2010 New Year Challenge! Get Ready

Join me and Mid-City Christian Fellowship as we embark on the new year with a reading the bible in a year challenge. We want ot encourage everyone to particpate and be blessed as we read together as one body in Christ. Some of us have started on January 1, 2010 and we are already seeing fruit. Join us and be blessed this year by offering God some of your time to read His Word you won't regret it.

We are reading, "The One Year Bible" by Tyndale publishers NIV version. We are not receiving any incentives from the publishers for doing this challenge. This is purely to promote reading the Word of God as One Body in Christ. For more info click here.

Are YOU Ready for a Fresh New Year?

Are you ready for a Fresh New Year?
By Filoiann Wiedenhoff

This past year has brought a lot of growth, joy, blessings and also painful trials and hardship. My family and I have grown so much and at the same time we have been spiritually, mentally and physically pruned back for future growth. I guess you could call it growing pains. Did I forget to mention along with pruning there was also spiritual warfare? Although the pruning process and spiritual battles can seem lonely and indeed painful at the time we understand God is with us and that He allows it in our lives to grow us, strengthen us and refine us to bear more fruit. I’m not one to welcome pain or suffering but I know by faith God is faithful and sovereign and uses it to make us more like Christ ….but ouch does it hurt at the time. “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. - Romans 8:18 KJV

Read entire article by clicking here.

New Ebook! Pastoral Helps for Grief and Loss

If you or someone you know is going through grief and loss you can download my free ebook from my website! Here's the direct link:

http://www.filoiannwiedenhoff.com/pastrlhlpsgrief.html

It's a short and practical pamphlet to help encourage and bring enlightenment to the grieving process. It also shares how God can be your comfort if you will allow Him to.

Please check it out and if you like it feel free to leave me a comment on my website through the contact page.

Sign-up for my newsletter and recieve great articles to ignite, inspire and empower you to living the abundant life God has for you.

God Bless!

Filoiann Wiedenhoff

It's already December!

Where does the time fly. It's actually November 30th but Christmas is just around the corner. I haven't updated my blog in so long I thought I would drop a personal line to wish everyone a happy holiday, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

If you haven't already sign-up for my newsletter on my website http://www.filoiannwiedenhoff.com/ and say hello. I am sending a special Christmas newsletter coming out this week. Until next time! God Bless and stay safe this holiday seson.

Blessings, Filoiann Wiedenhoff

Moving Forward From Loss - Jonathan Masoli

Dedicated to Jonathan Masoli

I just got back from San Francisco for a one year memorial of my cousins Jonathan's death. Just to recall last year, it was one of the hardest funerals I have ever attended aside from my parents. My cousin was a young and vibrant 30 year old man who loved life and died only a week and half following his wedding day.

He died on his honeymoon in beautiful Jamaicha. Although it wasn't so beautiful after it happened. There was much red tape to bring him back to the states and surviving were his parents, new bride and only sister. Our family was devastated by the loss and needless to say it has been a very tough year.

Approaching his one year memorial service I wasn't sure what to expect but couldn't believe it has already been a year since he passed.

It never seems to amaze me how God's faithfulness never seems to change. My dear cousin Jill, Jonathan's sister calls me and shares with me how hard this year has been and then shared with me some powerful words that blessed my heart. She told me that this year has been very hard but coming up to His one year anniversary she felt that God was healing her of the pain and loss but more importantly she shared how she believed that her brother would want her to live for Him rather than die.

At the memorial service she shared the passage of Ecclesiastes chapter 3 that talks about a time for every season and how her season of mourning was very tough but she also believed in this new year would be a season of healing and next a season of joy.

Both my uncle Eddie and cousin Jill shared at the memorial service how we have all had a season of grief but joy comes in the morning, that there will be a season of joy once again and that Jonathan would not want us to continue in grief but to live not just for him but for God. God has a plan for each of our lives and that plan is to live life abundantly the best we can be according to His will.

It was a wonderful and encouraging message and although we will always miss Jonathan his spirit will continue to live in our hearts and our minds and we will be able to hold on to the memories that we shared with him forever in our hearts.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
9 What does the worker gain from his toil?

10 I have seen the burden God has laid on men.

11 He has made everything beautiful in its time.

Jonathan We Love You and We Will See You Again!

Are You Feeding Yourself?

I wanted to share a piece of an article I read this morning. My heart was broken by it and saddened.

Here is a shocking confession by one of the largest well known churches, Willow Creek Community Church. Please read this and be motivated and challenged to know the Word and know God through His Word today and I encourage you to seek out a mentor and discipler to teach you and guide you in understanding His Word.

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Shocking Confession by Willow Creek Community Church
A Piece from article written by Bob Burney

Willow Creek has released the results of a multi-year study on the effectiveness of their programs and philosophy of ministry. The study’s findings are in a new book titled Reveal: Where Are You?, co-authored by Cally Parkinson and Greg Hawkins, executive pastor of Willow Creek Community Church. Hybels himself called the findings “earth shaking,” “ground breaking” and “mind blowing.” And no wonder: it seems that the “experts” were wrong.
The report reveals that most of what they have been doing for these many years and what they have taught millions of others to do is not producing solid disciples of Jesus Christ. Numbers yes, but not disciples. It gets worse. Hybels laments:

Bill Hybels Own Words
Some of the stuff that we have put millions of dollars into thinking it would really help our people grow and develop spiritually, when the data actually came back it wasn’t helping people that much. Other things that we didn’t put that much money into and didn’t put much staff against is stuff our people are crying out for.

