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Hello my sweet sisters. As you may have heard, Mountain Christian Church is blessed to be able to bring a women’s retreat, Seek His Face, right here to the East Mountains. It will be held at Nature Pointe in Tijeras on March 7th from 9:30 AM-1:30 PM. 

You may be asking, "Why would I need to attend a women's retreat when I’m fed so well here in church on Sunday morning?" Well, I will ask you a question now: Have you nailed the prayer thing? Or do you feel like things often compete for your attention (and win) when it comes to prioritizing prayers and conversations with your Father in heaven? You are not alone.  

As women in this busy world you may be facing a fulltime career, little children needing all your time and energy, ministry, marriage, school, and the list goes on. While all of these things are important and necessary, I believe we fool ourselves into thinking that any of it can be done and sustained well, without constant reliance on and relinquishing of ourselves to God.

This women's retreat will help us sort through what distracts us and seems more interesting than prayer. We will also discuss how to make time for prayer when everyone is looking for you, and finally, how to seek prayer time with the Father when it seems like no one else is. Believe it or not, Jesus can relate to all of these road blocks to prayer and offers guidance in the Bible. 

Of course, this time with a group of women is sure to be blessed fellowship. We can support each other in our struggles and leave not feeling alone or defeated just because we have not perfected prayer. God is patient and simply wants us to draw near and because we are known and loved, we can begin new habits feeling refreshed and encouraged.

We will begin the retreat with a time of worship, followed by three video sessions. Each session will have a short discussion time after with the women at your table. We will finish by sharing lunch together. 

Whether you are seasoned in your prayer life and can bless another woman with ideas and encouragement, or you need help getting started, please join us. 

Be encouraged, for this is what the Lord says: “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up, meeting together.” Hebrews 10:22-25

“Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.” (John 17:3) To know Christ – this is the hope and goal and purpose of our Women’s Community Bible Study – to learn to know his Word, to see his Word confirmed by his faithfulness to us, to see Him glorified as we share his faithfulness with one another, to learn to cry out to Him together in prayer as we lay out our needs to our Father.

Women’s Community Bible Study is just another opportunity at MCC to do all the “one anothers” of Scripture – to love one another (John 13:34, 1 John 3:11), to accept one another (Romans 15:7), to bear with one another (Colossians 3:13), to serve one another (Galatians 5:13), to seek the good of one another (1 Thessalonians 5:15), to confess to one another (James 5:16), being like-minded, having the same love (Philippians 2:2).

We look forward to beginning a new study mid-September. We meet on Wednesday mornings from 9:15-11:15. Please pray with us that women from MCC and our surrounding community would come together in a spirit of unity and love (Psalm 133, Ephesians 4:3), ready to take up the “sword of the Spirit”, which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17), so we will be able to stand against the enemy (the world, the flesh and the devil), and to fight deception, stand for truth, and be doers of the Word, not merely hearers deceiving ourselves (James 12:22-25).

This is a BIG prayer request, but we worship a BIG God with a big sword (Hebrews 4:12). So, let’s go out with joy as we sit at the table together and “eat” God’s Word (Jeremiah 15:16 – “When your words came, I ate them. They were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God Almighty.”)

The early Christians "continuously devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship." (Acts 2:42) The word for "fellowship" is koinonia, which means "to have in common" or "to share." As those who are united with Christ, we are to share the life of Christ with one another in a way that results in individual and combined spiritual growth.

Why do women need to be engaged in community? Simple, because they need to be reminded that they are not alone. There is something so deeply nourishing to a woman's heart that comes from spending time with other women. Engaging in community takes a girl out of the lonely perspective of not measuring up and into the bountiful environment of encouragement, support, and accountability.

Why should women engage in worship? Quite frankly, we need to be reminded of whose we are and what better way to do that than to humbly bow ourselves before the King of Kings. When we worship the King of Kings, we realize that though we are nothing in and of ourselves, we are everything in the eyes of the King. Knowing every ugly detail about us, he still chose to go to pull us out of the pit and place a crown on our heads. Engaging in worship isn't a chore, it is a heart healing opportunity to reflect on the one who made us royalty and cast our crowns back at his feet in praise.

Jodi Hendricks explores these questions, and more. She is a wife, mother of four, native New Mexican, licensed Mental Health Counselor, Director of the Women’s Ministry at her church, and an avid motorcycle rider (amongst other things)!

Jodi will be joining us for Koinonia, a women’s retreat sponsored by Mountain Christian Church. We will worship with special guest Cassie Rogers of the Kipsies through song, take a look at Community through Jesus’ encounter with the Woman at the Well, and enjoy lunch together.

Make plans to join us Saturday, March 16, from 9 am-1 pm at Nature Pointe Events. Click here to RSVP. For more information contact Emily Gray (505-297-9178) or Lisa Lemelin (505-917-2999).

