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October 2012 |
GraceTouch
Facilitating global impact |
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Greetings!
Do you ever feel invisible? What do you think God wants to do with your invisibility? What a joy it is to know that He is, as Hagar found in Genesis 16:3, the God Who Sees. |
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Can you see the mountains? |
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by Viki Rife
On my first visit to Alaska, a friend gave me instructions to get from the airport to the place I was staying: "Keep the mountains on your right as you're driving, and you'll be fine." There was one problem: We landed in dense fog. As far as I could tell, there were no mountains anywhere. 
Isn't that how life is a lot of times? We can't even see the mountains, much less how God is moving them through us. Much of the time our ministry seems pretty much invisible.
As we minister through Women of Grace, we find ourselves asking: Do the hours spent planning Summits and Women's Leadership Studies classes matter? What about preparing missions teams, communicating with the Prayer Force, writing curriculum for girls' discipleship, stewarding our finances, and maintaining our website? Is the time we spend communicating our vision to leaders of other organizations so we can work well together important? What about preparing the GraceTouch newsletter each month and writing book reviews each month? So much of what we do is intangible. We do not see clear results.
How about you? What are the intangibles in your life? Are you a mom who feels invisible as you change diapers and mediate sibling squabbles? Are you an employee whose testimony and faithfulness blesses the people at your workplace? Are you a prayer warrior for the needs around you, interceding for people who don't seem to know or care? Are you a gracious person who gives love to the unlovable-maybe even your own spouse, your aging parents, or a wayward child? Do you provide touches of grace in small, invisible ways?
Our invisible acts of faithfulness do matter. Our Lord has promised that our labor is not in vain (1 Cor. 15:58). Some day the fog will lift, and we will see the majesty of the mountains we have traveled, and the ones He has moved in response to our obedient choices.
We were inspired a few weeks ago at the Alaska Summit when Dr. Christy Hill shared this clip. May it encourage you, too. |
| Speaking of intangibles |
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Transforming lives
The Women's Transformational Summit in Anchorage, Alaska, is an example of God's intangible work. We're trusting Him to do the transforming in all our lives. In addition to the Summit, several board members, as well as Dr. Christy Hill, were able to spend time visiting with key ladies in various churches. Photos and overview |
| PrayerWatch partnership |
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Praying for family relationships
Pastor Alfredo Abreu from Portugal stirred us to take seriously our roles as royal priests of God so we can intercede in Jesus' name and in His authority for those around us living in darkness. I Peter 2:9 lays out our role as God's priests to the world. If you want women to join with you in your intercession please send it by e-mail (no personal names, please, only initials). Imagine! A network of prayer reaching up to our Father's ears that reflects His heart for the world!
Listen to an inspirational song |
| Mark your calendar |
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Opportunities coming up:
Invite someone you know to the special event for teen girls, Beautiful You, in Winona Lake, Indiana, October 26-27. Details
The next Women's Leadership Studies class, Principles of Effective Bible Study and Teaching, will be November 2-3 in Winona Lake, IN. Details
How does grace respond in the heat of criticism? How does grace relate to conflict management? Those are just a few of the questions to be discussed at the Women's Leadership Summit in Frederick, Maryland, January 18-20. Details |
| Everyone has a story |
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Can you share?
You have a story to tell about how knowing God affects relationships. If that statement applies to you, we'd love to hear it through the Women's Spectrum magazine. Don't worry if you can't write-we have writers who can interview you and write your story. Details |
| I am so glad! |
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Invisible results
Some years ago Ray Boltz wrote a song about someone who dreamed he was in heaven, and was introduced to people who became Christians and experienced changed lives because of his faithful witness for Christ. The chorus begins, "Thank you for giving to the Lord, I am a life that was changed." Often, the results of the time we spend and the money we give are invisible to us, but God sees and lives are being changed. Your financial support of Women of Grace USA is an investment in the life of a woman or girl who may someday come up to you and say, "Thank you for giving to the Lord; I am so glad you gave." Donate
Read the complete lyrics |
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Unglued by Lysa TerKeurst |
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Review by Christy Carmean 
Reading this book was like sitting at the kitchen table sharing life stories with your best friend. I was really encouraged that I am not alone in this struggle. I don't have to live like an unglued woman. Read the complete review
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| What's going on? |
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with Women of Grace USA
Check our Facebook page to see some of what God's been doing among women through Women of Grace USA. |
| Help a friend |
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If you enjoy GraceTouch, why not share it with your friends? It's as easy as clicking Forward email at the bottom of this page, or forwarding it through your email program. And it's free! |
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