The Power Plant

04/09/2023

Difficulty understand how Jesus was in the grave three days and three nights? Hope this guide helps!

Check out this US Letter designed by Andrea Gehrett.

12/21/2022

For some people, it can be hard to celebrate Christmas. Loss of loved ones, painful experiences, and a variety of other situations can make it difficult to feel joy. Maybe this is you.

But consider this… it’s possible you’re exactly where you need to be. Even if you’re uncomfortable. Sad. Lonely. Or hurt.

Right now I’m in a tire shop with an unexpected rip in my tire, one that left me frantically navigating some questionable streets of Memphis to get to the nearest solution.

First, I stopped at a gas station to fill up with air to get my warning light to go away. Upon inspection, that would not be happening. The evil hiss of more than a pinhole leak sent me scurrying to find a tire shop. But then I stopped again after my car began to wobble, and I decided to do damage control by putting on a spare so I could more safely get to wherever it was my maps would be directing me (Do you hear dramatic music playing in the background too?)

Surprise, I have no donut and no jack. (Music crescendos!) Never thought to check that compartment after buying this car from an auction. I guess it got stripped of its essentials before going to sale.

So…after wrestling with impatient traffic, Shelby county potholes, and Siri’s insistence that I make a U-turn to get on the interstate… I did finally get to the tire shop. Ugh.

This car. It has spent more time in the body shop than on the road. Three “incidents” since I’ve owned it and at least one other that I know of prior to my ownership. And that’s not counting the deer that was hit the other night conveniently damaging my “newest” front panel. Ugh. This car.

But is it really that the car is jinxed or more that the enemy is targeting me to steal my joy and peace? I tend to think the latter. Either way, the tire shop is not where I want to be right now. It’s not alluring. Or comfortable.

But it’s necessary.

So is God’s refining work in our lives. The book of Hebrews tells us that discipline is uncomfortable, but yet it produces the peaceful fruit of righteousness. To become more like Christ…that is the goal.

Perhaps it’s not even discipline that is occurring. (If it is, then by all means repent!) Your circumstance could simply be a test of faith…like Job. An opportunity to be a light in a dark world. A witness to all who are watching.

Circumstances are never the litmus test of whether you are in the will of God. Repeat. You can be in a horrible circumstance and totally be in the will of God. Or…you can be living “high on the hog” and totally outside the will of God.

Consider Abraham. God told him to go to the mountain that He would show him… and to sacrifice his only son Isaac. That doesn’t sound pleasant.

Although God didn’t require it of Abraham, it was a test of faith to see if Abraham would trust God to fulfill His promise of many descendants. How could that be done if Isaac were to die?

Truthfully, God could raise Isaac from the dead if He needed to. So Abraham believed this truth even though it put him in an uncomfortable situation.

Consider Joseph, son of Jacob. To fulfill a prophesy given to Abraham in Genesis 15, Joseph had to be led down to Egypt where the Israelites would be enslaved for about 400 years. The mechanism to get him there? Half brothers who hated him, a little human trafficking, slavery, and imprisonment. I doubt those were situations that made Joseph giddy.

What is interesting to me about the story of Joseph is the seemingly random man in the field that pointed Joseph to the conniving hands of his brothers, and ultimately into slavery. But it’s no coincidence, because the divinely placed man pointed Joseph exactly to where he needed to be. According to God’s plan.

“Now a certain man found him, and there he was, wandering in the field. And the man asked him, saying, “What are you seeking?”
16 ¶ So he said, “I am seeking my brothers. Please tell me where they are feeding their flocks.”
17 ¶ And the man said, “They have departed from here, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan”

Genesis 37:15-17

My inquisitive mind asks, “Where’d that man come from?? And how does such an anonymous and seemingly coincidental encounter make it into the purposeful pages of Scripture?”

Joseph was obeying the command of his father, Jacob, to go check on his brothers, and again, the man in the field was yet another marker or turning point to get Joseph to where he needed to be. Don’t miss the fact that Joseph was in obedience and the will of God!

Abraham also had to be in obedience to land on the correct mountain… the one that God said He would show him. If Abraham had not listened and chose to disobey, could he have ended up on the wrong mountain and therefore, missed the blessing of the ram substitute?

Now, consider Mary. Yes, she received the most wonderful news one could ever imagine… the Messiah’s arrival and the chosen part that she would play (a significant one!) to bring about His entrance into this world as a man. Wow.

But yet the good news and the unquestioning faith of Mary put her in a sticky situation with her betrothed husband Joseph. It had the makings of a scandalous affair and the ruin of her reputation.

Conceived by the Holy Spirit??? Who would ever believe that? Joseph did by the grace of God and through another divine intervention… because God sent an angel to set the record straight.

Recall that Mary was called highly favored. But yet she delivered the Messiah in a stable fit for only animals. I’m picturing my goat barn. Animals p**p. And they p**p a lot! I can’t fathom a precious newborn, especially the long awaited Messiah, entering the world amongst all the goat “berries”! Trust me, there’s no fanfare in a stable. So what we define as “favored” in modern day terms is most likely not the same way that God defines it.

Friend, God’s plans are much higher than what we can comprehend. Every turning point in our life is under His divine supervision and NEVER beyond His reach.

