Iron Rose Sister Ministries

New beginnings can start at any time. By this point in January, many people are feeling discouraged because some of the resolutions they made for the new year have fallen by the wayside. Others have opted for a specific word or concept on which to focus their thoughts, Bible study, and prayers for the year.

As a ministry, we are focusing on Preparing for the I AM in 2019. For our annual Prayer Month emphasis in February, we are “Praying to the I AM.”

Each year, we have committed to spending 24 days of prayer leading up to 24 hours of prayer, but this year, after a year of significant growth, we wanted to add a “Plus 1.” 24 days (+1) of prayer will lead up to 24 hours (+1) of prayer.

Here are the applications of “Plus 1.”
• Invite someone else to pray with you, for IRSM, and as a Prayer Partner
• Growing in a life of Prayer.
• Growing in relationship with the I AM.
• Growing in the ways with pray with others.
• Adding IRSM and the vision of equipping women to your daily prayers.
• The Prayer Month does not end with a certain month, a specific number of days, hours, or minutes. We are invited to pray without ceasing (1 Thes. 5:17)! Add a “Plus 1” to your life of prayer.

How you can join us as IRSM Prayer Warriors, Praying to the I AM:
• Commit to pray daily for IRSM and download the February Prayer Calendar
• Share the calendar and opportunity to pray with a “Plus 1” friend or Iron Rose Sister.
• Share the Instagram posts (@IronRoseSister) and daily requests from our Facebook page posts (Iron Rose Sister Ministries) or share your own prayers and posts with the hashtags #IronRoseSister #prayingtoIAM.
• Comment on Facebook, Instagram, or write us personally to let us know where you are praying from and the specific prayers God has led you to pray on IRSM’s behalf.

Monday, February 25 will be our Prayer-a-thon, in which people from all over the world will join as one voice to lift up IRSM to the Great I AM.
• Sign up for a 15-minute time slot to prayon Monday, February 25th on our website: (http://ironrosesister.com/be-a-part/pray then click the link to a Google Doc) or contact us with the time slot you prefer and city, state/country you are praying from. Times are listed in Central Standard Time.

Beyond our Prayer Month, here’s what you can do as an IRSM Prayer Warrior:
• Sign up for our monthly Prayer newsletter (different than our e-news). Subscribe on the website or contact us to add your email address.
• Commit to keeping IRSM in your prayers, especially that the I AM will guide and bless our equipping efforts in His name.

Please know that you are in our prayers as well. We cannot do this without you! Your prayers are a vital, integral part of what God has called us to: equip more women to connect to the I AM and to one another, in English, Spanish, and bilingual contexts across the Americas.
Thank you!
Note: The calendar is available in both English and Spanish.

#IronRoseSister #prayer #24hoursofprayerplus1 #IAM #beapart

I introduce to you Débora Rodrigo, a Spanish woman who works with us at IRSM, here in Searcy, Arkansas, behind the scenes.

Débora, tell us a little bit about you and your family.
I was born and grew up in Spain. I studied there, I met God there, I got married there, and my daughter was born there also. Four years ago, as a family, we made the decision to come to the United States temporarily. It was a difficult change that brought many things with it, things we did not expect. In January of last year, heartbroken, I witnessed how the man I chose to share the rest of my life with, and with whom I had married seven years before, packed his things and left home. Then, just a few months later, he filed for divorce and made official his relationship with another woman. In just one year, my life has taken a 360º turn. Today I am at the beginning of a path that I never thought I would travel, as a single mother and in a foreign country, and it's time to start from scratch.

How do you face these changes and this new beginning you have ahead?
I have still a lot to learn, but I try to focus on all the positives around me. I think that, whatever our situation or stage of life is, we always can look ahead with hope. However, we must make that decision, because it will probably not happen naturally.
A few weeks ago, I graduated with my masters. I made the decision that my graduation would be not just the end of my degree, but also the end of a stage that has been filled with many tears, the triumph of having survived the storm; but overall, the beginning of a new stage: a new beginning. I think that as Christians, we are called to keep looking forward; first to what waits for us after this life, but also to what there is still in it. God promises to be there, helping us, and He encourages us to focus not on what was, but rather on what will be. “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” (Isaiah 43:18-19).

