Blog

• small groups

Gathered in the kitchen, the six Cuban women have read a Bible verse, shared prayer requests, and a cup of coffee. They came from different backgrounds of faith and church experiences. Yet for most of them, Christian or not, this was the first time they had been empowered as women to spend time in God’s Word and in His presence, growing together as women.

Always tentative about sharing her story, the Christian sister came to value the safe environment with other Christian sisters—Iron Rose Sisters—encouraging her in her walk with God and strengthening their relationships with one another. For the first time, she could share the deeper burdens on her heart and realize she was not alone.

Entrapped by a limited understanding of who Jesus was and the example He left while walking the earth in human flesh, one woman wrestled with guilt and struggled to break free from her misconceptions. She had been limiting Jesus and limiting herself until she met with a small group to discuss the Human AND Holy aspects of the One who sacrificially gave it all up to show us how to live and invited us to dwell in His love. Since then, she has used those same resources, Bible verses, and new understanding, to equip, empower, and encourage other women through other small groups, in their own personal journeys.

What is your small group story?
What successes can we celebrate of what God has facilitated in a small group context?

#IronRoseSister #smallgroups #MichelleJGoff 

• truth
• freedom

As Iron Rose Sisters, we celebrate the diversity of the beautiful roses found in God’s Garden. Yet we also acknowledge the thorns that hinder us.

As the sun was setting one summer afternoon, sweat dripping down into my eyes, I recognized how the contentment from filling my tub with blackberries and the anticipation of moist blackberry cobbler made up for my discomfort... for a time.

Every year, I enjoy picking blackberries: the memories of picking at Grandpa’s farm, the sweet fruit of labor in the hot sun, and the sense of accomplishment after reaching that one more, super-sweet berry, just out of reach.

Determined to traverse the entangling vines of wild blackberry bushes in order to get to the next bush with even larger berries, I became trapped. The temptation had been too great. The thorny vines that surrounded me snagged my clothes and dug into my skin. No matter which way I tried to move, I became even more entangled and the pain was increasing.

The thorns that characterize a blackberry bush are vicious, entangling, frustrating, and a hindering nuisance. Struggling to break free can make it even harder to dislodge the embedded thorns.

Thorns are not just found on blackberry bushes. How do we break free from them? And what about when we are ensnared by the thorns of others?

God invites us to break the thorns of destructive cycles that hinder our growth and our freedom. The thorns of our past do not have to define or ensnare us.

No thorn is too embedded for God to remove. No thorny vine is too entangling for God to break you free from.

When my mom Googled the purpose of thorns for blackberry bushes, the first answer that popped up was the recommendation to plant them on a wall or near a fence “in order to deter teenagers from climbing.” This was not the answer we were seeking, but it reminded me of how much we allow thorns to deter us.

Satan will use anything to deter us from freedom. Yet freedom is promised by the Thorn-breaker, Transformer of lives, and Redeemer of brokenness and pain.

What is a thorn you would like to ask God to break you free from? The Healer is loving, gentle, and kind, even if the freedom from thorns requires discipline, pruning, or pain.

#IronRoseSister #freedom #truth #thorns #Healer