A Virtuous Challenge!

To all the beautiful, strong, elegant and full of purpose women out there, how about if we start the year with that woman who challenges us in every way...the infamous Proverbs 31 woman! She seems to have it all together, perfect in every way. Her husband adores her, children sing her praises, dinner's always on the table, feeds the poor, shops wisely...you know she can bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan and never let her hubby forget he's a man. Because she's a W-O-M-A-N! Some of you may cringe every time you hear the perfect woman mentioned and some of you stand and shake your fist defiantly at her challenge. Rest easy girls; she's not our enemy! She is our friend! So who is this Proverbs 31 woman really anyway?

Let's start by looking at the the question posed at the beginning of the passage:

Who can find a virtuous woman?

It appears to be a simple enough question but it brings a few more questions to my mind. For instance, who is the who looking for a virtuous woman? Where are they looking? Does she know she's being sought after? Does her knowing or not knowing change her character or behavior? Where is she? Is she really that difficult to find? It doesn't seem as if she is playing some silly girl game of hard to get but rather that she is rare and therefore it takes a bit of searching to find this virtuous kind of woman.

The question also causes me to reflect on the fact that it is a virtuous woman who is being sought. Think about it for a moment. It doesn't say that just any woman is hard to find but specifically distinguishes her as virtuous. Being female alone is not the qualifying factor here. Being virtuous is! The word virtuous is more than a simple word adding flare or description to the sentence. The adjective adds so much more to the meaning of the question. Virtuous gives this woman definition, direction and purpose.

Virtuous not only means moral excellence or righteousness, it also is defined as potent, strong and efficacious. Which means that a virtuous woman lives a morally sound life based in the righteousness of God. Living out the righteousness of God demands that we know and walk in His Word. A virtuous woman knows that she must discipline herself to allow the Word of God to renew her mind. As she does this it becomes a powerful tool in her hand enabling her to be effective in whatever she sets her hand to. In other words she has the ability to get the job done. It removes fear and replaces it with faith. She becomes a real force to be reckoned with.

Defining a virtuous woman also gives direction for her journey. Choosing to walk in righteousness clarifies her pathway. There are simply positions and places she cannot go. Why? Because they are outside the commands, and yes, sometimes demands, of righteousness. Walking the way of the Word is not always easy. It takes discipline, courage and perseverance to do the right thing. It takes these not just to do the right thing but to BE and REMAIN in virtue.

There are so many distractions pulling on our hearts and minds in today's culture. It can be uncomfortable from time to time staying on the right path. But sometimes we have to take off our cute stilettos put on our scruffy hiking boots and climb over the obstacles of our flesh. It's not always easy and we might not like it but staying focused and allowing the power of the Word to work for us is what keeps us moving forward effecting change on our world around us.

When the virtuous woman knows who she is, what she believes and where she is going suddenly purpose shows up. That thing for which she was created becomes apparent. We spend a great deal of time these days talking about purpose and destiny. And we should. After all God has created us with purpose and we have a responsibility to discover and live that purpose out. The dilemma in my opinion is that we have it turned around. We think we must fully understand the specifics of the unique intentions of God for our life before we begin to be and do. The Word of God teaches us that it is only IN Christ that we begin to realize purpose. It's in our becoming Christlike in character and putting our hands to Kingdom work that purpose gradually is uncovered. The one thing in common you will hear from women who are walking in purpose is that it didn't all just show up overnight. It started as a small passion that emerged as they set about to bring good by doing justly, loving mercy and walking humbly with their God. Purpose has a way of rising to the surface as we walk.

In a practical light as we set about to do good we will actually find there are things we are really good at and things we are not so good at. Even in discovering these gifts, skills, likes and dislikes we are uncovering purpose. God equips us, gives us grace and passion for those purposes He has intended for us. If you volunteer in a children's ministry and find you are not particularly passionate or equipped for it well, you have done some good in the lives of the children for the time you were there and also moved a step closer to fully realizing your unique purpose.

