Truth For Women

Be a Woman of Influence by Kim Checkeye

2012-01-16T07:43:00.000-05:00

Do you look at yourself as a woman of influence? The definition of influence is: A power affecting a person, thing or course of events. A power to sway or affect.

Do you believe that you have a power within to affect another person, to change the course of events or to sway someone else?

As we look at the history of America we see great women who had the Power of Influence.

Clara Barton had a devotion to victims of war and natural disasters. She pleaded with the government for over a year to allow her to bring medical supplies to the battle fields, something no one had ever done before. She finally received permission and she became the nurse in some of the war’s bloodiest battles. You would know her best as being the woman who started the Red Cross. She also became the first woman to head up a US Government Bureau, the Missing Soldiers’ Office which located 22,000 missing soldiers between 1865 and 1868.

Harriet Tubman was involved with the Underground Railroad to free slaves. She knew the underground tunnels better than anyone else. She helped over 300 slaves escape without herself or anyone else getting caught. In 1860 she began speaking out against slavery and the redefinition of women’s rights. In 1861, when the civil war began, she served as a nurse, spy and a scout for the union forces.

Eleanor Roosevelt gave a voice to millions around the world for the minorities, women, the poor and the disadvantaged. She served as a chairman of the UN’s Commission on Human Rights and played a leading role in drafting and adopting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In 1961 she became the chair of the Commission on the Status of Women.

Jeannette Rankin was the first woman to have a seat in the US House of Representatives. Because of her work, three years later women were given the right to vote.

Maya Ying Lin designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC which many have gone to visit and mourn those lost in the war.

What about you? Are you willing to allow God to use you to influence the lives around you, your community, your town, your municipality, your state and beyond?

Let's take a look at women in the Bible. Deborah led the Israelites in an unlikely battle against the Canaanite forces and won. God used Queen Esther to stop the decree of Haman to kill all the Jews. Abigail interceded on behalf of her cruel husband and brought King David and his men food in order to spare the lives of others.

Each and every one of these ladies were a woman of influence.

If you are thinking to yourself "I can't influence anyone." That is a lie from our enemy. No matter how old you are, you influence someone. The people you work with, go to school, family, friends, play sports, people in church groups, people at the gym, your family, your small groups and the list goes on and on. You may not realize it, but there are hundreds of people at your finger tips that you influence.

How are you going to influence them?

As women, we can be very emotional. However, we can't run on these emotions or feelings. If we do, the influence we have on others could be detrimental. I have seen time and time again women influence others or even themselves when they are running on their emotions. The outcome - Painful. I have asked God so many times why He created us with these emotions and the answer is always the same "So you can love others the way I do." God gave us these emotions so we could love others the way He does, not so we can influence them in a negative or hurtful manner.

I know the Bible clearly teaches us that our tongue can bring life or death. As I think about yesterday or last week or even last month, I wonder how many times my tongue brought life or death to someone. What about my attitude? Did my attitude bring joy, peace, positive thinking, Godly character or did my attitude bring pain, shame, guilt or negativity to someone else?

As women of influence we must be careful that our influence is Godly and not hurtful. When we have a horrible morning and we get in the car to go to work, we must allow God to change us. We must drop everything and lay it all at the feet of Jesus so when we walk in that office door (school, grocery store, bible study group etc.) we have allowed God to change our behavior and our attitude. Why? Because we do not want bring anyone else down. Under no circumstances do we want the negative influence to pour out on someone else. When we walk into a room, we want others to see Jesus in our lives and we want to be able to influence others into greatness.

I love the Proverbs 31 lady! Years ago, when I was teaching a Bible Study on this precious woman, one of the ladies in the group raised her hand and proclaimed loud and clear "This woman is not REAL." She was right. This woman was not a real woman but her life was a reflection of God. She is a type of woman I want to be.

As her story begins, we instantaneously see what makes this woman a Godly influence. She is a woman of noble character and because of this, she is worth more than rubies. The scripture tells us exactly how her family sees her. Her husband has full confidence in her, her children arise and call her blessed and her husband sings her praises.

It goes on to tell us that she takes care of her home by providing food for her family, making clothes for them, coverings for the beds, and watches over the affairs of her household. Does this mean she didn't work outside the home or minister to others? No! It tells us she was a realtor (considers a field and buys it), a farmer (she plants a vineyard), a seamstress, she fed the poor etc. However, her top priority was always her family.

Was she drop dead gorgeous with a killer figure? Go back to the scripture.

It tells us her arms were strong for the tasks! In order for her to carry out her duties, she needed arms that were strong! Where does the scriptures tell us her beauty came from? Her beauty came from her fear for the Lord. It tells us she is clothed in strength and dignity. The Bible also tells us she loved to laugh. She not a boring woman who is serious all the time. She loved to laugh and enjoy life.

The key to this woman is Proverbs 31:26: "She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.”

This lady is a woman of influence. Why? Because she speaks with wisdom and has faithful instruction on her tongue. She speaks of wisdom not anger. She speaks with wisdom not emotions. She is faithful and what comes out of her mouth is positive and not negative. It is not gossip but faithful instruction. It is not to hurt someone but to build them up.

I know this woman is not real but she is a woman that we can strive to be. We might not be able to be just like her but we can strive to hold onto the things that were important to her. We can strive to have noble character, to speak with wisdom and have faithful instruction.

I challenge you today to be a Woman of Godly Influence from this day forward. I challenge you today to speak with wisdom and have faithful instruction on your tongue. I challenge you today to bring life to others!

You Have Reached Your Destination by Shana Minervini

2011-11-01T13:09:00.001-04:00

Two weeks ago the staff from Truth for Women went on a retreat to Delaware. Some of us drove down with Kim. She had a GPS named “CLETUS”. I will tell you why he is called CLETUS. CLETUS has a southern hick country boy accent. The minute we pulled out of the parking lot you hear “At the end of the street turn Right.” It really sounded like this. “AAAATTT THHHE EEEND OFF THE STREET TURN RAGHT." Why someone chooses that selection of voice I will never know. I would probably crash into a pole.

During this four hour trip to Delaware, we didn’t worry about taking a wrong turn or concentrating on which direction to take. CLETUS took care of everything. We just sat back relaxed, laughed and enjoyed the ride. It didn’t matter if we made a wrong turn; because CLETUS would let us know by saying “REEEE CAL Q LA TIN YOUR RAAA OUT.” We put so much trust into that little gadget that sits upon our dashboard it got me to think about how this road trip is so much like life.

Life does not have a GPS but it does have GOD. My Holy Spirit GPS stands for God’s Power and Strength. We don’t know what problems, heartaches or trials that will go through. We need to trust that God is calculating our route. We might take a wrong turn but he is always there to get us back on track. Do we really put total trust in Him when all our turns are not navigating our way? Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT) Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Why carry all of the heavy burdens of day to day stuff that God has already taken care of? So many times we waste precious time worrying and trying to control every step we make. Why not ask God to take control over the situation? Release it onto Him and He will turn everything around for His glory. Isaiah 40:31 (NLT) But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

Driving home from the retreat and pulling into the Truth for Women parking lot, we heard CLETUS yell – “YE ALL REEECHED YOUR DES TIN NA TION YE HAW!!!!!” Let God be the author of reaching your destination!

All of us at Truth for Women want to wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving!

God Bless!

Crack Your Teeth by Shana Minervini

2011-10-03T12:11:00.002-04:00

Have you ever been in a situation where you couldn’t bear to see someone go through something? My brother-in-law Ron was diagnosed with cancer in his palette and he was in Sloan Kettering Hospital in NYC recovering from mouth surgery. The surgery was about 10 hours long and they had to reconstruct his palette and remove three teeth. They had to take skin from his arm to rebuild the roof of his mouth and skin from his leg to replace it.

It was the third day after the surgery and we had just walked in to visit him. I sat down in the chair and he was sleeping due to heavy sedation for the pain. His wife Debbie went over to him and asked him how he was doing. Ron replied “Why do I have to suffer so much?” I immediately got up from my chair, grabbed my purse, my Bible and headed to the elevator. I went down to the lobby where the chapel was located. I immediately walked to the front, knelt on the floor and started to sob.

Let me give you a history of what happened before his surgery. Ron went into this surgery with a pair of boxing gloves on because he was determined to fight the good fight of faith. Our sayings would be “I’ll snap the neck of Satan” and “crack his teeth.”

A week before Ron’s surgery, he went into Home Depot and was in the checkout lane, he looked up and saw Larry Holmes (the famous professional boxer) standing in front of him. After a brief conversation, Ron felt like God was confirming to him that this was a fight and he was never to give up. Satan would not win. Put on your boxing gloves and get ready to crack the teeth of the enemy.

There I am in the chapel and I am a mess. I have said every prayer and petition possible. I cried out, “LORD HELP HIM FIGHT THIS BATTLE!” “GIVE HIM THE STRENGTH TO FIGHT!” My plea was that in Ron’s state he would fight. I sat in the chapel for almost two hours reading through Psalms. I was in total peace and felt connected to my Father. When I was ready to leave, I started to close my bible and Psalm 3:7-8 (NLT) was right in front of me. It read “Arise O Lord! Rescue me, my God! Slap all my enemies in the face! Shatter the teeth of the wicked! Victory comes from you, O Lord.” I started to laugh and thank the Lord. God was speaking my language. Shatter the teeth means I’ll crack your teeth. I knew He heard my plea. God is so merciful.

I composed myself and gathered my things. I went back to the Ron’s room and Debbie asked if I was in the chapel praying. I boldly exclaimed “yes”. She explained that while I was in the chapel, Ron out of nowhere started to proclaim to the world “I AM FIGHTING – I AM FIGHTING!” I stood in the doorway and began to cry. My prayers were answered! God is so amazing! I knew God was with Ron during this battle and that Ron was fighting.

After that experience, the words intercessory prayer came to my mind so I decided to look them up. During the search, I found this awesome description of intercession from the RCCM International Garden of Prayer:

What is Intercession?

Intercession is the act of going on behalf of someone else that needs help from Almighty God, to be merciful and gracious unto someone else and not self. In most cases it is prayer for those whose situations or circumstances need the mercy and grace of God’s immediate attention. Intercession touches the very heart of God, the Ministry of Jesus and the help of the Holy Spirit. Intercession requires a giving up and giving unto, as an act of God’s love, mercy and compassion. The intercessor must be ready and sensitive to God at all times, totally yielded to Him, and willing to be touched by the infirmities of someone else. Intercession requires you to become selfless, forgetting about your needs, desires and wants. Wow-I read this and thought that is incredible.

Jesus intercedes for us with God. He is our intercessor. Have you ever wanted to help someone and didn’t know how to? Intercessory prayer can be the biggest gift you can give someone. I had no I idea that’s what I did. All I knew is that my spirit could not sit there and do nothing. That got me thinking of ways going forward how I can bless and stand in the gap for someone else. I no longer have to feel powerless. I will not go down with out a fight in any situation. I don’t know about you but I have some teeth to shatter!

James 5: 16 (NLT) The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

God's Protective Power by Kelly Liberto

2011-09-01T12:28:00.001-04:00

Have you ever heard from other people that they could not accept a loving God when there is so much evil in this world? They have a certain perspective on God, all evil is His fault, yet, how do they explain the good, even great things that happen in our lives?

You cannot predetermine a belief based merely on one aspect of the evil in our world today.
Let me take this thinking one step further, and suggest that God DOES bring good out of evil. I know having experienced sexual molestation at age nine, as well as battling choriocarcinoma some thirty years later.

I will suggest to you that God does allow suffering in this world, however, much good can come out of the suffering that we experience.

Case in point, at the very naïve age of nine, I entered my brother’s bedroom when a childhood friend called me in. It was not uncommon for me to play with my brother and his friends as we are twins and I was a bit of a tomboy.

What happened next was so traumatic to me, that I could not even think about it for the next thirty years. I “blocked” the incident from my memory.

The years after this experience were marred by a constant sense that I was dirty, that I was unworthy. My grades suffered, as well as my sense of security in other people. After all, this was a boy who I thought was my brother. He took my trust and smashed it, along with my innocence in one thoughtless act of selfishness.

Though my mom and dad are Christians, I had no concept of a protecting, loving God. Unbeknownst to them, I learned in church that God was a miserable, demanding tyrant. So, at the time of the molesting, I felt completely alone. My abuser threatened me if I told anyone what had happened.

Fast forward to my forties~ I have a family, a wonderful husband and had accepted the Lord as my savior. Many would look at my life and see a very blessed, happy homemaker with a full life.

I have three beautiful daughters, and managed to bury my fears, raising them was the joy of my life. Once in awhile, feelings of unworthiness, fear, self doubt would kick in, but, I just assumed that everyone struggled with these things.

At forty years old, my “normal” world came crashing to the ground at the sound of my doctor’s voice telling me that I had cancer.

Thankfully, and miraculously after three months of heavy duty chemotherapy, I was declared “cancer free”.

While God had delivered me from cancer, I could still not shake the sense of doom and gloom or
the sense of being unprotected.

I had nightmares at night where a shadowy figure was pursuing me. At forty years old, there was still a sense of urgency in dark places, like parking lots and other public places. I had a morbid fear that someday I would be attacked and raped.

As these fears and panic attacks intensified, I attempted to resume some normalcy in my life. My doctors put the anxiety down to the chemically induced premature menopause that I was thrown into from the chemotherapy. All the while, experts were amazed by my quick healing and lack of side effects from the drugs.

A friend of mine approached me in 2005, four years after my battle with cancer. She asked me if I would like to study biblical counseling with her. I accepted.

As a result of studying the word of God and applying it to my fears, the molestation surfaced and the process of healing began.

I felt that I needed to deal with the irrational fears that I struggled with on a daily basis, as well as needing to understand the word better while speaking at different places on how God had healed me from cancer.

I wanted to be ready with an answer for those who had questions about why God allows such tragedies to exist.

Today, I am free from the anxieties that plagued me through my youth, and I’ve been set free from any residual trauma of having been molested. I rarely feel afraid for no reason at all.
And, I know a peace and a joy that I have not ever known before. It is a peace and joy grounded in the knowledge that God is my protector.
The biblical counseling has helped me to encourage others through similar traumas. The world needs overcomers to show others that though we walk through the valley of death , we can fear no evil.

It is possible because our great and mighty God is there to sustain us. He simply wants us to know him through the trials and tribulations that we go through.
God is a God of impossibilities. He has taken a broken little girl and brought her back to wholeness as a grown woman.

Would I want to go through the trials and suffering all over again? No, probably not. But, I can’t help but be grateful that God used these trials to help me experience him on a deeper level.
It’s a mystery for sure. And, I sure do love mysteries.

Psalm 121
1 I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
from where shall my help come?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not allow your foot to slip;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, He who keeps Israel
Will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD is your keeper;
The LORD is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun will not smite you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will protect you from all evil;
He will keep your soul.
8 The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in
From this time forth and forever.

Faith to Fight by Shana Minervini

2011-07-27T21:10:00.001-04:00

Faith – In the dictionary the word faith means a couple of things. The first one is confidence or trust in a person or thing. The second is belief that is not based on proof. And the last definition is belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion. My question to you is this... what does faith mean to you? All throughout the Bible we hear so many scriptures regarding faith. We read that Jesus heals many because of the faith. People approached Jesus having faith that just his words alone can bring healing to their child.

In Matthew 17:20 (NLT) “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible. A mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds and a mountain is one of the biggest things on earth.

One of my favorite stories from the Bible is Jesus walking on the water. Peter and the disciples were in the boat together and they were in trouble. Strong winds were blowing and they were battling gigantic waves. In the early hours of the morning Jesus approached them walking on the water. When the disciples saw this they were afraid. In their fear they screamed “It’s a ghost!" Jesus said to them “Don't be afraid, take courage I am here!” Peter said to Jesus “Lord, if it’s really you ask me to come toward you on the water.” Jesus said “Come." Peter went to the edge of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. The winds picked up again and the waves were crashing against the boat, Peter was scared and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. Jesus reached his hand out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith," Jesus said “Why did you doubt me?"

Have you ever been through a trial or rough time in your life and feel like you are on that very same boat? I have been there myself. Through my trials or hardship I like to imagine myself walking toward Jesus. Peter sank because he was to occupied with what was going on around him. In our lives when Jesus allows the trial, we are called to step out of that boat. It strengthens our faith and walk with Him. During some of my trials I will admit I have jumped out of the boat with a tube around my waist shaped like a duck with swimmies on my arms! When we step out of the boat, we should step out with our God given authority. Hold your head up high and fix your eyes directly on Jesus. Don’t listen to the lies that try to creep in. Just step out of the boat and reach your hand out and Jesus will be there to grab it. Let your faith kick in and remain in his arms and He will give you the peace and comfort you need to get through trial. He’s waiting...

Psalm 68:19 (NLT) For each day he carries us in His arms.

Restorations by Eileen Alpaugh

2011-07-07T14:57:00.009-04:00

Restoration is a concept we are all familiar with. We restore old furniture, antique cars, and houses. It is a process by which something broken, misused, neglected or worn out is carefully and skillfully worked on to bring back the original beauty and usefulness. Flaws are hidden, broken pieces are fixed, and whatever cosmetic processes are available are employed to make it appear to be as good as new. Appear to be.

Too often we take familiar words and apply their common meaning to spiritual matters. When we consider restoration as it applies to a life devastated by the effects of sin, we think of that life retuning to its former status, as if nothing bad happened. A do over if you will.

Scripture renews and transforms our common thinking to Kingdom mentality. When God is involved in restoration it is unlike any process we can imagine. Rather than a restoration of appearance it is one of divine purpose. Only God can restore a life to a state that is of higher value and usefulness than its former condition. Those of us who have experienced the transforming power of the Living God can testify to this truth.

