You are HERE!

Have you ever been lost and stopped at one of those big mall signs and started looking for the large red dot that says, "you are here?". My how handy those things are! You just look up the store you are trying to find and then start out from the dot right to where you need to be. I am defintely directionally challenged so those large maps are a life saver.

Today I saw an elderly couple looking at one of those maps at the large hospital I work at. I hardly even know where I am going half the time but I couldn't resist the urge to help out any way I could. They looked puzzled and frustrated and were so close to the map that the man almost had his nose pressed against it. ha. To make it even funnier....it is one of those high tech touch screens and they kept touching it repeatedly so it would never stay on the right screen to help them.  I asked how I could help them and they said, "we don't know where we are and we don't know where we are going." I chuckled and said, "well...I can only help with so much." They smiled and together we found the "you are here" dot on the sign and looking somewhat intelligent; I managed to give them directions to their destination. They were suprised that it wasn't near as confusing as what they were making it out to be. I watched them meander slowly down the hall and made sure that they made the appropriate turn, and when they did...I went on my way with a smile.

The cool thing about being "lost" is that God always knows right where you are at. You might not have a clue about what in the world you are doing and feel all alone and frustrated...but he has you marked and knows "you are here" and according to Isaiah 43:16 He will make a road through the sea, and even through rough waters just for his kids. Thank goodness we have the Bible as our map...it has all the answers we need. Although sometimes it can be daunting and confusing...He will give you revelation if you just ask!

The beauty of it all is that you can start right where you are AT! Even though you feel lost and frustrated..there is hope! That is how God is. He meets you right where you are and uses what you think you don't have as well as what you think you can't do or be. He sees the "dot" and shows you the way out of your circumstances and situations and no matter where you are...He has a plan for your life.

God will point you in the right direction and even lovingly watch you; making sure you make the appropriate turns...He cares for you dearly and wants the best for your journey and will even smile at you as you go. So when you are feeling overwhelmed and alone and unsure of what to do...go to the map and find yourself....it will put it all in perspective. You will find out..you really aren't that far off from your destination after all.

Adjust that crown!

Jonna

Learning from Thumper

Add caption

I just love in the Disney cartoon Bambi where the little bunny Thumper is reminded to watch what he says and what he does. It is so cute how after being reminded by his mom, he has to repeat the wise words from his father, "If you can't say nothing nice then don't say nothing at all." This is such great wisdom that we can use in our lives everyday by what we say and do. 

Have you ever had a thought and was so tempted to speak it out or do something but felt prompted not to? Well...wisdom will do that. Wisdom is not obtained in one day..in fact it is a culmination of experiences and/or misadventures that brings a person to a point that they have a new level of understanding and behavior. Thankfully we can learn by other's mistakes and we have the ability to be "ahead of the class" so to speak IF we allow ourselves to be open and teachable.


In the cartoon, Thumper has to repeat at two different instances some things that his father just told him that very day. One was about not saying anything if it isn't nice and the other was about not eating just the flowering part of a plant and then leaving the green stems. His mother is there reminding him and getting him to repeat the advice outloud so that he will remember and also be accountable to the people around him.

What things have the Father reminded you of lately? He speak to us all and gives us words of wisdom, promises and encouragement. The Bible is overflowing with fabulous things that we need to make a part of "us". We need to repeat them daily and live by them because they bring life and hope. And if we have something wonderful in us then we have the ability to give something wonderful to others as well. 

What can we learn from Thumper? Well, that none of us are perfect and most of us need reminding from time to time of who we are and what we should be saying and doing. We all need a mentor that we are learning from because we never should stop growing and NEVER should stop learning. We need to respect those in authority over us and appreciate what they offer us and know that even if we are in a situation that is less-than tolerable...well...there is always something beneficial to be gleaned. 

2 Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed - that exhilarating finish in and with God - he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. 3 When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! 4 In this all-out match against sin, others have suffered far worse than you, to say nothing of what Jesus went through - all that bloodshed! 5 So don't feel sorry for yourselves. Or have you forgotten how good parents treat children, and that God regards you as his children? My dear child, don't shrug off God's discipline, but don't be crushed by it either. 6 It's the child he loves that he disciplines; the child he embraces, he also corrects. 7 God is educating you; that's why you must never drop out. He's treating you as dear children. This trouble you're in isn't punishment; it's training, 8 the normal experience of children. Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Would you prefer an irresponsible God? 9 We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God's training so we can truly live? 10 While we were children, our parents did what seemed best to them. But God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God's holy best. 11 At the time, discipline isn't much fun. It always feels like it's going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it's the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God. 12 So don't sit around on your hands! No more dragging your feet! 13Clear the path for long-distance runners so no one will trip and fall, so no one will step in a hole and sprain an ankle. Help each other out. And run for it! 14 Work at getting along with each other and with God. Otherwise you'll never get so much as a glimpse of God. 15 Make sure no one gets left out of God's generosity. Keep a sharp eye out for weeds of bitter discontent. A thistle or two gone to seed can ruin a whole garden in no time.                             Hebrews 12: 1-15 The Message Bible

Make sure you are repeating the wise words from your Father today...it will bring life to you as be a blessing to the people you encounter. I love you much and don't forget WHO and WHOSE you are...children of the Most High God :))

Adjust that crown!

Jonna

Legacy

What you doing today will be mirrored by your kids and grandkids. What will they remember you by? Most of us do not have a expansive amount of money or things that will be passed onto the next generation but what we do have is eternal. What your priorities are now and what you do everyday will be repeated by the generations after you. Legacy is something we all want to leave. No where in human history is someone who wants to live their life and make no mark. We all want to leave a lasting impression.

I know that I want my kids to live better, be better educated, circumvent the issues and the trials that I had to go through and sail further and higher in life than I have. I want them to step on my shoulders and do things that I only dreamed of. But most importantly I want them to be spiritually minded and live for God in a way that is wiser than I. I want to leave a legacy of love and passion for the Kingdom of God. I want God to be happy with what I pass on as well.

