Iron Rose Sister Ministries

My nephew turned five years old. And, per tradition, I gave him the gift of reading and learning, in Spanish. I speak with him and his sister in only Spanish and we often have fun reading, singing, and playing games in Spanish.
However, already exhausted from a weekend full of family festivities, he turned with tears in his eyes to his parents, after opening my gift, and cried, “But I don’t like Spanish books.”
My sister and brother-in-law are doing a great job of raising a polite, grateful young man, but his expectations were crushed when he opened a bag of books in Spanish (in comparison to the Lego set Pops and Gigi gave him—the exact one he has wanted for over a year).
Prompted to respond with gratitude and not complaint, he turned to me and said, “Gracias Aunt M.”
At the moment, I thought, “He may not be as excited about it now, but when he is older, he will be appreciative of the special bond we have in Spanish, the memories of reading books in Spanish together, and the blessing of familiarity with another language and culture.”
And then my reflections turned inward... Children have a way of teaching us profound life lessons. And this experience was no exception.
How many times have I responded with complaint and not gratitude to God’s opportunities to learn and to be in communication and relationship with Him?
Convicted and inspired, I spent the next several days reflecting on my own attitude of gratitude and contentment. We are told that we can expect good gifts from the Father (Matt. 7:11), but not everything “good” is “fun.” We are called to be grateful for these gifts, even when they are not pleasant...
Thank you, God, for the thorns. I am growing.
Thank you, God, for the trials. I am learning.
Thank you, God, for the challenges. I am grateful.
What can you be thankful for today?

I was dragged, kicking and screaming, from a life of doing. When a friend challenged me to write a song about myself in college, “Better Busy than Bored,” was my motto and a self-fulfilling prophesy. And I have lived that to the max. Many suspect that my health issues, which began in 2009, were a result of my busy lifestyle. Chastised for not taking care of myself, the warnings rang truer and truer the more the days, months, and years passed.
Fast forward a couple of decades from those college years in which I did not sleep. I recently turned forty and I require much more sleep than I used to. I cannot handle the pace of life that I once maintained.
However, I am convinced that this is not merely a byproduct of physical aging. Rather, a spiritual maturing in transition from “doing” like Martha, to “being” like Mary. Because to everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven (Eccl. 3).
I am content sitting at the feet of Jesus without a checklist.
Being refuels my doing.
Guilt still tugs at my heartstrings when there is something to be done, but I am thrilled to see others step up and do it—probably better than I would’ve done it anyway.
The Martha in me still stays quite busy. And some of you that know me well think that my Mary should rub off a little bit more on my Martha-ness.
But, for today, I am grateful that God has allowed a bit of that transition to take place. Each of these women have things to teach us and I, for one, still have a lot to learn.

Today, I am grateful for my car that will carry me the four hundred miles down to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I am grateful for the road trip snacks and the hospitality of those who will receive me when I arrive. Thanksgiving abounds for the church family I called home as a child and where I worked as women’s campus minister for six years. And tomorrow, we will give thanks together during a Ladies’ Brunch. We will remember what it is to give thanks, especially at the start of the holiday season. Our topic: “And Be Thankful.”

“And be thankful,” is a phrase tucked into chapter 3 of Colossians by the apostle Paul. It can either be seen as an afterthought: “Oh yeah, don’t forget to give thanks!” Or, we can see it as a pivotal and integral part of his instructions to the early church in Colossae. I prefer to see it as the latter. Read through the selected excerpt from Colossians 3 (verses 12-17) and see if you can accomplish any of those things without giving thanks.

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Thank you, Father, that I am one of your chosen people. Thank you for setting me apart as your beloved child. When I recognize that truth, I am better able to clothe myself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Since you forgave me—an act for which I am eternally grateful, I am able to bear with others and forgive others. Your love transforms and unites. Thank you.
With an attitude of gratitude, I can dwell in your peace, you rule my heart and I am united with others. Without Christ’s message, my heart cannot teach, admonish or sing. The overflow of gratitude in my heart allows me to be filled with wisdom and Your Spirit. Yes, whatever I do, whether in word or deed, cannot be done if it is not in the name of the Lord Jesus, or without giving thanks to You through Him.
“And be thankful.”