In the book of Ruth we learn of lives are devastated by famine, disease and death. Our earthly thinking would have spared Naomi and Ruth that suffering to allow them to live out their lives with their husbands and sons…. happily ever after. Naomi’s initial reaction to her suffering brought her to a place of sorrow and bitterness. How often we respond like Naomi, underestimating the possibility of divine restoration when a powerful loving God intervenes. By the divine intervention of God, restoration was not only brought to these women in their earthly situations, but it also allowed them to be part of the eternal plan of redemption as they were elevated to positions placing them in the genealogy of the Savior of all mankind.

This same God has a divine plan of restoration for each life yielded to His loving touch regardless of the degree of destruction. This process of restoration is ongoing and far reaching. Lives are not given a clean up or fix up but rather the transformation of becoming a New Creation in Christ bearing the image of God Himself.

Can you imagine a life more in need of this kind of restoration than those caught up in sex trafficking? Can you imagine a soul more satisfied than one who has been rescued from horror and repositioned in a role of divine purpose?

Can we, who have experienced this amazing process not do everything in our power to make this Truth known to others?

Our mission is to bring the Truth of Divine Restoration to as many lives as possible. Our privilege is to be part of the plan that has eternal value. Our Hope is that you will join us.

One changed life can affect countless others. Imagine the possibilities.
“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that when He shall appear we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And every man that hath this hope in him, purifleth himself even as He is pure.” (I John III: v. 2, 3).

…until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. Acts 3:21

What Breaks Your Heart by Kim Checkeye

2011-06-03T13:59:00.005-04:00

Over the past few months, I have been wondering what God must feel when He looks down at His creation. Does His heart ache? Is He angry at the evil He sees? As I pondered these questions, my eyes started to open to a kind of evil in this world that I was very naïve too. It was as if God began to take off a layer of skin that covered my eyes to something so horrific that if I truly understood it, I would not be able to close my eyes at night.

Did you know that?

• 1.2 million children a year are forced into sex trafficking in addition to the millions that are already held captive

• The average age of American girls who become victims of sex trafficking are between the age of 12-14

• Worldwide girls as young as 5 years of age are forced into sex trafficking

• 161 Countries identified as affected by human trafficking

• 32 billion a year is profited by the human trafficking industry

Our administrative assistant, Shana, shared this with me the other day:

“I always heard about sex trafficking and could figure out what it was about but never understood until I started to research it. I was reading about two teenage girls who are survivors of sex trafficking. One was abducted right in her driveway waiting for a friend. She was gang raped and put in a dog crate for 40 days. The other girl was working at the mall and was approached and promised a modeling career. She was flown to another state where she was held hostage against her will. These girls were beaten and sold for money. If they tried to escape, their abductors threatened to kill them and their family. By God’s grace, they were rescued.”

My heart breaks for these women and children. I try to imagine the pain, the suffering, the emotional devastation that they must encounter every day of their lives. But my mind can’t comprehend it.

One thing I know is that what I have learned has changed my life forever. I can’t pretend this isn’t happening. I can’t turn my back on it and go on with life as usual.

Some amazing things began to happen. We started to receive communication on real estate opportunities. People were looking for a non-profit to use their properties to help others. To use the properties to impact and change the lives of others. Coincidence? I don't think so! I believe God began to make connections with like minded people so that a safe house could be opened for women who are being removed from sex trafficking.

Truth for Women immediately began to make connections with other churches and women who God is pursing to stand up and make a difference in this area. We are currently working on creating a task force of women from all over the Lehigh Valley who are willing to put their time, energy and talents to see this safe house come to fruition.

My question to you is What Breaks Your Heart? What makes you Cry Out in Righteous Anger? If human sex trafficking is it, please consider joining our task force to see this safe house open and running.

For more information, please contact Kim Checkeye at 610.866.5755

Let's Get Ready to Rumble by Shana Minervini

2011-05-05T10:56:00.001-04:00

Do you know what authority you have in Jesus Christ? I never knew how much I had until I reached my breaking point of “Enough is Enough.” No matter what you might be facing, today is the day to take back what the enemy has stolen from you. Are you suffering from depression, rejection, or anxiety? Today is the day to take authority over what has been keeping you from living life to the fullest.

I remember when I use to suffer from panic attacks. God healed me. My authority in Jesus Christ is how I overcame it. I moved here from New Jersey and was away from all my friends and most of my family. One day I felt like I couldn’t breathe and I felt like I was having a heart attack. I went to the ER and found out I was having a panic attack. These panic attacks started happening more and more. I was riddled with fear over so many things.

A year later, I was speaking with my friend Pastor Steve and telling him about the attacks. He told me to turn in the bible to Luke 10:19 it says “I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them and nothing will injure you.” An alarm went off in my head and the red sirens were flashing. It was a light bulb moment. Through this scripture, the truth spoke to me. I have the authority to take control over this situation. It’s time for the enemy to pack his bags because I am not going to take this anymore. I was allowing the devil to have a field day with my mind and emotions.

I realized I needed to put on the full armor of God and become his “Warrior Princess”. In Ephesians 6:10-18 it told me what to do each morning to fight this battle against the enemy.

10" Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his great power.11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can fight against the devil's evil tricks.12 Our fight is not against people on earth but against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world's darkness, against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly world.13 That is why you need to put on God's full armor. Then on the day of evil you will be able to stand strong. And when you have finished the whole fight, you will still be standing.14 So stand strong, with the belt of truth tied around your waist and the protection of right living on your chest.15 On your feet wear the Good News of peace to help you stand strong.16 And also use the shield of faith with which you can stop all the burning arrows of the Evil One.17 Accept God's salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.18 Pray in the Spirit at all times with all kinds of prayers, asking for everything you need. To do this you must always be ready and never give up. Always pray for all God's people."(NCV translation)

After reading these scriptures, I was ready to go into the ring. I heard that voice in my head “LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE”. I got a vision of myself in a boxing ring. Jesus is on my side holding my towel and my water bottle. Satan is across with all the demons on his. The bell rings I am in the center of the ring and I am face to face with Satan. I am not going to use my hands, I am going to use my mouth with God’s truth. Satan starts it off with a lie “You are nothing."

I calmly recite Psalm 139: 13&14 “For He created my inmost being; He knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise Him because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; His works are wonderful.”

Satan gets a little wobbly but not knocked out yet. Satan fires back “God doesn’t love you!”

I said with a confident voice Romans 8:38-39 “ I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither my fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate me from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Satan looks like he can’t stand. He is angry and he shouts –“You will always be alone.”

I yell back Deuteronomy 31:6 "I will be strong and courageous! I will not be afraid and will not panic before them. For the LORD My God will personally go ahead of me. He will neither fail me nor abandon me.”

Down Satan goes!! A complete knock out!! Jesus runs in the ring and carries me on his shoulders. He says “I’m so proud of you my Warrior Princess!”

Come on and join me in fighting the good fight. Picture the song from Rocky Getting Stronger …. When that bell goes off in the ring with whatever tears you down, go into that ring with your authority and take the enemy down with the best weapon God has given us the Power of Truth!!!

When Geese Attack and God Protects by Shana Minervini

2011-04-05T09:59:00.003-04:00

It was Monday morning and like most of us, our weekend had been a crazy one. I was rushing around trying to get the kids off to school. I dropped them at the bus stop and then headed to work. I pulled into the parking spot and opened the side door of my minivan to get the extra bags I had. I realized that two of the bags were all the way in the back buried on the floor. I had to climb in the back to reach them under the seat. When I gathered them, I closed the door and turned to my right and found this huge Canadian Goose 3 feet away from me as tall as my chest. I was startled and jumped back. All of a sudden, the goose started hissing and walking toward me. I got a little nervous and I said “GET BEHIND ME SATAN.” That’s a little ridiculous to say to a goose who is hissing at you but in my dramatic world it suited me just fine. I walked quickly into work and was glad it didn’t chase me in.

Sitting at my desk I was thinking to myself just how hard Satan works to get us. He brings fear upon us and attacks at our weak areas. He waits patiently to pounce on our emotions. In John 10:10 the bible says “A thief comes to steal and kill and destroy, but I came to give life—life in all its fullness.” What a blessing to know that Jesus is filled with such hope.

During the day, we had a meeting going on in one of our conference rooms which faces the parking lot where the two deadly geese have now made their home. All of a sudden, I hear my co-worker say “Oh my goodness that goose is attacking that man." This was going to be a problem. How was I going to take out the garbage at the end of the day? I told Kim, my co-worker that we would just have to become hoarders because my life is just too precious to be attacked by a goose. Kim said “this is how much I love you”! She got up and grabbed the garbage and ran outside. Three of us ran to the window to watch Kim take on this horrendous task. Her goal was to go around the geese so they wouldn’t see her. She made a run for it. They must have been distracted by something else because they didn’t really notice her. Oh, how easy she made it look. When we are fearful we can always hold on to the scripture Psalm 23:4 "Even if I walk through a very dark valley, I will not be afraid, because you are with me. Your rod and your shepherd's staff comfort me."

Later that day, as Kim was leaving, she called me from her car and said, "I don’t know how you are going to get to your car because the two geese are laying right behind your car." I realized at that point not only did I have to get to my car to get home; I noticed that there was another garbage bag to go out. DUN DUN DUN! If this is my biggest worry for the day, life is good.

Eileen, my other co-worker, was now running out for something. She parked right next to me so of course I watched from the window to see if I needed to call an ambulance for her. She walked briskly to her car and the geese both started walking toward her hissing. She said, "eh eh" and she got in her car. Eileen called me from the car and told me to “leave now and I will drive you to your car”! It was time to go home anyway. I headed outside and Eileen was waiting for me by the steps with her car. I had to walk along side of Eileen’s car with her passenger window down me leaning on the window and the bag of garbage in the other hand. She actually drove me to the garbage dumpster. I felt like a Macy’s day float or in a parade walking along side of the car. Imagine what the people in the offices above us thought looking at the scene in the parking lot. As I dropped the garbage in the bin the geese were trying to come around the front of the car hissing. I then ran from there to my car. I gave Eileen a wave to thank her for saving my life!

The next day we found out that the geese were actually protecting the little babies that weren’t born yet. Amazing to see how an animal can protect something they love. God does the same for us. Day or night no matter what, the geese watched for anyone who would get next to their babies. Such amazing love our Father has for us. I know when we are helpless like the chicks God is our PROTECTOR.

Eileen had come along side of me in that moment just like Jesus comes along side of us everyday. 2 Samuel 22:3 “My God is my rock. I can run to him for safety. He is my shield and my saving strength, my defender and my place of safety. The Lord saves me from those who want to harm me.” Such an awesome scripture when we are going through the bumpy times in our lives.

Next time you see a Canadian Goose, be reminded how much our Father in Heaven protects us. Exodus 23:20 "I am sending an angel ahead of you, who will protect you as you travel. He will lead you to the place I have prepared.”

Which Leader are You? by Kim Checkeye

2011-03-11T09:48:00.004-05:00

One of my favorite authors on Leadership is John Maxwell. One of my closest and dearest friends brought him to my attention many years ago. I love to read his books on how to grow as a leader but one of my favorite things he has is his “A minute with Maxwell.” Due to my hectic schedule, I do not have large amounts of time to sit and read a book so being able to fill myself with these nuggets, encourages me to grow as a leader.

This morning I listened to his one minute segment on PRIDE. Here are a few things he said:

"There are two types of pride. One pride helps and the other pride hurts. The pride that hurts is when I put myself before others. The pride that helps is when I am doing my work well, being a person who is affective, and a person of excellence, a person setting the bar high for the standard that I have to perform and lead in.

One pride will make you and the other pride will break you."

Over the years, I have seen this to be so true. I have seen many leaders care only about one thing – themselves. I have seen leaders’ use and abuse people only to get out of them what they need in order to make them succeed. I have seen people destroy precious ministries that were founded on a dream by God because they wanted to make it all about them. Everything they say and do has that underlining factor of ME.

On the other hand, I have seen amazing leaders who long to strive for excellence within themselves and with those around them. I have seen leaders push their people to grow in their gifts and abilities so they can become the leaders God is asking them to be. I have watched powerful leaders encourage and sometimes push their people to grow past their hurts, struggles, attitudes, heart issues etc. so they can grow more into the imagine of Christ. So they can grow into the leader that God is calling them to be for the call He has on their life.

One leader hurts. One leader helps.

But what has amazed me the most is how people will actually follow the one that hurts rather than the one that helps. Why is that? What makes us do that? All I could do was look at my own heart for the answers.

In my 38 (almost 39!!!) years of life, I have followed both types of leaders. I know for me, it was easier to follow the leaders that hurt because if you followed the ones that helped, it meant I had to change. It meant I had to raise the bar of the standard of who I wanted to be and take the steps toward change. Take the steps towards transformation. Take the steps to not be the same person I have always been. Sometimes it was easier to follow the one that hurts rather than the one that helps because it causes us to look deep within ourselves.

Make a list of all the leaders you follow in your life. Think about who they are and what they say and do.

Then make a list about yourself. An open and honest list about who you are. Are your conversations, emails, blogs, motives and thoughts always about you? If yes, then come to the Lord and ask Him to change and mold you. If you have a teachable and trainable heart, He will do this with you. Don’t beat yourself up. Focus on changing and allowing God to teach you His ways about leadership. Just think of the leader you will become!!!

If you are a leader whose thoughts, conversations, emails, blogs and motives are about striving for others, helping others to succeed and helping others to grow, then praise God. Go get yourself some chocolate and have a party. But beware! The enemy knows that you are a good leader. He will attempt to side track you and slowly bring in pride in a way, shape or form that you are not expecting. When that happens, deal with it immediately. Pull it out and burn it. Then shake the dust off and get back into the game.

Which leader are you and which leader are you going to follow?

Wonder Woman by Shana Minervini

2011-03-07T10:10:00.003-05:00

The story that is on my heart this month is a My Sister’s Closet testimony. My Sister’s Closet is an upscale shop where women can donate clothes, purses, scarves, wraps, shoes, you name it. We buy all our jewelry new. I have spent a pretty penny snatching some gorgeous items before they even hit the floor. My Sister’s Closet sells these fine clothes at a low cost to you. As you look around the shop at the clothing, you will notice that there is a scripture attached to the price tag. All the money that is made from My Sister’s Closet goes straight to the ministries of Truth for Women. With this money, we are able to host bible studies, support groups, seminars workshops and help women in a crisis.

My cousin Melissa attended the Passionate for Truth women’s retreat in January. At the retreat, she bought some jewelry from My Sister’s Closet. I asked Debbie, who works for MSC, to let me know which bracelet Melissa had her eye on so I could buy it for her as a token from the retreat. I got busy with something, probably laughing and talking up a storm with someone and returned to my chair. I discovered that Melissa had bought me the bracelet I wanted to buy for her. Melissa also bought a few of these bracelets for herself.

The bracelets are silver with scriptures engraved on them. I was so touched by the gift because my scripture was Galatians 5:22-23 “But the Spirit produces the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” I immediately put the bracelet on and thought to myself every time I want to have patience, I will look down at the bracelet to remind myself to calm down. When I want to have self-control and not scream at the person who just cut me off or yell at my family for not having the house picked up the way it should be, I can look at my bracelet.

I started to think of Wonder Woman, she, too, wore bracelets~ the bullets would ricochet off any attacks. I can just picture myself in my car holding my wrist up in the air with the sound effects psh psh psh. Or stopping myself from an argument with my husband with my arm bent in the air and the silver bracelet guarding my mouth. The bracelet was a reminder to me that I am above any circumstance because I have the Holy Spirit. I have a choice on how to handle the situation. I am a Wonder Woman of God!!

Melissa was wearing her bracelet John 3:16, "God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life." Melissa felt that the bracelet was meant for someone else. Immediately, her friend at work, Joan, came to mind. Her husband is dying of cancer and God showed Melissa that Joan feels so alone and she feels helpless at times. Melissa knew that God wanted her friend to have it. She got into work and looked for her friend but she wasn’t there. She called her and asked if she was going to come in. Joan’s plan was to come in briefly and pick up a few things. When Joan came in Melissa rushed to her and said “Joan, God wants you to have this bracelet. He wants you to know that you are not alone and that He is with you during this time.” The two of them wept together. Joan said “You don’t know how much I needed to hear this right now.” God used the bracelet to comfort her pain. Just the day before, Joan told Melissa, she had come across that very same scripture.

Last year there was a woman who came into My Sister’s Closet . Her physical appearance showed that she had been through so much in her life. She came in and tried on some clothes. Deb, our salesperson, told her how beautiful she looked and she wept. Deb asked her why she was crying and she said, "Because no one has ever told me I was beautiful before." The women sat next to the register in a chair for about an hour with complete joy.

Ladies, the bible tells us in Psalm 139:14 "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." God does not make mistakes.

My Sister’s closet is an outreach for women who are hurting and also for women who like beautiful clothes at an awesome price. Our goal is to help the hurting. Remember, one changed life can affect countless others.

If you have a testimony for My Sister’s Closet or Truth for Women we would love to hear from you at info@truthforwomen.org. If you have any spring or summer clothes you would like to donate, please stop in. We love hearing and sharing all the great things that God does.

Passionate for Truth Retreat by Shana Minervini

2011-02-07T06:38:00.001-05:00

January was a big month for Truth for Women. We held our annual Passionate for Truth Women’s Retreat in Lancaster , PA at the Eden Resort.

The retreat was beautiful. Women coming together to share their love for Christ and being in a safe environment to discuss life challenges and issues.

