11 Ways God Instructs Us to Live and Grow Together in a Sisterhood of Faith

1. Be united to Christ and the family of God: Mark 1:15, John 1:12-13, 1 Cor 11:1, 2 Cor 5:14-15, Eph 1:7-10, Eph 2:19-22, Eph 4:4-16, 1 John 1:7, 1 John 3:1-3

2. Continually pursue community with each other: Heb 10:24-25, 1 John, 1 Cor 15:58, Acts 4:32

3. Have a growing active love for each other: 1 John 3:11, 1 John 3:23, 1 John 4:7, 1 John 4:11, 1 John 4:12, 2 John 5, Rom 13:8, John 15:17, John 15:12, John 13:34, John 13:35 John 13:34, 1 Thess 4:9, 1 Peter 3:8, I Peter 4:8, 1 Thess 3:12, Romans 12:10

My journey into the world of chronic pain began in the summer of 2007. I remember it well. I was serving at our Kids Town Camp when I was gripped with a pain so severe, I ended up in the ER. After hours on a morphine drip and many diagnostic tests, I was sent home with the diagnosis of idiopathic hydronephrosis or swelling and spasms of the kidney without known cause.

I had this severe spastic, throbbing, nauseating pain off and on for 12 years. In the beginning, I had some months free of this pain but ended up in the ER frequently with flare-ups. Gradually my episodes begin to increase, to whereby the summer of 2017, I was gripped with almost constant spasms and level 10 pain. I was home flat in bed for days begging for pain meds and relief. I felt alone, exhausted, and desperate.

Young Poppy was playing outside with friends when she stumbled, fell, and scraped her knee. She sat for a moment, crying, as she looked at her owie. Having heard her daughter’s cries, Mom met her at the door. She picked Poppy up, carried her to a chair, and sat there with Poppy on her lap. She gently rocked the girl, stroking her hair, and murmuring to her that she was okay, that her injury wasn’t too bad, and it would stop hurting soon. After a while, Poppy’s tears lessened, so she sat up and looked at Mom. With a hiccup, she wailed, “I wasn’t done playing and now all my friends will have left to go to the park without me…!” More tears threatened.

Growing up I was blessed to have very loving parents. I loved both my parents but relied mostly on my mother for comfort and security. I used to worry that when the day came for my mother to die, I wouldn’t be able to survive without her. When my mother passed away in 2011, I was able to accept her passing more than I expected mainly because I have a loving and caring husband. He has provided me with the comfort and security far beyond what I once had from my mother. But what about the Lord?

What is your testimony? Were you saved as a child? Did you walk the “straight and narrow”? Did you have a rough start? However God called you to repentance, your conversion is a miracle! Being brought from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light is such an awesome thing that even the angels in heaven rejoice. When we confess our faith in Jesus Christ, accept His death and resurrection as the payment for our sins, and turn from our ways to His, He becomes our Savior and our Lord.

In women’s ministry, we believe what the Word of God teaches: God has appointed gifted men to teach what is in accord with sound doctrine (Titus 1) and to proclaim God’s Word to the church. Our first and highest priority is to encourage our women to make it their first and highest priority to listen to and receive with joy God’s Word that is proclaimed each week in the pulpit ministry of the Word by our pastors and then to encourage one another to be women of the Word by being in God’s Word daily.

Emotions are difficult to navigate in this time of great uncertainty, change, and information. They are so strong and fear seems to be the inescapable environment that surrounds us as new information continually comes at us. God’s words, “Don’t be anxious” seem like an impossible burden rather than comfort. It is important to have a biblical understanding of emotions in order to navigate this time well.

When I came to Christ’s Church, I was lonely. I had been married for 39 years. We had three wonderful children married to great spouses the joy of being grandparents to five crazy active grandkids, BUT my mind was far, far away. I looked good on the outside, but I was lonely.

If you haven’t dealt with loneliness in your lifetime, there is a very good chance you will.

God created humans in His image and gave them the ability to learn and create and with the task to rule over the world for His glory. Every generation has seen advances. My grandparents used an outhouse and wood-burning stove. We have flush toilets and electricity. My generation grew up with dial phones on the wall and typewriters. My kids have cell phones and iPads.