An airplane has two important indications on the instrument panel: altitude and attitude. Altitude indicates the plane’s distance from the ground and attitude indicates where it’s pointed (straight, up, or down). Even if the plane has sufficient altitude, if its attitude is not adjusted, the plane can crash into a mountain or go through a very bumpy landing.
I’ve had days like that. They start out well. I’m counting my blessings, thankful for a new day... but then something happens and my attitude brings me down. I’m on a course that has me clashing with everything in my path. And if I don’t correct my attitude quickly, I will crash and spend days picking up the pieces of the collateral damage I’ve created in relationships and in life.

The best remedy in those moments is an attitude of gratitude. It lifts my eyes to heaven and corrects my downward spiral.
Thanks be to God for his patience with me and for always helping me correct my attitude.

I want. I need. I wish. I hope. I. I. I.
We may think we know what’s best. We make our petitions known and in crying out to God, it is easy to become more consumed with our needs than our blessings. By focusing on what we lack instead of what we have, our perspective is skewed.
Paul spelled out the necessary balance when we present our requests to God in Philippians 4:6.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, WITH THANKSGIVING, present your requests to God.
What happens when I start my prayers with thanksgiving?
Blessings outweigh needs.
Focus changes.
Perspective is clarified.
God’s faithfulness endures.
Trust in God is restored.

Overwhelmed by all God has done to bless me personally and the ministry, I give thanks. You are a vital part of that blessing, and for that, I thank you!
However, not every aspect of the year can be described as an immediate blessing. At the time, they were burdens, challenges, or obstacles. Now, I can look back at them and be reminded that “His Love Endures Forever,” just as Psalm 136 repeats.
I invite you to add your own line or two to the following version of this psalm:
In the good and the bad, through the ups and the downs,
His Love Endures Forever.
When I see God’s hand at work,
His Love Endures Forever.
When I doubt His provision,
His Love Endures Forever.
During the exhausting road trips,
His Love Endures Forever.
Through the customs and immigration lines,
His Love Endures Forever.
When His Spirit speaks through me to touch the lives of women across the Americas,
His Love Endures Forever.
When a restless night of sleep leaves me anxious,
His Love Endures Forever.
Inspired to write, or frustrated that I can’t find the words,
His Love Endures Forever.
Given words to speak, or dependent on the Spirit to speak for me,
His Love Endures Forever.
Suffering through growing pains—personally and as a ministry,
His Love Endures Forever.
Trusting that God will reveal His answers, in His timing,
His Love Endures Forever.
Overwhelmed by the opportunities, unable to handle it all,
His Love Endures Forever.
God is faithful and I praise His name,
His Love Endures Forever.

My personal theme for the year was Growth. While I could testify to the growth in my own life, I will endeavor to share and reflect on the growth that God has provided for IRSM. I am overwhelmed at the prospect of summarizing the blessings we are thankful for, at the close of this year, but it is a humbling honor to attempt our expression of gratitude as a ministry.

Snippets of memories flood my mind: Teaching laughter therapy to Ecuadorian women as an aspect of our spiritual health, then “leaping” for joy in giving thanks for the trials we face (2 Cor. 12) with women in Dallas... Both stand in contrast to the faces of women in Panama who understood all too well the pain of abuse I described. They clung to words of truth from the Bible about the loving way God longs for His daughters to be treated.

Single women missionaries resonated with the isolation felt by the woman who was healed from the issue of blood (Luke 8), as expressed in a monologue during one of the classes at a renewal retreat. Many other single women, and women of all ages and stages of life, on many occasions, appreciated the reminder of what it means to be content and complete, singly with God, through various classes during the year. Sharing the truth from my own life, “Single and Lovin’ It! (Mostly)” became a championing call for other single women seeking God’s will for their lives, not whatever the world wants for them. (Stay tuned for a book on that topic someday...)

