Iron Rose Sister Ministries

The story goes that five blind Chinese men were asked to describe an elephant. The first man stepped up to the elephant, felt with his hands, smelled with his nose and said, “It is long and narrow, very flexible – like a snake, but with a little brush on the end. It is also very stinky.”
“Long and narrow? It is more like a thick hose that, Ah! Sprays out the end!”
“It is no hose at all.” Said the third man, the shortest of the five. “It is most like a tree, rough and solid. Much thicker than a hose.”

Okay ladies, I don’t mean that. I am referring to the monthly opportunity and reminder to make the reflections from the month even more personal and practical through the Common Threads.
Yesterday, I encouraged you to serve as a hero of faith or mentor to someone else. We all want someone to cheer us on and encourage us in our walk of faith. So, today, I will offer you a specific tool to make that possible.

Give a friend a call, grab some coffee, send her a text, or set up a Skype appointment with a long-distance friend. Take the opportunity to share how you want to grow in your faith. Be specific and pray together over these things.

Okay ladies, I don’t mean that. I am referring to the monthly opportunity and reminder to make the reflections from the month even more personal and practical through the Common Threads.
Yesterday, I encouraged you to serve as a hero of faith or mentor to someone else. We all want someone to cheer us on and encourage us in our walk of faith. So, today, I will offer you a specific tool to make that possible.
Give a friend a call, grab some coffee, send her a text, or set up a Skype appointment with a long-distance friend. Take the opportunity to share how you want to grow in your faith. Be specific and pray together over these things.

When Peter stepped out on faith to walk on water, he trusted completely in the one who called him out of the boat. He took several miraculous steps, walking on the water, just as Jesus had done.

However, when he lost sight of Jesus, he lost faith in the possibility of the impossible.

When we lose sight of Christ (Heb. 12:2), our faith wavers and we are overcome by the storms of life. Peter allowed the storm to distract him from focusing on Jesus.

But that is not the end of the story.

We see in Matthew 14:28-32, that when Peter’s focus shifted from Jesus to the wind, he cried out, “Lord, save me.”

And that’s exactly what our Lord did and does. He extends his hand in grace to rescue us. Step out on faith today, knowing that the Lord is there to catch you if you lose sight and draw you back to him.

When Peter stepped out on faith to walk on water, he trusted completely in the one who called him out of the boat. He took several miraculous steps, walking on the water, just as Jesus had done.
However, when he lost sight of Jesus, he lost faith in the possibility of the impossible.
When we lose sight of Christ (Heb. 12:2), our faith wavers and we are overcome by the storms of life. Peter allowed the storm to distract him from focusing on Jesus.
But that is not the end of the story.
We see in Matthew 14:28-32, that when Peter’s focus shifted from Jesus to the wind, he cried out, “Lord, save me.”
And that’s exactly what our Lord did and does. He extends his hand in grace to rescue us. Step out on faith today, knowing that the Lord is there to catch you if you lose sight and draw you back to him.

Love is Eternal

Written by Wendy Neill
I remember the “Aha” moment. I wrote it in the margins of my Bible beside 1 Corinthians 13:13. It was September of 1998 and Brother Ira Edwards was teaching Bible class in Delta, Colorado. I was a mother of a one year old, so I was probably struggling to stay awake, but Brother Ira was a wise teacher and I enjoyed hearing what he had to say.

1 Corinthians 13:13 says “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” There are a lot of reasons love might be considered the greatest (and Michelle has provided us with a great list in her recent post). But the reason Brother Ira pointed out that day really spoke to me. He said, “Love is the only one of the three that is eternal. In heaven, there will be no more need for faith and hope.” Wow. Have you ever thought about that? When we get to heaven, we will be face-to-face with God who IS love. We will no longer need faith, because our faith will be replaced by sight. We will no longer need hope, because all of our hopes will be fulfilled. But his love for us will last forever and we will soak it up like a warm bath.

