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As a ministry and individually, we have been focused on growth for 2018. And as I reflect on how Iron Rose Sister Ministries started, where God has brought us thus far, and where we are going, I am reminded that growth is a process—a process in which we joyfully and painfully find ourselves, through faith.
In 2013, a seed of faith was planted that sprouted as the initial stages of a bilingual women’s ministry resource. IRSM was “born.” Through the watering and tending of many prayer warriors and financial supporters, God brought about explosive growth, even in the early stages.
Within the first year, we rejoiced over trips that spanned the northern, southern, eastern, and western extremes of the Americas, thanks to hosts in Alaska, Argentina, California, and Washington D.C.
Within the first two years, we had already provided resources for thousands of women, equipping them to connect to God and one another more deeply.
By year three, we were equipping women in all 19 Spanish-speaking countries and over half of the states in the U.S. In our fourth year, we experienced more growth than we could manage. Personally, I experienced a burnout from being stretched too thin by the amazing growth opportunities.
And so, now, after we have planted, watered, and tended the growth, we are now in a time of pruning for more intentional and multiplied growth in the future.
July will be our five-year anniversary. And just as a kindergartener has to prepare for her school years in which she will make new friends and learn new things, we must prepare as we look forward to the many more women we will equip across the Americas and what we will learn through the new directions God will lead us! In order to prepare for that growth, we must also go through some pruning, or growing pains, as we have called them.
Pruning is NOT fun. It hurts. Fresh places are exposed, left raw and vulnerable. Stripped of what we once knew, we are broken down, straining to be built back up again.
Pruning is a process and that means that it takes time. As a ministry or personally, we may not see the fruit of the growth as soon as we would like. God, the Divine Gardener, patiently walks with us through the pruning. Each painful cut is for our own good, for our growth, transforming us more into the image of His Son.
Thank you for joining us in the IRSM planting (spreading the word about IRSM), tending (using IRSM resources as we together tend to the spiritual needs of women) and watering (through your prayers and financial support). You are part of the process as God brings the growth.
“5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task.6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.” (1 Cor. 3:6-9)
Plant. Water. Tend. Prune. Repeat.
And don’t forget to harvest after God brings the growth!
Will you be a harvest worker with us? A planter? A waterer? Will you help tend to and equip more women to connect to God and one another more deeply? Will you pray with us for wisdom in the pruning?
Thanks for joining with us in the growth process. We can’t wait to see what else God has in store! Remember... it is God who makes it grow. And for that, we are thankful.
#IronRoseSister #allthingsIRSM #growth
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In the original Shrek movie, Donkey and Shrek profoundly discuss ogres and their complexities. However, Donkey does not understand Shrek and thinks that the comparison between ogres and onions, who both have layers, is not as appealing as a comparison to the layers in parfait because, “Everyone likes parfait!”
No matter which way you slice it, ogres, onions, people, and parfait all have layers. Even Jesus had layers. He was the son of Mary and the Son of God, brother and cousin, teacher and friend. The complexities of His life on earth give us even more ways with which we can connect, and on multiple levels.
I also like to compare His parables to onions because of the layers to their meaning, their interpretation, and their application in our lives.
And while all of these things are true, I have recently observed something else about onions. Out of their layers, they grow and multiply to grow new onions. Multiple times. And on my kitchen counter!
An onion’s nature is to grow. Even with no direct sunlight, lack of water, and devoid of nutrient-rich soil. I mean, where will an onion find those things on my kitchen counter? Yet it grew.
This picture is of the second time the onions grew out of their inner layers. The first “batch” went into a pot of Venezuelan black beans.
And as I looked at this second growth one morning, I realized how much I can learn from the onion about my own growth:
• A lone onion may multiply to produce another onion, but there is a limit to how big or how much an onion can grow if it is not truly grounded.
• Truly connected with the Divine Gardener, I can continue in steady growth and bear more fruit—fruit of the Spirit and the fruit of new disciples.
“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me” (John 15:4).
• My own efforts will fizzle and dry up if I am not drinking of the Living Water (John 4:10, 14).
• The deeper I dig into the layers of God´s Word, the greater my understanding of who He is and who I am called to be will grow
• And, grounded in the Word, rooted and established in love, I am better prepared for true, lasting growth (Eph. 4:15).
Yes, I really did get all this application from a couple of onions sitting on my kitchen counter.
What is God showing you about growth? Let´s peel back the layers and discover what God is teaching you through today!
#IronRoseSister #allthingsIRSM #growth #onions