Elieen Alpaugh spoke about “Great Expectations.” This message was about our expectations in life. What were some of your expectations? I know when I was little I wanted to be a teacher. I also wanted to marry a prince and live in a big house. I wanted to be married by 25 and have two kids, a girls and a boy. Sometimes in life our expectations do not match up with God’s plans. It’s great to have goals and dreams in our lives but sometimes we go through things in life that we just didn’t expect. But through our circumstances and blessings we realize that God is with us if we trust him it all works out for his Glory. The tough times in life only draw us closer to him and make our “tests” into “testimonies”. I like to think of the scripture Eileen quoted in Philippians 4:19 “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

Irene Gerontianos spoke on “Fear Not! Why Not?” First, let me tell you that I have never if my life met anyone with the courage and strength as Irene. She is truly an inspiration. Irene has terminal cancer and walks in faith everyday. She is truly used by God and praises God through all things. Irene taught about why not to fear. She said that fear is mentioned in the bible 920 times. Her amazing testimony will strengthen you through the Holy Spirit. Millions of people are faced with many types of fear. Fear of rejection, fear of dying, fear of failure or just plain panic attacks. The devil uses fear to paralyze us. He tries to stop us in our purpose so God’s work cannot be done. Irene said “the best protection is praise and worship.” “The battle belongs to the Lord”. Irene gave us five steps on how to face fear.

1. Remind yourself your source of help.
2. Deny the tendency to trust others.
3. Remember who God is and what he can do.
4. Take your position and stand on it.
5. Move out and face the enemy.

In my life, I have had many fearful moments. The one thing that got me through was scripture. I would look up fear in concordance and find a scripture. I would write it down in my bible or on an index card and anytime I would feel fear coming upon me, I would quote that scripture(s) and the feeling would leave. I would ask God to help me through prayer.

In our breakout groups we had to look up scriptures on fear and below are a few that I have used in my life.

Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Psalm 23:4 “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

Kim Checkeye spoke about two things “It’s Time to Have Passion for God and It’s time to be Stirred:
Three things to begin your journey to have a passionate life for God:
1. Read the Word of God
2. Apply the Word of God to your life
3. Begin to have a hunger and thirst for righteousness

Five things to be Stirred up in Life:
1. It is time to be stirred back to our fist love.
2. It is time to be stirred into power.
3. It is time to be stirred to tame our tongue.
4. It is time to be stirred to know who you are in Christ.
5. It is time to be stirred to walk in the call on your life.

These are eight life changing points from Kim!

We can all remember the feeling and the day when we first accepted Jesus as our personal savior. It’s a joy that cannot be explained and it’s a joy that only comes from the Holy Spirit. We felt like we can conquer the world. We could make the world a better place. Sometimes, that feeling fades away because our “life things” get in the way. We are working, driving the kids here and there, dinner, laundry, cleaning. Sometimes, we get into bed and fall asleep before our head hits the pillow. I decided to make that special time for God in the morning so I would have the strength to get through the UUGGHs that were going to happen during the day. Doing this in the morning makes my day start off powerful. Jesus waits patiently for us. He loves us more than we can possibly imagine. Spending that special time with him is where we can hear. It is when we can cast our fears and lay them at His feet. Where we can take our expectations and get stirred up by God. It is where we can take all of our burdens and desires. It’s an amazing place to be. I will make it a point to make sure I make time for HIM so I can have the peace and strength I need to get through the day.

The retreat was such a blessing. I know it touched not only me but so many by the inspirational testimonies the ladies shared. Women are designed to nurture and love. Putting 50 women in a room and sharing the gospel will bring tears, joy and most of all laughter. Some of us laughed till we cried. I thank everyone who attended. It was a pleasure to meet all of you and share this wonderful and empowering experience with you. I can’t wait till next year!!!

New Year - New Me by Shana Minervini

2011-01-10T16:26:00.002-05:00

As we are going into another new year, and the Christmas season has ended, I can’t help but reflect on my year. The feeling on New Year’s Eve is one of high anticipation, feelings of hopes of what your new year will bring.

As I start to reflect on the year that has passed, thoughts vividly pass through my mind. I start to think how many times God was there for me. Amazing prayers got answered recently and ones that were said years ago, all the times that God took care of my needs and worries and wiped away endless tears. The unexpected blessings he lavished me with, the angels that he used as friends.

At this time, I had situations that I could not fix or control. In these times, I met my “Heavenly Father”. My relationship with Him grew deeper and deeper. The trials I faced left me with one option – To Trust Him. I learned to take the heavy back pack of worry, fear and hopelessness and lay it down at His feet. In Matthew 11:28 it says “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest”.

Trust, Faith and Hope were words that I clung to. Proverbs 3:5 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." In 2009, my husband was laid off from his engineering job due to cutbacks in the firm. At the end of that year, through much prayer and direction we felt that God was leading him to become a financial planner. This is a business where you get paid when you get clients. He is working two jobs six days a week trying to make ends meet and for heath insurance. So 2010 became my walk of faith.

I had to go through a time this year with no health insurance. That was huge in my faith. To me, the thought of something seriously happening to me and not being covered would be an area of panic. The only solution I had was to trust and have faith that God would protect me. A humorous story happened a week after my 40th birthday. I was walking down the stairs with a laundry basket when somehow I saw the white basket leave my hands and fly through the air like a boomerang. My body was following but I was in the air also. The basket lands and here I come now in a tumbling position. " Houston I have landed." As I sat there, I felt like my legs were in another room and someone had to put me back together again. I felt this burning sensation. I laid and just cried (yes I am a little dramatic) but the cry was not only from the fall it was one of those cries where it comes up from your toes. The pain wasn't about just the fall. I started to think if something is broken I have no insurance. My husband helped me up and thankfully nothing was broken just bruised. God did take care of me and put me back together again.

I’m not telling you my year was easy. Yes, there were times where I was having my fits and felt like rolling around on the floor like a two- year- old. But I felt like I could tell Him my feelings of frustration. Instead of calling a girlfriend up and going on a rampage I started to turn to God first. It brought such a peace. It was like letting it go and giving it to Him. I let Jesus be my Hero.

If you ever saw the movie Elf there is a scene where Buddy the elf thinks the real Santa is coming to the department store. He is truly excited. And he screams real loud I KNOW HIM!!! That’s what I feel like my year was. I feel like screaming from the roof top "I KNOW HIM!!! I KNOW JESUS!!"

Going forward into 2011, I have decided to keep a journal filled with prayers, answered prayers and testimonies. So when each year turns into the next, I can reflect on how God’s hand has touched my life. I will see how many times God has carried me when I was too weak to fight the battle.

I am so grateful for 2010. I thank Jesus for all the hardships, pain and blessings because it made my faith grow. The seeds of faith were planted as far back as I can remember but this year is when they harvested. This Year’s resolution for me is New Year - New Me. I don’t want to have a list of all my resolutions because it would be right up there with the top two dieting and exercising. By February, we all know that the resolution wears off and we are in the drive through at McDonald’s ordering a Big Mac and shoveling it in our mouth. I want my resolution to be more of Jesus. At least I know with this choice there is no guilt, just unconditional love and forgiveness, a chance for him to show me his plans for my life. Jeremiah 29:11 states, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. I want this to be another year I can shout I KNOW HIM!!!!

It is Time to be Irritated by One Another by Kim Checkeye

2010-12-22T12:35:00.001-05:00

This morning as I was spending my alone time with the Lord, I was reading Hebrews 10:19-25.

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the day approaching.”

As I read this I thought how strange it was that God put that part about spurring one another on right there in the middle of this passage. Why would God do that?

I love how this scripture takes us from one step to another and how each verse supports the one before it and after it. It tells us that we can have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place because of the blood that Christ shed for us. It continues to develop as it teaches us that Christ was the new and living way because of His body and how He is the great priest who is over the house of God. It assures us that we can draw near to God with a sincere heart that is so full of assurance of faith that our hearts can be sprinkled clean from a guilty conscience and we can be washed with pure water.

Oh how I hold this so close to my heart. I know the girl I use to be so full of myself and my own desires. A young woman so full of the flesh and instant gratification. A girl so full of worldly things and expectations.

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” Why would God put this in the midst of these verses? Well, I can only share with you what He laid on my heart.

As I researched the word “spur”, I went back to the original Greek text which is paroxusmos. This word translates to the following:

Contention
Sharp
Provoke
Inciting
Incitement
Irritation

So as Christians, we are to irritate one another? That one sure made me laugh and gave me a good chuckle this morning.

You see, we are to provoke one another, spur one another, irritate one another, and sharpen one another toward love and good deeds. It is all above loving one another so much that we sharpen one another to not stay the way we are but to push one another to grow in love and good deeds.

I am blessed with working with Christian women every day of my life. It is a joy that I can’t put into words. But I have two ladies in my life that this scripture is so true! One has become a mentor for me in the ministry and helping me grow to learn the areas of a non-profit. The other, is my right hand lady who I work with side by side. Each very different from one another and at times they are on two ends of the spectrum!!! Yet these women bring to life this scripture. They are the exact definition and meaning of this verse!

We provoke one another toward love and good deeds. We push one another to be more like Jesus. We sharpen one another to focus on the goal that Christ has set before us and not get distracted by the little things in life. We irritate the daylights out of each other at times!!!

Oh but can I tell you what a joy it is to have true Christian support like this. It is how the body of Christ was called to work and live with one another.

Are there days when it hurts? Sure! But that’s when we lovingly look at one another and say “Pull your big girl panties up and deal with it my sister.”

God is so faithful and He will do what He said He would. He promised us a Savior and He gave us His one and only Son. God loved the world so much that He sent us His Son to be born so that one day He could die a gruesome death for the world!

But God also has given us one another to sharpen each other so we can be transformed and changed more into the image of Christ. Instead of running away from those who challenge you into greatness, what about running to them with open arms to say let’s do this together?

Christmas is only a few days away and I challenge you to not get caught up in what the world has created this Holiday to be but to focus on the true meaning of Christmas. I challenge you to focus on the birth of Christ our Savior. I challenge you as you come together with family and friends to be that light shining for Jesus. I challenge you to find other Christians who love you enough to want to spur you on to greatness! I challenge you to proclaim from the rooftops with boldness that Christ is and how He is the one and only true Savior of this world.

Do You Hear What I Hear? by Eileen Alpaugh

2010-12-16T12:36:00.003-05:00

Oh my, I feel a series coming on. There are so many things to learn about the art of listening. The older I get the more I realize how many situations teeter on the brink of success or failure based on good communication or the lack thereof. It has recently become one of the main things needing my attention and concentration. I’m amazed at what I am learning.

I am blessed to spend the majority of my days in the company of Christians. We share the same faith, the same convictions, the same passions and the same struggles. We work together, minister together and fellowship together. Yet with all we have in common, we struggle in the area of communication. More often that not we discover we have ‘heard’ very different things in our conversations and meetings. It has been laughable at times as we revisit a topic to learn just how mixed our messages got.

It reminds me of a quote from Robert McCloskey, U.S. State Department spokesman, at a press briefing during the Vietnam War. He said, “ I know that you believe that you understood what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.”

Each of us has a way of processing information based on many factors; how we were raised, our experiences, our fears and our desires to name a few. Much of what we hear is filter through the ‘what’s in it for me’ standard. How does this pertain to me, what will be required of me, does this interest me, what will my response be, and so on.

All this has made me wonder about how I ‘hear’ the Word of God. How many times have I listened to a sermon or read Scripture from the ‘what’s in it for me’ standpoint causing me to miss what the Spirit of God was saying – which, if I had actually heard would have been so much more meaningful than what I was hoping He would say. Oh how gracious He is to keep saying what I need to hear until I have an ear to hear.

Romans 12 speaks about how we are transformed by the renewing of our mind. As the Word of God corrects the way we think, it allows us to hear from a new perspective – His perspective. Oh, how I long for that. I know it’s a process and will take time. And to help me along, I have His people with whom I can practice.

As the Holiday approaches and the New Year begins, I pray God will bless you with the richness of His presence and the abundance of His Peace. May you hear His message of unsurpassed love and unfathomable grace in every carol that is sung, may you see His hands of mercy reaching out to those in need and may you be the light that shines to those who still walk in darkness, waiting to hear.

With much love, Eileen

What? No Turkey? by Eileen Alpaugh

2010-11-16T16:02:00.001-05:00

The front door opens. Hugs and kisses abound as family members greet one another. Tantalizing aromas fill the air – you can smell the distinct dishes as you step through the front door. The table is set with the good dishes and the chairs from every room are strategically placed around the fully extended dining room table making room for every guest. You’ve been looking forward to this day since the leaves began turning gold; the annual feast with all the traditional food. Special care has been taken to make sure everyone’s favorite food has been prepared. What a fantastic American Holiday!

All the serving platters are set out. Potatoes, stuffing, yams….. Uh-oh, something’s wrong. Where’s the turkey? Seriously? No Turkey? If you’re going to forget something make it the cranberry sauce, even the corn but it can’t be Thanksgiving without the turkey!

A ridiculous and somewhat scary thought yet in all our traditional details we typically forget something else …Thankfulness. Now, you may think you know where I’m going with this but stay with me for a few more lines. Chances are, if you are reading this blog, you are a Christian and as such you are duly inundated with the holiday platitudes of remembering to thank God for all your blessings. Let’s take a bit of a detour, shall we.

Who is thankful for you? And why? Take a moment to reflect on the last ten and a half months. How much time have you spent investing in someone else’s life? Who can now walk through life a bit more equipped because of your influence? How many people are sitting at their own family meal whispering a prayer of thanks because of your friendship?

This isn’t meant to be a reproof - not at all. It is intended rather, to bless you. You – the nursery worker who allows young moms to sit in a service feasting on spiritual delicacies while formula is offered to you in its digested state. You – the great listener to everyone’s problems. You – the caretaker of the aging parent, the terminally ill, or the chronically ungrateful. You, the cheerful giver who makes it possible for the Gospel of Christ to be preached. You – the faithful volunteer who works for hours at a ministry after working a full time job. You – the prayer warrior who goes without sleep to intercede for the needs of others. You who live out Romans 12 by presenting yourselves a living sacrifice because it is your reasonable service and worship to your Savior. You, the ones written of in Philippians 1:3. People of whom others can say, “I thank God every time I think of you.”

So this Thanksgiving Day, as you look upon the turkey in all its glory, please remember to add one more tradition. Remember that your life is a blessing to others. And if by chance no one else mentions it, I’m giving thanks for you.

You Were Formed by the Master by Kim Checkeye

2010-11-02T09:37:00.002-04:00

One of my favorite scriptures is Psalm 139:15-16.

“My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depth of the earth;
Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.”

I hold this scripture so close to my heart because most of my life growing up, I thought I was a huge mistake. I thought if there was a God, He must have been asleep on the day I was born. This was a huge lie that I believed and it caused much confusion, pain and hurt in my life.

Do you truly understand that the God who spoke the world into existence saw you before you were even formed? That your frame was not hidden from Him? That God Almighty ordained all your days before there was even one of them?

I believe if we truly got a hold of this truth and held onto it for dear life, we would never be the same.

The original text of “your eyes have seen” means the following:

* To see
* Observe
* Perceive
* Get acquainted with
* Gain understanding
* Examine
* Look after

Before God spoke the world into existence, He observed you. He perceived you. He saw you. He was acquainted with you. He had an understanding of you, examined you and looked after YOU! Now if that doesn’t just make you want to dance, I don’t know what will.

Dear ones, you were not a mistake. You were formed for His glory and honor. He chose you before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.

So my question to all of us is this; then why don’t we act like it? Ouch! If we truly understood this scripture, I think we would act very different. We would not be so susceptible to being down on ourselves. I think we would see problems and tribulations differently if we stood on this scripture. I believe our behavior, attitude and perception would be completely changed.

So many times we think God has forgotten about us or doesn’t see our pain. In all reality, He is walking right there beside us calling us to Him. But there are times when we are so distracted, that we can’t even hear Him.

I encourage you to write this scripture on post it notes and note cards. Hang them up everything. Put them in the kitchen, on the mirrors, on your computer and by your phone. Meditate on this scripture day and night. Don’t let go of it until you completely have absorbed it in your mind, body and soul. Then, shout it from the rooftops! Then tell everyone you come into contact with about this precious truth that you have come to know and love.

Down, But Not Out

2010-10-26T12:05:00.004-04:00

I recently heard this testimony from Pastor Larry Burd of Calvary Baptist in Bethlehem and I asked him if I could share it with all of you on our blogspot. I think you will be encouraged by his testimony. Enjoy. Kim Checkeye

On Monday, October 18, 2010 I was down, but not out! I believe God spared my life from serious injury or even possibly from death.

I was bow hunting for deer with my youngest son, Evan and a friend, Dave Horvath. We were hunting on Dave’s land in Hellertown, PA. We had been in our tree stands for about two hours. I had been standing for the entire two hours, watching for deer and reading my little New Testament. I decided to sit down on a seat that had been built in the tree stand. As I attempted to sit down, one of the 2 x 4 rails by the seat came loose and I lost my balance and fell about 12-14 feet to the ground. I landed on my right side and on my chest. I was in tremendous pain and called for my son, Evan, who was in another tree stand about 100 yards away. I thought surely I had broken my right hip, ribs or back, but my greatest pain was in the middle of my chest. The pain was intense, especially when I breathed. In a few minutes Evan and Dave arrived to help me.

I was so grateful to God that I was alive. I had not hit my head on a rock or broken either of my legs or arms. I was in great pain, but able to stand up and walk out of the woods with the aid of a walking stick.