I wrote a blog post here last year about my friend, Effie. This year, Effie went home to the Lord. I miss her, but it is a thrill for me to think that she no longer needs faith and hope, because she is in the presence of Love. And so is Brother Ira. And so I will be someday.

In Mark’s account of the Greatest Command, he highlights the depth of love we should have for God.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30)
What does it mean to love God will heart, soul, mind, and strength?
I interpret that to mean that I should love Him with everything I feel (heart), who I am (soul), what I think (mind), and what I do (strength).
But can I love Him that completely if I don’t give Him my time?
If I add the phrase, “Love the Lord your God with all your time,” I am brought to a whole new level of application for what it means to truly and deeply love God.
This week, as many are making plans for the New Year, and as we have been recently reminded of one of God’s ultimate demonstrations of love by sending His Son to earth—I am going to reflect on what it means to love the Lord my God with all my time. That seems like a greater sacrifice of love than heart, soul, mind, and strength.
How can you love God with all your time this week and into next year?

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.” (John 15:9)
Some people are easy to love—my nephew and niece, for example.
Having a forty-pound monkey on my back during portions of the family hike was in no way a burden because of the love we share. His sweet, never-ending kisses and the time we can spend reading stories in Spanish are precious moments I treasure.
My niece is growing and learning to laugh. Her smiles are infectious and every little thing she does is a delight.
God is not burdened when we place things on His shoulders because of His tremendous love for us. He longs to remind us that we are a part of His eternal love story.
And just as we rejoice in the new things my niece discovers, never tiring of her smiles and snuggles, God never wavers in His infinite love for us.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)
Love defines us as God’s disciples.
The more we dwell in His love, the easier it is to extend that love to others.
Not only are you a beloved child of God, but so are His other disciples.
How can you show your Christian sister God’s love for her today? Take a moment to share God’s love story and delight in what God is doing in your lives.

Mark 10:27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

Written by Rebeca Martinez:
Throughout my Christian life God has shown me on many occasions that there is nothing impossible for him. He has shown me that he is aware of the smallest detail in my life; that he is aware of my dreams and desires, of my worries and the hurts of my past. God in his perfect timing has also shown me the plans he has for my life, reaffirming my faith in him, and showing me that there is nothing impossible for him.

Mustard Seeds
Written by Erica Peck

Let’s talk seeds. Mustard seeds, to be specific. They are the smallest seed a gardener could hold in their hand, and yet that tiny seed can grow into a gigantic tree, reaching about 20 feet tall. It’s a plant that grows quickly, reaching its full size in only a few years. Though it starts as the smallest seed you’ll ever hold in your hand, it will grow to occupy a large space—so you better make sure it’s got some room!

18 Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? 19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches." (Luke 13:18-19)

Jesus was always good about using concrete examples in this world that people could see and touch in order to describe aspects of Himself, or about the kingdom of heaven in His parables. Did you know that mustard trees grow wild throughout much of the Middle East and Africa? And that it can survive on as little as 8 inches of rainfall per year? It’s hardy and strong. When Jesus told the people this parable, He may very well have been walking next to one, pointing up at its branches so everyone could see and truly understand.

In another place in scripture, Jesus tells us, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20)

Have you ever held a mustard seed in your hand? It’s so small, you feel like it may slip from your hand and drop it. And yet Jesus tells us that if we have faith even that small, “nothing will be impossible for us.” His kingdom will grow like a mustard seed—gigantic, growing quickly, and surviving, even the roughest of places. I believe this is true. Do you? In your circles of influence, where can you plant a “mustard seed” today? Will it be in a conversation with your co-worker? In the heart of your sticky-faced toddler? With the woman at the grocery store? Your influence has a farther reach than you think. And I have faith that He will use those seeds to grow His kingdom strong and mighty.

2 Kings 6:15-17
When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked.
“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
We don’t know if Elisha could see with his physical eyes that the army of the Lord surrounded them. But we do know that he looked with eyes of faith.
Having trouble seeing with eyes of faith?
We can echo the prayer of the father in Mark 9:23-24.
“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”
Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

2 Kings 6:15-17

When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked.

