Home Sweet Home!!

Jay and I are so thankful to be home. We had a great trip to Germany and want to thank you for your faithful prayers. Here is a quick recap of our trip followed by a few personal thoughts. Just a reminder--- Jay and I traveled to Germany to take part in the Western Europe AGM. This meeting was designed to encourage and equip the 400-500 people who serve in Western Europe.

~ Saturday: We arrived and settled into our spacious room at the Allgau Stern Hotel in Sonthofen, Germany. The view outside our balcony was fabulous. The Bavarian Alps Alps greeted us each morning and reminded us that all of creation cries out to Him!

~ Sunday: The meeting moved into full swing with powerful worship led by Chuck Sullivan and preaching by Mac Brunson. Mac is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida. Each morning Mac taught a portion of Psalm 23. The teachings were powerful. God used Mac's messages to remind me about my great need for Jesus the Shepherd. Following each morning session, breakout workshops were provided. I taught each of my sessions during this time. On the first day, I taught a session on Mary from Bethany. The session title was "A Picture of Reflecting." The session went pretty good but I struggled to pull all of my thoughts together. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit spoke truth no matter how I felt about the session. On Sunday afternoon, Jay and I took a Taxi to the local shopping area. We purchased Lego's and candy for the boys. That evening David Platt, Pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, brought a powerful message from Exodus 33. If you are familiar with David's preaching, you know he is an anointed teacher who loves God's Word and recognizes the importance of living life based on the standards set forth in the Bible. Throughout the week, Jay and I were blessed, challenged, convicted, and inspired as David taught God's Word.

~ Monday: Same schedule as the day before. Mac preached in the morning. My breakout session went great!! I taught a session called "The Anything and Everything of Life." I shared with the women how I struggled with the Lord about teaching that session. However, God would not release me from teaching it. Later I found out that God used that session to minister to several of the women. Thank you Lord! In the afternoon, Jay and I went on a hike. We got caught in the rain but it was so much fun! That night David preached out of Romans. David quoted Romans chapters 1-8 by memory. God moved in such a mighty way that when the preaching was over, no one left the room. We just stood in the Lord's presence. Very Cool!!

~ Tuesday: Mac preached in the morning. I led a session called, "A Prompted Heart." The session went really well. The Lord took the session in a little different direction than I intended, but that was fine with me! Jay and I took a three hour bike ride and watched some local extreme sports. We then rode back into town and ate at a local German restaurant. Very good!! That night David preached from the book of Job. The sovereignty of God was the theme of the message.

~ Wednesday: Mac preached in the morning. I led a session called, "The Nothingness of God." (One of my favorite sessions!!) That afternoon, several hundred people took an excursion to explore a castle. The castle was the inspiration for the castle at Disney. That evening we did not have a group session. Instead, God allowed me to meet with an editor from Thomas Nelson. The meeting was informal and the Lord used this precious sister to affirm the direction I am currently taking in regards to the publication of Reflecting His Glory. Thank You Lord!

~ Thursday: Final day--- bittersweet feelings all day long! Mac preached in the morning. I led a session called, "Rejoicing All The Way Home." This session was probably the best session of the week for me. God's presence was tangible in the room. At the end of the session, I quoted 32 verses of Scripture. This was my first time to quote a lengthy passage of Scripture by memory. I enjoyed allowing God’s Word to flow from deep within my heart. It was a powerful moment and one that helped to define the kind of teaching God is calling me to be. In the afternoon, Jay and I went on another hike to a village not far away from our hotel. It was awesome. Our hike ended at a beautiful river just below our hotel. We took our shoes off and allowed our feet to soak in the cold water. Let me tell you, the Bavarian Alp water is cold!! That evening, everyone in our group took a hike to a huge building on top of a near-by mountain. At that place, we had a German style BBQ, an inspirational message from David, and the celebration of the Lord's Supper. It was a great way to end our amazing week!

~ Friday: We left the hotel at 2:00am and arrived home 26 hours later! It was a great trip.