So, back to all those questions I started with. Where do we find this sought after virtuous woman? We find her serving, loving and living right in the middle of God's house and will. Does her character or behavior fluctuate because she knows she's being sought? It better not! Her virtuous life must be an overflow of her personal relationship with God and not because of what (or who) she is trying to attract. Who is searching for her? The rest of the passage goes on to talk a lot about the virtuous woman in the role of a wife and mother. One of the most noble roles a woman can take on is that of a wife and mother. But can I be so bold as to say that not only are Godly men [Sidenote here: who by the way are the only kind of men looking for truly virtuous women therefore don't throw your virtue on the streets to be trampled on girls...keep it in the house because that's where they should be too! Let it serve Kingdom purposes!] looking for virtuous women so is the hurting world around you. I never ceased to be amazed at the power one focused, anointed, virtuous woman has to bring lasting change and heal injustice and pain around her. And I am completely in AWE of that same power unleashed through the collective lives of a company of God's virtuous daughters.

Let me end my thoughts with this question to all God's daughters...do you know you are being sought for? Are you aware that the world around you is waiting for you to rise and live out your God purposed virtuous life? You have been filled with the power of heaven. Determine today to walk a virtuous life. Determine to be the kind of woman the world is looking for, waiting for...let's rise up and get the job done!

Until next time...

Living & Loving!

Kathi

Hi everyone! Ever had one of those moments where the goodness and faithfulness of God in your life just overwhelms you? We recently returned from a wonderful week in Mexico City with our annual Cornerstone Mexico Network Conference. It is always great to hear and see all that God has done throughout the year and is doing throughout the country of Mexico. On this trip in particular I was so moved by all that God has done, how the network has grown and is gaining influence and momentum throughout Mexico. My heart was so stirred at God's faithfulness! Seven years ago God connected the hearts of Pastor Ofir Pena and his beautiful wife Tere` with the vision of Cornerstone Toledo and my husband Bishop Michael Pitts. Five years ago with a small number of churches and a few hundred people the vision expanded to Mexico and with Pastor Ofir leading the way the first Cornerstone Mexico Network Conference was held. What a joy this year to see over 40 Cornerstone Mexico churches representing 13 different states in Mexico and to see a crowd of 4000+ gather. Each church is growing and working to reach out into their community and make a difference. We are proud of each of them. On Friday afternoon we had the opportunity to meet with the pastors at a Network luncheon planned just for them. You could feel the excitement in the air as the pastors were encouraged and challenged by both my husband and Ps. Ofir. There is nothing more encouraging and empowering than VISION. Proverbs reminds us that without VISION we wander aimlessly but Habakkuk tells us with it we RUN. I so loved watching the pastors' hearts be stirred to keep running as they listened to this year's dreams and challenges.


This year we prayed for and declared over the younger generations to rise, find their Kingdom voice and begin to speak - our sons and daughters are rising and they are prophesying! On night two we prayed for and declared strength and strategy to our pastors and on night three we saw miracles. Broken bones were healed, ears opened and we believe many were set free from bondage of every kind. We prayed for women who were experiencing problems with fertility - I can't wait to hear about and meet all the new miracle babies next year!

I began by telling you I was nearly overwhelmed. I stood with tears in my eyes as I watched hundreds of men and women 30 and under dance, praise, shout and cry out to God to save and deliver their nation. I stood filled with love and awe at the 40+ pastors who everyday fight the good fight of faith to overcome challenges like violence, poverty and a government that is not always favorable toward them. They fight because they believe, because they love. I stood energized as the power of God moved through the auditorium healing and delivering.

I also stood humbled that God would allow me to be apart of it all - nearly speechless to see that those dreams that were in my heart even as a child were actually happening right in front of my eyes. It's a real story of God's faithfulness! I thank God for every man and woman of God, including my parents, who sowed the Word of God, demonstrated the power of God, taught me to recognize the presence of God and let me dream of impossibilities because they knew we served a possibilities God.

From the journey of building Cornerstone Toledo to all that God is doing through all of our network churches both here in the USA and internationally I am continually amazed. The future looks even better. We are still dreaming, still SEEING! Be encouraged today - know that the dream in your heart was His dream first. He gave it to you and will be faithful to complete what He started. Listen carefully, put your faith out front and keep moving forward. Just watch those steps get steadier and that path get brighter!