“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

We don’t know if Elisha could see with his physical eyes that the army of the Lord surrounded them. But we do know that he looked with eyes of faith.

Having trouble seeing with eyes of faith?

We can echo the prayer of the father in Mark 9:23-24.

“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”

Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

Written by Michelle J. Goff, Founder and Director of Iron Rose Sister Ministries 

On the 4^th of July (Independence Day), we sat outside at Grandpa and Grandma’s farm, watching the fireworks in the distance and delighting in our annual tradition of root beer floats. Those grandparents are no longer with us, but my nephew and niece have been warned by their mom that they will hear that story every time we enjoy Independence Day fireworks with family, sipping root beer.

On the maternal side of the family, Granddaddy loves to tell jokes. He collected them for years as a speech professor and occasional preacher. As kids, whenever we heard a good joke, we would call him up and retell it. These days, he regales us with his favorites, telling them as if for the first time. When he asks, “Have you heard that one?”, one sister has learned to cleverly respond, “Not today!” The first time he caught on to her joke, he winked, laughed, and said, “Oh, you’re definitely part of this family with that sense of humor!”

Whether time-honored traditions or long-standing jokes, we celebrate the connections they bring. From both sides of my family, another connection is their legacies of faith. I know this because of the stories passed down.

The Iowa grandparents led a quiet life as farmers. The Florida two were teachers in a big city, rampant with worldly influence. Both couples were challenged to live out their faith in their respective contexts. And since we grandkids lived at least an 18-hour car ride from the nearest, we relied more heavily on our parents to pass down the generational stories of faith.

Prayer was a vital lifeline for all four grandparents. Dean and Evelyn prayed that their crops would produce a harvest ample enough to sell and provide for their own needs. They prayed over whether they should take my dad and aunt in as teenagers (as foster parents). They prayed that God would provide preachers for their one-room church building, built by previous generations.

George and Barbara prayed that God would use them to plant seeds of truth and faith in their students. They prayed that God would lead them in starting a nonprofit called Christian Homes for Children in South Florida and use them to bless children who were not able to receive loving care in other places. George even wrote a book, Prayer Power, contributing the proceeds from book sales to that foster care ministry. Even earlier this year, Grandmommy wanted to pray with whichever family member visited her hospital room.

Their “God stories,” as I have endearingly termed them, remind me of God’s faithfulness throughout all generations and have inspired me in how I live out my own faith.

My mom, a gifted storyteller, has created an expectation that we share the God stories. We cannot keep them to ourselves! She never passes up an opportunity to demonstrate how she saw God working, and it doesn’t matter whether the other person is a believer. Her story becomes an intentional invitation to allow Him to author their story.

The beautiful thing is that the more we tell God stories and recognize His hand at work, the more we see Him and invite Him to be the living, active, all-powerful God that He is in our lives.

In a recent conversation, already needing to get back to work, I asked a couple of friends to give me five more minutes to share the full backstory of connections, because only then would the bigger God story of it all be revealed. Neither hesitated in granting my request, anticipating how they would be blessed by hearing it all come together as only God could orchestrate.

The following five minutes cannot be summarized in an 800-word blog post. I would need a map to illustrate what parts of the world I was referring to (five countries on three continents). Hand motions were required to draw connections, from the family where the story began through the interweaving of other families’ lives. We fast-forwarded and rewound our timeline as we navigated the intricacies of the tapestry God was creating. And yes, I showed pictures.

Iron Rose Sister Ministries and hundreds, maybe thousands, of women are reaping the blessing of those interconnected, generational God stories being passed down… and I’m only referring to that morning’s snippets of those families’ entwined God stories (Wyatt, Holland, Goff, Fincher, White, Yarbrough, Brizendine, and Batres).

The best part is that the eternal impact and blessing of the story is not yet fully written. The oldest generation has gone before us, leaving their legacy. It is our responsibility to carry on and pass down their stories of faith.