 “Your love has given me much joy and comfort...for your kindness has often refreshed the hearts of God’s people.” Philemon 1:7

Let me take a moment to introduce myself to those who do not know me yet.  My name is Heather Johnson. I am quirky, sometimes too serious, sometimes silly, compassionate, and slightly awkward...or maybe more than slightly awkward.  I love God and I love people a lot.  I am not always good at it though. I am a work in progress. One of things that God has placed on my heart as an ongoing ministry, whether it be official or unofficial, is the ministry of uniting people.  We are better together. I believe God created us to be in community and when we are connected with others, we grow, we thrive, and mutual transformation occurs.  Therefore I invite you to keep reading to hear some ideas I have for seeing moms grow in their connection with one another and with their Creator. I can’t do any of these ideas on my own, but I think that if someone else will catch the vision with me, some really beautiful things can be planted and the blooms of which we may see for years to come. 

New Vision

There are a few different elements I would like to integrate into MCC’s mom's ministry. Though the acronym for MOPS is “Mothers of Preschoolers”, I hope to be able to bless and encourage moms of many seasons of life.  I do not want moms to think that they age out of having a mom's ministry simply because their kids are now school age.  So, moms...of ALL stages...we want to hear from you! We want to serve you and be here for you too.  One of the things that drew my family to Mountain Christian Church was how much people looked out for one another. We have experienced so much love and support from many families.  I want other moms in our community to feel as welcomed and loved as I did. Let us continue to love one another and spur one another on to love and good deeds!  Let us look out for each other and intentionally look for ways to encourage one another.  

God created me with a specific passion to see people of diverse backgrounds united. So when I stepped into the MOPS coordinator position this summer, it wasn’t long before I started thinking about how I could combine the moms ministry with my love for people from other countries.  I personally believe that when we are serving in any ministry capacity it is important that we think about how God created us and what passions He has given to us and to integrate our passions into our ministry.  For me this was to integrate our church partnership with International Students Incorporated (ISI) with MCC’s moms ministry.  I have been an international student before and I know the loneliness, the culture shock, the vulnerability that comes with that and I also know the power of kindness from a local person to refresh the heart and bring so much joy and comfort.  I’m imagining the friendships that develop between moms of the east mountains and moms from all around the world, who are currently living in Albuquerque, could lead to a ripple effect of transformation that we cannot even fathom spreading to all ends of the earth.  I see an image of a map with arrows going from East mountains to Albuquerque and from Albuquerque shooting out every direction to all over the globe.  We cannot underestimate the transforming power of intentional relationships.  

Another emphasis that another mom on the leadership team wisely suggested we pursue is recruiting more mentors. We want to set up a mentor-mentee partnership for moms to grow in their connection with moms that have more life experience.  How valuable is it for moms to have older or more experienced moms to learn from and to be encouraged by! This is something that the Titus ministry is doing so well. My hope would be to have one mentor for three moms.  

Connection with God and with others is what leads to positive transformation. When we connect with others, we thrive in our roles. 

A call to action

There are so many ways you can get involved in making this ministry effective in reaching moms in our community and be a part of the transformation that takes place when moms are encouraged and empowered to thrive in their motherhood.  Maybe you are a mom yourself or maybe you were highly impacted by a mother and you want to support moms to know they are valuable and to be supported in growing in their role.  Here are some ways you may be able to help:

• You can become a friendship partner to an international mom (If you are a mom yourself)
• You can sign up to be a mentor mom and encourage moms weekly through phone call, email, in person, letters or any other way you think of to show your care. 
• You can make homemade gifts or baked goods for the moms in our community and drop them off with the MOPS coordinator.
• You can become a delivery person to deliver gifts or baked goods to moms
• You can host mom and her family for Thanksgiving or Christmas at your home 
• You can be a motivational speaker at a moms event 
• You can bring a meal to a mom who recently delivered a baby or is facing some difficulty.
• You can donate diapers for our moms with infants 
• You can serve on the MOPS leadership team
• You can help recruit other moms to be friendship partners for our international moms. 
• You can be a volunteer driver for our moms who do not have cars.

I’m incredibly blessed to have had many people pour into my life over the years. I want to share about three very different women and how they have each transformed my faith!

Most girls can attest to the fact that their mothers had a big impact on their life; I know that mine certainly did! It wasn’t always having deep conversations or reading the bible together, most moments I remember were simply watching her live her life out for Christ. The way she loved, the way she offered grace, and the way that nothing was so important that she couldn’t pause to listen to me; even if I was only telling her something silly at five years of age. I got to do dishes by her side, helped her clean, and learned what it looked like to be a woman of God; a maiden warrior for the kingdom of heaven (which, by the way, is as epic as it sounds). I watched her stumble, heard humility in her repentance, and saw as she got back up and kept going.