Evan called his wife and she told his mother what happened. He then called his sister, Lisa, who is a nurse at St. Luke’s Hospital in Bethlehem, PA. When Lisa heard Evan describe the intense pain I was having in my chest she insisted we go to the Emergency Room at the hospital and that I get checked out.

The Emergency Room staff at the hospital took me in immediately, put an oxygen tube in my nose, gave me a shot of morphine for the pain I was experiencing, drew several vials of blood and began to assess my injuries. The ER doctor ordered numerous X-rays and a cat scan to determine if I had any broken bones or internal injuries. Several hours later the doctor returned and said he had very good news for me. The X-rays, CAT scan and blood tests showed I had no broken bones and no internal injuries. The doctor said I had severe bruises but I was “lucky.” I assured the doctor that it wasn’t luck that spared my life but God who protected me.

Numerous verses of scripture have come to mind through my experience of falling from the tree stand. Psalm 34:19-20 declares, “A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; He protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.” I am so grateful that the Lord delivered me in my fall and that not one of my bones was broken.

Psalm 91:11-12 says this about the Lord: “For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” Although there were stones on the ground in the area where I fell it seemed as though I fell between the stones. If I had hit my head or spine on a stone I could have been killed or paralyzed for life. Truly the Lord’s angels must have protected me when I fell.

Proverbs 24:16 says, “for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again…” To me it was a miracle that I fell 12-14 feet and was able to walk out of the woods and have no broken bones or serious internal injuries.

The words of Job’s friend, Eliphaz, spoken to Job during all his troubles have special meaning to me as I reflect on my fall from the tree stand. Eliphaz said in Job 5:19 “From six calamities He (God) will rescue you; in seven no harm will befall you.”

When I fell I was “Down, But Not Out.” The little New Testament I had been reading was still in my hand when I fell. I do not believe for one moment that it was “luck” that spared my life from serious injury or even death. I believe it was God who delivered me, protected me and spared my life. I give Him all the praise, honor and glory.

Jesus saved me spiritually at age seventeen during another crisis moment in my life, and I believe He saved me physically when I fell from the tree stand. During the incident at age seventeen I realized I had sinned before a holy God and needed forgiveness. I recognized that Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins and was resurrected from the dead so I could have the gift of eternal life and spend eternity with Him someday. I repented (turned away from my sins) and invited Jesus Christ into my life, by faith, as my Savior and Lord. I began to experience a whole new life and had great peace in my heart and mind. The truth of Romans 5:1 became a reality to me. “Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus ChrIst.”

Through my experience of falling from the tree stand and not being seriously injured or killed, I have concluded that God must have more work for me to do on this earth. I must do it with all my heart, mind, soul and strength for His glory alone.

“Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;
For the Lord upholds him with his hand.” (Psalm 37:24)

I WAS DOWN, BUT NOT OUT AND FOR THAT I AM TRULY GRATEFUL TO GOD.

Pastor Larry E. Burd

A Mind to Work by Eileen Alpaugh

2010-10-14T13:08:00.001-04:00

She gets the call at 5:15 p.m. Her mother-in- law is stopping by to say ‘hello.’ She hangs up the phone, takes a look around her house and tries not to panic. “What do I do first? Freshen the bathroom…no, load the dishwasher… pick up hubby’s socks next to his favorite chair (maybe she should leave them there so his mother can see!)” Twenty minutes later she opens the door and welcomes her unexpected guest into a perfectly presentable home complete with supper cooking on the stove. How did she do it? She had a mind to work. The same woman who just a half hour ago arrived home from an exhausting day at work, ready to put her feet up with a cup of tea and a couple of Swiss Fudge Cookies, managed to find the wherewithal to get a full days chores done in 20 minutes armed with nothing more than a mind to work. The right motivation can give us the energy and stamina to accomplish things that would otherwise seem impossible. As women we are called upon to do this almost daily. Functioning at work after a sleepless night with a sick child, or the unexpected trip to the school with the forgotten permission slip, or the “Oh honey, I forgot – could you do this for me today?” – in between the 25 other to do’s on the list. We manage to get things done when we put our minds to it.

The call is going out “Jesus is Coming Soon.” As His followers we recognize the signs of the times and are convinced that His return cannot be far off. This knowledge motivates me to do what might otherwise seem impossible…to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of my community so that they will not be ignorant or caught unprepared at His appearing. There are so many who need to hear. Like Nehemiah I am broken hearted when I look at the brokenness of my home community.

“What can I do?” you may ask, “I am only one person.” In the book of Nehemiah we are given an incredible example of the difference one person can make. With a broken heart and a sincere prayer he made himself available to be used by God to rebuild the wall of his ravaged home town. What he and his fellow countrymen did in 52 days was nothing short of miraculous.

When you look around your community, among the people in your own church and you see the vast needs, does it motivate you to work beyond your ability, beyond your natural energy to do what seems impossible? As you look around your home town do you see things that break your heart? Lives in shambles, broken hearts, and families being torn apart and left in ruins? If you could change it, would you? Will you?

Do you need a place to start? Truth for Women has many volunteer opportunities available. With combined strength and resources we are working together to help rebuild our community one woman at a time. You could be a person who makes a difference. God is looking for people with a mind to work. The plan is simple; you bring a willing heart and He’ll provide everything else – the energy, the resources, the intelligence and He’ll even provide the results. You’ll be amazed at what can be accomplished with a mind to work.

For more information about Volunteer opportunities call 610-866-5755

For further reading:
Nehemiah 4:6
Philippians 2:13
1 Corinthians 3:6-7

Praising God by Kim Checkeye

2010-09-13T08:27:00.006-04:00

On Saturday, we had the Grand Opening of The Truth for Women Center. My heart is overflowing with love and adoration from the support we have received. Over 100 people attended to help celebrate this momentous occasion. We are praising God for making this dream a reality.

What amazes me the most is how God had His hand on it the whole time. He placed a dream that He wanted to bring to fruition here in the Lehigh Valley on one woman’s heart 10 years ago and on Saturday, that dream came to pass. Because of one woman’s determination and sacrifice, God brought together many different leaders and volunteers throughout these past 10 years to put their hand to the work of the ministry so the dream could become a reality. Many different people working together at different times and different seasons.

But think about it. It only took one woman to start the ball rolling. One woman who was willing to listen and obey God.

I know there are times when we think “Could God really use me to change a township, a county, a state or even the nation?” My answer to that is YES HE CAN! Over history God has used one person at a time to change the world or to help people see things differently or to start a revival to get people focused back on God.

God is looking for obedient hearts that are willing to obey Him. He is not looking for perfection but simply looking for hearts who are sold out to Him and who are willing to lay down their life to do what He is calling them to do.

Is it hard? Oh yeah! At times it is painful, heart breaking, and tiring. You often feel betrayed, lonely, tired and weak. Things happen that make no sense and you wonder if God is really calling you or even listening to you.

You are not alone! We all feel like this at one point in time. But do not let this discourage you or distract you. Stay focused and stay the course. Let nothing stop you from walking down the path that God has for you. Be strong in the Lord. When you are weak, the Lord is strong. He will give you power and strength. He will go before you and behind you. He will fight on your behalf. Keep your eyes on Jesus dear ones and fight the good fight of faith.

If you have not seen the Truth for Women Center, I encourage you to stop by and take a tour! See the mighty hand of God.

This is War by Kim Checkeye

2010-09-07T17:48:00.004-04:00

As most of you know, on Saturday, September 11th, the doors of The Truth for Women Center will be opening. This is a momentous occasion for the ministry and for each of us who have watched this dream become a reality.

What is on my heart to share with you is the battle that we have all gone through that enabled us to get to this point in time.

Ephesians 6:12 “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.”

I must admit, that until the past two years of my life, I truly did not understand the gravity of this scripture. I knew this scripture. I studied it and I quoted it. I taught on it. But it did not sink deep within my soul and in my heart until just recently.

I have watched my sisters, my team; my partners in this ministry go through great trials, problems, family issues, physical pain, great hurt and losses over the past few years. We have held each other and cried as we share each other’s burdens.

But what happens when people come against you or talk behind your back? What do you do when you work side by side with someone and you find out that they said some pretty nasty things about you? How do you handle it when a family member gets hurt or sick? Where do you go when obstacles come from the left and the right? Where do you run when you lost your job and you can’t pay the bills? How do you stay focused when distractions come to stop the work and divert your attention to something else?

You remember that none of this is a battle against flesh and blood. None of this is a battle against another human being. As scripture states, it is against the rulers, the authorities, the powers of the dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil. Now I know this is hard to comprehend at times but the Word of God is truth for our lives. It is the same yesterday, today and forever more. It is for us to apply to our lives TODAY. The Bible is to give us insight and direction on how we should walk and live.

We have been diligently working at the renovations in our new suite and we have been getting ready for our Grand Opening. During this time, I became very exhausted and depressed. Now if you know me, I am a woman who hits the ground running and doesn’t stop until I hit the bed at night. Exhaustion is not in my vocabulary. I have never experienced depression in my life and to be honest, I really didn’t know what it was. For weeks I pushed myself and told myself to keep going. I pushed my mind and my body to produce what I wanted it to produce. I cried to my husband and told him something was seriously wrong with me and I didn’t know what to do.

It wasn’t until I was sitting in my home church listening to my Pastor preach on Moses and the call that he had on his life that I realized this battle was not against flesh and blood. For me, this battle was something spiritual. This was a tactic from the enemy to stop the work in order that the doors of the Truth for Women Center would not open. WOW! I was shocked and I really didn’t know what to do. I had never been through something like this and I didn’t know how to handle it. How do I combat this? How do I get through it?

Well, the battle wasn’t mine to fight. I needed to go back to the text and follow the rest of the Scripture in Ephesians 6. “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place and with your feet fitted with the readiness that come from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation 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.”

This is so powerful and it is meant for you and me. This is not just a Sunday School lesson for children but it is a message of warfare for you and me! We are soldiers in God’s army and we have a very real enemy. We have an enemy who wants to seek, kill and destroy. The life we live is no game, it is a war.

Because of who we are in Christ, we are able to stand firm and not be moved. We are able to know truth because we have the belt of truth around our waist. We are able to carry peace with us at all times. This is a MUST in the body of Christ. It breaks my heart to see Christians tearing down other Christians because they have different opinions. It grieves me to see Christians talk about each other and say it is ok because they are just sharing their heart and it is a safe place. It hurts to see churches working against each other rather than rallying together to bring souls into the Kingdom.

Does God take us to points in our lives where our faith is stretched? Absolutely. But He does this so our faith in Him can be tested and we can grow further in our relationship with Him.

Pray and always be alert. You see, this is where I was lacking. I was so consumed with getting the “work” finished that I let my guard down and the enemy came in a way I had never experienced before. I was not on alert and I didn’t see the enemy for who he was. He went after my mind, my heart, my body and attacked who I was in Christ.

Ladies, this life is no game. Our life is a battle field and everyday is war. Be alert and watch with a careful eye. Pray for your sisters. Lean on others when you are weak. Find yourself that inner core of accountability partners to be your rear guard.

But more than all of that, stay in the Word and continue to Pray. Pray for wisdom and knowledge just like Solomon so you can lead people in the things of God.

Dream Giver by Kim Checkeye

2010-08-02T12:27:00.005-04:00

One of my favorite books is The Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkinson. It was given to me by a very powerful woman many many years ago. If you have never read the book, let me briefly tell you about it.

It is a story about a Nobody named Ordinary. He lived in the Land of Familiar. Ordinary had a Big Dream so he decided to visit the Dream Giver but in order to do this, he had to leave the Land of Familiar and leave his comfort zone. He met many bullies along the way and he entered into The Wasteland. Many times he cried out to the Dream Giver but he heard no response. There were times when Ordinary felt like his dream was dead but the Dream Giver sent Faith to help him.

The Nobodies came along and told Ordinary that what lay ahead was too hard and too difficult. But Ordinary pressed forward and his dream shone brighter than ever in his chest.

Ordinary had another dream. The Dream Giver asked him to come into His sanctuary. Ordinary climbed higher and higher as he followed a stream of living water. He heard the Dream Giver tell him to go to the water and then to come into the light. Ordinary obeyed but at one point in time, he could see into his heart and he was afraid. He saw things he had done, rebellion, selfishness and betrayal. He saw darkness and he cried out to the Dream Giver to give him light. The Dream Giver did and He asked Ordinary to come closer and to come higher.

Finally Ordinary got to the Land of Promise and he was overcome with happiness. His big dream was finally in reach. The Dream Giver spoke to Ordinary one more time and His words were “Give me your dream.”

Ordinary didn’t understand because the Dream Giver was the one who gave him that dream. So he questioned the Dream Giver. His response was “Yes. And now I am asking you to give it back.”

The book goes on to say how after much internal struggle, Ordinary surrendered the dream and in the end, the Dream Giver didn’t want it back, He just wanted to see if Ordinary cared more for the dream or more for the Dream Giver. After he surrendered the dream, it grew even bigger and he saw how it was part of the Dream Giver’s big dream for the world.

The book goes on to apply it to our lives and the dreams that God has given us. I highly recommend this book to all of you because God has a call on each of our lives and He has put a dream deep within your heart.

On September 11th, the Dream of Truth for Women will become a reality. It has been a dream that we have wanted so badly. We must be real and honest with ourselves that at times, we had to give the dream back to God because it was taking our focus off of Him.

There are days when we sit with women and we hear their life stories or we listen as they weep because they are going through some turmoil or crisis in their lives and our hearts break for them. We hold them as they cry in our arms or we pray for them for hope in God. We give them the Word of God because we know it is the only truth and hope for their lives. There are days when some of their stories do not leave us for weeks, months or maybe even years because they were so heart breaking.

God has put a dream within Truth for Women and for all of us who help lead this ministry. It is a dream of a place where a woman can go to receive the help that she needs whether it is resources, skills, Biblical truth or just needing someone to talk too. This dream is HUGE and the task is great. There are days when the work is overwhelming and seems like there is no way that it can ever be completed.

We have times when we desperately want to stay in the Land of Familiar and never get out of our comfort zones especially when the “bullies” and the “nobodies” come to tell us it can’t be done or to distract the work.

Yet, day after day, God made the dream brighter. God open doors and paths that no man could open. He made the connections; He put the desire deeper and deeper within.

Why am I telling you all this? For two reasons. One, you have a dream that God has given you. Don’t stop. Don’t give up! Keep moving forward and never let the dream become more important that your walk with God. Go dear one! Go and take the steps forward to see the dream become a reality.

Secondly, is to give glory an honor to God for He is mighty and absolutely amazing. He has brought Truth for Women to this point in time. He has done this great and mighty work and He has allowed us to be a part of it. Even though our hearts break for the women of the Lehigh Valley, His heart breaks even more. Even though we want to see women healed, transformed, helped and set in truth, He wants to see it even more!

Thank you Lord God Almighty for this amazing Dream that you have placed in our hearts. Thank you Father for allowing us to be a part of what You want to do here in the Lehigh Valley. Thank you for women who have put their hand to this ministry in the past, who currently help serve now and for those who are to come.

Have a Nice Day by Irene Gerontianos

2010-07-15T08:58:00.000-04:00

Isaiah 41:13-14 “…for I myself will help you, declares the Lord…”

“You have cancer.” He said it as unemotional as one might say, “Have a nice day” when you’ve been handed a receipt after buying groceries. There was little time for me to comprehend what was happening before the doctor let out another little ditty, “Now, don’t you cry, I’m going to put a tube down your nose into your stomach!”

Don’t cry; don’t cry…what are you kidding me? You’ve just handed me a death sentence and you’re telling me not to cry! Was this really happening? Don’t I get a say in what you’re about to do? Hey wait a minute…what was that? Ohhhhhhhhhhh Noooooooooo….!!!!

He saved my life that young emergency room doctor. He had been in Iraq for two tours before coming to Bethlehem and taking up his residency here. He had seen enough combat duty to recognize a critical situation and to know that this was a matter of life and death. I had been vomiting for three and a half days; I was dehydrated and my electrolytes were way out of range. I was pale and weak with extremely low potassium levels. I was dying. Two days later I was on the operating room table as surgeons removed a tumor that was completely blocking my small intestines. But, they couldn’t get the “big” tumor; they said it was wrapped around the aorta and was three times the size of the smaller one. The surgeon said it would have been ‘catastrophic’ to try to remove it and I would have died on the table. “Tough luck, take care.” “Have a nice day.”

“There is no protocol for this type of tumor anywhere in the country,” the cancer specialist told me. “Nothing can be done; go home and get your affairs in order.” “No effective chemo for this type of cancer; no radiation. Nothing we can do but monitor the situation.…” just another day at the oncologist office. “Have a nice day.”

One of the things satan counts on is that we run scared when faced with insurmountable odds. One of the things I counted on was God. He was in the midst of all this and I knew that when I met that young emergency room doctor. Who gets a combat veteran in the ER except on TV?

Over the course of the next eleven months I went into spiritual battle …thirteen oncologists – fired! Surgeons relieved of duty! Doctors, hospitals, medicines eliminated! I’m telling you it was like Jericho; they just came tumbling down. Every corner I turned; every doctor I talked to; every research paper I read… wiped out! No cure, no treatment, no protocol, nothing, nowhere, no way! The battle was over…Have a nice day.

When a general surrenders in battle there’s a ceremony with much pomp and circumstance. You’ve seen it or at least heard about it. Officers come together and sign papers of surrender handing over their guns or swords or commands. Then each side retreats to their own camp to clean up and go home. Satan did just that… but God didn’t.

Ok, one more time around the insurance providers list…and there she was…a new doc in town from South Africa. Harvard and Yale educated, MD, Oncology, with a Ph capital D!!! A researcher; a foreigner, a brainiac…whoa momma could it be? I called, I went. Who gets a doctor from Harvard AND Yale?