The legacy that God is impressed with is founded and centered on what is most important to Jesus Christ. A lasting Legacy is like passing the baton to the next generation so that they can do greater things for the Kingdom of God. Having fingerprints all over people's lives is something that will be mirrored into eternity. And leaving a  legacy that is etched upon the

"A Legacy worth living for is found in men and women who carry on His mission for His glory. We cannot do this by ourselves, but each one of us can be responsible that our lives contain the aroma of Christ that impacts others and they choose to live for Him. It is not our glory, but His glory reflected through us; it is not our legacy, but His legacy continuing through us. There is nothing greater than a coporate Legacy and I believe that Mercy Gate Church best days are yet to come"      Pastor Don Gibson

Legacy in the greek: "A legatum" was a bequest or legacy. The words derive from the verb, "lego", which means, “to send with a charge.” Leaving your Legacy is like leaving a CHARGE to the next generation...what could be better and more powerful then that?

Adjust that Crown, 

Jonna

My Charleston Chew

Ever had high expectations about an event or a situation and when it occurred you were left feeling sad and disappointed because it didn't turn out as planned? Yes, unfortunately I have too. In fact, the greater my expectation the greater my capacity for disappointment.

I was reminded of one such upset when I received a candy bar as a gift on Christmas. When I was in kindergarten we drew names to exchange gifts for the holidays. I got the name of a girl that was in my class that i didn't know very well but at that moment I knew exactly what I wanted to buy her! We received an Avon magazine in the mail and in it was a necklace that had a solid perfume locket attached to it that I wanted so very bad!! It would be the perfect gift! My mom told me that it was too expensive but I pleaded and even gave up an ice cream cone and told my mom to put money towards it. The day she told me she ordered it I was so very excited!

The day of our class party came and I had my gift wrapped perfectly and was so proud! We gave out our presents and I watched as she opened it. She smelled the perfume and wrinkled her nose and without a word skipped away with her friend. I felt sad that she seemed to dismiss such a great gift so quickly and didn't even seem to like the perfume. My sadness faded a bit when I realized I was holding my gift from her...it was a strangely shaped gift! The thoughts of what it could be going was dancing in my head. But as the paper slid off the very long and skinny item...my eyes started to sting...it was a Charleston Chew candybar!

I remember crying but not a whole lot more about that day. To make matters worse, on the way home I fell asleep on the bus and was awakened by laughing students and I am sure I cried again from embarrassment. 

I had an emotional attachment to that gift and certainly an unrealistic expectation about it. Just because I wanted the gift doesn't mean someone else would. And just because I would have received gratefully doesn't mean that I should have expected someone else to receive the same way. My mom found out by my teacher days later that the girls family was very poor and have been going through some very hard times. I actually needed to be happy that I got anything at all!

So this Christmas my brother in law being the sweet man that he is...bought me the horrible Charleston Chew Candybar and we all just sat around and laughed! I hate that candybar..every year somebody buys me one as a reminder! Ugh.

For many, disappointment is a common thread in life. Please consider too that disappointment with situations and with people might have more to do with you feeling disappointed with yourself. If you have high expectations for others, it may be because you have high expectations for yourself. In fact those self-expectations are probably so high that it's practically impossible to ever meet them! This is just one of the ways in which we self-sabotage ourselves! You might see the world as unfair or unfriendly because things don't happen the way you think they should or because people don't behave the way you think they should. You have to be careful not to get stuck in the cycle of disappointment! 

Life is unfair and there are many questions we will never know the answers to. As God's kids we need to take life in stride and not place too much on our fellow man. I tell people all the time to not put Pastor Don or I on a pedestal...only God should be exalted. Give room for people to show their weaknesses because we all have them. Instead of being hurt;  acknowledge the disappointment with the person and clear the air. Holding onto disappointment is a slippery slope and causes a root of bitterness. Learn to laugh at your own faults and that will help you excuse the faults in others. 

I still have to remind myself that I should only expect the highest things from God. He is the only one who NEVER disappoints. You disappointed in someone? Well put yourself in their shoes....because the Charleston Chew you might get from them just may be the very best thing they have at the time to give and you need to recognize and be grateful for that. 

You Are Graciously Adorned!

❤ Jonna

10 Covenants for Living!

According to John Maxwell, The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork, there

is a list of 12 covenants used by Lou Holtz, the football coach at the University of South

Carolina. At the beginning of each football season Holtz would quote the

“twelve covenants” to his players to remind them of their mission. I 

have left out the last two b/c they pertained to football only : 

• We will accomplish what we do together. We share our success, and we

never let any one of us fail alone.

• We are all fully grown adults. We will act as such, and expect the same

from the people around us.

• We will not keep secrets. Information that affects us all will be shared by

all of us, and we will quickly and openly work to separate fact from

fiction.

• We will not lie to ourselves or to each other. None of us will tolerate any

of us doing so. We will depend on each other for the truth.

• We will keep our word. We will say what we mean, and do what we say.

We trust the word of others to be good as well.

• We will keep our head. We will not panic in the face of tough times. We

will always choose to roll up our sleeves rather than wring our hands.

• We will develop our abilities and take pride in them. We will set our own

standards higher than our most challenging opponent, and we will please

our fans by pleasing ourselves.

• We will treat our locker room (home/church/workplace)
like home and our teammates like friends.

We spend too much time together to allow these things to go bad.

• We will be unselfish and expect that everyone else will exhibit this same

quality. We will care about each other without expectations.

• We will look out for each other. We truly believe that we are our

brother’s keeper.

I don't know about you...but if we all lived by just these 10 covenants our world would be a much better place!

Adjust that Crown,

Jonna

Real or Artificial? That is the question!

Every year at Christmas we go out and find a real tree to decorate for the holidays. We look for one with good height and normally grab one that is wrapped up in twine to come home surprised about it's shape. We let it set for hours to give it time to unfold it beautiful limbs before we start placing lights and the zillion ornaments that I have collected over the years. 