We recognize that not every beginning is one we would like or were hoping for. What can you tell us about that?
In fact, I would say that in most cases it is not something we want. If someone had given me the opportunity, I would never have chosen to start over. I would have preferred to maintain things as they were; a situation in which even many things were not working the way they should. That's what I realize now, but not then. Most of us naturally resist situations that cause us pain. And when we are faced with something that turns our world upside down, we usually ask ourselves “why?”, or “why me?”. We complain and mourn, or even curse. But the truth is that the Bible calls these situations blessings: blessed are those who mourn, those who need justice to be done... those who suffer (Matthew 5: 3-12). What does James say about this? "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds..." (James 1: 2). This is the way God works best in His people. There are many examples in the Bible of renewed lives through new beginnings after devastating situations. If you are suffering and you are facing a new beginning, welcome to the growth! God continues to do wonderful things in the lives of His people.

For you, what does a new beginning mean?
It means a new opportunity. It means leaving behind everything in which I have failed and or in which others have failed me. It means, despite the pain, I look straight ahead. It is hard. There are many things that I would like to not have to think about, decisions I would prefer not to have to make. Many days I feel tired and without strength to take another step. But I must admit that it is a very great opportunity to grow, to evaluate my life, to take out of my life all that I no longer want there, and to start working on what I do want. Many times, we simply get carried away by our routine, our day to day. When everything around you falls down and you are forced to start over, you need to evaluate what you still have, and what you have lost... in order to rebuild.
I think it is something like when you lose your house because of a fire or a natural disaster. It feels terrible to be in front of a pile of uninhabitable debris. You must clean everything and build it again. It is a really hard work and very painful, especially because there are things that you will never recover again, and you know it. It is emotionally devastating. Your security, your dreams, everything has disappeared. Despite everything, you need to build a new house. Whether you have the strength or not. And although it is difficult to see things in this way, not everything is negative; now you have the opportunity to choose how that new house will be rebuilt. You can decide not to raise that wall that bothered you so much, you can expand the living room and put the bathroom on the other side. And you can always rebuild what you liked about your previous house. It's the same with your life and with yourself when everything has fallen down. It is time to make a new version of your life and of yourself, but this time, improved by experience.

Which verse of the Bible has encouraged you the most in this new beginning?
I could mention several of them. It is amazing how many times God promises us that He cares for our future and gives us hope through the Scriptures. One of my favorites is in Isaiah 40:31: “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
But it is the story of Abraham and the words God spoke to him that I like to meditate on the most. He was an old man who, along with his wife, had suffered decades of infertility, and who was still waiting for the promise of a son to inherit the land God had given him for his descendants. In the middle of his dark night, trying to understand a promise that, given the circumstances, seemed impossible to happen, God insists on the truthfulness of the promised: "Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them... So shall your offspring be" (Gen. 15: 5). Sometimes what we see around us does not allow us to contemplate the promises of God, much bigger, and that have nothing to do with what is before our eyes. In the middle of my dark night, it does not matter how difficult I see my situation. It does not matter the damage caused so far, or the difficulty and pain that still seems to be ahead. I want to look at the sky as well. I want to count the stars. They are everywhere. And God has them reserved for me. I will reach them when the time comes, but until then I know that I must keep believing as Abraham did.

Have you had one or more Iron Rose Sisters who have encouraged, inspired or equipped you in this process towards a new beginning?
Of course, I have had them! I have had several sisters that have accompanied me all the way, and still continue to do it with every step I take. They have been a key piece for me being here today, whole and standing. I think it would have been not possible to face all these changes completely alone.
If you are going through a difficult situation or you are facing a new beginning and you have no one by your side. Find a sister! You need her. You need someone to support you, listen to you, who will mourn your losses with you, someone who will hug you, love you and remind you of how much God loves you and is taking care of you... someone to accompany you. Do not be alone.