Living & Loving,

Kathi

Do The Thing You Cannot Do!

"You gain strength, experience and confidence by every
experience where you really stop to look fear in the face.
You must do the thing you cannot do."
Eleanor Roosevelt

We were not created to live in fear; we were created to overcome it! What an empowering principle...God created us with the capacity to face our fears and overcome them. We all have them...no secret there. And our fears are as unique as we are. What one person fears another doesn't give a second thought to. Our fears can be real or perceived, tangible or intangible. They can be fears that are a result of past experiences or that have been imposed on us by others. What we fear or how we arrived at them is not really that important. The point is are we working to overcome them or are we allowing our fears to stop us, to immobilize us? Fear, in both great and small in form, has the inherent ability to make us believe that we CAN NOT. Nothing could be further from the truth. We were created to overcome!

God can do anything, you know—
far more than you could ever imagine or
guess or request in your wildest dreams!
He does it not by pushing us around but
by working within us, his Spirit
deeply and gently within us.
Ephesian 3:20 (MSG)

I think we often find it easy to believe that God CAN. What is more difficult for us is our ability to believe that we CAN. Especially with those fears that are intangible in nature. Ephesians 3:20 tells us that God can do anything but how amazing to read that the way He does the anything, above our wildest dreams is by working within us. So ultimately if we believe that God CAN then we must also believe that we CAN. Here's why...because it's not just us working anyway. It is His Spirit at work within us. The more we learn to place our complete trust in God the more we open ourselves to the working of the Holy Spirit in us and through us.

Our fears are overcome when we choose to stand, confront them and allow the Spirit of God to work within us. Romans 8:14-16 tells us that only when we forget that we are sons and daughters of God does the bondage of fear have the ability to hold onto us again. We become slaves to fear, slaves to the CAN NOTS of our lives. When we actively seek to live a Spirit led life the Spirit of God connects with and infuses our own spirit to reassure us that we are not walking this life alone but we have all of heaven working in our behalf. We are empowered to overcome every fear that would attempt to stop us from walking out the plans of God for our life. Psalm 23:4 reminds us that even when we are walking through places where fear lives - dark valleys - that God is with us.

Be encouraged today! There is no fear, no obstacle or roadblock that can stop you. With each conquered fear our faith is also increased, your journey grows stronger and you realize the depth of God's love for you in greater degrees.

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear;
but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
II Timothy 1:7

God has given you all that you need to overcome so until next time...live fearlessly! You were created for it!

Kathi

I Love the Church!

Well, we are several weeks into 2010. I don't know about you but I am sensing such an excitement in the air for what God has in store for us. I believe with my whole heart that it is going to be a great year for the Kingdom of God. That more than ever we are going to find our strength and courage in Him to rise and build His Kingdom like never before. I believe in the local church. Local groups of people gathering together to worship, serve and love. I love watching people from such diverse backgrounds - each reaching out in their own unique way to serve, to love, to worship all the while demonstrating the power unity.

All these gifts have a common origin, but are handed out one by one by the one Spirit of God. He decides who gets what, and when. ^12-13You can easily enough see how this kind of thing works by looking no further than your own body. Your body has many parts—limbs, organs, cells—but no matter how many parts you can name, you're still one body.
I Corinthians 12:11-13 (MSG)

Nothing excites me more than to see one of my sisters step forward and use her gifts to touch and change her world and the lives of others. She does her part, I do mine, others do theirs and before you know it the sum of the parts has brought lasting change and impact to a life, a family, a school, a neighborhood and even a city. What a beautiful picture of the church...each person, each local congregation doing and being who God has purposed them to be. Think about how significant that makes each of our roles. The same way each part is important to the human body each gift and call on our lives is important for the Church to function fully whole.

I pray as you move through this new year that your passion to serve, to love and to live out your gift will be stirred anew in you. Let the whole Church arise!


A special invitation...

Our ImpactWoman Conference is just a couple weeks away - come be refreshed by moments with God, inspired to dream again and enjoy fun & giggles with God's beautiful girls! All the lovely details can be found at

www.impactwoman.us

Hey there! Been a while since I've updated - something exciting I want to let you know about.

