Tuesday, October 28, 2008

What Are You Made For?

Have you ever stopped to wonder what God has made you for?
Or what your divine purpose is as a successful, faith-filled woman?
“We are the clay, and thou are Potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.” Isaiah 64:8

Consider this: We are as a lump of clay in the potter’s hand. God is molding and refining you with is caress and loving touch, and it is our job to remain pliable and in right spirit with God. This is true for all aspects of life and business. We are being molded for something truly magnificent, something that God will use for His appointed time.

When we consider all the elements of the wheel, water and pressure of the potter’s hands, how they all work together to create a beautiful earthen vessel, we can easily tie that craftsmanship to the work of God in our lives.

Sometimes it is hard to keep our balance and stay firmly planted where God has placed us. The pressures of the world, the economy, the weight of the care for the family can all feel as though they are mounting against us. What is key is to stay in touch with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit so that together you will be created into the beautiful piece of work that can solely be used by God and for His glory.

Be cautioned - the emotions of your inner man can get you off balance and out of sync. Just like an earthly potter’s emotion during working hours at the wheel plays a sensitive role in making a beautiful and durable earthen vessel. Every time a joyful potter puts clay on the potter’s wheels, spinning and forming it according to his will, the result is always superb and delightful beyond degree. On the other hand if grief floods the potter’s soul, no remarkable vessel is made by his grief-troubled hands. The product always reveals the potter’s emotion.

When we get off balance with Him, just as clay can become imbalanced on the potters wheel, we may go flying every direction or simply slump in the middle of the wheel, just as clay that is out of touch with the potter’s hand does. God wants to mold, sculpt and caress us into the divine beauty that He has planned for us to be. Will you allow him to?

Every believer is in the hands of God and being shaped according to His perfect will. As the potter pats the clay for a purpose, so is the Lord in shaping us through chastisement, not to destroy us, but to teach, discipline and strengthen us. It is also a wonderful manifestation of His great love for His children.

When God has completed the sculpting process according to His perfect will, we are not done yet. It’s time to get refined – in the fire! This process makes us strong, giving us stamina to endure the pressures of the world. -But He knows the way that I take when he has tested me. I shall come forth as gold. Job 23:10

Caution: This is often when the enemy will come even stronger against us to get us to crack under the pressure of his lies and deceit. Stand firm child - God is there watching, strengthening, adorning and waiting to bring us up, through and out of that fire. On the other side of it you will be a piece of beautiful artwork, ready for His divine use. – Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. 1 Peter 5:6

We encourage you to stay the course, even if the pressure is seemingly too much to handle – ask for God’s hand to move to relieve, to support so that you may keep moving toward what He plans for you. Coming out of the fire too soon can actually cause us to crumble when the next round of pressure comes. Then, the process starts over again at the wheel. We have to be patient, wait on the Lord and rebuke the attacks from the enemy. – Casting all your care upon Him, for he cares or you. 1 Peter 5:7

1. How many times do you need to go back to the wheel?
2. How many times do you crack under the pressure of the refining, which is when God puts the beauty on us for His glory and purpose?
3. What do you feel at this moment?
4. Where are you in the process?
5. Imagine the sculptor and the gentle touch it takes to create a beautiful piece of art.
6. What shape are you noticing you are taking on through the process?
7. How will you use your new shape, adorned with His best, in the world, your family and your life?

The Wonderful Result

The result is so amazing to the point that we could be led to sing “How Great Thou Art.”

The final piece is not just for viewing pleasure; no, God wants to use you. He may make you a vase to adorn you with flowers for sharing their scent and beauty. He may make you a bowl for holding fruit to feed and nurture others with. He may make you a cup for watering souls. It’s always something to be shared, not kept hidden.

So true to believers in Christ, as we are in the Master’s hands, we go through a progressive process and the time will come when the greatness of our Maker will be displayed through our lives in an awesome way.

Think of where you have come from, how He has sculpted you thus far. Resist the temptation to come out of the fire too early, causing crumbling under pressure. Allow Him to finish what He has started with you. Remember what you have learned, and advance to the next stage. God wants you to have victory!