If you simply want a crowd, the “seeker sensitive” model produces results. If you want solid, sincere, mature followers of Christ, it’s a bust. In a shocking confession, Hybels states:
Bill Hybels Own Words

We made a mistake. What we should have done when people crossed the line of faith and become Christians, we should have started telling people and teaching people that they have to take responsibility to become ‘self feeders.’ We should have gotten people, taught people, how to read their bible between services, how to do the spiritual practices much more aggressively on their own.

Incredibly, the guru of church growth now tells us that people need to be reading their bibles and taking responsibility for their spiritual growth.

You can view the full article Here!

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There’s an old saying:
Feed a man a fish and feed him for a day but teach a man how to fish and feed him for a lifetime!

___________________________________________________

I pray that this article has motivated you to have a passion for God's Word. To spend time daily, feeding yourself and allowing God to speak to you. Don't be deceived but be Bereans who studied and tested everything they heard to the Word of God. Knowing God's Word is knowing God. God is the Word so please go to the source; no imitation will do.

Blessings, Filoiann Wiedenhoff

Pray For San Diego - What To Take If Evacuated?

Today our children stayed home from school because of the air quality from the fires. We have some fires up north of us and one fires down south. Right now we are in no danger but praying.

We are located in San Diego, CA. We don't have fires that often but when we do, they can be vicious and last for days. There are currently over 6,000 people that have been evacuated. At Qualcomm Stadium we have over 4,500 people staying in that one location alone out of 19 total temporary shelters that have been put up all around San Diego County.

San Diego and the Red Cross have done an amazing job organizing the shelters and support for the evacuees and we're happy that many neighbors are coming out and donating a lot of food and supplies. My husband is also a Red Cross Chaplain and is waiting for his orders to be sent out to the sites.

Please pray for everyone involved. We are praying for those people who were evacuated from their homes, those who lost their homes and also those who lost their animals. Pray for the Fire Fighters and staff members that are in real need of sleep and rest and those that are in the hospital for burns. May the Lord bring comfort, healing and protection upon them all.

One question I had to ask myself having to consider being evacuated myself is what would I take with me if evacuated today. It is a simple question but takes some real thought not a lot of thought but real thought meaning no fluff just what really matters most.

It caused me to think about how in a situation like this, "things or stuff" really don't matter. Here's what I thought to take:

1. Important Identification papers
2. Insurance papers
3. Bibles
4. Pictures and Photo Albums
5. Necessary Clothing to last a few days.
6. Special or sentimental items.
7. Blankets and Pillows
8. Personal Hygiene Products
9. Air Mattresses or Cots
10. Tents if you have them
11. Bottled Water
12. Flash Lights and Batteries
13. Warm Jackets, Hats and Gloves

I put this list together today but thought I would share it with you to give you an idea of what I thought of. It made me think that it's better to be prepared and know exactly what you will need than to try to figure it out on the cuff.

One idea to go even further is to write down a list of detailed items just for evacuation purposes. It's always better to be prepared because if or when that day comes it's easy for our thoughts to be scattered and our sound judgment to be clouded by fear and with well prepared lists it alleviates us having to think too much and can focus on the main important part which is to get your family to safety.

Take a moment to think if you were evacuated tomorrow what you would need to take and keep in mind that you may need to go for a few days.

Personal Blog

Hello,

I decided that in between my devotionals and counseling helps I will write a personal blog about me and what's the latest. Right now I am focusing on family, supporting my husband with our church and writing. My goal is to finish and publish my lay counseling handbook which is almost finished but I need to edit and polish it and perhaps make more revisions. I've been working on it for almost three years; something I would work on every time I had the chance. Our family and ministry keep us pretty active and I'm thrilled to see our church plant is growing.

What's in the Mind of a Pastor's Wife

Before I became a pastor's wife I used to wonder what went on in the minds of Pastor's wives. I knew that I could never truly understand but wanted the inside scoop of how they felt. So incase you might be wondering, you may not care, but I will share with you a little of what goes on in my mind:

• I have a strong faith in God's faithfulness because he is faithful inspite of me not because of me.
• I have a strong purpose to hold up my husband's arms and be his support especially when no one is looking
• I feel a strong call to my family remembering that my first and foremost ministry is my husband and children.
• I feel a strong obligation to God to be blameless that no man or woman would stumble because of me.
• I feel a strong call to rightly divide the Word of God that I would not be ashamed or shame my Jesus.
• I feel a strong sense of community, that within our church and outside people matter to God and people matter to us.
• I have a strong focus that in the midst of pressures and other peoples expectations that I have to be myself and focus on Christ and be pleasing to Him.
• I have a strong call to minister to the orphan, the widow, the poor and the needy because the bible says that this is true religion.
• I have a strong sense of belonging, that I am not just a pastor's wife but a daughter of the Most High God, who has a Heavenly Father that loves me unconditionally and has forgiven me and gave me a new life as a new creation.
• I have a strong obligation to share that good news with the world that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that who should ever believe in him (Jesus) would not perish but have ever lasting life.

These are just some things that I have learned, processed and felt compelled to do and live as a woman married to a pastor and as a child of God.

The most important lesson I have learned as a pastor's wife is that I'm not perfect and that I can't do it on my own I need Jesus. The bible says that apart from Him we can do nothing. In the midst of my imperfections He is perfect and so I look to Him for my strength, protection and my perfection.

I hope this gives you a better idea of what goes on in the mind of pastor's wives and if you attend a church I want to encourage you to hold up your pastors and their wives arms because they need your support and they pray for you daily.