Radiant Women

09/15/2023

It was such an amazing night! 💛

09/13/2023

What will you be passing on to the next generation?

09/12/2023

RADIANT WOMEN SPOTLIGHT
By Deborah Harris

Psalm 127:2 AMPC
It is vain for you to rise up early, to take rest late, to eat the bread of [anxious] toil—for He gives [blessings] to His beloved in sleep.

I think we can all relate to Charles Dickens when he said “I find the nights long, for I sleep but little, and think much”.

I struggle, like so many, to quiet my mind when I should be sleeping. Sometimes I’m not even stressed about anything, I just can’t get my mind to slow down, and then I get stressed because I’m not sleeping! Sound familiar? Well don’t be discouraged, believe it or not, the Word of God has quite a bit to say about sleep.

With all our progress as a society, did you know that people are sleeping less now than they did in the past, and the quality of sleep has declined as well? Insomnia is a sleep disorder that affects as many as 35% of adults. All sorts of things keep us from getting the sleep that we need. Worry, stress, anxiety, work schedules, like-style choices; all of these things can come into play and rob us of the rest that our body needs.

We can clearly see in Scripture that God’s desire for us is to sleep, to find rest. We read it in Proverbs 3:24…’you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet;’ and again in Psalm 4:8…”I will lie down in peace…’

Jesus tells us to come and learn from him, to come and place at His feet all the worries of the day. Every care about your kids, your work, your spouse, your family, should I do this? Should I go there? Lay it all down, and give it to the one who cares for you. hen you do that, rest will come.

Matthew 11:28-30 AMPC
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]
Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls. For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good—not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne.

There are some who might say “ I have done that! I placed everything at his feet and I am still awake!” Truly learning to let go and trust God takes time; sometimes we pick up our cares again and we don’t even realize we have done it. Do as the scripture instructs us, learn from Jesus, keep company with Him; learn to seek Him above all, and the peace will come.

When you find yourself up in the night, tossing and turning, chasing that elusive sleep, get up, grab your Bible, begin to read the Word, begin to worship Jesus, and thank Him for who He is and all He has done. It may be that the Holy Spirit is prompting you to spend time with Him, and so often it’s in the quiet watches of the night that He speaks clearly to our hearts. This is how we learn to quiet our minds and meditate on Jesus, the author and the perfecter of our faith, our Prince of Peace. (Hebrews 12:2)

PRAYER
Lord, I pray today that I would be aware of your presence that is always with me. I thank you that as I face whatever the day may bring, I am held safely and securely in your hands. Remind me of how much you love me, and help me to cast all of my cares upon you. Give me peace and sweet sleep tonight, and continue to draw me closer to you. In Jesus name, Amen.

09/12/2023

09/08/2023

"A righteous person is one who lives for the next generation." -Dietrich Bonhoeffer

09/05/2023

RADIANT WOMEN SPOTLIGHT
By Danna Gorman Strasel

Romans 8:18 AMPC
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time (this present life) are not worth being compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us and for
us and conferred on us!

Have you ever been in such pain that you longed for death? I have. In January 2020 I was diagnosed with breast cancer and it quickly spread for the next 10 months. In June, I had unknowingly added a broken neck to the fun, and it wasn’t until November that it was fixed.

The pains were getting worse. I was not good about suffering silently, so my family and probably everyone in town heard my screams when the tumor pushed on my nerves, causing needle-stabbing pains. Cancer pained my back, neck, hips, femurs, ribs, and breast. The back pain got so bad I could not bend over, and my husband had to help me walk to the bathroom in the mornings. I was sad that I could no longer be active with my family and friends, and I hated that they had to see me in pain.

I know that the Word of God says to rejoice in suffering, but I found it difficult to do. I hated all the unanswered questions and the feeling of helplessness that accompanied them. The good news is that God was with me through the entire ordeal, and I found my strength and comfort in Him.

Pain is an indicator that something is wrong; whether it’s physical or emotional pain, it tells us that there is something we need to address. Before we allow it to overwhelm our lives, we need to turn to the Lord, and invite Him in to help us find the joy and hope which is available to us; regardless of what we are feeling. We can find hope and words to encourage us all throughout Scripture.

Revelation 21:4 AMPC
God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be anguish (sorrow and mourning) nor grief nor pain anymore, for the old conditions nor the former order of things have passed away.

As far as my journey goes, the pain still comes, but it is less severe, and when it comes, I pray, distract myself, keep busy; exercise (or relax in a bath if I suspect I have become too busy). The best way to keep your mind off pain is to keep your mind on Him! God is not finished with you yet. He wants you to serve Him, to give Him the glory when he heals you, and try not to complain when pains set in.

I am just grateful to be alive so I can continue to spread the Good News and share how God has worked in my life. The enemy thought pain, cancer, and fear would stop me, but even fear of getting Covid would not keep me from going out to be the hands and feet of Jesus. God gave me the strength to persevere with help from so many amazing prayer warriors, so I urge you to pray, to ask for help, to seek wise counsel on how to deal with whatever it is you are going through. You are not alone. God is with you every step of the way and your sisters in Christ are here for you.

Pray with me.
Dear God, Thank you for pain, as it lets me know there is something that needs fixing. I find comfort in knowing You are my healer. I will choose to suffer with joy, knowing I am being refined and can empathize with and relate better to Jesus, who suffered greatly for my sins.

