GROWTH and EXPANSION -WOW

On January 18, 2011, 5 years & 5 months ago!,  I opened my home every Tuesday evening, at 6:30 for a Bible Study group called Woman of the World (WOW).  There were 12 woman here that first night.  Over these ensuing years  Six of this core group still remain, and many others have come, passed through and gone.  Even during the illness, and loss of our first-born daughter, Suzette, to her 7 1/2 month battle with cancer, WOW has continued and these woman sustained me during that time.

God never leaves us the same ----- !!!!  Recently He stirred in my heart to do the most important study that we have done to date.

This picture is a wonderful edible fruit arrangement, a gift from my daughter, Jacque, that I served this past Tuesday, and two copies (the same teaching but different covers) of Andrew Murray on Prayer.

 I began an extension of this group for the sole purpose of not only studying, but becoming a strong group of Intercessors.  The blue cover in the middle is the book I first purchased in June of 2000.  I have read this book completely several times, and parts of it even more times over these past 11 years.  Next to The BIBLE this book has taught me the most, and drawn me closer to my GOD and JESUS, My Savior than any other study.  The book on the right, in the light grey cover, is the newest edition which the other woman are using, BUT every word inside these two copies is exactly the same.  This book contains 666 pages and actually contains 6 separate works by Andrew Murray.  We are not tackling the entire book, although I'm sure each woman will eventually do so on their own time, but we are studying #5 The Ministry of Intercession.

Our first meeting of this new group was held May 10th.  I called it INTERCESSION of 15 because there were 15 woman present  The six who have been here from the beginning:  Jeanne Oswald, Kathy Robinson, Norma Goodnight, Thelma Horton, Sandra Rhodes, Susan Joyce.  Newer members the past several years:  Connie Aston, Glenda Holmes, Judy Russell, Kristine Hembry, Phyllis Rathbone.  Recent new ones: Darlene Killion, Dee Hollenbeck, Jacque Cody (my daughter), Mary Killion.

Now, for the best part of all:  it has now become INTERCESSION of 15 and MORE because Wantha Ann Deaton, who was such a big part of WOW for so many years is returning and my close Soul Sister, Kathy Wright, (even though she lives in Phoenix) is following along with us with the book and interaction.

Our 2nd meeting, just 2 nights ago, not only the study itself, but the INTERCESSORY Prayer - which this is all about - was so powerful we were ALL moved to the core of our being.  I know GOD  " Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ"  Philippians 1:6 kjv is doing just that.  By the way, that has been my life verse since I was first saved on September 24, 1956.

There are also 4 current members of WOW:  Carmel Field, Julia Arulsamy, Pam Reynolds, & Patty Ross who have not currently joined this new study yet.

In our small house I WILL manage to get all 21 of us in..... good thing we love each other and closeness!  

I praise and thank GOD for what He is doing and what HE is going to do within each of us individually and collectively. 

UPDATE :  I am blessed to add one more to this group!!!  My blog friend from South Africa, Retha.  Retha, along with Kathy W. is my Soul Sister and the 3 of us are truly a 3 Cord Strand.  Retha will add much depth and Spiritual Wisdom and Insight to this group and is a real Intercessory Prayer Warrior.  We are now 18!!! 

WOW Woman Bible Study -

I started up WOW Woman (Women of the Word) again on January 21st after about a 5 month break. We meet in my home every Tuesday evening at 6:30. 

(left to right) Jeanne, Kathy, Glenda, Sandra, Carmel, Brittney, Susan

I love these precious woman so very much.  They encourage me, stretch me, and make me a better Child of God as we study and share together on a weekly basis.  

This group was started on January 18, 2011 so we are beginning our 3 year.  Some ladies have come and gone but the core of the group has remained.

January 21th I showed a dvd by Brad Scott about Satan and his tactics that was from the 2013 Revive Conference in Dallas.

January 28th we watched a teaching by Pastor Mark Biltz from May, 2013.  We have ordered 4 dvd's by Pastor Biltz on The 4 Blood Moons that we will be watching and studying next.

At the January 21st meeting we also anointed 3 prayer cloths and prayed over them.  One was sent to Washington State, another to Arizona and the 3rd Mickey & I took to a man from our church.  We do not always do that but prayer requests are an important part of our meetings.

I highly recommend that you find a women's Bible Study to attend, or maybe God wants YOU to be the one who starts one.  You will never regret it.

   

JANUARY - A month for beginnings in my life

Yesterday I posted of the 3rd Year Anniversary of the ministry of The King's Kitchen which Mickey began and the first meal was sent out to the shut-ins on January 17, 2010.

On January 18, 2011, 1 year and 1 day later I began a Woman's home bible study called Woman of the Word, or WOW Woman for short.

Yes, the yoke is easy and the burden made lighter when sharing with a close knit group of woman week after week in my home every Tuesday night at 6:30. 

WOW started that first evening with 12 woman, and we continue to run 10 to 12 woman each week, although some of the faces have changed as some have left and others have come in. 

Over these past 2 years we have studied 3 different books: 

 1) Born For Battle by Arthur Mathews

2) Crazy Love by Francis Chan

3) Power of Blessing by Kerry Kirkwood

4)  Emnity Between the Seeds by Bill Cloud

We have one remaining chapter in our Bill Cloud book which we will complete on January 22nd.  Then we are going to spend several weeks with various ones, who wish to do so, teaching a lesson that God puts on their heart for this group.  We have not chosen another book to study yet but we know God will lead and direct us as He always had.  

I am humbled, thankful and blessed to be able to have these special woman sharing in my life.  Believe me, we uphold and encourage each other and we laugh together, we cry together and we share as we seek God each week individually and collective in our lives.