She sent me to New York, to the Long Island Jewish Hospital to see a doctor, a doctor she went to Yale with, from overseas – chairman of surgery, chief of surgery. He took one look at my case and said, “I’ll try…” Who gets the chairman and chief of surgery?

“Wake up, wake up Irene,” they stood over me crying, my husband and my best friend, “They got it; they got it all…you’re cancer free.” Three months later I was back in a Bethlehem hospital with a breast tumor. A year later and there were three more tumors. Now I’m stable for two years. No new growths; tumors remain fixed and stable.

And so it goes, from one year to another, one scan to the next, one prayer at a time. He is directing my path and I’m writing to testify to someone reading this blog today. Life is difficult (John 16:33). God is in control (Psalm 54:4). Cast all your cares upon Him (1 Peter 5:6-8). And now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).
And my personal favorite…

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 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. (Isaiah 40: 28-31)
And to those doctors and nurses and surgeons and oncologists who need to know all of above ways of the Lord? Well, I pray for them – a lot! I hope you will too.

Have a nice day!

Patience and Obedience go Hand in Hand by Kim Checkeye

2010-07-06T07:55:00.004-04:00

Do you ever wake up with a heavy heart? This morning I awoke and my heart is much burdened. Sometimes when this happens, I have no idea why I am so burdened. This morning I know why but what can I do about it? As we all know, I can pray and intercede to God but if you are a doer like me, I want to do something about it. Now, this is a lesson that God is working with me! He is trying to teach me patience and that there are times when I am to do nothing but trust in Him. At times, this is very difficult for me because I want to step in and fix things.

Well, this morning I got knocked upside the head! Don’t you just love it when God does that to you? I taught a Bible study at my old church for many years and we had a saying. First we would say “It was like God hit me with a 2 by 4.” It progressed to various things like “God dropped a wall on me to God dropped a house on me” until one of the ladies really had a precious moment with the Lord and she mightily exclaimed “Forget the 2 by 4, Forget the house, God dropped a whole development on me!” For me, this is one of those moments!

I am reading and studying about the leadership styles of King Saul and Samuel in the Old Testament. The Israelites were crying out that they wanted a King just like all the other nations. (As a teacher, I desperately want to stop here and go off on a tangent but that is for another day. What I will say is parallel Israel’s cry for a King to the United States crying out for a leadership who will mend things. Very interesting!)

God gave them their desire even though He knew the outcome. The people rejected God even after all that He had done for them. God gave them what they wanted but clearly told them what the new King was going to do and what he was going to be like. God warned them but they did not listen.

God appointed Saul as the King over the Israelites and when it came time to bring him before the congregation, Saul hid. Saul knew he was to be the King but he hid himself among the baggage. Why would he do that? Some commentaries say that Saul was running from his responsibilities or afraid of failing so he hid. I like to think of it this way: Saul was a humble man at that point in time so he did not feel worthy of being the King. But then I have to ask myself “If Saul was a humble man, then how in the world did he turn out the way he did?” The answer is very clear.

The Israelites had become an abomination to the Philistines because Jonathan (Saul’s son) attached the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba. The people became terrified and were trembling. The Prophet Samuel told Saul to wait seven days for him to return to do the sacrifice. When Saul saw that the Philistines were closing in and that the people were full of fear, he decided to take matters into his own hands. Samuel told him to wait seven days but because Samuel did not return when Saul “expected” him on that seventh day, Saul decided to fix it himself.

You know the rest of the story. Saul offered a burnt offering and a fellowship offering but the Lord rejected it. Saul was trying to do the right thing by offering a sacrifice to God before going into battle but he was going against God’s laws and against the specific instruction of Samuel.

Saul was under great pressure and during this time, his true character was revealed. He disobeyed God and this became the downfall in his life. This is where you can see that he began to change from that humble man hiding behind the baggage to a man full of himself and pride.

Saul had a goal that he wanted to accomplish. He wanted to win the battle. However, the methods he used to attempt to attain this goal were not true to God’s standard.

I think about how many leaders, Pastors, friends, family members, elders, deacons, presidents of ministries and list goes on who have taken matters into their own hands because somehow pride snuck in and it literally began to destroy them. I have seen many good, loving and humble people see a problem and they want to fix it but they end up so focused on the goal that they will do anything to attain it. Even if it means cutting corners or handling things in an ungodly manner.

What does this mean for you and me? Be careful! Watch your heart closely. Do not let any seed of pride come in. Constantly take every thought, idea and task captive to the Word of God. Make sure everything you do lines up with the God’s truth. When you see this stuff, remove it immediately, repent and ask for forgiveness. Ask God to help you not to allow these things in. We all struggle with this. The key is what you are going to do about it when you see it.

As you know, the goal of Truth for Women is to open Phase One of The Women’s Center on September 11th. Why? Because this is something God put in the heart of one woman 10 years ago and now He has called a group of women to accomplish this goal. We go after this goal because our hearts break for the women in the Lehigh Valley. We weep because there are so many women who are lost, hurting and live every day in hopelessness. We encounter woman after woman who tell us their stories and it takes us to our knees to want to help them and intercede on their behalf. We wake up in the middle of the night with a burden so strong that it hurts in our bodies.

BUT we must at all times obey and follow the Lord. We know that the enemy is a prowling lion looking for his way to get a foothold into this ministry so the God given dream can be stopped. We know that he attempts to stop the work by sending in distractions so we are not fully committed to the goal.

What can you do? Pray for us daily. Pray that we see all things with our spiritual eyes. Pray for discernment and wisdom beyond our years. Join us in this journey to attain the goal that God has set before us. Pray that at all times we wait on the Lord for His perfect timing. Link arms with us so we can become an unstoppable force.

Who's Answering? by Eileen Alpaugh

2010-06-16T19:12:00.005-04:00

“Would you do me a favor?” Depending on who’s doing the asking we may respond quite differently. To our closest friend we immediately answer, “Sure, what do you need?” Without hesitation or need of further explanation, anything within our power or possession becomes instantly at their disposal. To the one who has asked more than their share of favors and has seldom responded in kind we may be a bit less enthusiastic, “Why, what do you want?” We cautiously withhold our answer to evaluate the cost. Hopefully we have more of the first kind of relationships than the second. What a great gift and comfort to know there are those you can call upon regardless of the time of day or gravity of situation. Even greater is the honor of being known as the kind of friend who will be there in any time of need. This kind of reputation is one that is built over time, tested in a variety of circumstances and once it is earned never has to be proven again.

How do you respond to God? Has He been given the honored standing of one to whom you will respond quickly and without reservation or do you withhold your answer to calculate the cost? Has He proven Himself to you time and time again only to be met with hesitancy upon each request? Or has His faithfulness been repeatedly proven giving you the assurance you need to be able to trust in spite of what your natural mind can comprehend?

How does God responds to us? Before we knew we had a need, He provided the solution. While we are yet calling, He answers. He gives above and beyond all that we could ask think or imagine. He bends low to hear our requests. Ask of God, “Will you do me a favor?” His answer is always, “My child, I already have.”

Truth for Women is in a season of asking, “Will you do me a favor?” As we prepare to open the Women’s Center, a dream and vision of the past 10 years quite honestly we need favors. Many of you who have had the privilege of being involved with us will undoubtedly answer positively and without hesitation to the best of your ability. Those of you who are new friends may want to spend some time on our website, getting to know us a little better before making an offer. Perhaps you’d like to schedule an appointment to meet with us and see first hand what God is doing on behalf of the women of the Lehigh Valley.

We are certain that God has heard our prayers to provide workers, supplies, and finances. His answer to us is, “My daughters, I already have.” Are you someone God is inspiring to be instrumental in His answer? I trust your answer to Him will be that of how you would answer your closest friend.

For further reading:

Psalm 86:7
Psalm 116:2
Romans 5:8
Ephesians 1

Crossroads by Kim Checkeye

2010-06-01T08:56:00.004-04:00

I have been studying the book of Joshua and I have seen things in this amazing chapter that I have never seen before. I love when you open the Word of God and you begin to experience the words like never before. There are times when you read a passage that you have read a hundred times yet all of a sudden, you see something that you hadn’t seen before and it just so happens to fit what you are going through in life.

I have enjoyed watching and learning the leadership styles of Moses and Joshua. Both are so very different from one another and yet each one served their purpose based on where the Israelites were going. Moses was patient, diplomatic and had a reform leadership style which was needed in order to bring the Israelites out of Egypt, walk through the wilderness for 40 years and set the foundations for the future of the nation.

However, when they needed to go into the promise land, a new leadership style was needed. Joshua was a military leader and had the attitude to whatever it would take to follow the Lord. He was willing to do whatever it would take in order to get the job done and he took risks especially when it came to a time of war.
Was either leadership style wrong? No. Was both styles needed? Yes. It was all about God’s timing.

But what amazed me the most in the book of Joshua was how many times the Lord said to Joshua “do not turn from it to the right or to the left…” God wanted Joshua to listen to His voice and His command alone and not turn to the right or the left but follow only the path that He had for him.

Joshua was about to lead the Israelites into a place “that they have not passed this way before.”(Joshua 3:4) They were about to head into a land that was promised to them but they had never been this way before. Joshua had to rely on the Lord alone in order to know where to go and how to do it.

Many of us find ourselves at a crossroads in life and we just don’t know which way to turn. Most of the time the one path looks bright and sunny because it is the path of comfort. It is the path we always take. It is the path we have always known.

The other path seems dark and there is a sharp turn ahead that we can’t see past. We tell ourselves that this can’t be the path that the Lord wants us to take because we have not been this way before. It looks scary and it might mean change which could mean pain! This just can’t be the path the Lord would want us to take! But in all reality, the Lord is at the end of that path and His hands are outstretched forth to us.

Jehovah–Rapha (the Lord who heals) is standing and waiting for us at the end of that path. But what does Jehovah-Rapha heal? As you study the word of God, it shows you time and time again how and what the Lord heals. It teaches us that He is the great physician and that He pours the balm of Gilead on our wounds.

We see that He heals our physical needs, our emotional needs, our spiritual needs, our hurts, our pains and even our warped thinking. We see that He heals the land, restores our health, restores us to God, He heals the broken hearted and binds up our wounds.

We see that He pardons our iniquities and heals our diseases. He cast out spirits and healed the ill. He healed the blind and set free the downtrodden. By His wounds we are healed.

When you study the name Jehovah- Rapha you see that sometimes God lead the people to the place of healing when they didn’t even know they needed to be healed or He lead them to a place so they could be healed and yet it was painful to get to that place.

Could God be asking you to go to a place that you have never been before in order for Him to mold and change you so you can become the woman He needs you to be for the call on your life? Maybe, just maybe, you are at a crossroad in your life and you desperately want to take the “normal” path that you always take but you are sensing deep within that it is time to take the path less traveled. Could it be that God wants to use your unique leadership ability to lead others into a war that could free their soul?

My question to you is “Which path are you going to take?”

Lessons in Leadership Two and Three by Kim Checkeye

2010-05-18T10:59:00.001-04:00

Last week, I posted a blog about lessons in leadership from the John C. Maxwell leadership Bible. In the Introduction of Deuteronomy, he lists eight lessons in leadership. We discussed the first lesson: Develop your core values and beliefs before taking new territory.

What I love about these eight lessons is that each one of them builds off each other. As you develop your core values and beliefs before you take new territory, you begin to build the foundation for the remaining seven lessons in leadership.

Lesson two: Leadership must be proactive, not reactive.

Definition of reactive is tending to be responsive or to react to a stimulus.

Definition of stimulus: An agent, an action, or a condition that elicits or accelerates a physiological or psychological activity or response.

Definition of proactive: Acting in advance to deal with an expected difficulty.

Now I don’t know about you, but as a woman who has emotions, there are many different things that can stimulate me which cause me to react!

However, as a leader, we must learn not to react on these emotions because if we do, we can respond in a manner that is not appropriate. No matter who we are leading, we need to make sure that we are not reacting to situations out of emotions or something that has gotten under our skin. This is whether we are leading our children, in the job force, in ministry, in church etc.

There are many leaders out there leading by reacting to what is coming at them rather than going on the proactive side and begin to act in advance to deal with the expected difficulty.

We all have those times when things come at us that we don’t foresee or have any clue what is around the corner. As a leader, these are the most critical times for us to learn how to be proactive rather than reactive. Will things come along that will attempt to distract us or throw us off track? You bet. But as we grow in leadership, we can begin to grow in how we respond and making sure that we are not losing sight of the goal.

Lesson three: Activity does not equal accomplishment.

WOW! Now this one could be a touchy subject. Have you ever met someone who has their hands in so many different places that they are so busy that they are ineffective? They have many wonderful ideas but because they have themselves stretched so thin, none of the areas they are leading is effective? How does this happen? We get caught up in activities or these “good” things that they distract us from what God is asking us to do.

In leadership, we have a job to do. For each one of us, that goal is different. The focus is different. But we must be like a trained solider who has been given a mission and task to complete. No matter what comes at him, he must complete the goal. Many things may come to distract him or make him busy but nothing can take his focus off the goal. Why? Because it puts him in danger along with everyone else around him. Plus, it takes his focus off the goal.

I encourage you today to not let your emotions get the best of you so you react to things but that you take a proactive stance to focus on the goals ahead and not allow yourself to be distracted.

Lessons in Leadership by Kim Checkeye

2010-05-11T08:42:00.002-04:00

A friend of mine bought me a John Maxwell Leadership Bible for Christmas and I love it. I love to read about Moses, Aaron, Joshua, Peter etc. and hear how they were leaders and how God grew their leadership abilities.

As many of you know, Truth for Women is opening The Women’s Center Lehigh Valley on September 11th. The ministry is about to go down a road that we have never been before. I have been reading about the Israelites on their journey to the Promise Land and I have seen it in a whole new light comparing it to Truth for Women embarking on the promise of The Women’s Center.

I am about to go into Deuteronomy and in the introduction, John Maxwell gives eight lessons in leadership that I would like to share with you. Each one is so powerful and is a huge teaching moment. Each one is something to chew on and learn from. I will take them one at a time and continue to post them every couple of days in this blog.

The first lesson in leadership is: Develop your core values and beliefs before taking new territory.

For any leader, this is something that is very important on a daily basis but when God is about to take you into new territory, it is a must. I know for TFW, as we are about to enter into the new territory of The Women’s Center, it is critical for us to establish “filters” for every area of the ministry. We have a new board member and she is graciously teaching us how to do this and how to set the standards.

It is important as leaders that when we are about to embark on new territory that we set these filters in place so that every person, every thought, every task, every assignment, every program gets funneled through these filters.

Whether you realize it or not, each one of you is a leader. Maybe it is your family, work place, church, support groups, friends etc. but each one of you led someone. In all reality, you led more people than you think.

As God opens doors for you to embark on new territory, maybe a job, a new friendship, a new program at church, a new ministry, heading up something at school, whatever it may be, make sure you have your core values and beliefs set before you take that territory. Why? Because those are the areas that are going to be shaken. Those are the areas that are going to be tested. Those are the areas that are going to be your filters for everything that you do.

I have seen time and time again, leaders fall into the game of pride. Why? Because they enter into new territory, they get puffed up and they begin to forget and hold onto those core values and beliefs. Somehow the core values and beliefs get pushed aside and the focus begins to be “it’s all about me” rather than focusing on the goal.

As God opens the doors, before you walk in, get your heart and mind set on the things of God so you will not be shaken. Get your core values and beliefs set so you can take the new territory and excel.

Mother's Day by Kim Checkeye

2010-05-04T20:49:00.003-04:00

I lost my mother when I was 19 years old and I use to hate Mother’s Day. I longed for my mother deeply and I felt like I was missing such a huge hole in my life. I watched my girlfriends have coffee with their mothers or go shopping or take long walks and I would get very jealous. I remember times when I would just jump in the car and go to my mother’s grave and weep at her gravestone. I often felt betrayed because I was missing out on something every person should have in life.

After I had my first daughter Hannah, I remember thinking that this would be the perfect Mother’s Day ever. It was my first year as being a mom and all those pains would just disappear into the night. Yeah right! Day by day I grew more miserable and angrier as the days got closer to Mother’s Day.

I remember one particular Mother’s Day that I am ashamed to talk about but it became a life changing event for me. I was a mother of two precious little girls who had been working very hard on their presents for me with their tiny little hands. The day had finally come and my girls were so filled of excitement. They gave me their presents and laughed with joy at their hard work. I thanked them gratefully but within my heart I was so full of anger. Finally, I had enough and I ran out of the house in tears with my bundles of joy chasing after me crying to come back because it was Mother’s Day. I took off and ended up at a green house buying flowers to plant in my flower beds. I was angry and so full of pain that I was crying out to God to just take it all away. Why, why did I have to lose my mother? Why couldn’t she have been with me at my wedding, when we bought our house, the birth of my children, when I was sick etc.?

As the anger inside of me was swelling up to overflowing, that soft still voice spoke out and reminded me that I was so focused on the past, that I wasn’t even seeing what I had right in front of me. I was so angry inside that I was missing out on two precious daughters whom it was my job and responsibility to raise. I was missing out on life with them because of pain and hurt. I had beautiful relationships with women I truly adored but I was not even recognizing them because of the anger. I had two women in particular that God had given me as Spiritual mothers to raise me in the things of God but I was so focused on me that I couldn’t even see the gifts that God had given me. I had younger women in my life who were looking to me to be their mentor but instead of grasping their friendship, I was focused on ME. I was so focused on me that I could not see anything or anyone else around me.