A few personal thoughts:
~ The men and women who serve on the field are amazing. They are the real deal. Each of them faces the same fears we face in America. They have problems with their kids, struggles in their marriages, and fears regarding the future. We need to pray for them and let them know they are not alone!

~ God will not share His glory with another. We can think we are about Him and really be about ourselves. God faithfully redirects us anytime we make it about our name instead of His.

~ The fork in the road between living the comfortable, easy Christian life and the sold out Christian life that will stop at nothing to be a part of God's fame spreading around this earth, is always before us. Daily we must forsake that which is easy and comfortable and willingly surrender to God’s Word as we embrace the person He calls us to be.

~ Right theology produces freedom in our lives. God’s Word is our sure foundation. We can try to build our life on other things but only His Word will remain.

~ I must daily fight the tendency to think small. God is big. He is bigger than my small world and I need to stop thinking about myself. When I view life from His holy perspective, I immediately break the habit of thinking about my life as the focal point of the universe.

~ Sharing the Words of Christ is a privilege. We need to be open to Him at all times. Our hearts should desire to share His life changing truths with the people we meet every single day.

~ God is gracious and I love Him more, know Him more, and praise Him more than I did before I left on this trip. Thank you Lord for spiritual progress. May that always be the goal of my life

Germany!!!

I leave in one week for Sonthofen, Germany. I have the great honor of leading Women’s Bible Study at the 2009 Western Europe Cluster Meeting. This is a week long event for missionaries who serve in Western Europe. Please pray for all aspects of this week--- safety, health, renewal and encouragement. I will lead five conferences. Each conference is taken from my Bible Study called Reflecting His Glory. I am so excited about this event. I know the Lord is sending me to Germany with His Word and a great desire to love on these ladies. I really believe that many of them feel alone. I trust the Lord will allow me the opportunity to let them know they are not alone! Please check the blog next week. I am going to try and post daily updates. Of course, that will depend on computer access. Even if I am not able to post updates, I value your prayers July 31 to August 9.

Big News!!!

Sorry it has been a few weeks since my last update. I promise things have been happening at True Vine Ministry. Last week I signed a contract with an on demand publishing company called Missional Press. I am so excited about this opportunity to publish Reflecting His Glory. I am currently working with an editor and illustrator. If all goes well, Reflecting His Glory will be available around October of this year. Please join me in praying for this project.

I continue to write Free To Thrive! Yesterday I passed the half way point. I hope to complete this devotion by the end of the summer.


Stay Tuned--- God size things are happening.

Facebook

Well, I did it. I joined the rest of the world by creating a Facebook account. I think it is goign to take some time but so far I like it. I can see how easy it is to get sucked into the Facebook world and spend way too much time reading other peoples thoughts. So, I am going to try to remain balanced by checking my Wall once or twice a day. We will see!

This is the last week of school. Can you believe it? Summer will be here soon and we will be doing all the great things summer has to offer. I look forward to swimming at the pool, cooking on the grill, and taking a family vacation. Due to the rain, we will be playing a lot of make up baseball. I hope we can get it all in before it is too hot.

Have a great week!

Summer Plans

Well, I set a pretty bold deadline for Free To Thrive! If you remember, I planned to have this new 40 day devotional for women on the go complete by the end of may. Let me just go ahead and say--- I have let myself off the hook. There is no way I can do a good job and complete Free To Thrive! by the end of this month. So, I am giving myself this summer (I hope by the end of June) to complete this new project.

I am really looking forward to the summer. The boys are older and I can take them to do more activities. Silver Dollar City, Wild River Country, and a local swimming pool are on the top of our summer "to do" list. I think we will have a fun summer.

Speaking of summertime fun---- I am writing my July column for Women's Inc. The July theme is Summertime Fun. This theme made me think how easy it is to plan all kinds of fun summer events and leave God out of the mix. Therefore, the article will challenge women to add a passion to know Jesus Christ to the top of their summertime "to do" list. I pray this article challenges women in their summer routine. I know I have been challenged by the concept.