I totally expect imperfections and work with it and appreciate the trees uniqueness. The large gaping hole in the side can be camouflaged or the whole tree can be turned! The longer limbs can be trimmed and the top as well. The sap is sticky but the smell is amazing! Oh and don't forget to water it because the dog loves tree water! 

With the fake tree we bought this year; it was so easy to take it out of the box and before you know it...it was up.  Weighing only a few pounds it is so easy to move and turn. It is totally symmetrical and perfect that as I started fluffing up the moveable limbs I realized that it can be quite exasperating! The perfection was a problem as I found myself fluffing the left side to match the right and actually went to bed that night without decorating it! The next day I continued adjusting the very pliable limbs to the extent of three days! Crazy? Yes! Artificial trees are not good for OCD people! Sure the lights are already on but despite that I sat back and found my experience lacking. What was it about this tree that was so frustrating to me? My whole life I have had real and despite the overwhelming call for this fake convenience...I was regretting my purchase! 

I think that first of all there is no substitute for the REAL thing. You can try your best to replace it and act like you have the original but in the end...it's just a fake reproduction of something that you would rather have. What do you have that is fake in your life?

Sometimes being real can be messy and can leave you exposed and quite vulnerable to criticism and to the opinions of others. But being your authentic self is an extroidinary and beautiful thing not only to you but to God. He made us to be lights to the world and nothing can replicate the value and healing powers of natural light. Don't be tempted to live a lie and act like something you are not. What you end up doing can be compared to the mess of untangling a long string of Christmas lights....It's disasterous and brings frustration!!

Be real even through the good, bad or the ugly because you are the living, breathing testimony to somebody. Someone out there needs to see the gaps, the impefections and sticky messes you get yourself in so that they can have hope that they can make it in this life too!

Adjust that Crown!

Jonna

Mercy Me!

 “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6:36-37)

An apology doesn’t make everything okay. It doesn’t take away the hurt feeling of betrayal, fix heartbreak or even re-establish trust...but at least it is progress and a beginning. In the same way, forgiving someone isn't saying that everything is okay. It doesn’t give back time, effort, or friendships and it definitely doesn't numb the emotional hurts and pain. But it’s the start of God’s work in and through us.

God is about reconciliation and restoration and that means NOT giving us what we deserve. In Matthew 18:23 Jesus tells a parable about a king who forgave one of his slaves a large sum of money. The very same slave came across another slave who owed him a very small amount of money. Instead of showing him the same kindness he had received, he grabbed him, choked him, and threw him in jail. The king heard what happened and became angry saying, “Should you not have shown mercy for your fellow slave, just as I showed it to you?” (vs. 33).

We’ve all seen the effects of withholding forgiveness as well as the humility to receive it. Amongst family members, friends, neighbors, or co-workers relationships are broken and people’s hearts are hardened. Does anything good come from us trying to give someone what we think they deserve? Rather Romans 2:4 says, “do [you] not know that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?” It’s not the yelling, name-calling, getting even, or giving a piece of our mind that restores a relationship, it’s love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. And I never feel better after giving someone a "piece of my mind"....in fact what I actually did was give them my peace, my self control, my long suffering as well as my dignity!

Mercy breaks down our defenses and our pride, and so we can begin the journey to reconciliation. It is paying it forward for what Christ did for us on the Cross! We were all sinners until HE came into the picture. Now we have this great advocate that leads us, guides us; when in all actuality we are so very undeserving. 

Once you start giving Mercy you will see that Mercy will also come your way. It is what attracts people to Christ. Mercy is just an attribute of love that can only come from the Father. God help us be people of mercy! 

"But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,
be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don’t take yourself too seriously—
take God seriously"! Micah 6:8

Adjust that crown!

Jonna

Can you Feel the Kick?

I love reading the account of Mary, the pregnant and soon to be mother of Jesus visiting Elizabeth while they were both with child. It is the “prequel” to the well-known story of the birth of Christ. Luke 1 states that when Mary greeted her older relative; that Elizabeth's baby leaped and in turn she loudly spake a blessing.

You may not be physically pregnant, but we all carry a promise from our Father. It may be in form of a word, a blessing, an unexpected miracle, a vision, a dream concerning you, your family, or your children. When we as bearers of the Word of God hang out together; that "something" should kick inside us. In turn we should be leaping and speaking blessings and encouragement to each other. We have got to surround ourselves with people who speak to the promise and hope that in us. Mary knew she could go to Elizabeth...no one can identify with you like someone who is carrying life like you are. 

There are many people that make the "baby" kick within me. The hope of salvation, the excitement of life, the dream of greater things to come and the truths of God just rise up in me when I am in their presence.

This Christmas you are carrying Jesus wherever you go...you can make a difference in people's lives. You can be a light without saying one word. You have the ability to re-ignite something that might have been burned out in someone a long time ago. The Holy Spirit in you can awaken what has been dormant in a moments notice. You and I can cause a little leap and shout and the dead to come back to life. We have hope for the world living within us!

“My soul magnifies my God, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

Like Mary, may we realize the enormity of our task; we carry the salvation of the world in ourselves just waiting to be birthed in the hearts and lives of everyone we encounter! Do you feel the kick?

Adjust that crown,

Jonna

The Christmas Spirit

Are you guilty like me of not "feeling" the christmas spirit especially when it is 80 degrees outside and all the songs on the radio are singing about a "white christmas" or "frosty the snowman"? So you put that fake tree up and spray it with evergreen scent and untangle all those lights that you thought you carefully packed away the year before. Then you painstakingly climb that ladder and about break both your legs trying to put lights outside of the house bigger and better than anyone in the neighborhood and yet after all that you still are not "feeling" it? So the obvious next thing to do is bake some cookies, candy and then go out into the chaos with all the other shoppers and wait in long lines to buy just the right gift and wrap it with the perfect paper and gorgeous bow and place it under the tree. You sit back and look at your handiwork but you just have this feeling that something is missing! Then finally the temperatures fall and you get to wear that sweater that you love (but everyone thinks is ugly) and you with delight turn the fireplace on and drink in all the ambiance! Ahhhhhh finally....you "feel" like it is Christmas! But yet....if only it would snow....