That day my life was changed forever. That day I saw a whole new glimpse of healing that I never saw before. I had a choice. To focus on the past or to focus on the future of what God had given me. To focus on my own feelings, emotions, pains or to focus on others.

Now, I love Mother’s Day! I love to celebrate it with my girls and focus on the amazing women that God has placed in my life. I love to celebrate the gifts of women that God has given me to hold deep within my heart.

Remember ladies, Mother’s Day is not about us, but has everything to do about those around us. It is not a day about honoring us for the things that God has called us to do for our families but it is a day about celebrating the beautiful blessings of children, friends and family that are around us.

As women, we wear many different hats in our daily walk. We are a chef, taxi driver, accountant, wife, daughter, friend, doctor, counselor and the list goes on. But the “hat” that touches our heart to the core is the one of being a mother. Now I know there are days when our children, no matter what the age, drive us absolutely crazy and we think that at any given moment we will lose our minds but in all reality, there is no greater gift that God could have possibly given us than the gift of being a mom.

Some of us may have never had children but we have had the opportunity to come along side of another woman and feed into her life. Sometimes God gives us spiritual children that literally become our own because they have found a place in our heart so deep.

Whether we have children from our own flesh and blood, children by adoption, fostering a child or being a spiritual mother, each is a gift and that gift comes with great responsibility. It is our job to instill certain things along the way. We are to show them love and we are to be a safe haven. We are to show them kindness, grace and mercy but we are also called to show them how to respect, do unto others and to have a servant’s heart. We are called to train them in the things of God and to teach His Word. We are to set an example for our children so they can follow our model as Godly individuals. Do we make mistakes? We sure do but what better example to show our children than to fall on our face and ask forgiveness when we mess up. What a wonderful opportunity to show them how to go to the Savior and bow before Him. But not only that, what an example to set for our children when we act wrongly towards them and we ask them for forgiveness.

I challenge all you ladies out there who are mothers, mentors, spiritual mothers, friends etc. to live in today and not the yesterdays. To be thankful for the here and now and not the “what should of been.” To be focused on the gifts you have been given and your future rather than the hurts and pains of the past. You have choices to make. Focus on the past or focus on the future. Focus on yourself or those around you. What will you choose?

The Year of Jubilee by Kim Checkeye

2010-04-22T09:27:00.001-04:00

This morning as I was reading the Word in Leviticus 25, my heart soared from within. In the year of Jubilee, slaves were set free and properties were to revert to the families of their original owners.

I went back to the original text to look deeper into the word Jubilee. It is translated as the following:

Shout or blast of war
Alarm of joy
Alarm of war
Battle cry
Shout of joy

I don’t know about you but this is something that has been stirring deep within my soul for months now. The enemy has made us slaves to lies, fears, doubts and he has stolen many things from us including finances, family members, joy, peace, direction in the call of our life and the list goes on.

I believe it is time to sound the alarm of war, the alarm of joy, the battle cry from deep within our soul that for each of us, it is the Year of Jubilee where we are set free from the bonds of slavery and we are taking back what the enemy has stolen from us.

It is time for us to shout our battle cry to let the enemy know that we are not going to stand any longer for his lies and deception. It is time to sound the alarm that we are going to walk in the call that God Almighty has for us and nothing that the enemy throws at us will distract us from moving forward.

It is time to break out of depression and shout forth words of joy. It is time for John 8:32 to come to pass “Then you will know the truth and the truth shall set you free.”

Dear warriors sound the alarm that this is your year of Jubilee and walk in it!

Identity by Kim Checkeye

2010-04-05T21:30:00.002-04:00

Yesterday my Pastor preached an amazing sermon and it was a life changing message for those who had ears to hear.

As he preached from his heart, it reminded me of a Bible study I wrote many years ago called “Identity in Christ.” Taking in what I learned from my Pastor yesterday, reminding myself of the things I learned while I wrote that Bible study and taking into consideration what I have seen over the past few years, I can’t help but to share some of these things with all of you.

There was one area that Jesus had to continually combat while He walked on this earth. What was that area? His identity. It was something that time and time again He was questioned on.

The first place we see this is when Jesus is lead by the Spirit into the desert. After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry. At that time, Satan came to Jesus and said “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Next Satan took Jesus to the highest point of the temple and said “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.”

At His weakest moment, the enemy came in and tried to deceive Jesus on His identity.

After this, Jesus began His ministry and we see all types of miracles, signs and wonders. John the Baptist was in prison and he heard all the things that Christ had done so he sent out his disciples to ask Jesus a question. “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?”

Once again Jesus is being questioned about His identity. But this time it was from someone He loved and was a family member on His mother’s side. Even His own family was questioning His identity.

The next time we see this is when He is hanging on the cross. People passing by Him are hurling insults and mocking Him. “Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God.” The chief priests, the teachers of law and the elders mocked him by using His own words against Him. They laughed at Him because He claimed to be the Son of God yet God was not rescuing Him from this gruesome death.

As Jesus hung on the cross in pain and agony, the question of His identity continues until His last breath. One of the criminals being crucified next to Him mocked Jesus by saying “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us! Continually, time and time again, Jesus was being questioned about His identity. Even to this day, His identity is still being questioned.

Why is this so important to us? If the enemy tried to make Jesus doubt who He was, he will do it to us. He wants to distract us on who we are in Christ and get us full of pride.

I want to briefly go back to that Bible study I wrote. I went around to a bunch of children and I asked them two questions. The first one was “Who are you?” The second question was “What makes you Emily?” or whatever the child’s name was. Of course each child answered their name for the first question. When I asked the second question each child answered the same way except for one. Their answer was very simple, God.

When I started the Bible study with the group of women that I had come to love and cherish deeply, I had them sit in a circle. I asked them the same two questions, however; their answers to that second question were VERY different. Each woman rattled off what they did for a living, what they did at the church, how many volunteer groups they were involved in, who they were married too etc.

How do we get from that precious innocent answer of a child to some complicated answer based on titles, positions, careers etc.? The answer is quite simple, pride.

Look at Satan. He knows there is one true living God. He knows His son is Jesus Christ. He knows the word of God better than any of us here on earth. However, he allowed pride to completely get in the way and he was thrown out of heaven.

I have seen it time and time again. Someone get so full of pride that their downfall occurs because of their own ego. I have seen pastors, preachers, teachers, gifted worship leaders and the list goes on and on so on fire for God but pride gets in the way and they fall. They allow the enemy to distract them and cause them to doubt where their identity comes from. They begin to forget that who they are is wrapped up in who God is and not what they do. That seed of pride is planted and because it was not dealt with, it grew.

The enemy wanted Jesus to doubt who He was so He would not fulfill the call on His life. The enemy wants to do the same thing to each one of us and his main tactic is pride. Beware. Be combat ready. Recognize when it is pride and kick it out of your heart.

Philippians 2:3 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”

Proverbs 13:10 “Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.”

Proverbs 21:24 “The proud and arrogant man “Mocker” is his name; he behaves with overweening pride.”

Proverbs 29:23 “A man’s pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.”

Distraction by Kim Checkeye

2010-03-01T07:10:00.002-05:00

Over the past week, the same word keeps coming to my mind – DISTRACTION. I decided to look it up in the dictionary and I was completely amazed at what I found.

Distraction is the act of distracting or the condition of being distracted. Well, we knew that!!! But look at what distracted means:

To cause to turn away from the original focus of attention or interest; divert. To pull in conflicting emotional directions; unsettle.

To pull in conflicting emotional directions. Wow! I don’t know about you but I never knew that was a definition of distracted.

As I began to apply this to my life and the work of Truth for Women, I realized something I had never seen before. I know that we have a real enemy who wants to stop the vision, goal, mission that God has placed within our hearts. He does not want the Kingdom of God to advance in our community therefore; the enemy will do whatever it takes to get us to stop the work. But I didn’t realize clearly just how much these little distractions can come in and distract us from the work of the Lord or how they will pull us in a conflicting emotional direction.

As I looked at the lives of the people in the Bible, I began to see how many of them got distracted and when they did, they fell or the work of the Lord was detained.

Look at Samson and Delilah. Delilah was a distraction and she even showed Samson three times that she could not be trusted. Yet, Samson fell asleep on her knees and she cut his hair and began to afflict him. Talk about a pull in an emotional direction.

Remember how Elijah told the prophets of Baal to cut up an ox and place it on wood but they were not to put fire under it? Elijah did the same thing and then he told them to call on the name of their god to ignite the fire under the wood. The prophets of Baal called on the name of their god from morning to noon but nothing happened. So Elijah mocked them and told them to shout even louder. But of course, nothing happened.

Elijah repaired the altar of the Lord and he dug a trench around the altar. Then he arranged the wood and the ox pieces and laid it on the wood. They poured four pitchers of water on the altar and the wood. They did this three times until the water flowed around the altar and he also filled the trench.

Elijah called on the one true living God and fire consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, the dust and it licked up the water in the trench.

This was a huge victory for God and for Elijah but the story does not end there. After this amazing victory, Jezebel came on the scene and threatens Elijah. She became a distraction to him and he ran off in fear. This sure sounds like a conflicting emotional direction to me! Even after such a huge victory, a man of God like Elijah got distracted and ran away for his life.

How about the disciples who got distracted by which one of them would be the greatest or the Pharisees who were distracted by religiosity that they could not see the Messiah standing right in front of them or King David who was distracted by Bathsheba and the list goes on and on.

What is the goal and the purpose of getting us distracted? I think Nehemiah explains it the best in Chapter 6. Tobiah and Sanballat hired a man to come to Nehemiah to encourage him to go into the temple and close the doors because they were coming to kill him. However, Nehemiah realized that God did not send him but that he uttered his prophecy against Nehemiah because Tobiah and Sanballat hired him. The word “realized” in Hebrew is Nakar meaning perceived, to scrutinize, observe or examine. Nehemiah used wisdom by scrutinizing, observing and examining the situation and he came to the conclusion that God did not send him.

Now here is the key in verse 13 “He was hired for this reason that I might become frightened and act accordingly and sin, so that they might have an evil report in order that they could reproach me.”

I have heard many teachings on this scripture but the one that I hold very close to my heart is that if Nehemiah would have run and hid in the temple, he would have stopped the work that God had called him to do and he would have sinned.

How many times do we get distracted by people, things, fears, lies, the past etc. and it causes us to turn away from the original focus of intention or interest so we are diverted? How many times have others pull us in a conflicting emotional direction?

It is time that we observe, scrutinize, examine and perceive the people and things around us so that we do not get distracted and stop the work that God has called us to do. Recognize what it is and remove it so you are not distracted from what God is asking you to do.

A New Year and A New Season by Kim Checkeye

2010-01-07T14:32:00.003-05:00

You know the routine. It’s a New Year so we make all those resolutions to exercise, lose weight, start a new career and the list goes on and on. Normally, we tend to fall away from those resolutions sometime in February or March!!

I love to watch the changes in the seasons. Some of the seasons I enjoy for the duration and others, well, not so much! When you think about it, what an amazing time in the earth as it transitions from one season to the next. Spring is about the rains coming down to feed the soil to prepare it for the life that is about to break forth. Summer is a time of the sun shining to bring growth to the vegetation. Fall takes away the scorching sun that can burn when it is too hot and brings in the cool air. You can see vibrant colors of change as the leaves submit to this transition of life. Then comes winter where things seem to go dormant to the natural eye but in all reality nutrients are being stored in the roots to prepare for the spring.

Now apply all these New Year resolutions and the seasons of life, to being a Christian. We come into the New Year making a promise that we will set more time aside to study His Word or to pray. Maybe we promise to start a Bible Study or sing in the choir at our church. Maybe we say “This is the year I am writing that book the Lord keeps laying on my heart.” Then as the months pass, those promises seem to go with them.

As Christians, we have seasons in our walk with the Lord. Many times we have troubles or trials that come pouring down on us but in all reality, they are the events that feed us and prepare our hearts for the breakthrough we have been looking for.

Many times the Son of God shines down upon us so clearly that it causes us to grow in leaps and bounds because we are so on fire for Him. During those times it is so evident that we are growing in the Lord because our character changes so deep within us that our “colors” change on the outside. It is a time when we submit unto the Lord and what He has for us.

Then there are those times when it seems like God has put us on a shelf to just sit and wait upon Him. We think those times are just wilderness experiences that are wasting away but in all reality, they are times when we are being feed the nutrients we need deep within our soul that will prepare us for what is to come.

Each one of these seasons is just as important as the other. Each one has its job to do and its purpose for creating us to be the woman of God that He has called us to be for the call He has on our life.

Which season are you in?

For Truth for Women we are in a season of hope and dreams becoming a reality. In 2010 we will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary in ministry. What better way to celebrate but to be able to open the doors of the long awaited dream of The Women’s Center Lehigh Valley. Yes, it has been a process but each step was just as important as the one before it.

Come and celebrate with us! Join your hands to the work and to the cause! Take a step out of one season and into the next.

Tis the Season to Boldy Proclaim Christ - by Kim Checkeye

2009-11-30T07:39:00.003-05:00

We are entering into a very busy time of the year as we get ready for the Christmas Season by spending time with family and friends, decorating with lights, trees, candles and so much more. I want to encourage you this season to let your light shine for Jesus more than ever before.

As you go about your day and people say to you “Happy Holidays”, boldly proclaim back “Merry Christmas to you.” I am going to let you in on a little secret of mine. Promise not to tell? This drives me crazy when people say Happy Holidays! After all, isn’t Christmas about the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?

The Roman pagans would celebrate Saturnalia from December 17-25. During this time the Roman authorities chose “an enemy of the Roman people” to represent the “Lord of Misrule.” Each Roman community selected a victim whom they forced to indulge in food and other physical pleasures throughout the week. At the end of this festival which was December 25th, the authorities believed they were destroying the forces of darkness by brutally murdering this innocent man or woman.

Christian leaders wanted to get to the pagans so they took over this holiday but it was no easy task. The Christian leaders announced that on the final day, December 25th, they would celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Over the years the struggle has always been the same, remembering why the Christians took over Christmas.

Christians took over this holiday in an attempt to bring the pagans before God Almighty. Christians took what was a time of self indulgence, self gratification and pagan rituals and attempted to turn it around to celebrate the birth of Christ.

Unfortunately, this struggle is still there. As Christians, we are bombarded by what the world has made Christmas to be.

I think it is time for us as Christians to stand up and fight for what this Holiday is all about. It is time to fight for our brothers and sisters who are still lost in sin and don’t know the truth. After all, wasn’t paganism about people wrapped up in sin? It is time for us to boldly proclaim that Jesus Christ is the one true living God, that He died for our iniquities and our transgressions and that we can have ever lasting life in Him.

I urge you that this Christmas as you go about your days, you are constantly reminding everyone around you why you celebrate this Holiday and what it means to you. I urge you to press into your relationship with Christ more than ever before. I urge you to study the Word and allow your heart to become a sponge so you can truly know who God is. His Word tells us that He is:

Jehovah-Shammah – The Lord my Companion
Elohim – The all powerful One Creator
YHWH – The one who is self existent one
El Roi - The God who sees me
Jehovah-Jireh- You will provide
Jehovah – Rapha – the Lord who heals
Adonai – The Lord. My Great Lord.
Jehovah-Rohi – The Lord is my shepherd.
Jehovah-Mekaddishkem – The Lord who sanctifies
Jehovah-Tsidkenu – The Lord Our Righteousness
Jehovah-Nissi – The Lord is my Banner
Jehovah-Rapha - The Lord who heals
Jehovah-Shalom-The Lord is my Peace
Jehovah-Sabaoth - The Lord of Hosts The Lord of Armies
El Olam - The eternal God. The everlasting God.
El Elyon - The God Most High
El Shaddai – The all sufficient One
Immanuel – God is with us. I AM.

This is the God we serve! This is God who gave His one and only son to be born. Jesus Christ came into this world to die. He was born so that one day, He would die for the sins of the world.

I urge you to fall on your face during this Holiday season and seek Him. I urge you to press into His loving arms and forget the things of this world. I urge you to be like the woman with the issue of blood in Mark 5. She had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. This caused her to be weak and tired. It was debilitating to her in all areas of her life. The Bible tells us that she had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and she had spent all that she had. I can only imagine what this poor woman went through. She knew that her only hope was this Jesus that she had heard all about.

There was a large crowd following Jesus and they pressed in around him. This weak and tired woman knew that if she pressed in through the crowd and touched the hem of His garment, she would be healed. Can you picture it? I can. I can see the crowd pushing and trying to stop her from reaching Him. I can see as she gets a few steps closer someone pushes her all the back to where she started. Her mind is telling her to give up but her heart is telling her to fight even harder. She doesn’t give up until she reaches the Healer and touches His garment. At that very moment the bleeding stops and she is healed.

I urge you to push in to the things of God just like that woman did. You won’t be sorry. The Lord God will turn to you and say “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

Merry CHRISTMAS and God bless you!

A Life Changing Trip by Kim Checkeye

2009-11-03T11:47:00.009-05:00

I have just arrived home after a twelve day mission trip to Ecuador. The time that I spent there was life changing. We first ministered in Quito which is the capital of Ecuador. Over 2.5 million people live in the city. What I saw in that city broke my heart. The crime rate there is so bad and out of control that they brought in the military forces. Military personnel were everywhere with their big guns trying to get control. The amount of garbage that was everywhere was mind blowing then to see all the homeless dogs running around was painful. Not only that, I saw dead dogs just decaying on the street. But what broke my heart and took me on my knees to God Almighty was the amount of children just running around. Just running and roaming the streets. I kept wondering where their parents were and why they were alone. One boy came up begging to us on the street. I saw elderly women and men begging for money. They could barely walk and they had no homes. I saw the homeless being robbed by other homeless people. What I saw in Quito will be forever grafted into my mind.