Yesterday I had a phone conversation with Ron M from Brussels, Belgium. Ron is my point person for the mission trip I will be taking in July/August. Jay and I will be traveling to Germany in order to minister to missionaries who serve in Western Europe. I will be teaching the women's Bible Study for the week. Can I just say---- I am very excited about this trip.

As I talked to Ron, the Lord confirmed in my heart the primary reason I am going. I am going to let these ladies know that I love them and that they are not alone in their work. As I spoke these words to Ron, I could tell he appreciated them. At the same time, I knew the Lord was giving me a clear call--- "Andrea, go and love them." I will do just that. I will also trust that the Lord will give us an amazing week in His Word.

I pray that you are having an amazing week in God's Holy Word. Don't let the busyiness of life stand in the way of digging into God's Word and finding everything you need in order to make it through your day!

Weekend Review

This last weekend was great! Friday night I traveled to the small town of Oden, Arkansas. Oden Baptist Church invited me to speak at a banquet honoring the women of their church. I had a wonderful time with the women. I was inspired by the people who attend this small church. Not too long ago, they were running 16 people on a Sunday morning. Now, they are up to 50! Praise the Lord. This summer they will host a VBS that reaches over 120 children.

Often we think small churches do not have a chance to make an impact. I do not believe that is the case. Small churches have a unique opportunity to meet the needs of the people in their community. I am thankful for Oden and their desire to reach men, women, and children with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Saturday morning, I spoke at a Mother's Day Brunch at Beryl Baptist in Vilonia. The crowd was huge and they were ready for a Word. I love it when I walk into a building and I can "feel" the presence of the Lord. As I got up to speak, the Lord laid a clear Word on my heart for the women. It was not the Word I had planned to share. Yes, it was similar but I was surprised by the Lord's direction. As I was sharing the Word I was trusting the Lord to make it all come together in the end. And of course, He did!

This weekend wrapped up my speaking schedule for the first half of the year. I will have the next month and a half off and then return to speaking in July. In the mean time, I am working hard on the new devotional called Free To Thrive! I am loving every minute of this project and cannot wait to see the final copy. God is speaking a clear Word to women and I am grateful He is allowing me to be a part of the process.

I promise I will update the blog soon! Check back over the summer and I will share some of the family happenings.

A New Project!

I am pleased to announce that I am working on a new project!

The new project is called Free To Thrive! I am so excited to tell you all about this new resource. Free To Thrive! is a 40 day devotion designed for women on the go. Each devotion provides spiritual meat for women who long to grow spiritually but only have a few minutes to spend in the Word. In fact, each devotion is designed to take 8 minutes or less!

Here is a portion of the intro page: (This is still in rough draft form!)

"The formula for this devotion is simple. Each day you will be asked to Read It!, Think About It!, and Respond To It! This simple approach allows you to take a close look at a spiritual truth and then respond to that truth in your life. The 40 devotions are power packed and designed to speak to the heart of those who long to have freedom in their lives. Galatians 5:1 provides the key point for this study. It states, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."

Galatians 5:1 teaches that freedom is available today! In fact, Jesus valued your freedom so much that He gave His life in order to secure it. This truth should cause you to stop and think. No longer do you have to remain bound up in slavery. Freedom has been purchased and is offered to you.

In your walk with Christ, the choice between slavery and freedom is yours. Will you apply the freedom that Christ offers or will you remain in the slavery the world creates? Free to Thrive! invites you to choose freedom every single day of the week."

I hope to have this devotion finished by the end of May. (YIKES that is soon!) If you would like to be a part of the test group, please let me know. I will need around 5-7 ladies to work through each devotion and provide feedback.

On another note, I want you to know that I love you and I am praying for you today. Allow me to share a verse of scripture with you--- "He who dwells in the shelter of the most high will rest in the shadow of the almighty." Psalm 91:1. You know what I love about this verse? Dwelling leads to rest. So today, if you need a little rest in your heart and in your life, dwell in the presence of our Almighty God!