The IRSM Board of Directors and I exchanged texts of excitement and rejoicing in the answered prayer when Brenda Brizendine applied, was interviewed, and then accepted the job of Assistant Director.

And I cannot express the joy of gathering most of the IRSM Team together for our first weekend meeting! Most IRSM Team members had never met personally. Board members had only worked together via video conference and corresponded with other team members via email. One funny story from the weekend and getting to meet face to face for the first time: After having only seen Katie Forbess, our Board President, as she appears on the computer screen for the meetings, another Board member’s first reaction to meeting her was, “You’re tall!”

The greater joy for the IRSM Team came from humbly rejoicing over all God has done since IRSM began in 2013 and dreaming together about what God is calling us to in the next five years. And during a break in the meeting, God blessed us with the testimony of Maria who “happened” to be passing by. A vivid example of God multiplying our efforts to equip women to equip others... Maria was baptized in March after witnessing the passion and commitment to God that her friend Fernanda radiated after her own baptism on February 14th. Fernanda had studied the Bible with me and with former intern, Mackenzie Lancaster. God is good!

I am grateful for Iron Rose Sister Prayer Warriors who have championed God’s vision for IRSM, even when I have felt overwhelmed or weak, and for Iron Rose Sisters who have served as iron sharpening iron, when I allowed the thorns in my life to hinder my growth as a beautiful rose in God’s kingdom.

I giggled in delight when an Iron Rose Sister from Tampa, Florida, called and told us about two Hispanic women who started attending the Ladies’ Bible Class in English because of our Bible study books available in both English and Spanish!

A smile that starts on my lips spreads quickly to my eyes every time I read an email from one of our Cuban sisters who has been touched by a blog post—arriving in her inbox at just the right moment when she most needed that encouragement, and knew someone else with whom she could share those truths from God’s Word: equipping to equip!

One more highlight for the year for me has been the number of women across at least six countries and five U.S. states that have specifically studied Who Has the Last Word? and have shared the impact it has made in their lives. Women who are giving God the last word and whose lives have been transformed by being equipped to Recognize the Lie, Replace the Lie with Truth, and Remember the Truth through Scripture.

Dozens more small groups across the Americas, representing hundreds of women in English, Spanish and bilingual contexts, have used IRSM Bible Study books as practical tools to be equipped to connect to God and one another more deeply. More than 1150 books have been sold, subsidized, or gifted in 2018. And we anticipate even more women equipped through these and other resources in 2019.

The God stories continue and I have more of them to share... but I will close with my gratefulness to YOU. In the midst of an overly-busy schedule this year, I have not been as communicative about all God has been doing in and through me over the recent months. Thank you for your patience. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for your financial support. And thanks to many who are getting more involved, more equipped, and are spreading the word about ways IRSM can help equip even more women. If you can do me one more favor, please share this good news and our needs for 2019 with someone you know who is also passionate about the vision God has given us.

Humbly grateful,
M.
P.S. A great opportunity to express your appreciation for Iron Rose Sister Ministries is by spreading the word about #Giving2x2TuesdayIRSM, Tuesday, November 27. Help us equip women 2x2x2 as Paul taught Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:2. Find 2, 22 or 222 others to join us in this vision. More information is available on our Facebook page, including videos! Donations can be made there or on our website. Thank you!
#Giving2x2TuesdayIRSM #IronRoseSister #IRSM

My Thanksgiving List...
Written by Erica Peck
I sat down today and thought I would put on paper some of the things for which I’m thankful. We often feel grateful, but don’t recognize the full extent of how incredibly blessed we are. Sometimes writing it down helps. This by no means is an exhaustive list...it is just the beginning. Things I am grateful for:

Jesus as my LORD
This world is NOT my home
My husband, supportive, loyal, and always makes me laugh.
My first-born son, full of creativity and heart
My second-born son, full of life and giggles
My washing machine
Colorful, crunchy leaves in Fall
This chair I sit in
Jobs I can do and still be at home to raise my boys and support my family
The blessing of friendship
My mom, and all of her counsel, advice and example.
My dad, and his support, example and steadfastness
The Bible, oh the Bible.
Hot, running water.
Doctors and medicine
God’s creation I can enjoy with all of my senses.
My brother and sister-in-law, always so welcoming and caring of others
Delicious, wonderful food.
My cozy bed.

