual. He seemed safe. So, when he approached me in the airport, I felt as though I already knew him.
Not only did God prepare the way, he reassured us along the way. When we walked into the restaurant, K-Love Christian radio was playing some favorite worship songs. A reminder that he is always with us, that he will make a way for us.
And the bonus? That little restaurant served some of the best Italian food I've ever eaten by the most welcoming waitress I've ever met while dining with some of the best company I've ever kept. It was simply divine...a scene I will not forget.
Have you had any God-adventures lately? Or is life feeling way too predictable?
Do tell! We'd love to hear from you!
This song was playing in the restaurant while we shared dinner...a favorite of mine!
_________________________________________
Cindy Stiverson
I am a speaker, writer, artist and an ordained minister in the Church of the Nazarene. I lead the women at NewarkNaz in Newark, Ohio. In 1998, God gave me a vision for Woven: Women of Virtue Network. It's a blessing to be involved in so many women's lives. Sometimes I think my heart will burst.
So very thankful for my hubby Mark. Extremely proud of my daughter speaker/author/activist Nicole and son-in-law Matthew Bromley. Love my grandsons Jude and Isaac beyond measure.
Loving the Lord with all my heart and leading others to do the same is the greatest joy of my life!
"Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Christ.
For the accuser...has been hurled down.
They have overcome him by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony."
Revelation 12:10-11
My heart grows weak and my voice still trembles when I speak of the response at the altar during our Woven Praise & Prayer service. God was tilling my heart, preparing my testimony weeks prior. It was a community effort. He used those close to me to remove my gravecloths and the finale of that was my message on Friday night of our Woven Weekend.
I invited 80+ women to do the same. Silence is golden. Their written testimonies spoke volumes as they intermittently walked forward. They did not sheepishly lay their cardboard testimony at the cross. No; they stopped, stood before their sisters in Christ and publicly displayed their filthy rags before us. Then we celebrated God's redeeming response as they shared the opposite side of their board, placed it on the altar, and took on a garment of praise.
That space became Holy Ground. Dismantling it was like removing a sacred burial ground. God had met us there and our lives were changed.
I have a box that we've been tripping over as we settle into our new home...this box contains the sacred secrets of my sisters. My Boy rolls his eyes every time we have to move it out of the way to get to the attic.
I'm bringing it out of the attic today--sharing the sacred--because we were not meant to be hidden. We were made to SHINE. Here are a few of our victories!
EMPTY NEST/NO DIRECTION...PURPOSEFUL LIFE!
Fearful...Confident He CAN
Unloved, Stupid, Unworthy, Alone, Fearful...
Loved, His, Confident, Professional, Speaking to thousands
Struck by infertility, Trying to conceive for many years...
Now we have a beautiful 2 yr old and trying for our 2nd baby! God is good and He is hope where there is none~!
Under Construction: Walking by FAITH, not by sight, His love never fails!!
LOSS, FEAR...Find COURAGE!
Worthless, No one cares about me, Divorced because of me, Unforgivable...
I know God now! God loves me, forgives me. Reconciliation in progress, God helps me to know I'm not worthless--I'm special
Worry...Anxiety...
FREEDOM IN CHRIST!
This is a sampling. I am so very proud of these women and their courage.
Thank you Lord, for reminding us where we've been and showing us where you want to take us. Thank you for revealing who we are to YOU! To God be the glory forever and ever! Amen.
I'm looking at my calendar--and my blog--and I can't believe a month has passed since our wonderful Woven Weekend. And, yes, I am belated in posting about our magnificent Saturday of the event.
As we planned the event, I wondered how we could possibly follow Friday night's Praise & Prayer Service. But God had it all worked out. WOW! (ThankyouMelissaAnderson!!yourockedoursocksoff!!)
ORGANIC.
Woven Weekend 2013
Everything about our weekend was as natural as breathing. Friday night beautifully opened our hearts to receive exactly what God wanted to do in us on Saturday. It was the breath of the Holy Spirit that broke down every wall and allowed our hearts to melt into the oneness of His love.
HEALING.
Cindy Stiverson, Founder of Woven
In the morning session, I spoke about "What Would Jesus Wear?" In the story of Lazaras being raised from the dead, Jesus told the people gathered there to help him remove the burial cloths.
We partnered together in asking God to unbind us, to remove our burial cloths, that layer of bondage and spirit of despair that God wants to replace with a garment of praise. Galatians 5:1 became our emancipation proclamation:
"Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you."
The testimonies after this activity were spontaneous and unforced, an unfolding of hearts. Some of our women announced that they had discovered their soul mates that morning. They partnered with someone they didn't know previously and discovered they were of one heart. Beautiful!
Some were mother-daughter teams. Imagine the freedom and healing God accomplished in these precious relationships.
AFFIRMING.