The problem is that we are looking for something and we aren't quite sure what it looks or feels like. The Jewish community at the time of Christ's birth missed out because they had come to expect the Messiah to be revealed in great glory and splendor and not in a manger and in less-than royal circumstances. In fact they still are looking for their messiah!

 We all equate God with glamour, glitter and glory and sometimes miss Him in the little things. We have to remember that He chose to show himself to some of the most dirtiest and lowliest of professions and in a way none of us would ever imagined! 

I believe that His arrival was to show us that His ways are not like ours. Everything man thinks is true and right are actually the opposite. The things we care about this time of year are not what He cares about at all. Now don't get me wrong...I believe the gifts and ambience of the season are WONDERFUL things! But what we yearn for are actually things we cannot buy or create. HE created the only thing that truly will make us have that Christmas spirit..it is the love of our Father in having Jesus come to this world as a baby to save a suffering and sinful humanity. What we are looking for lives within us as Christians and that is all we need. 

Hope is what we look for and when we see that baby in a manger we see our future which is laced with forgiveness, freedom and the love that every human life longs for. When we look at the star on our tree we are reminded of our God who in the heavens looks down and smiles at us. The twinkling lights remind me of all the angels who are dispatched in the supernatural to protect me. The gifts are a result of the blessings God has given me with family and friends. The ornaments are every good thing he longs to give me. Everything about Christmas leads me to Him if I choose to see it. 

Don't feel the Christmas Spirit? Well look outside yourself...Christ is in everything and we can choose to feel it or not. Don't miss this special season because it doesn't look or feel right....HE lives in me and you and for that WE will celebrate! 

Adjust that Crown, 

The Empty Chair

At many tables this holiday season there may be an empty chair. This symbolic empty chair may represent a relationship that is now broken, a family member that you haven't spoken to in years or possibly a prodigal child who hasn't yet come home. High emotions are felt when you realize that this person will not be there and you may experience sadness, regret and maybe even the feeling of incompleteness.  If you find yourself in this predicament you need to ask yourself if that chair needs to really be empty? Maybe there is something you can do. You can be the key to making a difference in someone's life by doing one small thing....reserving some space at your table.

You see I had a person live with me and my family for a few years and he was like a son to Don and I and suddenly he was gone without explanation and without any communication from him. I let time go by and I did not pursue the reasoning. I was just hoping that "He would come back and we would work it all out" but of course that never happened. This situation has tore at my heart for over 6 months and I decided finally that I was going to do something about it. This Christmas my goal is to have him at my table. I haven't done a thing to reach out to him YET but I have the plans to make it happen. I feel that we let people and situations go WAY too easily and as time goes by it gets easier to push back the emotions and the hurt and you find yourself wanting to forget. It just seems easier that way. God places people in our lives so that we can learn and grow from our experiences. We cannot grow and learn if we are not willing to follow through with the hard things. There is something I can do about this situation and I will not let another month go by without making it right. I don't care if he isn't living right and I am prepared if he reacts in anger and tells me all the things that I did wrong. I will listen and be ready to act in love. Justin will come home and our relationship will be reconciled and God can do the rest. He will be my filled chair this holiday season.

Jesus was critized heavily because he did not hesistate to break bread and share his table with broken people. He did not just include perfect people and he didn't wait until people "got it all together" to invite them....He ASKED people to come to Him just as they were. Jesus used communion as the first step towards reconciliation. He sat and shared a meal with people that He knew were going to turn on him! You see there is nothing more personal that we can do than to invite someone to your table. When you ask someone to come into your home and you share your blessings and you wait on them and serve...it is doing just what Jesus did. Sharing from your cup and your plate is one of the most intimate things anyone can do. Especially in this day and age when it is so much easier to ask others to go out and eat...it is being hospitable without any of the work! Maybe you need to ask someone that has no family and is alone for the holidays, or you need to invite that family member you have been at odds with, or open your home to the homeless who is cold and has no other place to go. Matthew 25:40 says, "For when you do unto the least of these...you do it unto me".

Everyone of us has a empty chair. We have room for one more. Just like the time of Jesus birth when there was no room in the inn...they looked beyond the ordinary and actually found some extraordinary space. We need to open up our hearts and the doors of our homes and ask others to come in. One meal may not fix the overall problems in this hurting world or the dysfunction in your family;
but one more filled chair can be an answer to someone's prayer. Hope in this world is found when we give forgiveness, kindness, compassion and most of all give to others what God so richly has blessed us with.  

Fill a chair this holiday season and God will fill your life with blessings that you never even thought of asking for.

Merry Christmas!
Jonna Gibson

*The Law of the Garbage Truck

Have you ever been in such a great mood with a skip in your step and enjoying the chirping birds and the perfect weather and life was just so very grand? THEN...you encounter someone grumpy and hateful and you try really hard to input your positive mind-set into the situation but the unthinkeable happens? They do not respond favorably???


It train wrecks you and all the sudden indignation rises up and this person just continues to spew rudeness your way and you find yourself mirroring their attitude. You walk away shocked and awed! How could they treat you like this? They were so hurtful and rude and I WAS in a fabulous mood but I told them a few things! Then you continue your day in a fog and even find yourself short with people and repeating the event to others over and over; finding yourself justified in your behavior. The birds chirping is giving you a headache now and the humidity is aggravating and making your hair bushy and my how I feel exhausted.....