I will do this for Your glory and be counted along with Jesus’ disciples and countless followers that have suffered in Your name. You say that suffering leads to endurance, which leads to character, which leads to hope, and how wonderful it is to have hope in YOU!

Today I will not fear but will put my trust in You and seek You with all my mind, strength, heart, and soul. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

08/29/2023

How can we pour into this generation?

08/28/2023

RADIANT WOMEN SPOTLIGHT
By Dotti Mizowek

Anxiety may cause many physical symptoms. Headaches, Nausea, Rapid Heartbeat, Chest Pain, Shortness of Breath, Dizziness or Lightheadedness even Tremors or Twitches. Often affecting people's sleep. Any of these can be debilitating.

I work in a high-stress industry, property management, which can cause anxiety. So many deadlines. Owners must be paid on time – tax reporting for owners and the government. Electric and water maintenance, lawn care, repairs on houses, to name a few. My phone goes off all day. Tenants not paying rent or paying late. Evicting at times. All of this can cause stress and anxiety.

Years ago, the business would keep me up at night, worrying that my owners would not be satisfied with my advice. Having to explain the cost of repairs when they think it shouldn’t be so expensive. Trying to get repair people to give reasonable bids! All day long.

Of course, there is also family anxiety. Are the kids having problems or illnesses? Mom broke her ankle, and the workload went up. Fitting in getting her where she needs to go when it was usually her doing the running. Cooking every night when she used to share the chores. Worrying that she might hurt herself again. Sisters and brothers, nephews and nieces that might be having problems.

Life is a series of worrying possibilities that cause anxiety, and the Bible is full of scriptures about how to deal with it.

Proverbs 12:25
Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.

Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Does worrying fix anything? No! But it can cause severe anxiety.

I turned over my business to the Lord. Praying for guidance on how to lower my stress load. Understanding that our Lord will take care of my business and income if I do my best to help clients and tenants. A short time later the Lord connected me with a Christian woman who was attending the same Bible Study. One day I needed a ride home, we started talking and she mentioned she was looking for a job and had an accounting background. It was God answering my prayers. She has relieved so much of my business anxiety. I know she was an answer from God.

Coming to the realization that although family is very important and there are some things we must help with, often we are preventing others from leaning on the Lord, by handling it for them.

Just getting older and hopefully wiser, knowing I couldn’t solve everyone’s problems and knowing only God could. Knowing some things work out by themselves and allowing people to be accountable for their responsibilities, takes a load off. We can’t fix other people's problems! We can love them and not help them but pray for them. Ultimately, they must look for their own answers and they need to look to God.
Let’s pray.

Father God, I thank you for giving me the gift of your son Jesus, my Prince of Peace. I ask that you would teach me how to give you all of my fears, anxiety, stress, and anything else that would rob me of that peace. I ask that you would help me to hear your voice and follow your leading as I go about my day, and to be constantly mindful of the fact that it is not I that live, but Christ who lives in me. Thank you for your unending grace to me and your mercies that are new every morning; you are always faithful.
In Jesus name, Amen.

08/25/2023

What kind of legacy would you like to leave behind?

08/21/2023

RADIANT WOMEN SPOTLIGHT
By Vicki Berry

Jeremiah 29:11 NLT
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Have you ever felt out of sorts and thought there must be something wrong with you? That is the tape of the month that the devil constantly plays through my mind during my periods of depression. I could identify with Moses in Exodus 3:11 where Moses said; “Who am I that I should go…?

Many years ago, I suffered from moderate to severe depression. I always thought there must be something wrong with me. The people closest to me would try to help and would ask, “What is wrong?” “Why do you feel this way?” I never had an answer. I could not give a specific reason for the way I was feeling, I just felt sad, hopeless, helpless, and so very tired.

I saw a doctor and was diagnosed with clinical depression and for several years, I took anti-depressants and went to cognitive talk therapy. These things helped me tremendously, but there was always something missing. I was feeling better about my life and circumstances, but in my gut, I felt like I was not living up to my potential.

I was a believer but now I know it was because I was not living in the righteousness that the Lord had provided for me at salvation. Yes, I was saved, but I just wasn’t grasping what it meant to truly surrender and I wasn’t viewing myself as God sees me. It is too easy to identify with the world instead of with God and his Word.

Knowing that the Lord had good plans for me and my future gave me encouragement to see that better times were ahead. God sees me, knows my heart, and wants good things for me; I needed to trust in His plan.

Matthew 6:33 NLT
Seek the Kingdom of God[a] above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

This is where I realized that if I place God first in my life, he will be there to help me overcome my troubles. I needed to place my focus more on God and His goodness, and less on myself. I had to seek Him and trust Him.

One of the things that helped me to overcome my depression was looking back. I could see where God worked in my life. He was always there even when I could not see it. He was always on my side and continues to give me the strength needed to face each day. Eventually, it became easier, as I could clearly see the times he picked me up out of my pit, and helped me get on my feet again.

I try to live this way now by practicing gratitude, it has been so helpful to look at my life from this perspective. I can clearly see so many things to be thankful for and appreciate them more. The Lord wants us to take our problems to Him, so that we can be relieved of the heavy weight that would try to bring depression. He promises never to fail or abandon us and God cannot break a promise, so I know that no matter how I am feeling, He is with me and He loves me.

PRAYER
Lord, thank you for being here with me during my struggle, I know you see me and you will not leave me. Please help me keep my thoughts turned toward you and remember that you died to save me and have clothed me in your perfect righteousness. Thank you for your love and grace and I will trust you in all things. Amen