Do you belong to a home Bible study?  Have you ever belonged to one?  Do you think maybe God wants you to start one?  I would encourage you to ask HIM and then be obedient if HE leads you to do so.  YOU will be the one blessed most!     

BABY SHOWER FINALLY OCCURES

 Our precious mother-to-be, Britney

 Honoree with Co-hostess Jeanne

Britney blesses Jeanne and I with the 2 lovely mum plants on the table.

 Like most showers we had to play those SILLY games.  Here we had to draw a picture of a baby, but we had to put the paper on our forehead to draw!!  I actually won this game!!!

Another game was guessing the number of M&M's in the baby bottle you see on the table in the picture above.  Wantha one this game and only missed the count by 6 M&M's!!!!

 Another game was listing the items that were hanging on the clothes line on the front porch.  You would have thought I'd win this one, since I hung them up!!! but I didn't -- Kathy won.

 Lots of packages and packed full of LOTS of lovely, adorable items that had all of us oohing and awing, and us with older children making comments about all the wonderful baby things that are available today that we didn't have.  

 Kathy, made the list of the gifts, and this was her special gift FOR THE MOTHER of a lovely nursing top.

How thoughtful and we really oohed and awed over this one!  

The 8 of us that were in attendance, and there were gifts by some who didn't make it.

(left to right) Susan, Jeanne, Britney, Thelma, Sandra, Donna, Kathy & Wantha

A fun time was had by all.

NOW COMES THE HARDEST PART - AWAITING THE SOON ARRIVAL OF

PAUL JACOB

SURPRISE ~~

Our WOW Women planned a SURPRISE baby shower for one of our members, Britney.  It was first scheduled for Tuesday, February 23rd, but since I was sick we had to call it off and reschedule it for last night, February 28th.

Jeanne, who is absolutely the best, co-hosted with me and came up with all the really cute and neat ideas like......

This clothes lines of baby items hung out on the front porch.  Jeanne in the first picture and my reflection in the glass door of the 2nd (didn't know that was going to be there!)

Sweet hubby, Mickey, cutting me off 3 of the butter-cups from my Scripture Garden in our back yard for the table setting. 

 The beautiful cake (furnished by Jeanne)-lime sherbet punch-chocolate mints-nuts.

Small vase of butter-cups-napkins-plates-cups.

A baby bottle for one of the games & paper for each guest to write Britney a personnel note. 

 Balloons hanging from the ceiling light. 

The waiting packages.

Now for the biggest SURPRISE of all ------ Britney was not feeling well and was unable to come!!!!!

So the surprise was on us!!!! 

The cake has gone home to Jeanne's freezer to be saved.  The punch, mints & peanuts were consumed .The packages and all the other items are in my guest room, and this wonderful group of women will honor Brittany on another Tuesday night in the future and I'll post pictures of the REAL THING!!!  We did reach her on Jeanne's cell phone and with speaker phone we all got to holler at her and she got to speak to all of us.  

YES, we love surprises & God has a wonderful sense of humor!!!

A NEW THING - built on a firm foundation

Remember a couple of days ago I told you I was so excited about a new surprise I would be sharing with you?  Well, here it is!!!

If you've been a reader of Penless Writer for very long, one thing you know I never cease to be amazed at is HOW God works and HIS timing.

One year ago, on January 17, 2010 Mickey held the organizational meeting at our church that launched The King's Kitchen.

Last night, January 18, 2011, I held the first meeting of a new Bible Study group here in our home.

The Lord placed this on my heart the first of December when I ordered a book called BORN for BATTLE  - 31 Studies on Spiritual Warefare by R. Arthur Mathews. Before I had finished the 1st chapter I knew this was a book that needed to be studied by a group of woman who were ready to press in to what God desires for us.  I felt God was telling me to start a Bible Study in my home to do just that.   

Just before Christmas my friend Sandra came by the house.  Sandra held a Bible Study in her home, which I attended faithfully and loved, from March, 2009 until the 1st week in October, 2010 called Third Day Sisters.  I wrote a lot during those 19 months about what a blessing that Bible Study and my Third Day Sisters were to me and my life.  I shared with Sandra about the book and asked her about re-activating her study and doing this book.  She said, for this time, the Lord has told her to step aside and it was my time to host.  Then she said, "I'll come!" which totally surprised me as she lives some distance away.

  

I believed there were probably 4 or 5 woman who would be interested in joining me every Tuesday evening at 6:30 to use this book as a launching pad to becoming a strong, committed prayer group.  I needed to wait until Christmas and the New Year holidays were behind us but I was going to be faithful to what God had placed in my heart and was calling me to do.  During these few weeks I have been in daily prayer for God to bring in the women HE wanted to be here. 

I knew God was truly in this when Sandra told me that Gloria was going to come!!!  Gloria is the reason Sandra began her study in 2009.  She is married to Sandra's husband and had asked Sandra to start a Bible Study group.  She also lives in Tahlequah which is 50 miles from Coweta.  I was so honored when I heard Gloria was willing to come that far to be here. 

Here they are.

Left to right:  Cindy O, Kathy, Thelma, Jeanne

Norma, Britney & Cindy W

Carmel, Wantha, Gloria, Sandra

and, of course me, makes 12 of us!!!!!

Six of us are from the former Third Day Sister group:  Sandra, Wantha, Gloria, Norma, Cindy W and myself. 

Last night I did a brief pre-view of the book, stated my objective of what I felt God wanted us to accomplish, told them I wanted a commitment to stay the course - "There are no shortcuts to any place worth going." and planned for us to begin to just all get acquainted with each other. 

Praise God, He had other plans and we ended praying and worshiping HIM.

I was excited before we began.  I am REALLY excited now.

What a mighty God we serve.