The Holy Spirit's presence brought such peace and unity. It was ever so present in a simple activity of awarding one another with words of affirmation. There were long trains of women throughout the building, writing on each other's backs! It was a riot!
SERVING.
Our final project was putting together beautiful Baskets of Blessings. These Easter Baskets were delivered to the families of children who attend our church's after school program. Each family received a basket filled with items for their Easter meal, along with a spiral ham. They also received a basket filled with bunnies and candy and fun stuff for the children.
PRAYING.
And praying. And praying...
We began in prayer. We partnered in prayer. We prayed as a group. We closed by praying for the families who would receive our "Baskets of Blessings".
May our prayers be unceasing...
Christ has risen from the grave... and He has removed our gravecloths! Hallelujah! The Lord God Almighty reigns!
That was the word I heard most as a result of our Woven Weekend Praise & Prayer Service last night. And we truly were!
God had been "breaking" me for the past two weeks leading up to this event. I believe Woven Worship Leader Melissa Anderson would say the same. There was no doubt He was seeking honesty, transparency, brokenness among His daughters. And that is what He accomplished.
I cannot even begin to express the wonder and glory of the evening. This photo is a beautiful representation, but nothing can capture the beauty of our God and the glory of His Holy Spirit in action. We brought our "filthy rags" to the Lord and He replaced them with a "garment of praise"!
Hearts were opened by the music, broken by my testimony, and changed by the grace of God. We tried to put it into words. The cardboard testimonies remain at the cross as a small piece of evidence of the "greater things than these" that God has promised to do in and through us.
Our hearts are overwhelmed with HIM.
"This is what Woven is!" One of my first year leaders proclaimed. "I really didn't know what Woven is, but now I do."
What a beautiful weaving of hearts; women openly sharing, caring, loving. And the good news: there's more to come! We get to spend today together.
MY HEART IS BREAKING FOR OUR WOVEN SISTER LACY. Her baby LUCY was born 6 weeks premature. Her story is below. PLEASE PRAY! She has even provided the beautiful prayer following this story. JOIN THIS MOVEMENT OF PRAYER!
~Cindy
LACY & LUCY'S STORY...
My Dear friends and family, February 27, 2013.
These are times when you can’t be ashamed to ask for an outreach of help. When you have to set your pride aside because the despair is so great, and your left feeling alone on your faith. All I know, is to keep my faith in God. To keep trusting in Gods’ plan. I am calling on all the children of God, neighbors, brothers, and sisters, I pray that this reaches you! I ask that we all join together in faith, in spirit, and in prayer. The hearts’ of my family are breaking in this hard time of desperation. We are suffering heart ache for my daughter Lucy, our 17 day old, precious baby girl.
Lucy Reign Hamilton was born on 2/10/13, she was 34wks 4days, 6wks premature. She stayed in the NICU for 8days, doing beautifully, she came home on 2/18/13. On 2/23/13 around 11:30pm she stopped breathing. By the time she got to the hospital, they were able to get her heart beat. She was life-flighted to the Children’s hospital in Columbus Ohio. Due to severe damage from lack of oxygen, she was put on a respirator, it sends oxygen to her heart, keeping her alive, our baby is on life support now.
The last 4days I would not put on anyone. All of the tests are done, and modern medicines’ telling us that there is no hope. That the damage is too great. They are telling us that Lucy, this beautiful, precious child has no brain activity. Though this is going on, I will NOT stray from God, nor has my faith wavered! My eyes look to God in our time of need. Nothing is impossible with God, and the power of prayer is real and alive, and with us. We as parents have found ourselves in one of the hardest situations to be faced with. This Saturday, March 2, 2013; between 11pm-12am, we have decided to take our precious baby Lucy off the respirator, making it 7days from this horrific event.
We are asking that you to light a candle to symbolize unity, and pray this prayer with us in this hour of darkness, bringing us together as one. I pray that we unify as warriors of faith, soldiers of God, creating an army of prayer to surround Lucy! Thank you for your support. God Bless, all of you.
Pray these words with us
“Dear Lord Jesus, we come to you now in these sad times, asking you for complete healing over Lucy’s mind, body, and soul. We ask you to smile down upon Lucy, renewing her with your Holy Spirit. God, we believe in you, your son is alive in us. By the power of prayer, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we look to you now to answer our plea. With the power of unity, we bring fourth with courage and strength, this prayer, to deliver Lucy. If it is that of your will, we ask you to bring her back to us whole. Let this child live and thrive and flourish. We are putting our faith in you Lord, when hope on earth is lost. You are the doer all things. God we thank you, for your unconditional love you have for us, for you are an awesome God. We lift Lucy up to you now, in Jesus name. You know our hearts’ Lord. We ask that you touch this situation with your perfect healing and love . We thank you in all that you do. In your precious name, Amen.”
Abba Father,