Thank you for your time and your perspective. Your words are very encouraging for those who are in similar situations
Thank you for allowing me to continue growing and sharpening my iron with the iron of other sisters. I appreciate the encouragement I receive from these women continuously, as well.

#IronRoseSister #testimony #newbeginnings #IRSM

When facing a new beginning, we have no idea what the end will look like. We can dream of what we hope it becomes. We can plan and set goals toward what we deem an attainable end.

However, unexpected things will happen along the way. We are not in control. Change is a constant. And interruptions are always possible.

Yet, God is not surprised by any of these detours. For Him, they are not detours.

God is the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End (Rev. 22:13). He goes before us, behind us, and surrounds us (Ps. 125:2).

God is the source of life and the conqueror of death (1 Cor. 15:55). He is the Root and the Offspring of David (Rev. 22:16).

He who was and is and is to come, the eternal, cannot be caught off guard.

The Alpha and the Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. I AM is the Author of everything.
The First and the Last imply there is an order to things. I AM is in control of everything.
The Beginning and the End illustrate a timeframe. I AM, Creator, knows when and how everything will happen.

What a comfort to believe in The I AM! Are you trusting The I AM with your new beginning?

When I was in elementary school, I participated in Girl Scouts. We sold cookies and learned life lessons. One of the simple songs I remember from those gatherings went like this:
“Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver and the other, gold.”

Whether new friends or old, silver or gold, my prayer now is that they each be made of iron as we sharpen each other in our friendships.

I have come to value the friendships made in different seasons of my life. I have strong memories from early friendships that shaped me into the person I am today. Mentoring friendships modeled what it meant to be a Christian, a sister, and a friend. Sibling friendships have matured past the pettiness of the teen years.

Yet the deepest friendships I have encountered and with whom I continue to have a solid, iron-strong bond is those with whom I have prayed and studied God’s Word. When we share our lives through the filter of God’s eternal perspective, we connect in ways that only God can facilitate.

My Iron Rose Sisters are those who point me to God and for whom I can do the same thing. Their perspectives are as unique as their colorful qualities as roses in God´s garden. God values the beauty we each bring to His garden and He knows how, when we focus on Him, we can walk with and encourage one another on that journey.

And over the years, the garden changes its makeup. Friends come and go. People move. Jobs change. Death separates us for a time.

With each of those changes, we are blessed with the opportunity to make new friends and keep the old. No matter where I have lived, whether a brief or lengthy period of time, the best place to find new friends and develop lasting friendships is through a women’s small group Bible study.

Right now, on Wednesday nights, a diverse group of women, some I have met before, others I am meeting for the first time, gather weekly to go through a pilot study of the book to be released later this year, I already AM: Testimonies of Belief in the Great I AM.

Please share with us a picture of your small group. Let’s celebrate the new friends and the old, connecting with God and one another more deeply!

#IronRoseSister #newbeginnings #makenewfriends #keeptheold 

Happy New Year!
His mercies are new every morning (Lam. 3:22-23), but there is something special about the New Year. It is a milestone that marks the closure of one year, the welcoming of the next. No matter what happened in the previous year, the page has been turned, a new chapter begun.

There is nothing magical about that midnight moment in which we change our notation of the number of the year... just ask the thousands of people who will continue to make the mistake of writing the previous year for the first few weeks of the new one. New beginnings can take some getting used to.

New beginnings and new years are a time of reflection of all that has happened in the past and the anticipation of the future.

New beginnings can imply celebration or mourning: the couple who just got married or the family that lost a loved one.

New beginnings may come from choices we make or are the consequences of someone else’s decision: graduations or divorce.

Whether from positive or negative circumstances, whether you were ready for it or not, new beginnings offer us the opportunity to start over, learn from the past, and take the next step forward into the future.

And guess who was there walking with you before and who will continue to walk with you into your new beginning?
I AM.

I, personally, am not pretending to state that I am with you in your journey. I would love to walk with you through whatever you are going through. But I am limited, physically, logistically and emotionally, from doing that.