Like I said, this is just the beginning--I can think of many other things I am so, so grateful for, and I encourage you to write down your own list. As the old hymn goes, “Count your blessings, name them one by one, count your blessings see what God has done...and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”

My Thanksgiving List...
Written by Erica Peck

I sat down today and thought I would put on paper some of the things for which I’m thankful. We often feel grateful, but don’t recognize the full extent of how incredibly blessed we are. Sometimes writing it down helps. This by no means is an exhaustive list...it is just the beginning. Things I am grateful for:

Jesus as my LORD
This world is NOT my home
My husband, supportive, loyal, and always makes me laugh.
My first-born son, full of creativity and heart
My second-born son, full of life and giggles
My washing machine
Colorful, crunchy leaves in Fall
This chair I sit in
Jobs I can do and still be at home to raise my boys and support my family
The blessing of friendship
My mom, and all of her counsel, advice and example.
My dad, and his support, example and steadfastness
The Bible, oh the Bible.
Hot, running water.
Doctors and medicine
God’s creation I can enjoy with all of my senses.
My brother and sister-in-law, always so welcoming and caring of others
Delicious, wonderful food.
My cozy bed.

Like I said, this is just the beginning--I can think of many other things I am so, so grateful for, and I encourage you to write down your own list. As the old hymn goes, “Count your blessings, name them one by one, count your blessings see what God has done...and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”

Have you ever received something for which you are deeply grateful? I am not often speechless, but that is one of those times. Maybe it was a surprise, an unexpected gift, or an undeserved blessing. If you have ever felt like I have, we feel inadequate in our expression of thanks and our words seem cheap in thanking the person.

I have a friend who always seeks ways to bless others.

Another friend never tires in her service to the Lord and preaching the good news to others.

If you were to ask either of these friends about their motivation, they would tell you that they see it as the only way to express their thanks to God for all He has done in their lives.

God wants us to thank Him for what He has done and what He has given us. But there are many other ways to express our thanks. God loves when we thank Him verbally, but He also wants us to live a life of thanks.

When we recognize the depth of His love and unmerited blessings, “Thanks,” just isn’t enough... We long for a better way to express ourselves. How can we live a life of thanksgiving?

January is the time of the year that many people start a new diet or establish New Year’s Resolutions. Some of those resolutions are for improvement in our physical health. And others are spiritual goals: reading through the Bible, praying as a family while driving in the car... As each year comes to a close, the time of evaluation and reflection begins.
However, for me, this process begins at the beginning of November. In the United States, the Thanksgiving holiday is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. The practice of giving thanks then pervades the month and sets the tone for my attitude and reflections. It is a spiritual reset, which includes the resolution to first and always give thanks.
Even before the last trip of the year is complete, my focus is on an attitude of gratitude. And as I return home, usually mid-November when my travel winds down, I begin to assess how things have gone during the past year. End-of-year reporting and next-year planning characterize much of my thoughts and take up my time, but this takes places in the month of November—the month of thanks.
I am grateful that the rhythm of Iron Rose Sister Ministries allows for this evaluation process to coincide with the month of November and an emphasis on giving thanks. Because no matter what else happens the rest of the month, year, or decade, God is in control and we are best reminded of His countless blessings, faithful provision, wise guidance, and constant communion with Him, by giving thanks.
Whether or not you have followed this practice in the past, please join us in the opportunity to give thanks this month and throughout the next year. The month is not over and we can all use the reminder to spiritually “reset” our thinking by giving thanks.