We may doubt our impact while on this earth. Yet when we share God stories that narrate another person’s faith, we affirm the ripple effect of one life on the legacy of God’s faithfulness.

I cannot wait to hear the God stories to come! Hopefully in heaven, God will gloriously reveal the millions of backstories, faithfully passed down. Oh, to sing those stories with the angels and the thousand generations (Deut. 7:9)!

What God story can you pass down or be a part of today?

Written by Michelle J. Goff, Founder and Director of Iron Rose Sister Ministries

If someone were to ask me about my relationship with the Holy Spirit, I would take a long pause before answering. My head would tilt, then nod, as I began reflecting on how that relationship has changed over the years.

When I was young, the Holy Spirit was represented by a dove at Jesus’ baptism or by tongues of fire on the Day of Pentecost. While accurate in their respective biblical contexts, they form an incomplete picture of who He is and what He does.

Even the fact that I refer to the Holy Spirit now as “He,” rather than “It,” is noteworthy. It took time for me to learn to see God and trust God through His Spirit.

According to Acts 2:38, we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit, along with the washing away of our sins, when we are baptized. The Holy Spirit empowered the apostles to perform miracles throughout the book of Acts.

Turning back a few pages in our Bibles, the apostle John does the most thorough job of explaining Jesus’ promise that we would receive the Spirit as our Comforter, Guide, and Reminder of Truth (John 14, 16).

At the root of our relationship with the Holy Spirit is our faith.

I do not make that statement as a condemnation of those who do not believe in the workings of the Holy Spirit. Neither is it a declaration of weak faith upon those who are filled with doubts in this area.

My younger self was critical of those who spoke confidently about what the Holy Spirit had or had not done. I errantly thought the Spirit was dormant until Jesus brought Him into the picture. And I was skeptical of how He works today.

However, I have discovered that the strength of my relationship with the Holy Spirit is directly correlated to the depth and breadth of my faith in Him and in what God has promised through Him. I had to set aside my fears of the mysterious, indescribable, even other-worldly nature of the Spirit.

Many of you have heard this story, but indulge me with a brief synopsis: During my first trip to Venezuela, there was a woman who asked me a question in Spanish, and I had no idea how to answer her… not even in English. I sent up an arrow prayer, opened my mouth, and what came out was spiritually wise, biblically accurate, and eloquently stated in fluent Spanish. In other words, it was not me; it was the Holy Spirit through me. I believed He would use me as His instrument. And my confidence in that belief has grown through my prayers and study of the Word, not to mention more and more experiences like that one.

I encourage you to open your mind to what the Spirit’s role and relationship is in your life. You could do a word study on the Holy Spirit, finding the verses that refer to Him and what He does through others.

Because He is spirit, the Holy Spirit needs a vessel through which to do His work. In other words, the Holy Spirit is God’s conduit through which He reaches, teaches, guides, comforts, and directs us.

How can we grasp the air? Our life is like a vapor (James 4:14). We cannot see the wind, but we see the effects of it. We see evidence of the Spirit, but we may not recognize His hand until we are past the moment of greatest need for Him.

Did you know the Holy Spirit had a significant role throughout the Old Testament? After a deep dive on that study, I wrote a poem entitled, “Ruach,” the Hebrew word that best represents the Spirit. It is an onomatopoeia (the word describes itself by the sounds it makes when you say it, e.g., swoosh, buzz). Note: The poem appears in the last chapter of I already AM: Testimonies of Belief of the Great I AM.

When David prayed, “Take not your Holy Spirit from me!” (Ps. 51:11 ESV), he had witnessed the difference in his predecessor, Saul, when God’s Spirit was taken away. The Spirit spoke through many of the prophets, priests, and kings. The important distinction from then to now is that not everyone was offered the invitation to have the Spirit. Now, when we become one with Christ, we celebrate the joy of the resurrection and redemption from life without the Spirit.

If you do not have a relationship with the Holy Spirit, I invite you to take the important step of faith by proclaiming your belief publicly, repenting from a Spirit-less way of life in darkness, confessing Jesus as Lord of your life, and being baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

If you would like help on that part of your spiritual journey, we would love to help connect you with a local church that can walk alongside you.