Maybe you’re not where you want to be right now, and you’re having a hard time finding joy this Christmas. Don’t let circumstances rule the conditions of your heart. Let the Spirit of Christ reign and give you the joy and peace that only He can give.

Have the obedience of Abraham, the resilience of Joseph, and the faith of Mary as you humbly endure circumstances that feel less than ideal. God is working it out for His glory.

It is an amazing thought that through our trials we get to take part in the incredible adventure of The Story above all stories…the story of Jesus the Messiah.

You may not understand the purpose for your trial or your wait, but rest assured that God is in absolute control and nothing can separate us from His love.

May your Christmas be filled with His peace and your faith be energized so that you can be a light and point others to Jesus the Messiah.

From the slimy oil pits and rubbery aroma of the tire shop…to God be the glory!

Merry Christmas,
Andrea Gehrett

12/15/2022

Please take the time this season for daily Christmas advent readings. These are so good! Even after Christmas, I recommend the read. I’m passionate about chronological teaching, and they beautifully lay out the greatest story of all time, His story, in such a concise way. For anyone who has struggled grasping the big picture of the Bible, please share this with that person.

The Advent Season is one of our family’s most treasured times of year. So many traditions, some rich and meaningful, others lighthearted and fun, mark these weeks of celebration, all leading up to the day we celebrate our Savior’s birth. This year, we wanted to share a tradition that has helped ...

11/20/2022

Casting Crowns is one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to, because the message was pure and it reinforced so many truths that are taught to the women each week. And it’s a beautiful thing to see the ladies praising and proclaiming that Jesus is the only name! Amen.

11/13/2022

11/04/2022

Three mistakes Eve made in the garden of Eden. We must be on guard knowing the tools that Satan uses to deceive and trick us to fall into patterns of sin. Helpful advice from the book Strategy of Satan by Warren Wiersbe

11/03/2022

It’s Thanksgiving y’all! If practicing gratitude and counting blessings are fresh on your mind then take advantage of our free prayer journal and Master’s Cottage prayer resources… simply click to access!
https://powerplant.kartra.com/page/masterscottage

”Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.” Mark 1:35

10/25/2022

“At the Table” finally comes to life for The Power Plant. The cover design for this event was prepared years ago but now the actual table is set and the first group of women will come to be fed physically and spiritually this Thursday night. If you saw the previous post, half of the items on the table literally came out of the earth. 💕 God is awesome.

As I begin preparing my home for a group of women, I’ve been thinking how having company over to your most personal space is a huge motivator to get things in order. Likewise, knowing that Jesus is coming back and not knowing the day or hour is also a huge motivator to examine, prioritize, and pursue purity of heart. To get things in order. His second coming is one of the biggest purifying factors of the church motivating us to be on mission for Him and doing our job. One day….we will be sitting at the table at the marriage supper of the Lamb. Until then, we have work to do! Hope this helps encourage and motivate you to serve with a pure heart and persevere with whatever He has laid before you.

10/04/2022

Was teaching the ladies this past week about Jehovah Jireh, an attribute and name of God meaning the Lord will provide. And it’s so fun to put personal testimony in with my teaching and see their jaws drop. You see, The Power Plant is a small ministry with a BIG Vision. And just that morning I was praying about one of the things for the ministry that began stirring on my heart over four years ago. I’ve prayed about hosting “At the Table” events because so many women struggle with confidence and identity as Christians and often feel defeated by life’s struggles. I want them to know they are made for a royal banquet, and so the banquet table will be decked out with the best and centered around discussions of Christ. That’s the short story, but as I prayed I told the Lord, “I don’t know how You’re gonna do all this, but You Will have to provide.” Later in the day as I helped the hubs I literally unearthed one treasure after another (legitimately ours for the taking). Tiered Silver platters. Crystal. Stemware. Several sets of china. And I giggled at the end of the excavation feeling like Bilbo Baggins in this extraordinary Christian adventure I have seeing all the unfathomable ways that Jehovah Jireh provides. 💕

10/04/2022

I love the richness of Puritan prayers (taken from The Valley of Vision). They articulate what’s in my heart and often lead to “Oh, yeah” moments just before I begin my own prayers. It’s in Old English so you may have to read it a bit slow and let it soak in. 😉 May you let His word speak and quarry deep within your soul today.

09/23/2022

My years of mission work and learning from humble servants taught me invaluable lessons like not being a “turkey-Christian” — just showing up once a year at Thanksgiving to do a good deed and then disappearing the rest of the year and retreating to my comfort zone. This concept still motivates me to show up consistently. To invest time. To learn the stories of those in need, what drives them, and how I can come alongside them to be the hands and feet of Christ in their dark spot. None of us deserved redemption but we are all offered this gracious free gift by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. NOTHING is beyond His reach. Not addiction. Not incarceration. Not depression. Nothing. Praising Jesus for the opportunities to love these ladies. I end up being the one blessed beyond measure! Ann Lunceford, you humble me with your life of sacrifice. Few abandon personal comforts as you have done. You are the Mother Teresa of Hernando and a safe place for so many broken women. I am sure you will one day hear well-done my good and faithful servant. Love you my friend. 💕