Even in the midst of all this pain, crime and heartbreak, God’s presence was so strong. My mind could not get around what my eyes could and what my heart sensed from the Lord.

My home church is Kingdom Life Family Center in Orefield and my Pastor’s are Tony and Tammy Adamo. They lived in Ecuador for 5 years doing missionary work. The church plants that we have in Quito and Latacunga wanted to do a women’s conference. Now, for you and me, women’s conferences are the normal thing to do. In Ecuador, not so much! They don’t do these kind of things. Plus, to pull the churches together to work and support a women’s conference, well, that is just unheard of. However, they put their hands to the plow and started the work. They asked Pastor Tammy to come and speak at the conferences and talk to their leaders and married couples. We went as a support system for Pastor Tammy and to teach some breakout sessions.

After most of the conference times or after church services on Sundays, we had the opportunity to pray for people. This part worried me a little because I don’t speak Spanish. Nothing!!! So, I was concerned about how I was going to pray for people and how they were going to understand what I was saying. However, what God did just blew my mind.

God moved in such a mighty way that the language barrier didn’t matter. Women and men were so desperate to hear from God, to experience God or to just receive a touch from God, that their hearts were so open. Language did not matter. As we prayed for the people, I saw and experienced things that I had never seen before. People broke so openly and poured their heart out to God. Some I just held in my arms as they wept and cried. Some fell to their knees, some danced, some jumped, some shook, some fell over and the list goes on and on.

Sometimes, when I prayed for people, I just wept. I could not contain myself because my heart was breaking for them. I could literally feel their pain. Now you may think I am crazy when I say that but that is the only way I can describe it.
The one woman that stands out in my mind was in Quito. We had a women’s leaders time for any woman who was in ministry or in leadership. Pastor Tammy taught an amazing lesson on women in ministry and at the end, we had time to pray for the women. I was praying for women and I looked up and saw this elderly Indigenous woman who had to be in her 70’s or over. She was hunched over and she looked like she has had a very hard life. No doubt, life has not been good to her. She pushed her way through the women to get to the front so she could be prayed for. She reminded me so much of the woman with the issue of blood in the Bible. As she pushed her way through, she was weeping. I started to pray for her and she was yelling out to God. I have no idea what she said and I know she had no idea what I was saying. We just wept together and prayed out to God. Two hearts were united that night and we cried out together to God for whatever it may have been that she was asking for.

That was it for me. That night I learned so much about God and His presence and who He is and who I am in Him, it was like a crash course in experiencing the presence of God. I knew that that night, I would never be the same or ever look at praying for people the same ever again.

That is what it was like every time we prayed for people. They were so hungry for God because most of them had no other option but God. He was all they had! It was like they were teaching us what it was like to have nothing and only have hope in God. Time and time again, we prayed over people and time and time again, God answered them.

I went to Ecuador praying to God about four things:
1. Continue to create in me a servant’s heart
2. Break my heart for your people
3. Why do miracles occur in third world countries so much and not in the USA?
4. Continue to stretch me in my faith

I can honestly tell you that God answered every single one of those prayers!! He taught me so much about His faithfulness and just trusting in Him. He taught me that if I trust Him and reach out in faith, He will supply what I need and what I am lacking whether that be physical, mental, emotional, in ministry and spiritually. At times, I wanted my family that my heart ached for them. Yet, God filled my heart and helped me in my longing for them. At times, I was physically tired that I didn’t feel like I could give any more out, He supplied me and strengthened me. Even when I was emotionally gone because of all the tears that were shed for others, He helped me to go one step farther.

I was asked a question from a friend months ago about this trip. The question was “If your call in life is Truth for Women, then what does this trip have to do with that?” My answer at that time was “Nothing. It has everything to do with me and my growth in the Lord”. Now please hear my heart that definitly was the case but I also realize now that it was also to help me as I lead this ministry forward. After what I saw in Ecuador, my heart longs even more for women to embrace God’s word as truth and for women to experience the presence of God like I saw there. My heart longs even more for lives to be changed by the presence of God because they see Him, feel Him and experience Him like never before.

This has been my first mission trip ever in my life and I can certainly tell you, it will not be the last.

Being Transparent

2009-10-05T14:54:00.001-04:00

I received an email from a dear friend of mine that I cherish very close to my heart. When I read it, I thought “This needs to be shared with as many people as possible.” Why? Because as Christians, we need to be reminded of God’s Unfailing Love and that we need to love Him with everything we have. So, I asked my friend if I could share this with all of you. The below will change your heart if you allow it.

Kim Checkeye

Last Sunday I finished "Breaking Free" by Beth Moore. You would think that when someone finishes a Bible study that they would finish with the last lesson, but not me. You see, I had done all the lessons in the workbook but I had not listened to all the tapes. So on Sunday I listened to two tapes that I still needed to hear and finished the study.

I know now that this was “no mistake” on my part that I listened to the tapes out of order, but a greater part of God’s plan for me. The last tape was on “God’s Unfailing Love.” I had to confess to myself and to God after listening to it that I don’t love Him as I should, I don’t find joy in Him as I should, I don’t find satisfaction in Him as I should and because I don’t then there are strongholds in my life that are preventing me from doing this. What are these strongholds? It struck me, I have been a Christian for most of my life and yet I am still not fulfilling God’s chief end for my life which is “to glorify God and enjoy Him forever” on a consistent basis. This is not the deepest desire of my heart if I was going to be honest with myself and more importantly with God. It brought me to tears. I cried out, “Why don’t I love You, LORD, with all my heart, soul, mind and strength? Do I even want to? How do I begin as I don’t even know what an intimate relationship “looks like?”

I learned from the video that God wants our love for three reason:
1. Love motivates obedience
2. Love motivates perseverance
3. Love motivates safety

If I don’t love God first with all my being, then how do I expect to live a life pleasing to Him? How do I obey, persevere and remain in His safe keeping daily if I don’t first love Him with my all. How do I overcome strongholds in my life? It’s impossible.

These questions struck home to me again at Bible study on Tuesday night during the video, “God is the Gospel” by John Piper. Piper quoted Psalm 73:25, "Whom have I in heaven but You and on earth there is nothing I desire than You" again...I couldn't say, "God you are all I desire on the earth" and be honest with Him and myself, there are material things, activities and relationships that my heart are drawn to more than Him, in other words, IDOLS...how can this be? I was challenged by another passage in the video, Habakkuk 3:17-18, “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” Piper commented, many Christians love what Jesus offers (blessings and gifts) but not Jesus Himself. That smacked me in the face…that was me. I loved what Jesus did for me, but I did not fully love Jesus with my heart, mind, soul and strength.

So I asked myself, “If God never did another thing in my life, if He never blessed me with another thing, would I still seek Him, would I still want to know Him, would I find enjoyment in Him, would I find satisfaction in Him, would I love Him?”

I was challenged by this concept, “to love the Giver and not the gifts or the blessings of the Giver.” I learned from the videos that I can not develop this love for God on my own. It is Spirit driven. So I have made a concerted effort during the week with the help of the Holy Spirit to seek God purely for Himself...not asking for this or that from Him, but seeking out who He is for Himself alone and enjoying Him. I began to consider God's attributes as a place to start for in order to love God then I must know God and what better way to know Him then to find out who He really is. Which drew me to a book that I have had on my shelf for sometime..."Praying the Names of God" by Ann Spangler. I highly recommend this book. It has 26 names of God that one can discover. The first week, I studied and prayed the name, Elohim (e-lo HEEM, God the Mighty Creator.) The first day of the week I discovered the meaning of Elohim, the next three days I prayed the name and on the fifth day I learned about the promises of the name. My heart began to lean towards God and to discover Him in ways I never knew.

During the week I found some times with God that I truly enjoyed His creation. He showed me on one of my walks the precision Canadian geese come in for a landing and realized for the first time in all my years watching them that they all "touch down" on the grass at the same time...the first geese continue to flap their wings just above the ground until every one is in place and then together in one motion they hit the ground. It was amazing. I saw a sky last night that I never saw before...a pale lavender on the horizon of the mountains with a shade of blue above it like I have never seen with white on top of that...I enjoyed that...I ENJOYED GOD!

I don't know where you are with your relationship with God, but I challenge you to ask yourself, “Do I desire Him more than anything else on earth?” If not, then you might have a stronghold in your life preventing you from God’s best, just like me. I encourage you today to start seeking Him first and not the blessings or the gifts that He gives, they will follow along with obedience, perseverance and His safe keeping.

Here is a sample of one of the day’s of prayer in Ann Spangler’s book, enjoy!

Elohim - God the Mighty Creator...
Elohim is the Hebrew word for God that appears in the very first sentence of the Bible. When we pray to Elohim, we remember that he is the one who began it all, creating the heavens and the earth and separating light from darkness, water from dry land, night from day. This ancient name for God contains the idea of God’s creative power as well as his authority and sovereignty. Jesus used a form of the name in his agonized prayer from the cross. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Key Scripture
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1).

Praying the Name…
In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. But you remain the same. (Psalm 102:25–27a)

Reflect On: Psalm 102
Praise God: For his unchanging nature—no matter what hap¬pens to us or to the world around us, God remains the same.
Offer Thanks: That our Creator is perfect—nothing could be added to or subtracted from him to improve his nature.
Confess: Any tendency to place God on your own level, as though he is subject to the same laws and limitations of creation as you are.
Ask God: To help you perceive his greatness more fully so that you will stop projecting your own feelings and judgments on him.

Imagine for a moment that you live in a world that never changes. In this world civilizations never rise and fall, the weather is constant, children don’t grow up, and people never change jobs. In this world, the same old television shows run year after year.

Wouldn’t it bore you to death? Without the right kind of change, there would be no growth or development, no hope, nothing whatever to aim for. No one would ever talk about discerning God’s plan for their lives nor would anyone strive to fulfill their God-given potential because there wouldn’t even be a word for “potential.” We know that to be human is to be subject to change.

As human beings we need constructive change because both we and the world we live in are imperfect. We are not yet everything God intends us to be. But God himself is already perfect, already everything he needs to be: all-powerful, loving, wise, beautiful, and good. Change could not possibly improve him. Furthermore, he is not subject to a changing universe because he exists outside of time and space. He always was and he always will be. This means that the God who loves you will never stop being who he is. His attitude won’t change depending on his mood, depending on your mood.
Perhaps you face unwelcome changes right now: the loss of a loved one, a child leaving home, a dwindling paycheck—the future you counted on suddenly in jeopardy. Or maybe you suffer from a mood disorder, up one day and way down the next.

Let the God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever steady your world today.

Whatever challenge or change confronts you, let it drive you toward the God who never changes, a God so stable and strong you can lean on him forever.

Author - Anonymous

The Bride of Christ by Kim Checkeye

2009-09-07T04:00:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago, my husband’s brother, Wes, married his high school sweetheart, Roshelle. The wedding was one of the most beautiful and intimate weddings I have ever seen. The love that the two of them share for each other was so emanate as they looked into each other’s eyes. Their love for the Lord came across in every aspect of the day.

There are many things that stand out about the day but there is one thing that I continually keep going back too. I am sure most of the people who were there look back and remember it as one of the funniest memories but I seem to be drawn back for the spiritual symbolism that it represents.

You see, Wes is a very artistic person and he wrote the song that he would play as the bridesmaids walked down the aisle but not only that, it would be the song that he would play as his blushing bride would walk too as she is presented to him.

Normally, people strain to see the bride as she walks down the aisle but I love to watch the face of the groom. It was so obvious when Roshelle came into view just by the look on Wes’s face. Wes was sitting down at the piano which he placed directly in front of the aisle so he could see his bride and play the song that he created for her as she walked towards him.

Well, as she was coming down the aisle, our uncle stepped into the aisle to take pictures but he was blocking Wes’s view of Roshelle. Wes very politely spoke up and asked him to move. However, our uncle did not hear him and continued to stand in the way. Wes very loudly exclaimed “Get out of my way, I can’t see my bride!” Finally our uncle heard and moved so Wes could see his precious gift that God had given him.

Call me crazy but this has rung within my spirit so deep that I can’t seem to shake it. The verse that cries out in my heart is Isaiah 54:5 “For your Maker is your husband – the Lord Almighty is his name – the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth.” This verse alone teaches us so many truths about who God is and who we are in God. First we learn that God Almighty, the Maker of heaven and earth, is our husband. We belong to Him. We learn that God is the Holy One of Israel and that He is our Redeemer. We learn that He is the God of all the earth.

Now, what does this tell us about who we are? We are His bride! Do we truly understand that? Do we truly get what that means? You are the love of His life! You are the woman of his dreams! The one true living God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, looks at you as his blushing bride. Do you believe it?

I can’t help but to wonder how many times in my life I have allowed sin, disobedience, temptations etc. into my life to become an obstacle in my walk with the Lord. How many times have I allowed anger, frustration, jealousy or pride to block the view of Christ looking at me, His blushing bride? I can’t help but to think how many times Christ has cried out just like Wes “Get out of my way, I can’t see my bride!”

Let’s reflect on the ten bridesmaids in Matthew 25 for a moment. Back in Jesus’ time, the bridegroom went to the bride’s house for the ceremony then the bride and groom, along with a large processional, would take the feast back to the groom’s house. Often, this feast would last a full week. The ten bridesmaids were waiting for the great procession and they were excited to take part in the wedding banquet. But when the groom did not come at the “expected” time, five of them let the oil in their lamp go out. As the bridegroom came, they realized they had no oil so they quickly left to go purchase some. While they were out, the bridegroom came and collected the five that were ready and went to the wedding banquet. At that time, the door was shut.

The five who were out purchasing the oil came to the home and banged on the door asking for them to be allowed in. However, the bridegroom replied that he did not know them.
At the end of this parable, the Lord warns us to keep watch because we do not know the day or the hour of when Christ will return. The word watch here means “to keep watch” (meaning an action) and “to be on guard.”

This parable is so important to us today because sometimes as Christians, we become numb to the fact that one day Christ will return for His bride. We hear this time and time again and yet we let our guard down. It is so important for us to keep watch on our hearts, our minds and our character to make sure they are lining up with the Word of God. We must constantly be acting on the Word of God, obeying it and allowing it to change us from the inside out. We can’t let our guard down for if we do, we have a very real enemy who wants to steal, kill and destroy us.

Revelation 19:7-8 “Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.”

My prayer for each and every one of us is that we are preparing ourselves for the day that the Lamb comes to take his bride and that we are not allowing any obstacles to stand in our way. The last thing I want the Lord to say is “Get out of my way. I can’t see my bride.”

Are you willing to be an Elisha? By Kim Checkeye

2009-07-27T14:05:00.001-04:00

I have been studying Elijah and Elisha in 1 Kings to prepare for an upcoming Bible Study I will be teaching this fall. One thing that has hit me more than words can express is 1 Kings 19:19, 20 “So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, while he was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth. And Elijah passed over to him and threw his mantle on him. He left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Please let me kiss my father and my mother, then I will follow you?” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?”

There are so many things to learn from these two verses that are so important for us today. The first point we see is that Elisha came from a wealthy family. We know this because he had twelve pairs of oxen that were being used to tend to the family farm. However, even though he came from a wealthy family, Elisha was out in the field putting his hand to the plow. He did not believe in being served, he believed in being a servant.

When Elijah threw his mantle on him, Elisha understood the symbolic application behind this and he immediately left the oxen and ran after Elijah. The second point we must see here is that Elisha received the call on his life while he was in his everyday work. So many times we expect to hear or see something “magical” when God calls us into the path that He has chosen for us. We expect to hear some audible booming voice coming down from the Heavens telling us what we are suppose to be doing. But in all reality, we are missing that soft still voice who is directing us in our everyday walk. How many times has God “called us” during our everyday life experiences and we didn’t hear it or see it because it wasn’t in the way we thought it should look?

Elisha didn’t hesitate or ask for a confirmation or doubt what he saw, he immediately ran after Elijah and asked permission to go back to his family and say good-bye. This is acknowledging that he is breaking from his past and stepping into the destiny that God had for him. This leads me to point number three. How many times do we get direction from the Lord but we are unwilling to break free from the past experiences in our life or break free from our natural tendencies? Ouch! I don’t know about you but this one hurts! Talk about a knife right to the heart of things. I know there are things in my life that the Lord is dealing with me so that He can transform me into the woman that I need to be for the call that He has placed on my life. To be point blank honest, that hurts sometimes. Sometimes it is scary and downright painful but in the end, being a disciple of Christ is far worth more than anything else on this earth.

This leads me to point number four. When Elijah threw his mantle on Elisha, this symbolized the passing of the anointing that was on Elijah. However, this did not mean that Elisha didn’t have to undergo some discipleship!!! Elisha had the unbelievable experience to take what he learned on the farm, being a servant, and apply it to being a servant to Elijah. Elisha was under the wing of Elijah and he was able to watch and learn from the man of God directly. What does this mean for us? God may call us but we will always have a time of training and learning from others. Take every bit of it and learn everything you can.

I thank God for my five years of being under Sally Hall during my time of serving within Truth for Women. These years were priceless as I watched and learned from a woman who was devoted to God. She taught me how to stand on the Word of God no matter what. She taught me how to grow as a leader and as a disciple of Christ. She taught me to learn from my mistakes and allow the Lord to mold me and change me. All that time was a training ground for today when I would take on the “mantle” of Truth for Women.

My question to all of you is “Are you willing to be an Elisha in this time? Are you willing to break free from your past and immediately step into a time of discipleship so you can be trained for the call on your life?”