Thank you for...
Written by Débora Rodrigo de Racancoj

We have the habit of praying together every night before putting my four-year-old daughter into her bed. Her prayers are so pure and innocent that, at times, I would like to pray in the same way that she does. Each sentence in her prayer begins with "Thank you for...". It does not matter if she is actually making a request, she will also use the expression "thank you for...". I do not think I will ever forget that night when, after some thieves entered our home to steal, she ended her day with "Thank you, Lord for the bad guys who have taken our things." Of course her intention was not to be grateful for what had happened, but this made me think about it.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us that God's will is that we give thanks to God in everything. Not only in good times. I personally struggle to thank God for all the good things He gives me every day. There are many of them. But there are very few that I thank, mainly because most of them go by without me being aware that they are gifts from God (James 1:17).

And if I am unable to overcome this first test, how much more will the second cost me: being grateful for those not so pleasant things that happen in my life. James 1:2-4 encourages us to consider the trials as a reason for joy, I surmise that also as reasons of gratitude. It is true that the trials are those moments that make us mature as Christians and help us to be complete and perfect, as James mentions in his letter. It is not, therefore, out of place to give thanks during those times, perhaps not for the pain and suffering that they make us go through, but for the opportunity that they offer for our lives as Christians.

I challenge you to imitate my daughter before going to bed tonight, and try to complete an entire prayer in which each sentence begins with the expression "Lord, thank you for...". I'm sure that we have many more reasons to be grateful than what we normally find.

Humbled by the following list, I invite you to join with us in giving thanks for all God has done through Iron Rose Sister Ministries in 2017.

• Estimated total number of women equipped/impacted across the Americas: Over 3,000
• Number of congregations represented by equipped women: More than 320 congregations across the Americas
• Events: 35 Seminars (2 Bilingual; 9 English; 5 Spanish in U.S.; 19 Spanish in Latin America)
• Destination Retreat: IRSM-hosted event with women from eight states and over 20 congregations represented
• Missionary Renewal Retreat: Conexiones, in partnership with Great Cities Missions (51 missionary women from 12 countries)
• Ministry consultations: 20 churches in event coordination, planning, communication, etc.; 8 other congregations, especially regarding bilingual ministry, small group studies, IRSM resources, etc.
• Private counseling/personal study (long-distance and locally): 7
• Missionary Care: 6 local Latin America visits, 12+ through year-round WhatsApp/ Skype/ FB communication, prayer partnering, etc.
• Bible Study Materials: Release of 4th small group women’s Bible study book, Called to Listen: Forty Days of Devotion and Llamada a escuchar: Cuarenta días de devoción.
• Local Bible studies: 2 Spanish, total of 20 young women; 2 English, total of 18 women
• Students/women mentored locally on a consistent basis: 3 (including summer intern)
• Blog: Now being read and received by Cuban women!
• Countries visited in 2017 for events: Honduras, Chile, Peru, Cuba, Guatemala
• U.S. States visited in 2017 for events: Colorado, Tennessee, California, Florida, Louisiana, and of course, Arkansas

Thanksgiving
• Overwhelming and humbling gratefulness for all God has done through IRSM in the past year: our continued growth and opportunities.
• Growing group of volunteers locally in Searcy, AR
• Excellent summer intern, Mackenzie Lancaster, and other Harding students looking to get involved with IRSM
• Erica Peck, IRSM part-time bilingual assistant
• Being able to increase the awareness of churches and individuals regarding the need to equip more women in their walk with God (starting, growing, or deepening)
• The number of women encouraged, equipped, empowered, and inspired through IRSM seminars and small group Bible studies.
• Meeting a need—such a blessing to feed those who are hungry and point them to the bread of life and living water—equipping women to connect to God and one another more deeply.
• Growing partnership with Downtown Church of Christ (Searcy, AR).
• More opportunities and invitations than we can accept in 2018.
• Safety and health for Michelle, especially in travel.