The prayer at the end of Ephesians 3 has always been one of my favorites. The reminder of the depth, length, height, and depth of God’s love... that His power is at work with me... and that He is able to do beyond what I can ask or imagine. Wow!
These familiar verses fill me with hope, but the renewal of strength came when I took a longer minute to reflect on the way faith and love are an integral part of making it all possible. Christ dwells in my heart through faith—and that faith allows me to comprehend the vastness of His love. I can even know His love that surpasses knowledge. Mind blown. Re-read these verses with me from Ephesians 3:14-21. May you, too, be rooted, grounded, and established in that love, filled with faith that powerfully works in and through us.
14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

In Genesis 22, God asks Abraham to sacrifice "his only son, Isaac, whom he loves." The story goes straight from God's request of Abraham (v. 2) to "Early the next morning Abraham got up" and started the three-day journey to make a burnt offering before God.
We don't see any negotiating with God. There's no second-guessing God's wisdom. There is only faith and obedience.

The Bible is a love story, offering hope to a world without purpose or direction.
And this time of year, in the midst of the commercialism that surrounds the holiday, we are given the opportunity to remember and to share that message of love and hope with others.
Hope came in the form of a child, a babe wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger (Luke 2:12).
Love came down from heaven, became flesh and dwelt among us (1 John 4:8, John 1:14).
Emmanuel, God with us, was born as the Messiah, the fulfillment of prophecy and promise of hope.
Love from the Father, personified in the Son, reinforced through the Spirit.
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. (2 Thes. 2:16-17)
Take a moment today to share that love and hope with at least two people you know—a reminder to someone who already knows and an invitation to someone who doesn’t.

I’m stuck; there’s no way out!
There is no way this is really happening to me.
How did I get myself into this situation?
Does anyone care or know that I am here?

Have you ever asked those questions or felt that way? Joseph did. Literally.

He was stuck in the bottom of a pit with no apparent way out. Yes, being in the pit was better than being dead, but death was still a possibility if there was no way out... So, what was he to do?

Trust.

• Trust that God saw him in the pit.
• Trust that God was bigger than his current circumstances.
• Trust that God had a bigger plan.
• Trust that God had already sent the caravan ahead of time so that it would be passing by at the exact moment he had been thrown into the pit.

Genesis 37:24-28
24 And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it. 25 Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. 26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. 28 Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt.

Are you in a difficult situation? Feeling stuck? At a loss to know how to get out or if things will get better?

Trust.

• Trust that God sees you in the pit.
• Trust that God is bigger than your current circumstances.
• Trust that God has a bigger plan.
• Trust that the caravan is coming. It is probably already on its way.

#IronRoseSister #MichelleJGoff #faith #trust

Who do you have in your corner cheering you on?
I have been blessed with a plethora of supporters and encouragers: family, friends, Christian brothers and sisters, mentors, and even a glorified cheerleader (self-proclaimed).
I stand on the shoulders of many men and women of faith who have shared their wisdom and knowledge to bless my own Christian walk.

Who do you have in your corner cheering you on?

I have been blessed with a plethora of supporters and encouragers: family, friends, Christian brothers and sisters, mentors, and even a glorified cheerleader (self-proclaimed).

I stand on the shoulders of many men and women of faith who have shared their wisdom and knowledge to bless my own Christian walk.

Today, I want to honor them and recognize their place among the great cloud of witnesses mentioned in Hebrews 12:1-2. These verses refer to the heroes of faith mentioned in chapter 11 (aka the Great Hall of Faith), but our cloud of witnesses is not exclusive to the people from the biblical era.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

Who in your life helps you keep your eyes fixed on Jesus? Take a moment today to thank them and find someone for whom you can serve as a hero of faith as well.

Feel inadequate to the task? Take a look back at Hebrews 11 and remember the imperfections of the heroes of faith. None were perfect, but they ultimately let their faith and not their failures define them.