Friday, October 24, 2008

Koinonia Business Women - Who Are We?

Listen to our audio blog or read it below.
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Tammy Redmon & Krista Dunk

Greetings,

My name is Tammy Redmon, co-founder of Koinonia Business Women: We are the premier source of encouragement, training and inspiration for faith-filled women business leaders in their life, career and walk with God.

Our hearts are to be in fellowship with God and like-minded believers: Expressing our depth and richness in joint participation.

Are you a Christian woman in Business?

Are you living to your full potential?

Are you looking for your purpose and passion?

At Koinonia Business Women we lift up and encourage professional women around the world to be bigger and bolder in their walk with God.

Our monthly meetings are a place to network with other like-minded believers, gain tools, clarity, Godly wisdom and encouragement as you seek to live life fully empowered, pushing toward your full potential.

At KBwomen we are Teaching faith-filled women how to have success by combining the principles of business & faith"

Our vision is to be the premier source of encouragement, training and inspiration that will forward women business leaders in their community and career.

Through fellowship and teaching we are lifting up today’s faith filled women leaders to realize the fullness of their God-given potential and anointed calling

With our monthly meetings, online teleseminar series, ebooks, and newsletters, the god-inspired offerings that we provide keep us top of mind as the single source in Godly encouragement, professional training and inspiration women believers.

KBwomen is taking Christian knowledge and combining it with business savvy attitudes and reaching out to professional, faith-filled women in our communities and beyond.

Join us at kbwomen.com to find out how you too can get plugged in to this rich and exciting God inspired resource!

We will see you soon.

Tammy and Krista

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Wednesday, October 22, 2008

What a Group!


Wow - we had a great Koinonia Business Women's meeting last night! There was wonderful diversity in ages and in businesswomen types - Business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs, executives, managers, independent agents, and more.
The discussion time was rich, starting with Tammy's teaching on the "sling-shot" effect in our lives, leading to how to patch "cracks" that happen as we're challenged and stretched by personal growth. The atmosphere was encouraging, interactive, safe, and genuine.
Are you coming next month? Our next group meeting will be held Tuesday, November 18th in Olympia. Location TBA soon. RSVP now at http://www.kbwomen.com/.

Monday, October 6, 2008

October Meeting - New Location

Get ready... The October meeting for Koinonia Business Women is Tuesday, October 21st from 6:30-8PM. We'll be trying out a brand new meeting location with a private meeting room!
Meeting Location: Cutters Point Coffee, Martin Way SE, Lacey, WA. Easy access from I-5 also makes Cutters Point a great meeting spot for ladies traveling from Tacoma, etc.

Please visit www.KBwomen.com and RSVP for this meeting. Meetings are free! Bring a friend! We look forward to meeting you :-). Even if you forget to RSVP, please come anyway.
Who should attend? Godly women who are;
  • small business owners,
  • executives & managers,
  • run a business for someone else,
  • aspiring entrepreneurs,
  • and in general - professional and business women!
If you feel like you belong here, then so do we.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Persecuted for Your Faith?


As a Christian businesswoman, I recently experienced some online persecution on a social networking site. Here is the irony - I was hoping to get feedback from other Christian business owners on the challenges they experience. With the abrupt hostility I faced, my own question was answered!
We in the U.S. experience "persecution" on a much smaller scale (usually) compared to Christians in other countries, where they experience financial, physical and even legal persecution for their faith. However, what we deal with is real none-the-less. Anti-Christian attitudes, unfair treatment, ignorance, slander, prejudice, and more rarely, attacks on property are realities of Christian life in the modern-day USA.
Realize this - the offenders, at the core, are against God, not us as individuals.
What can we do? Pray. Forgive. Do not let our hearts be troubled. Overcome the offense. Seek God on how to respond or if to respond at all. Sometimes the antagonist is actually seeking answers about God.

Are you wondering what I did? I did not respond - it was futile. These folks were questioning, yet not really wanting answers. "Light" and just the mentioning of "Christian" was offensive to their darkness. In this world we will have troubles, but He gives us His peace to see situations and people through His perspective. And now this situation can be shared to encourage others to press on towards the prize, no matter how many others want to trip you on the way!