Thanksgiving Day is always a special time to spend as a family. I will be with a large portion of my physical family today. Yet I remember creating, with my Venezuelan family, our own version of a Thanksgiving meal while I lived in Venezuela.
I know that many have not had the same blessing that I have had of a family that supports and loves each other. We are far from perfect. But we strive to share in the loving support that is best found in the context of family.
I give thanks to God for my family—my parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers-in-law, nephew, niece, uncles, aunts, cousins, etc. And I give thanks to God for my family in Christ that spans the world.
As Philip Yancey and Henri Nouwen put it...
“Family is the one human institution we have no choice over. We get in simply by being born, and as a result we are involuntarily thrown together with a menagerie of strange and unlike people. Church calls for another step: to voluntarily choose to band together with a strange menagerie because of a common bond in Jesus Christ. I have found that such a community more resembles a family than any other human institution. Henri Nouwen once defined a community as “a place where the person you least want to live with always lives.” His definition applies equally to the group that gathers each Thanksgiving and the group that congregates each Sunday morning. (p. 64-65, Church: Why Bother?)”
― Philip Yancey, Church: Why Bother?: My Personal Pilgrimage

As a ministry, we are growing. More quickly than I can describe and more expansively than I can handle... but I wouldn’t want to contain or stunt that growth!
Children face growing pains as their muscles catch up with their extending bones. And in a similar fashion, rose bushes go through a season of pruning, especially after looking sparse, in order to facilitate greater growth and beauty. Pruning can be a painful time, but it is a blessed time of greater and deeper growth. We are grateful for the “good problem” of growing pains!

Iron Rose Sister Ministries (IRSM) is at a critical juncture. IRSM has begun to get stretched too thin and our rose bush is looking sparse, or less healthy for our long-term growth in answering God’s call. Next year will be IRSM’s five-year anniversary. Praise God! And we are currently reaching and equipping thousands of women across the Americas each year through our small group Bible study materials, speaking engagements, and other resources. However, in order to maintain and expand the vision God has given us to equip women to connect to God and one another more deeply, in English and Spanish, across the Americas, we will be pruning in a few areas, thus facilitating greater long-term growth in our principal areas of equipping. As we navigate this time of pruning and growth, bringing on others as co-laborers in that vision, please join us in prayer that God will raise up the right workers, wisdom in a clear direction, and the funds to make it possible.
Here are some of the changes you will see as we transition into 2018:
• Once a week Blog posts in English (versus daily Monday-Friday)
• At least for a time, we will no longer be recording spots in Spanish for the radio program La Voz Alegre, through World Christian Broadcasting.
• Michelle will reduce the number of speaking engagements/trips to approximately one per month (some international trips will be two weeks in a given month, which includes two locations, but this is still an overall reduction in travel).

And some of the next areas of growth and expansion for 2018:
• In addition to the small group Bible study materials and other online resources (audio and video), more of the programs available through IRSM will be made available for replication and use in more churches, women’s groups, and ministries.
       o Bilingual women’s ministry resources, ideas and samples
       o Small group training
• Increase of intern opportunities.
• Greater equipping of IRSM Representatives and Points of Contact in strategic cities, states, and countries across the Americas
Please help us spread the word about all God is doing in and through us, as a ministry. We are grateful for your prayers, your financial support, and for your involvement in equipping women to connect to God and one another more deeply.
Thank you!
M.

Thankful for His Faithful Promises
Written by Erica Peck

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100

One of the phrases I find myself most praying when talking to God is “and thank you for your faithful promises.” I am SO thankful that He calls me daughter (1 John 3:1). He has called me by name (Rev 3:5). It is written on the palm of His hand. I am His (Isaiah 43:1). He will never leave me, or forsake me (Joshua 1:5). Instead, He faithfully promises to carry my burdens (Matt. 11:28-30). He’s already gone on ahead of me (but not without leaving me a faithful counselor (John 14:26)) to go and prepare a place for me—in His eternal home (John 14:3). He waits for me with arms open wide, and my homecoming will be precious to Him (Ps. 116:15).

Even as I write these words and am reminded of His faithful promises once again, it brings tears to my eyes because of how much He loves me. He wants me. And I am His. These are only a handful of the faithful promises He gives us. We have much to be thankful for.