Well this has happened to me a time or two...I was minding my own business and BAM...I got ran over by a Garbage Truck! The Law of the Garbage Truck is a book about personal growth and can help you learn how to respond to people who "dump" on you as well as deal with negative situations that are beyond your control. Let me share this story with you from the book:

"One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded and missed the other car by mere inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us! My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy and remained friendly. I was shocked and asked, 'Why in the world did you just do that? That guy almost wrecked your car and sent us to the hospital!' The taxi driver said, 'People are like garbage trucks; they run around full of garbage, full of frustration, anger and disappointments and as their garbage piles up it naturally falls on others. You just have to learn not to take it personally. Just smile, wave and move on. Don't take their garbage as your own and then spread it around to others and make it a part of yourself.' I couldn't believe what I was hearing but as I let it sink into my head that day I realized that this man had something powerful and this is how the Law of the Garbage Truck was written."

You have to recognize hurting people and try to empathize with why they are behaving a certain way and process it quickly so that you do not find yourself REACTING to what you see. Life is truly 90% of how you TAKE things and 10% of what you MAKE it. You can have a great day and a great life and take things wrong and find yourself bound up in hurt and bitterness and spreading it everywhere you go. Choose to let garbage lie and not pick it up and add it to your load. This is a mind set that if practiced daily can become a natural way of life for you.

Sure you may be happy and positive and try your best in situations but the other person doesn't change or mirror you...it's okay...you planted a seed in their life and walked away richer because you sowed something into someone. You walked away knowing that you shared love...something that doesn't flow naturally in any of our lives. It is a choice to love and serve others and in time you will reap the greatest rewards. Happy and loving people have the best lives because no matter what they are going through...they are putting their hope in someone and something greater than themselves and they have the ability to see their world in rose colored glasses that only God can prescribe.

Matthew 23:26 "Can't you see that if you clean the inside of the cup, the outside will be clean too?"
What a great reminder that we cannot do all this in our own power but in Christ. He cleanses us from the inside out. Psalms 51:10 states, "Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit in me".  Ask Jesus today to help you to start seeing things the way HE sees them. He wants us to be people who sets others FREE from their trash and filth...but if we keep picking up their stinking stuff and making it our own...well then we become burdened down and unable to do the things that He has called us to do. This I believe has set back the church YEARS behind where we should be!

Become trash-free today and start living "The Law of the Garbage Truck"!



You are Graciously Adorned!

❤ Jonna




-excerpt by "The Law of the Garbage Truck" written by David Pollay

Using your Scars for His Glory

"Because I was willing--not necessarily able, but willing--to take the one step and then another, and another. God has brought me to the most interesting of places. He took what I thought was broken and unworthy...my heart...and made it into something beautiful by giving it to others who were flattened by life and circumstance. This is God's nature. The very thing that the enemy uses to try to destroy your life is the very thing that God uses to help others. God can heal every hurt and can turn your scars into signs of strength for His glory."

"Your past mistakes, hurts and pain can help give someone else a future. Whatever we have gone through enables us to help others. God doesn't waste one experience of our lives. He uses everything to help someone else. He doesn't want us to remain crippled, immobilized, or paralyzed by the past. Instead, He sent us Jesus to show us how to step into the future."

"I have always known that I was not the only one carrying around such pain. We are all broken in some way. We all have wounds. some of us use that as an excuse to do nothing, to serve no one, but rather to sit and nurse our own misery. That is not what God wants, and not the model we see over and over again in the Bible. The biblical model is that God deliberately chooses imperfect vessels--those who have been wounded, those with physical or emotional limitations. Then He prepares them to serve and sends them out with their weakness still in evidence, so that His strength can be made perfect in that weakness. In fact, more often than not, it's our weakness that makes us capable of serving, because those we serve identify with our pain. As always; God works in us so that He can work through us."

----Excerpt from "Undaunted" by Christine Caine

God is able to work all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Healing doesn't happen overnight. Just as Naaman in 2 Kings 5:1-19 was told to dip seven times in the Jordan river for his healing...it was messy and took time but he made a choice to do it. We can choose to heal, and trust the Great Physician in our lives. With any healing there is pain with restoration like there is pain with my husband's broken arm and his physical therapy; but you endure it because you want your full function back and it will be well worth it! Colossions 3:13  God tells us to bear with one another and forgive one anther just as we have been forgiven. Bearing doesn't sounds like an easy word at all..sounds painful in fact. Forgiveness is a hard road and every day brings a new opportunity. Will we fail on some days? Of course we will...after all we are human. Good thing there is hope in a new day to get things right.

If you find yourself in pain today; work through it. If there has been years...scar tissue might have grown up around the issue and dealing with it makes it that much more painful. You might even find yourself mad at God today. Know this...that is okay....tell God your heart...because in actuality...He knows about it already. He wants to hear from you. He can restore you to your former glory and give you joy, peace and the ability to rise above all the circumstances that used to bog you down.

I have never met a prisoner that didn't want to be free. Jesus has the keys to your freedom and it is right within your reach. Take the keys; because no one can do it for you; and release yourself of the bondage that you were never meant to carry. And through the process (not when your healed-but during) give the keys to someone else....because your ugly scar in your life (your testimony) is what will bring hope and healing to others. And this my sister is how we are meant to live....loving and helping each other and being the light of Jesus in someone else's darkness.


Don't forget to adjust that crown because you are after all... royalty and meant to shine.

Jonna

Consider Job

"Consider Job"....those two words just slapped me in the face! Job is identified as a blameless and upright man who feared God and turned away from evil. God was pointing out to Satan that Job loved him with a pure heart and the enemy was arguing that the love was because of material things. Well the devil was being set up; although he thought he was setting up God. Silly Devil. We all know about Job and in the first chapter he goes from riches to rags; from being blessed to what seems like cursed. All his livestock were killed as well as his children and servants and he was left with only his wife and just when his grief was subsiding Job became plagued with boils all over his body that were excruciatingly painful.

20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." 22 In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.  Job 1:20-22

I can picture Satan surrounded by his 10,000 angels awaiting Job's response. And when Job answers I can also imagine all the multitude of angels in the heavens shouting, "Worthy is the Lord God of Job!"and how mad must Satan have been and I am sure he had to flee at that very moment!