Please allow me to remind you of the I AM who is limitless in His ability to walk with each of us in our journey.

No matter what your new beginning in 2019, please welcome the I AM as the author of your journey.

This year, as a ministry, we will be preparing the way for the I AM—in our hearts, our minds, and in our conversations. We seek His perspective and are growing in our belief of the I AM and each of the names He represents.

Some of this focus is in anticipation of the next book (which I am working on right now!), entitled I already AM and also in conjunction with the Destination Retreat the first weekend in November.

Let’s join together and champion our new beginnings as iron sharpening iron, encouraging one another to bloom as beautiful roses, in spite of the thorns. Specifically, as a ministry, one new beginning is a renewed confidence in our belief of the I AM as our everything. As such, we are preparing the way for Him to work through us to equip more women to connect to I AM and one another more deeply.

We are praying with you and for you in your new beginnings with the I AM this year.

Think back to when you first became a Christian...
Was there a song sung at your baptism that is still special when you hear it?
Were your family and friends there supporting you or did your decision to join the family of Christ feel like rejection to your own family?

What about the place... Was it in an algae-trimmed river? A chlorine-filled pool? The church baptistry on a Wednesday night?

I once helped an elderly woman wash away her sins in a trash can. Yes. She was baptized in a large trash can because there was no other place with enough water in that rural town in Venezuela. Now isn’t that the perfect place to throw away the old life and put on the new life in Christ? She is now rejoicing with our Father in Heaven because of the confession she made that day and repentant life she led from that point forward, until the day she died.

No matter where you died to self and were raised to walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:4), take a moment to remember that new beginning. You confessed Jesus as the Son of God and Lord of your life—Master, Commander, and Chief. But have you really let Him be in charge of your life?

A new life in Christ cannot fit into the old mold of how we were living before. They are incompatible. As Jesus put it, no one puts new wine into old wineskins, unless they want to burst the wineskins and lose the wine (Matt. 9:17).

Thankfully, we have a gracious Father who walks with us in the light and offers us a new beginning each day. His mercies are new every morning (Lam. 3:22-23). And “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

The slate is wiped clean. We can begin again. The old mold is broken. The old wineskin thrown out. Thank you, Jesus!

If you feel yourself sliding back into the old wineskin, take a fresh start at the new life in Christ.

And if you are reading this and have not yet tasted the best new beginning offered by our loving Heavenly Father through the sacrifice of His one and only Son, please consider this a special invitation meant for you.

In addition to the verses already referenced, I have listed a few more verses below for additional reading on this topic, especially for those who have not accepted God’s offer for a new life in Him. And please contact us if we can put you in touch with someone locally who would be able to talk more about this with you!

Romans 6:1-14; Galatians 2:20; 1 John 1:5-10; Acts 2:38; Acts 16:25-34

Jo Gower is one of IRSM’s Prayer Warriors and friends. She is passionate about prayer and hopes to encourage everyone to deepen their relationship with God and one another through prayer.

Jo, please tell us a little about yourself and your family.
In my teenage years I asked the Lord for a husband that would have a heart for God. My prayers began being answered when Hugh and I met, then married in 1972. Before marriage, we agreed that Christ would be the head of our family and the center of our home. Even though we were not perfect in living this principle, it grounded us and gave us a foundation through the good, the bad and the ugly, Ha! It’s called ‘life.’ Though the years if both of us had not matured in Christ, we wouldn’t be

married today. We both are ever grateful that God gave us each other to sharpen as iron sharpens iron.

You have been an awesome advocate for prayer at the Downtown Church of Christ and wherever you have lived and served. Why is prayer such an important part of your life?
There is a fundamental principle of spiritual power: to be mightily used by God is totally dependent on how much time we spend with the Lord. Jesus often withdrew to lonely places to pray; to receive what His Father wanted Jesus to be, do and receive in order for Jesus to do His Father’s will here on earth.