A Tribute to My Mother by Kim Checkeye

2009-06-10T08:19:00.001-04:00

On June 14th, it would have been my mother’s 76th birthday. As the day gets closer, the more my thoughts are of her. My mom will be gone 18 years in August and yet, I still miss her dearly.

I have the awesome privilege of coaching my daughter’s lacrosse team and it brings back so many fond memories of my mother. You see, I played field hockey, basketball and lacrosse in high school and during those years, my mom was battling cancer. She had many chemotherapy and radiation appointments plus being sick, losing her hair, losing weight and the burns from the radiation were brutal. YET, she never missed one of my games. This amazing woman put aside her pain and suffering to be there for ME. To this day, it just amazes me.

I grew up in a Pennsylvania Dutch home where we were not told “I love you”. It just wasn’t something they did. However, they showed their love to me in other ways. To this day, when I close my eyes, I can still see my mom in the stands with her wig on screaming and cheering for our team. When I messed up, she yelled even harder to shake it off. I watched this woman deteriorate day by day in her body but she always had the strength to come to my games.

I remember how she was such a part of my siblings’ lives as they got married and had their children. She would go to their homes and clean their house for them and help with the children. She cooked dinners for them and was such a part of each of their lives.

In the last few months of her life, she longed for me to just sit with her on the couch. I would come home from school and she would ask me to just lay with her and hold her. This was NOT the norm in my family and I knew that she was coming to the end. I am so thankful for those times of just being with her. We really didn’t talk but we just sat there and held each other.

I will never forget the night she died. It was a life changing moment for me. The doctor had come to the house and they told my family that it was only a matter of time. I had lied to my dad about where I was going so they were calling everyone they could to find me. You see, I was 19 years old and even though I knew my mother was dying, I still had my own agenda. Finally, I came home and there were cars all over the driveway so I knew this was it. I ran up to the house and my sister-in-law whom I was very close to at the time, came out and tried to prepare me for what was to come. She had already lost her mom so she was trying to get me ready emotionally. However, nothing could have prepared me for what was about to happen.

My mom knew that we were all there and she was talking to us. She was telling us how she would be cheering for us even though she would not be there. She would slip in and out of consciousness yet she always knew where my dad was. He was sitting beside her in the hospital bed that we had set up in the living room. When she would slip into unconsciousness, she continued to turn her head towards my dad. At one point, she asked us all to leave the room so she could be alone with my dad. Oh, how I wish I knew what she said to him but that is a moment to be left between the two of them.

Finally, my mom began to talk about seeing a light, a brilliant vibrant light that was coming for her. At first, it kind of scared her but then she smiled and said “AHHHH!” Like she finally saw who it was who had come for her. A few moments later, she breathed her last breath and was gone. We called for the undertaker to come and get her but it took hours. We sat and watched the life drain out of her body and it was a sight that I will never forget. Watching someone’s body just drain away from life was absolutely horrible.

My family rallied and we spent every moment together preparing for the funeral. It was a precious time and the closest we have ever been. It is amazing how a tragedy can bring people together in ways you never thought was possible. However, the time came for everyone to return to their homes and I was scared of being alone with my dad. My dad was not an open and loving father. He rarely talked to us and when he did, he yelled. However, after the death of my mother, he changed. Something inside my father changed. I had the privilege of going out to dinner with him, going to get ice cream, going to the movies and doing things with him I had never done. I watched this man change before my eyes. I grew a bond with my father that was close and he became not only my daddy but he became my best friend.

Over the years, I have missed my mother being at my wedding, the birth of my daughters, me graduating from paralegal school, the building of our home etc. She has missed events of my life that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that she would have been participating in with everything she had.

Through all of this, God has taught me so much about who I am and who He is. God has become my source of strength when the pain is so deep that I can’t even raise my head from my pillow. God has become my life line and the love of my life. God took the worse days of my life to use them to draw me closer to Him. He used them to show me who He truly is and how He truly sees me. A couple of times people have said to me “If there is a God, why would He have taken your mother from you at such a young age?” My response to them is this: God did not take my mother away. Nothing bad can come from God. Evil is not a part of Him. He is holy and just. Did God allow my mother to have cancer? Yes, He did. But God is all knowing and all powerful. He knows the plans for our lives before there was one day. He is my creator and the creator of all. God used the death of my mother and what happened that night to change the lives of others. God used her story to turn others to Him. I have witnessed it myself first hand. So how can I be angry at God when He took a horrible thing and turned it into something that would bring Him glory and honor?

This year my father is turning 77 and he is turning into a grumpy PA dutchy! Just being honest! He doesn’t want to leave his home and he doesn’t want to do anything. But you know what? He’s my daddy! I am thankful that God allows me to see my father in a whole different light. When my dad goes to buy birthday cards for his children, he spends so much time reading cards because he wants to pick that special one just for them. They are always cards filled of love and joy about his children. That’s his way of saying I love you. God has allowed me to see my father in a way that allows me to search for those precious signs of how he shows his love. My dad pulls out the sports section for my one brother because he knows how much he loves to keep track of teams. That’s him showing his love. I am grateful that God has given to me such an amazing mother and father that helped mold and create me to be the woman I am today.

God used the death of my mother to turn my life around. Since the age of 19, I have turned my life fully over to Him. Have I made mistakes? You bet I have!!!! Have I fallen short? Yes indeed. Is God still working on changing me to be more like Jesus? Yes!! I am a work in progress. But the truths that I have learned over the years are priceless. I know that God created me in my mother’s womb. I know that God knew me before the creation of the world. I know God choose me to be holy and blameless in His sight. I know when God looks at me He does not see a sinner but He sees His daughter covered by the blood of Jesus. I know that one day, I will be able to dance before Jesus and sing praise unto Him. And you know what? I know my mother will be there with me dancing along! She is free of cancer and free of worries because she is with the one true King of Kings!

The Squirrel by Kim Checkeye

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My husband and daughters gave me a bird feeder for my birthday one year. They hung it on a tree outside of my office window so I could watch the birds sit and feed. They also built me a birdhouse out of their own hands. However, the squirrels destroyed the bird feeder. They ripped off the stands and shattered the holes where the birds would feed. I had no idea these little creatures were so powerful. We bought a new feeder that was “squirrel proof.”

Yesterday, I was on the telephone with Sharon Brobst discussing the day to day work of Truth for Women. I looked outside my window and I saw a squirrel that was absolutely amazing. He was desperately trying to get food out of that “squirrel proof” bird feeder. I watched him twist his body every which way to try to get the food. But at one point, he dug his back legs into the tree and stretched his entire upper body out to the feeder. His front paws held on to the feeder while his back legs clung for dear life to the tree.

I started to laugh to Sharon and tell her about the squirrel. My exact words to her were “Boy this will preach to you. There has to be a sermon in this one.”

As I am sitting here this morning listening to the sounds of the birds singing praises to God, my mind wonders to that little squirrel. He knew that if he dug his feet into that tree and hung on to it with everything he had, he could reach that bird feeder which would supply him with the essentials his body needed. He was willing to do whatever it took to reach that supply of nourishment. He stretched his entire body to get the goal!

There are days in my walk with Christ that my spiritual body is so desperate and in need of nourishment of the Word of God. There are days that all I can do is dig my feet into the Truth of His Word and hold onto for dear life. There are days when I have to stretch myself to reach the essentials that I need in my spiritual walk.

Now, I must admit, there are times when I am just plain tired. Times when I am exhausted from the work of ministry and life. Times when I am so lonely for a friend. Lonely for someone to just talk too or go out for coffee.

Oh, how I need to be like that precious squirrel holding onto the Word of God as my lifeline and my plumb line. Holding onto His precious promises even though my mind and flesh is telling me not too. Holding onto His grace and love for me that my mind can’t comprehend. Then, at that very moment when that overwhelming feeling of just giving up comes crushing in, I must reach and stretch with everything that I have to reach for my source of strength and nourishment. Remembering that I am a little creature but the Spirit that is living in me is powerful. Using everything I have within me to press forward and push myself to reach the goal, to reach the prize! To reach that precious moment to feel the presence of my Lord and Savior.

I need to be just like that squirrel. I wonder if he really understands what he is doing or if it is just his natural instinct for survival? Lord, change me and mold me so my natural instinct is to do whatever it takes to reach you.

Thank you Lord God for sending that dear squirrel to my front yard as a reminder of who you are to me.

Are You Making Yourself Ready?

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I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself.

For I promised you as a pure bride to one husband, Christ.

2 Corinthians 11:2

Let us be glad and rejoice and honor him.

For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. Revelation 19:7

And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven

like a beautiful bride prepared for her husband.

Revelation 21:2 (NLT)

Have you forgotten that you are My bride? Instead of making yourself ready you go out and play in the world forgetting to be careful to keep yourself separate. So your bridal clothes becomes dirty, torn and ragged. You walk around trying to be like them, and in your dirty clothes you forget Me.

You keep running around looking for where you belong, you keep trying to find love and acceptance. You forget you have an enemy that tells you that you are no longer worthy and your bridal clothes have been destroyed beyond repair.

My love for you is far greater and wider than you can ever imagine. Come to me my bride and I will give you new a new bridal dress. I will wash you whiter than snow. Stay with me and you will see that my love for you is never changing. My love for you is the same today as it was yesterday and it will still be there tomorrow. You will never have more or less of my love than you have right now. You have ALL my love.

Why do you continue to look to things and people? You continue to prostitute yourself to the world. You runs after your lovers. My bride I will not force you, but I will win you back once again.

I will lead you out into the desert and speak to you tenderly there. It will be in the dry and pain of the desert that you will give yourself to me as you did long ago. It will be then that you will come to see me as your beloved groom to whom you were promised.

I will make you my wife forever, showing you righteousness and justice, unfailing love and compassion.I will be faithful to you and make you mine, and you will finally know me as your Beloved Groom. I will show love to you and then I will say, Now you are my bride.

Then you will reply, You are my Groom.Oh come away with me my bride, let me love you. Make yourself ready for the marriage feast of your precious Lamb.

Do we truly get it? by Kim Checkeye

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As we begin to prepare to enjoy Easter weekend, I can’t seem to shake this heavy heart. I have read time and time again what Jesus did for us on the cross and at times I asked myself “Do I truly get it?” Do I truly understand what Jesus did for me? I have seen the movies, watched the passion plays, listened to beautiful Easter choirs sing about redemption and forgiveness, but do I truly get it?
Throughout the gospels I read about this amazing teacher who healed the sick, healed the lame and loved people like no one else has ever loved anyone and yet, those same people turned on Him. The same people, who He healed and loved with an undying love, turned on Him and had Jesus crucified. Now I don’t know about you, but that’s when I start to judge them and think about how horrible they were. How could they have done that to Him? How could they have turned their back on Jesus when all He did was love them? How could they not trust Him when they watched Him heal people?

It doesn’t take long for that soft still voice in my heart to speak up and bring me back to reality. Wasn’t I just like them? To be frank and brutally honest, aren’t I still like them at times? For a long time in my life I did not know Christ as my Savior. At times I try to make my own paths for this life instead of following the one that God has created for me. Many times I don’t listen to that soft still voice or listen to what the Bible tells me about my character. How many times have I tried to figure something out on my own instead of just trusting and resting in God?

In Isaiah 52, the Bible tells us that Jesus was marred beyond human likeness and his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of ANY MAN! What this tells us is that all the movies and plays we have seen about the beating and death of Jesus Christ is nothing compared to what really happened. You see, when he hung on the cross in the performances, he still looked human. Clearly the Word tells us that Jesus did not look like a man when He hung on the cross because He was so disfigured from the beatings He had received. When Jesus went to the cross He was marred beyond human likeness.

That is what He willingly did for us because He loves us with an undying love. He did this for us so that we could have eternal life. He did this for us because it was the only way for our sins to be forgiven and we could have communion with the Father. He was beaten and bruised for our iniquities.

Do we truly get it?

The world is still looking for a savior when in all reality, the one true living Savior was already here. He died and rose again! He is seated at the right hand of God Almighty. All we have to do is acknowledge Him as our Savior and submit our life to Him. Surrender who we are and allow Him to changes us! Allow Jesus to take out that heart of stone and replace it with His love.

Do we truly get what Jesus Christ did for us?

Absolute Truth by Kim Checkeye

2009-04-08T11:00:00.001-04:00

Do you believe the Word of God is the absolute Truth for your life? We live in a world that tells us that what we feel or what we think is the absolute truth for our life. That is a lie.

The word absolute means perfect in nature, complete, pure, total, not to be doubted or questioned.

The word truth means a fact, standard and proven to be accepted as true.

Absolute truth is a standard that is not to be doubted or questioned. It is perfect, complete, pure and unchangeable.

Do you believe that to be true of the Bible?
Do you believe that the Bible is the absolute truth to live your life?

Our enemy has been trying to make us doubt God's Word as absolute truth for our life since the beginning of time. Remember the Garden of Eden? In Genesis 2, God told Adam "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." In Genesis 3, the serpent came to the woman and put doubt in her mind about what God said. "Did God really say, You must not eat from any tree in the garden?" The enemy was putting doubt into Eve's mind. After that doubt was planted, the serpent went in and accused God of lying. "You will not surely die." Our enemy has been playing this game with us since the beginning of time. He is attempting to put doubt in our minds so we will doubt God's word as absolute truth for our life. Why does he do this? John 10:10 tells us. "He comes to steal, kill and destroy." What better way to do this then to make us doubt God's word as absolute truth for our life.

The Old Testament has over 300 prophecies of the coming Messiah. For Jesus Christ to have fulfilled 8 of those 300 would be a statistic of 1 out of 100,000,000,000,000,000! That is only for Christ to fulfill 8 of the 300. Yet, Christ fulfilled all 300 of them! We do not have a statistic for that one!

What about the Bible? It was written over a period of 1,500 years in various places stretching from Babylon to Rome. There were over 40 authors who were kings, peasants, poets, herdsmen, fishermen, scientists, farmers, priests, pastors, tent makers and governors. It was written in the wilderness, dungeon, inside palaces, prisons, lonely islands and military battles. Yet, it all ties together.

Psalm 119:160 All of God’s word is true

John 17:17 God’s word is truth

The bottom line is: Do you believe God’s word is absolute truth for your life?

Jan Silvious says “A Holy passion for God comes out of a determined, purposeful relationship with His Word.”

In order to begin to have a Holy passion for God, we need to believe that God’s Word is absolute truth for our lives. It is our foundation for how we act, how we speak, what our morals are based on and how we live our life. In this day and age, the Word of God is the only thing that we can stand on and trust. I know in my life, if I did not have the Word of God to stand on, I would have crumbled and fallen apart.

I challenge you to read the Bible everyday. I challenge you to study the Bible and apply it to your everyday life. I challenge you to shout from the roof tops the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Welcome to the TFW Blog!

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Our mission: Helping women to embrace God's word as truth!
Our vision: A spiritually healthy community full of women who are established in God's word and who understand and fulfill God's purposes for their lives.

We are in the process of developing this blog to be a place where Truth for Women will have the opportunity to share with you the heartbeat of the ministry. Through several staff members we will be posting the words of truth that God lays on our hearts.

Please check back soon to "hear" from us!

Who we are

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Truth for Women believes our greatest joy in living each day will be found as we live according to God’s plan and purpose. We seek to build community among women in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania from every social, cultural, and or denominational background. A community where strengths, resources, and information are shared that will help us understand and fulfill God’s purpose for us as women.

Truth for Women ~ found only in the Word of God!

In the Bible, God tells us that His Word alone is Truth. God Himself wants us to know the Truth about the life He longs for us to have. As an interdenominational organization, God has called Truth for Women to provide, promote, and present women with opportunities to grow in true knowledge of Him. How? Through conferences, seminars, special events, church networking, and our website.

Meet the Writers

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Kim Checkeye

Kim's ministry is founded on John 8:32 “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Kim believes that the Word of God will bring victory and healing to all areas of our lives. She draws from her personal experiences of living a life of rejection, losing her mother to cancer and searching for love as she powerfully communicates to others that we have hope in Jesus Christ. Her sincerity touches your heart as she teaches and explores the Word of God to expose the lies we have allowed in our heart. Her down-to earth teaching will have you crying one minute and have you laughing the next.

Kim is President of Truth for Women. She is married to her husband Ben and is the mother of two girls, Hannah and Elizabeth. Kim is a motivational speaker and is available for seminars, conferences and retreats.

You can contact Kim at info+kim@truthforwomen.org or visit her website at http://www.kimcheckeye.com/

Shana Minervini
Shana Minervini loves writing. God uses her life experiences to help her reach others through humor. She is originally from New Jersey and worked in New York City for 15 years. Shana loves the Lord and clings on to His promises. She has a heart for helping people in need. God planted the Truth for Women seed in her heart 4 years ago and is so grateful that seed is now in full bloom.

Eileen Alpaugh

Eileen is a gifted speaker who brings a fresh and timely message from the heart of God. Her life is a glorious testimony to His lovingkindness, faithfulness and restoration power. Eileen will help you recognize the hand of God in the most difficult of circumstances and understand Scripture with Kingdom mentality. She serves as a Pastor's wife in an inner city ministry and is the Vice President of Truth for Women.

Kelly Liberto
Kelly Anne Liberto is a happy wife of thirty years and proud mama to three lovely young ladies. She spends her time writing, speaking and counseling on all that the Lord has done for her. Kelly shares her story of how God healed her miraculously from cancer on “Kelly’s Miracle”, a program created for the public access television show called “Total Recall”. Kelly is currently working on a full length novel in the supernatural thriller genre based on her experience of overcoming childhood sexual abuse.