Iron Rose Sister Ministries

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Published: 09 May 2018

• Holy Spirit

RUACH
By Michelle J. Goff

He hovered over the waters... Ruach.
And the Spirit of the Lord kept moving, never dormant... Ruach!
Descended as a cloud and a pillar of fire to guide; a cloud again, resting on the elders to prophesy... Ruach.
Imparted wisdom to Joshua, judges, and kings; Gideon blew a trumpet, Samson defeated foes... the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon them... Ruach!
Poured out to prophesy, lead, judge, and rule... wisdom and understanding characterized the Spirit’s presence in the lives of the anointed... Ruach.
Anointed as God’s chosen kings, Saul, David, and Solomon were inspired by the Spirit to speak, were filled by the Spirit to lead, and were empowered by the Spirit to defeat the enemy... Ruach!
But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul. Silence.
Disobedience, rejection, an enemy of the Lord... Silence.
David bore witness to the tormented evil spirit in Saul; the absence of the Spirit of the Lord. Silence.
“Take not your Holy Spirit from me,” Ruach!
David experienced the indwelling of the Spirit... Ruach.
May the Spirit of the Lord rest upon me... Ruach.
May He pour out wisdom, understanding, counsel, and might, knowledge and fear of the Lord... Ruach!
Who can fathom the Spirit of the Lord? May I never tire of the quest to contemplate Him and His presence... Ruach.
Use me to proclaim good news to the poor; bind up the brokenhearted; proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.
Ruach, breathe new life into me as you did for the faithful of old.
Guide me in your ways and instruct my plans.
Come upon me powerfully and speak through me as you did through the prophets of another day. Ruach!
I do not expect a double-portion like Elisha, but that I may rest in Your presence, taste of your goodness, and never experience the pain of your departure.
Ruach... Ruach... Ruach!

(Note: Ruach is the Hebrew word for the Spirit of the Lord)

#IronRoseSister #HolySpirit #Ruach

Details

Published: 02 May 2018

• Holy Spirit

It started out simple: an idea, barely a thought. Yet when planted, a seed of faith, it has bloomed and grown into what God continues to design it to be: Iron Rose Sister Ministries.

Where did the name come from? What prompted the launching of this ministry? Questions I am often asked and thrilled to answer!

Tomorrow, at the Pepperdine Bible Lectures, I will actually share more about how the Holy Spirit has led us as a ministry. If you are here in Malibu, please join us in AC 280 at 11am (PDT). “Here Am I, Send Me! Across the Americas to Equip Women in English and Spanish.” And if you aren’t there, connect via Facebook Live and later, I will share a recording of the class on our website.

In the meantime, here is a teaser... I have been humbled and amazed to see how God answers my prayer, originally expressed by Isaiah, “Here am I. Send me!” (Is. 6:8b).

God’s calling in my personal life has seen more transitions and transformations than the logo development you see pictured here.

Actually, the name, logo, and application of the Common Threads came to me, all within a 24-hour timespan, in what can best be described as a vision. That reference may make some uncomfortable, but after weeks of prayer, seeking, listening, and wrestling, God began to make His answers and direction clear. And when God makes things that clear through the leading of His Spirit, one is left with no other response than “Yes, sir! Here am I. Send me!”

After the blessing of serving in full-time ministry my entire career, I saw similar needs across the diversity of contexts in which I had worked (missions, church-planting, campus, and women’s ministries):
• Teaching that equipped women to connect to God and one another more deeply
• Small group Bibles studies that were simple enough for anyone to lead, yet deep enough for everyone to grow
• A need for resources in English, an even greater void in Spanish, and barely anyone doing anything for women in a bilingual context
• Women longing to be encouraged, inspired, and equipped in ways that another Christian sister is best equipped to do through authentic relationships

The acronym for an Iron Rose Sister is IRS. And the irony is not lost on me. Spiritually speaking, we offer one another a spiritual audit, inviting a Christian sister to serve as an accountability partner, iron sharpening iron, encouraging each other to be as beautiful as a rose, in spite of the thorns.

Thank you for joining us in prayer as God, through His Holy Spirit, continues to guide us to equip more women to connect to God and one another more deeply, across the Americas.

If you would like to get involved, would like more information, or are willing to donate to help make these things possible, we would love for you to join us in this vision!

#IronRoseSister #HolySpirit #CommonThreads