What does it mean to be a Prayer Warrior?
We can become a “Prayer Warrior” when we grasp the fact that as Christians we live in a different realm. Reality isn’t happening in the physical world as we see it, but rather in the heavenly realm.

“for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Eph. 6:12)

As a warrior, we are fighting the spiritual battle not to gain victory, but rather from the place of victory. Jesus already fought for us; the empty grave speaks volumes (1Cor. 15:1-4). We just need to walk with Christ through the victory lane He has provided, which is the path of prayer.

In Ephesians 6:10-23, God provides our armor, but He does not dress us; we have to put on the armor and quickly seal it in prayer, with the help of the Holy Spirit. Victory lane just widened! We are packaging the armor in prayer! We are praying because the victory has already been won.

“...and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” (Ephesians 6:17-18 NIV)

To be a prayer warrior is to “watch and pray” (Luke 21:36).

Is there a Bible verse that has been impactful for you as a Prayer Warrior?
There are many Bible verses, but I’ll hold it to one. Mark 9:14-29, when the disciples could not heal a boy that was possessed by an impure spirit and Jesus healed him. They asked Jesus why they could not heal the boy and Jesus replied: “This kind can come out only by prayer and fasting” (Mark 9:29 NIV).

Is there anyone, like an Iron Rose Sister, who has had a significant impact in your life as a Prayer Warrior? Or someone who has been an example of a Prayer Warrior?
Michelle Goff is the most recent sister to impact my life; at a most crucial time too. Not long after leaving our home in West Monroe, LA moving to Searcy, she invited me to come to an IRSM small group study, “Called to Listen.” This group blessed me in connecting more deeply with God and sisters in Christ. I began to feel more at home in Searcy. Not only did Michelle impact my life but her mother, Jocelynn Goff, did too. What great women of faith! Thank you for accepting me and pulling me into a great time of “iron sharpening iron.” I look forward to many more experiences with IRSM.

Within my life, several people influenced me in my prayer journey. Too many to list, but Hugh, my husband, and Keith, my brother, have made an enormous difference in my prayer life and my walk with Christ. We ministered together to begin the Calhoun School of Prayer, prayer enrichment seminars and prayer retreats in Calhoun, LA. Out of 30 years of prayer ministry (Acts 6:5), came Keith’s book called “Why God Waits for You to Pray.”

Was there an event or something that strengthened your dedication to prayer?
When we lived in the Kansas City, Missouri, area, Hugh and I went to a Prayer Seminar in Overland Park, Kansas conducted by Albert Lemmons. We had already been studying prayer, but this started us on a deeper commitment to pray. After many years, we were blessed to graduate from a 2-year study of the entire Bible in regard to prayer, “CrossView College of Prayer.”

What is the key to continuing a faithful life of prayer?
Pray and meditate on the scriptures. Spending devotional time with God will allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives. Joining prayer groups, connecting with other prayer warriors encourages us to stay focused.

What is one of your greatest testimonies as a Prayer Warrior?
In the Kansas City area, we worked for a local church; after a few years, we had to move. So we prayed first for wisdom. Then Hugh mailed out a few resumes. Meanwhile our home sold quickly. What do we do? Store our things, get an apartment and wait for a job or move in a U-Haul truck toward some of the places that were looking for a preacher? After much prayer, we decided to go visit his Mom and wait. There was no way for anyone to contact us personally (no cell phones, no internet or computers in those days). We loaded the truck, headed south.

So I’m saying to the Lord: “Okay so this will be a long drawn out wait! Churches are just too slow!” Then God brought to mind “think about me, “I AM” that sent Abraham with all his belongings on a journey, not knowing where he was going. I told him to leave but didn’t tell him exactly where I AM was sending him.” This gave me comfort during a difficult move.