You might wonder how watching my mom walk out her faith actually impacted me for Christ? It's true, we weren’t always talking about the Bible or doing studies together. What I learned from my mom, what I felt and experienced in our bond was just as important; the power of relationship. Just like Christ wants to have a relationship with us, my mother demonstrated (and still does) how that relationship looks. That God is never too busy to hear my plea, no matter the time of day. That my loving Father smiles and laughs with joy when I dance in the kitchen or the field or sing praises to Him. She showed me that He is always there, always ready to listen, and always guiding me if I rely on Him. Because she proved herself to me in the little things, she was able to prove herself in the big things, like talking about Jesus and why I needed a Savior from my sins. I am so grateful for my mom; especially as she continues to impact, challenge, and encourage me in my faith daily.

There are two other women who have also transformed my faith; both are sisters, one by blood and one by Christ. My sister, Rebecca, has been one of my best friends since high school. If we go a week without getting some good one on one time with a cup of tea and passing the baby back and forth (because, you know, snuggles), we feel a bit empty. The connection with this woman and sister of mine is amazing to me because I know that only Christ could have transformed us from bickering siblings to best friends! He truly is the one that gave me a change of heart in regards to my sister, started the bond between us, and continues to pull us together. She’s a fellow warrior. Sometimes we’re fighting side by side on the spiritual battlefield. Sometimes she’s guarding me from the arrows of the enemy while I kneel in exhaustion from the fight, listening as she whispers verses and truth in my ear.

There’s something uniquely special about having a sibling following Christ next to you; the fearless ways they speak in truth and love. It’s like they know you’re not going to leave them and there’s a security about the relationship. There have been many times when Rebecca was far more willing to speak a hard truth than to allow me to continue to wallow in self-pity or anger. Did I like it? Nope, but I always came back and appreciated it later. By the grace of God, the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and the prayers offered up for me by said sister, I always come around. I think it’s because, just like my mother, she has made a point to be in relationship with me. She’s never failed to be there for me- even if all she could do at the moment was let me know she was praying for me. She’s never been afraid to step in and help me fight my battles whether by encouragement or boldly pointing out the lies that I’ve been listening to. She is truly my sister, in every possible way, by blood and by Christ.

The courage she presents and the strength she possesses inspire me, daily, to live my life for Christ and Him alone. To continue growing myself, to push past what the world deems ‘ok’ and instead strive for what God says is ‘good’. To run the race with diligence so I may hear one day, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant’. I think I’d like to keep her around, always.

And my sister in Christ, Desarae. While we may live states apart, God has given us an incredible connection. While visiting Desarae and her family in Quitaque, Texas a few years ago, my spiritual life changed forever. There was something about Desarae, something about her family. I felt right at home the moment I stepped through the door. When I got to participate in their Sunday night prayer meeting, God opened my eyes to what it feels like to be intimately connected to people I’d only met 15 minutes before. To experience the overwhelming love of Christ being poured into you by strangers is one of the most incredible things that has ever happened to me. That night at the prayer meeting I sobbed. Yes, sobbed, in front of strangers. Their response was to surround me in love and grace.

All this came about because a woman named Desarae, whose heart is so full of love for others, reached out and wanted to be my friend. God placed Desarae in my life during a time I desperately needed the love she had to offer. I had been incredibly hurt just a couple years prior, a wound that cut deep. I had attempted patching it over, stuffing it down, and trying my best to ignore it. Desarae was the friend that was able to wrap me in a hug and help me see that my brokenness was nothing to be ashamed of. That I didn’t have to be strong in the hurt and the pain. I just needed to let God hold me and heal me.

Besides that, she invested in me. Despite the distance, she has worked hard to maintain our friendship. To encourage and pray for me when I’m down and to allow me to do the same for her. She has become a true friend, a sister in Christ, and has given me a friendship that will last through eternity.

I could go on for hours about these amazing women in my life and the countless others who have impacted my life in some way or another. However, I picked these three to share about because there is one common thread between them that I think is really important: relationship. Through my unique relationships with these women God has been showing me that I don't have to do it all of be it all. I often get overwhelmed at the idea that I have to be everything to a person. That I have to always have the right thing to say or do when someone needs me. But the beautiful truth God is showing me in all this is that I don’t. Sometimes I get to be a part of someone’s story for only one chapter. Maybe even only a sentence. Perhaps for some, I get to be part of the entire book. It’s easy to get caught up in what we think we have to be doing in order to shine a light or make an impact in someone’s life. It can be exhausting to think and believe that. Yet I’m encouraged as I read through God’s word and learn about all these different men & women in history. How each one was unique and different and yet still used for the Kingdom of God and His glory. Not a single one “did it all”- except a man named Jesus who did do it all by conquering sin and death.

To my three mighty warrior maidens, thank you. Thank you for taking the time to love me right where I was at while encouraging me to grow. Thank you for showing me friendship in so many ways. Thank you for pointing me back to Christ every single day but never looking down on me when I struggled to move in that direction. Most importantly, thank you for striving to be like Christ, remaining humble through it all, and loving others like He loves us.

If you are struggling to find a sister in Christ we'd invite you to visit our Women's Ministry page and get plugged in at MCC. We have women's Bible Studies, a new Titus 2 Women's Disciplship program, and quarterly women's gatherings. There is a place for you and we'd love for you to join us!