Job must of been something pretty special to God for him to be pointed out. I wonder in our lives if God ever points you or I out? Would He ever say, "Consider Jonna"? I know that I am not perfect but I surely do pray that I get His attention. I want God to be pleased with my attempts and with my love and obedience towards Him.

Now don't get me wrong...I am not asking for trouble! I just want to be known as a child that loves her Heavenly Father way above and beyond any Earthly treasure. When the time of calamity comes to my house and it will come one way or another...I will choose to do what Job did and Bless the Lord!



Adjust that Crown,

Jonna

Nice girls don't change the world

All my life people have told me that I was nice and kind. Now I know that is a great compliment! But as I have grown older and more mature no one tells me that much anymore and you know what? I am just fine with that! Now before you pass out or call one of the board members of our church...because you all know my role as a Pastor's wife...let me tell you a little about some lessons I have learned the last few years.

Nice defined is 'pleasant, agreeable,socially acceptable, and exact in standards'. Now nothing is wrong with any of those words! But my role as a Pastor's wife is to assist my husband in "leading" and "guiding" people the right direction in life. Sometimes my role is to be a disciplinarian and to speak truth when it isn't "going to be well accepted". I may have to talk to some people about a conversation or a situation so that the "air can be cleared' and that isn't going to always be pleasant or agreeable either! To do what God has called me to do and do it correctly...some people will think that I am not nice!

Now years ago I so wanted to be accepted by everyone and wanted to be loved by all. Ohhh the things I would do so that everyone would look at me and think the best and the highest. I would go on outing with ladies to places that I dreaded going and would never speak up and tell them that I was not interested in those things. I was trying to be nice and appease them. I would wear things that they made me even though it wasn't my preference and style and even be embarassed but they would never know it. I have even let them come into my house and hang pictures on my walls of paintings that were NO where close to anything I would EVER pick out and "live with it" and not tell them or speak up. Because it was more important for them to be happy and think that i liked everything they liked. Isn't that what a good pastor's wife supposed to do? Well...that might have been nice...that actually might of been more like dumb. LOL. I was miserable because I was being what I thought everyone else wanted me to be...and sadly I was not being ME. Now I know that God is not wanting me to be "socially acceptable"....He is wanting me to simply obey Him and that includes being the person HE made me to be. 

We all have personalities, quirks, interests and talents that are totally unique to the person that we are and sometimes those things need to be "tweaked".  Being too "nice" and a people pleaser and never speaking up and sharing likes, ideas and desires deprives everyone around you....including yourself! It can be exhausting!! Just like being bossy and a loud mouth will just turn everyone off and cause people to avoid you and not be a good example of Christ. We are called to love people and there are ways of speaking your opinion and it be done in the right way that is pleasing to God as well as everyone around you!

I came across this book by Lynne Hybels called, "Nice Girls Don't Change the World". It was a God send to me! It talks about how Pastor's wives and women in general used to stand in the background cooking, smiling and being the silent partner and after so many years Lynne had a revelation that she was called to be something better than "looking the part" of the pastor's wife and a Godly woman...that she was to take an active role and stand "next to" the pastor. This just made something jump within me and my whole outlook changed. I was trying to be something I wasn't and things weren't working out because I wasn't functioning in the place that I was to be at.

So I stepped out and let me tell you I have had frightful days! But I know that I am doing just what I have been called to do. Let me clarify something though....I don't believe in two headed monsters...that meaning I don't say I am a Pastor or a Co-Pastor....my husband is the Pastor and I am his helper and greatest cheerleader. He is not only called but WE are called and are in this together.

So let me encourage you with this: you no longer need to just be nice....God called you to speak truth and speak it in love. Your willingness to be involved in the lives of others will cause you to be sucessful. You might speak the wrong thing but if it is spoken in love then your mistake will be forgiven with much love. We no longer need to be quiet and act like perfect ladies that we "have it all together"! That has been terribly ineffective and not very attainable to anyone from the outside the church looking in! They want to see humanity and realness and the fact that you trip, fall and lose your car keys sometimes...just like them. How can we reach the lost if they cannot relate? So get out and get messy and stop thinking that what is in your heart is not valuable to someone else!

Nice girls DON'T change the world....but girls and ladies that love Jesus with all their hearts DO! I challenge you to no longer just be agreeable and socially acceptable....I challenge you to be God's voice and speak truth in love and go where He tells you to go in obedience and girl,
....you will most definitely change your world!

Adjust that Crown,

Jonna

*Joy is the flag flown high

→I remember singing this song in children's church and I loved it....marching around with
a flag and lifting it high in the air! Revisiting this song now as an adult I realize the power
in it and the fact that it has such a greater meaning to me now:


Joy is the flag flown high from the 
castle of your heart,
from the castle of your heart, from 
the castle of your heart.
Joy is the flag flown high from the 
castle of your heart,
When the King is in residence there.

So lift it high in the sky and let the 
whole world know,
Let the whole world know, let the 
whole world know.
So lift it high in the sky and let the 
whole world know,
That the King is in residence there.


A Flag is so important to a country because it is a way of portraying itself to the rest of the world. It can unify a country and it's people in a time of trouble and can be a real sign of hope in desperate situations. Flags were used long ago during wars when the air was cloudy and dusty people would lose sight of
their group and would look up to see where the flag was and to also know who was winning the battle!

So what flag are you flying? How do you portray Christ to the rest of the world? Is what your waving filled with love, joy and peace? Is it creating unity and hope to the desperate people around you? Are you helping people find their way to Jesus and showing them that a life of a Christian is like being on the winning team?