When we arrived at his mother’s she said, “A man from the Church of Christ in Ferriday, Louisiana, wants you to call him, he’s been trying to contact you.” Hugh called him; next day drove to Ferriday, they hired him. And because we had not been paid the last 2 weeks, they hired us retroactively, so God took care of all our expenses of moving. Now that’s a God-wink!!! God is good! I had peace through the transition time because the great “I AM” brought to my mind that He sent and took care of His servant, Abraham. And would take care of us too. “The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your native country,...go to the land that I will show you.” Genesis 12:1 (NLT)

Jo, thank you so much for sharing part of your stories and your insights. Thanks for trusting in the I AM, for Praying to the I AM and, also for being an IRSM Prayer Warrior!

#IronRoseSister #testimony #prayerwarrior #newbeginnings #prayer

Written by Mery Pérez, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister in Venezuela

The ghost of failure will come to visit you every once in a while in the form of rejection. And in that moment we think that failure should not exist in the life of a daughter of God, that perhaps if we fail God will no longer see us as His daughters, but what happens when failure does come? What happens when there is a chapter in your life that knocks you down? What happens when you feel hopeless like Elijah did when arriving to Mount Horeb, seeking God’s presence?

Since I was a little girl I have known God’s Word; my mother has been the one that guided me in His ways. I can’t imagine my life outside of the church. Since I was very young, I have been dedicated to teaching. In fact, I am a teacher by profession, but in the church I have been a Bible class teacher since I was 16 years old. Now I am almost 38 years old and I have not let go of the gift God has given me. At 27 years of age, I married a Christian man and after six years of marriage, we got divorced, something that I never expected nor in fact wanted. It was a really hard time, because in the space of a year and a half my second son was born, who has Down Syndrome; my father died six months after his birth; and my husband left me a little after my son turned one year old. Having a son with this condition has been one of the most difficult challenges that God has put in my life; I think it was one of the triggers for my separation as well. But without a doubt, Andy, my son, has been a marvelous learning experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world.

After my divorce and upon becoming single (that is, “single again”) with two children and also feeling shame before God for now being a “divorcée,” I wondered, “How can I continue teaching children and other sisters and continue being an example now?”
“Now people are going to look at my mistakes.” The truth is, I didn’t feel worthy, I didn’t feel like an example, and even though I wanted to remain active in order to teach, I couldn’t figure out how to ask the leadership to give me the opportunity once again to keep doing what I enjoy doing within the church.

Honestly, this process has made me cling even more to God, but He says that to begin again—after a failure—one must be sincere. I don’t know where we get the idea that we have to pretend to be perfect. We aren’t. None of us have reached perfection. Not even me. God is creating a design with the weaving of our life. And it will be beautiful. Everything will fit. But on occasions, from our point of view, it seems to be a disaster, a mess. When we examine our life, we think, “How will something good come out of all of this?”

Our God is a God of second chances and new beginnings. In the Bible we have examples of many people that made mistakes and, in spite of them, God never rejected them. I was also able to notice that within the congregation there were several sisters that were in the same situation as me, “singles again,” and they were able to raise their children and continue teaching the other youths, being an example for me. Not only that, but many of them have been those constant voices that tell me that I can do it, that God continues loving us and His grace covers us, as long as we have a willing heart. Those sisters are the ones that have also been in my shoes and can understand through empathy how it feels to go through this situation. It’s not a matter of faked perfection, because, is there anything that God does not know?

The success of the servant of God is not in the result, but rather in wholly obeying the words of God until the end of their days. We saw it in a woman like Ruth, who being single again after becoming widowed, was blessed greatly by God and redeemed; through her came the ancestry of Jesus, God’s own Son.

Finally I could understand what Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” I could absorb and internalize that I can be authentic before God as the message of 2 Corinthians 12:9 demonstrates, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

In reality, the story is much longer, but all that is left for me to say is that I want to continue being faithful to my Lord in spite of my past and my mistakes, putting into practice the gifts that He has given me to serve Him. And not only that, but having the life that I have has allowed me to go alongside other families that have children with the same condition as Andy, within and outside of the church. It truly has been a marvelous learning experience and an opportunity to learn and become much stronger.

I thank God for His infinite love and because He is the only One that knows my soul perfectly, and even still He loves me, so much so that He gave His Son on the cross to die for me and give me eternal life.