So, let us come before him today with gladness, joyful songs of praise and thanksgiving, knowing that the love and faithfulness of our LORD endures forever, and continues through all generations.

And God said, “I will be with you.” Exodus 3:12a

*Written by Rachel Baker
On the rare days when my son is the only one at home with me, I know from the start of the day that we will be spending a lot of time in close proximity. It’s not that he always wants to do things with me, but he likes to know that I’m close by – just in case. If I’m being honest, I completely understand how he feels. There is comfort in knowing that the person who cares for you is right there with you, able to help when you need it.

There are many times in scripture when we see the I AM extending this same comfort to His people. When the Lord tells Moses he is being sent to Pharaoh to bring the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses responds with doubt and fear: “Who am I that I should go?” (Exod. 3:11). This sounds a lot like my kids when they are nervous and doubt their own abilities: “But, I can’t do it!” The I AM reassures Moses by saying, “I will be with you” (Exod. 3:12). In the book of Judges, we see where Gideon is told to go and save Israel from Midian. In a reaction similar to Moses, he questions the Lord’s command, asking how he can do such a huge task. The I AM is consistent in His response: “I will be with you” (Judges 6:16).

In this season of thanksgiving, I am especially grateful for the ultimate example of God’s presence among us:
“...an angel of the Lord appeared to [Joseph] in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ – which means, ‘God with us.’” Matthew 1:20b-23

Not only did our Lord come down to live among us, He also promises to never leave us:

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt. 28:20b)

Just like my son is comforted by my presence, we can take comfort in knowing that when we need Him most, we are able to rest in the I AM who is with us... always.

In light of yesterday’s post, is discontent the thorn that needs removing? Do you need someone to help hold you accountable on that point?
No matter what area in which I am striving to grow and bloom. No matter what thorn that needs removing. I am honored and blessed to have Iron Rose Sisters in my life that can encourage and inspire me in that endeavor. They lift me up and support me or call me out when I am in need of loving correction.
Today, I am very thankful for my Iron Rose Sisters.
And I invite you to participate in the Common Threads with your own Iron Rose Sisters.

Some of the original Iron Rose Sisters are a group of women who came to be known as the Twisted Sisters. The name was inspired by a Bible study book that highlighted the struggle we all have with our internal selves, battling to choose to follow God’s way instead of our own selfish ways (Romans 7:14-28).
Since I was back in Baton Rouge for a Ladies’ Day this past weekend, a few ladies from that original group gathered for a meal to talk, laugh, pray, and share in each other’s lives. My Twisted Sisters are a diverse group of women, connected in Christ: all young at heart, spanning several generations, we are married, single, kids, no kids, grandkids...
And they have continued to serve as Iron Rose Sisters—iron sharpening iron, encouraging me and others to be as beautiful as a rose in spite a few thorns.
These relationships are impossible without Christ in the center. And God has designed us to not have to go it alone. The body of Christ, with all of its unique members, was created to work together, spur one another on, encourage, challenge, and lift up each other.
These Twisted Sisters represent many other similar groups in other cities across the world. When I share with other women about what it means to be and have an Iron Rose Sister, I am blessed to have many personal stories to draw from, inspiring women to bless others through deep and meaningful relationships. I am eternally grateful to God for providing those Christian brothers and sisters, friends and family when I have needed them most.
And I am honored to share those stories from my life and from Scripture in order to inspire other women to rise to the challenges God has called us to.
Thank you for praying that God will use me as His instrument to equip women to connect to God and one another more deeply. And may you also give thanks today for the Iron Rose Sisters (or Twisted Sisters) in your life.

Thankful for the thorns

Written by Pauline Stanton, Little Rock, Arkansas

I am always thankful for the thorns. Without them, life is mundane, uneventful, and although very beautiful, the thorns along the way give us pause to stop, reflect, and really admire all the roses that God puts in our lives. Every day. I use these as thanksgivings to help family and friends find their “thorns” and share with us how they have grown from them.