Reevaluate what banner you have over your life today. The castle of our heart should radiate joy in your life, your words and your actions. That doesn't mean that we can't have a bad day or make mistakes! But our residences should be places of peace and harbors of joy for everyone you come in contact with. Where the King is allowed to be on His throne...there will be life and there will be ripe and growing fruit of His spirit. We want the whole world to know who resides in us! #Galatians 5:22

You ARE Graciously Adorned

❤ Jonna

Scars

A scar is just a remnant of a healing that took place over a traumatic incident. Everything within your body responded to make that area of hurt get back to as normal as it could. Unfortunately our body is not able to heal as clean and nicely as we like...thus creating mementos or "war wounds".

Some scars might not be seen by the human eyes and are internal and harder for others to know about or even for us to realize. Everything in your thought processe, mindset and heart are working hard to overcome this type of injury as well. Unfortunately unlike most physical injuries these can cause the most lasting damage.

You may be hurting today by someone or something and are struggling hard to recover from it. Know this and be encouraged....if you are still breathing and still standing then you have won the important part of the fight. You might have got hit but it isn't going to take you out. Your hurts, bruises and scars are just a reminder that you have been through a rough patch but the promises of HIS Word that is IN you is working itself OUT of you.

 You may have lasting effects in the form of marks and even some long term pain; but you are going to make it and boy will you have a story to tell! So fly the flag of victory and put down the rag of surrender. You are an overcomer in Jesus name! #James 1:12

Straighten that Crown,

Jonna

I am so Glad that You Exist!

The word exist or existence comes from the Latin word "existere"meaning: "to appear", "to arise", "to become", or "to be", but literally, it means "to stand out" (ex- being the Latin prefix for "out" added to the Latin verb stare, meaning "to stand").
In other words...you were made to ARISE and STAND OUT...this is WHY you exist...for HIS purpose and glory! Your life matters and not only am I glad you are here...God smiles when He thinks of you.

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb .… Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” (Psalm 139:13, 16 NIV)


Adjust that crown,

Jonna

Is Jesus your Facebook Friend?

Ever have a Facebook friend that you really didn't want to accept as a friend? But after months of them continuing to ask to be your friend you just got weary of hitting the "not at this time" button so you added them? (well maybe that has just happened to me!) I guess persistence truly does pay off. ha.  Then before you knew it they were all over your photo albums "liking" everything and making comments and asking questions. Ugh. What a pain. I don't have time to explain all that stuff...this is old news. Then out of the blue they post a horrid picture of you from 20 years ago and you scramble to "hide" it from your newsfeed. What will people think? That picture is not the "me" now! This new "friend" of yours "pokes" you everyday and constantly sends you requests for every game ever made, and always messaging and of course commenting on every status you place. Wow...how aggravating! They are like stalking you!

Sometimes I wonder if Jesus is like that friend. He is there wanting to interact with us in everything we do and we are so good at "ignoring" Him. Yet he is persistent longing to talk and wanting relationship with the one that He made and loves. He is constantly sending us messages that He cares for us and He is with us with every move we make. He is the still small voice that helps us and warns us when we are near danger. He is in everything we see in creation and enjoy and is present in every situation good or bad. He longs to be a part of our everyday thoughts and is interested in every place we go and do. he wants to be included and sometimes we are just too busy to take the time to add Jesus to our lives.


Adjust that Crown,

Jonna

Intercessory Prayer: Mantle of Esther

(Excuse the "roughness" of the following teaching...these are the notes I used when speaking to our intercessory group)

Let me start by saying that you all are extremely valuable to Don and I and our family...and it dosn't stop there. Whatever we have accomplished in terms of success or breakthrough is because of prayer. And because of your prayer we credit you. Your sacrifice and your devotion is not ignored and unseen. Although I know that none of you want your "crown" to be here in the earthly form....I still want to tell you thank you. We do not take lightly what you do and what God is doing through you. 

Luke 16:12 If you have not been faithful with what belongs to someone else, who will give you what is your own? 

You are guardians and carriers of the ministry of both Mercy Gate as well as for your pastor's. Your faithfulness is seen and felt. Answered prayers and conversions are the direct results of your obedience and time. Your actions, behavior, attitudes are all a direct reflection of our ministry. We are very closely connected. And I truly believe that God is going to bless each of you mightily. 

Esther Mantle

Now I do know this: that most Pastor's have a love/hate relationship with their intercessors. I hear the term you as: flighty, flaky, nuts, their head is in the clouds, strange, weird etc. There does seem to be a disconnect sometimes where people of prayer are not fully understood. "they always have a word" or a "dream". Ha. Well there needs to be balance in all of these areas with the intercessors and with the pastors. I really feel that this anxiety that most pastor's feel is because of past experiences with their intercessors. (ex. Dance showing spiritual birthing process, Tambourines by children, Flag flying in the church, Words given at inappropriate times) Intercessors are creative and expressive people! The problems we experienced as well as our fellow pastor's;  were from the ignorance and lack of experience in how to handle those situations. There is a time and place for the noise, the flags and interpretive dance and the revelations. 

One of the biggest issues we run into is pride. (Don told me that he touched on that when he spoke to you guys last month.) He talked about servant leadership and having a humble spirit. All that we are are servants to the people....you may call me pastor's wife or Don pastor but we are in fact humble workers for the kingdom. WE should never forget that we are not doing this for a title, for a position or for people to see us or for self exaltation. When we hit that platform or when we get on our knees...we need to be reminded of our positions. 

The enemy surely knows what buttons to push to get some of us to trail off in the wrong direction. You have seen pastor's preach and then find our they were in moral sin and failure....how can that happen? How could he be annointed and hear from God while he is doing THAT? Well...the same can happen with an intercessor. They can pray and hear things from the throne room of God but not be in the right place. You can actually "hear" what you want to hear and function in a role in your own talent and annointing for a time...but it will be lifted eventually. What could happen with an intercessor is that they get a word or a picture of what should happen and present it to the leadership but if they don't do what they want them to do then they start praying prayers of manipulation and develop a haughty spirit that they may know more than the leadership, know more  about the direction of the church. Trust me....we have seen this happen over and over again.

Just like me having a best friend in the church can prove to be quite hairy....telling intercessors all the details on something can cause them to lose respect for authority or for the pastor. Everyone has differing opinions on direction and plans but God gave Pastor the vision. Before you know it they are bringing a group to another church because they don't like "the direction". Our group is not going to do that. We are not going to allow each other to go astray. 

You need to be accountable to your leader....Annette. if you find yourself feeling like you know more then her or that you don't even want to listen to what she has to say or how she is saying it....welll....that is a sign of pride that leads to the Jezebel spirit...which is just a spirit that uproots authority. You need to hold each other accountable with your attitudes, words, talking about people. Gossip runs rampant in prayer groups. One person "feels" something about somebody and before you know it you are telling each other "in prayer" of course what you think is going on. 

We need to all be like Esther. She is a remarkable illustration of intercession. She intervened in a dangerous situation for her people (the Jews) with the King and it resulted in deliverance and victory. She stood against two realms...the natural and the supernatural. In her own power there is no way Esther could have had the outcome she had. She demonstrated an attitude of humility and reverance that can be the difference between intercession that fails and intercession that triumphs. 

"Esther demonstrated an attitude of humility and reverance that can be the difference between intercession that fails and intercession that triumphs."

 And we all know what happened to Queen Vashti....she refused to obey the king when summoned. She got so wrapped up in "who she was" and with all her attendants and fanfare she lost all respect and forgot about the authority the king actually had. She was wrapped up in her own selfish desires and giftings...that led to her downfall. She was dethroned and is still heralded as the first independent minded feminist. Some say that she was a bad example for all the households in the Kingdom...because she rebelled others rebelled against their husbands as well. Just like Vashti we NEVER want to FORGET who we are...we certainly do not want to cause confusion or trump any pastorly authority as well in the house of God because we may cause others to stumble. We may have a title and we may have some power but the King gave it to us and He can also take it away. 

When God calls us it is because of he awesome sovereignty. He has decided what He wants done and He is calling his faithful and beloved. He does not set office hours and like the ER...it's open 24 hours a day. He is looking for availability no matter the costs. 

Esther was one of many ladies summonded to the King's palace. She was caught up in something beyond her control. I often wonder what her life plans were...did she have a boyfriend? and now found herself in this situatuion? Whatever was going on in her life...she set it aside...she reordered her priorities and gave way to the purposes of the Kingdom. 

Hegai prepares Esther for her meeting with the King. She was already nice to look at. The training would be demanding but she needed to be found pleasing to the King. She had 12 months of beauty treatments...six months of oil of myrhh and six with perfumes and cosmetics and 7 attendants to help her. This truly is a time of patient preparation for ministry. Myrrh suggests death and 1 Corinthians 15:31 says; "I die every day for the cause of christ".  Our own ambitions and desires need to die before going before the King and we need a group of people to keep us be accountable to that. 

Esther was called the tenth month of the 7th year of the King's reign. It wasn't a full 12! We might be called to intercession but feel "not ready" or inadequate but we must trust and not rely on ourselves but only on His presence, guidance and power of the Holy Spirit. The intercessors primary concern is to please the Lord. When that prevails, the power and blessings of heaven are released on Earth.

The King loved Esther more than all the other women and she won grace and favor in his sight so much that He placed the royal crown on her head and made her his queen. The King was so happy that he declared a remission of taxes and distributed gifts with royal generosity. (Eshter 2:17-18)  The Church's first calling is to behave like a bride....the best thing we can do for the World is please God. Esther did not storm around the palace with shrill opinions and moral directives in regards to the administration.....the Church should be a blessing to the World and the Kingdom and she then in turn pleases and delights God. When God is pleased we get His attention and can then change cities and regions with His nod.

Esther approaches the King and asks him to a banquet and the King asks her for her wishes...she never even has to hint or ask him first. When we are in communion with our King He doesn't have to coax the petition out of us, we have entered into a most holy place. But a good intercessor knows that timing is everything and while Esther did not immediately tell the King; things were being worked out behind the scenes. Esther does not strive against the evil one but her strategy is to expose Haman in the presence of the King...not just in front of others...Intercessors are aware of evil but know that how we  deal with evil is not how the King will deal with it. Amazingly enough in the story, before Esther can even tell the King what she wants the King remembers something from the past and unsettles Haman's scheme. God never forgets, does he? He has so arranged the ministry of prayer that events and promises from the past shall be recited before him. 

Without Esther lifting a finger....Haman stumbles. Blind faith is at work here....sometimes we are tempted to work things out ourselves in the natural realm but we could mess up the perfectly orchestrated supernatural set up. It actually turns into what seems like a movie out of Hollywood. Haman has to announce favor and distinction and honor to Mordecai....the man he was just planning to kill!  

Sometimes we are tempted to work things out ourselves in the natural realm but we could mess up the perfectly orchestrated supernatural set up.

The banquet comes around the Haman's plot is revealed and the King gets very angry. Meanwhile Haman begs Esther for his life. When the king returned into the room he sees Haman falling on the couch next to the Queen. It is amazing the deals that the enemy will try to strike with you when He realizes the authority that you carry. But Esther spoke with Mercy to the King always out of compassion and love and not with anger or threats. She maintained her composure....she truly was graceful and knew how to walk with a crown.

Esther and Mordecai took over every deed and every job formerly controlled by Haman in the Kingdom. The ministry of intercesseion participates in the release of Christ's authority.....Mordecai sat outside the gates in sack cloth and ashes untl Esther's intercession prevailed. 

 We need to prepare ourselves for "such a time as this". We all have a past and varied backgrounds but we have been hand picked by the King and we are royalty. He sees greatness in each of us even if we think we are insignificant and without talent. We need brave women who are willing to draw close to HIM and form themselves in a place of quiet power where His kingdom is being exalted. I desire the mantle of Esther and know that with prayer and unity and keeping our focus on HIM there isn't anything that we cannot do. 

You are Graciously Adorned!

❤Jonna