In October I introduced our Her Hands project, The A21 Campaign, to the church. We are so excited to be partnering with them by raising funds to help provide restoration to women who are rescued from human trafficking and the sex trade.

My heart is stirred when I hear that God's beautiful women, created in His likeness and with His purpose, are being devalued and held captive. Even if one woman is not free to know and worship Him it is NOT okay.

The A21 Campaign is based in Greece a hub for human trafficking in Europe and the Baltic region. They have gained favor with local police departments and government agencies and offices and are often among the first to be called when women have been rescued through sting operations. A21 takes these beautiful but hurting women and helps put them on a road to recovery and restoration. They give them medical treatment, legal counsel, psychological services, provide them with a safe place to live, clothe and feed them. Most of these women have had no contact with their families or the real world for large lengths of time. Their families may even think they are dead. A21 sets about helping them to establish legal identity again and make contact with their families.

The hearts of the amazing women of Cornerstone have been stirred as well. They are looking at what God has placed in their hands - what do they have or what can they do to raise extra cash to sow into The A21 Campaign. They are hosting parties, organizing Stiletto Walks, bake sales, cleaning houses for the holidays, running marathons and much more. I am so proud and thrilled to see them rise to the occasion. Each one of us does what we can do and when we put it all together it becomes a very BIG REACH that will help to set women free.

Here's something exciting...the strong men of the house are joining our efforts too. Love that!!

As we enter into the Christmas season let's remember the reason we celebrate. God the Father sent Jesus His son as a gift to us. A gift that would make way for our complete freedom. Freedom to worship, freedom to know Him personally, freedom to enjoy all that the Kingdom of God has to offer. We have an opportunity to provide a safe place of natural freedom for one of God's most beautiful creations...His girls! In opening that door of freedom to them we also open the door of opportunity for them to experience the ultimate freedom only found in Christ.

Hey girls...maybe Christmas dinner ought to be provided for a small fee this year...all proceeds going to The A21 Campaign of course. Smile!!

For more information on how you can be apart of our BIG REACH visit our website. www.impactwoman.us

Our hands together really can change the world!

Merry Christmas to all of you!!

Living & loving,
Sis. Kathi

Enjoy the Journey!

This past week we experienced a momentous time at our annual Heaven on Earth conference at Cornerstone Church. It was a beyond words amazing time. One of those special God moments! We were so blessed to have our friends Bishop Eddie Long, Pastor Paula White, Pastor Sheryl Brady, Dr. Sam Chand and Bishop David Huskins with us - each brought a word that challenged & empowered us. On Thursday we were so proud and excited to have our own Bishop in the house...Bishop TD Jakes. All I can say is WOW! On Friday night my very handsome husband was consecrated as a Bishop with the International Communion of Charismatic Churches. Again, a great moment not only for him but for our entire church.

The entire week has had me thinking about the journey we each have with God when we pursue His call and purpose. I've quit trying to figure it out and have learned to just enjoy the process and the exciting ride. The ups and downs, twists and turns...sometimes God initiated or allowed and sometimes self created...in all of it I can honestly say I have learned to be content and grateful. No matter what the current path looks like I am persuaded more than ever that I am able because He has enabled me.

I love to look back over the past years and events of my life and see God's hand in it all. Often when we take a moment to reflect we see His hand in even what seems the most insignificant moments. How cool is it to see how all the things of our past are worked together, connected and empowered to work for our now and our future. For me it brings such clarity to what lays ahead. Not clarity in the sense that I know all that the future holds but in the sense that whatever the future holds I know it will all serve to prosper, grow faith and increase my measure.

Ps. 40 gives a beautiful picture of how our walk with God works.

¹ I waited patiently for the LORD;

he turned to me and heard my cry.

² He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

out of the mud and mire;

he set my feet on a rock

and gave me a firm place to stand.

³ He put a new song in my mouth,

a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear

and put their trust in the LORD.

Wait patiently - He will hear - He will lift you up - He will establish your feet on a firm place - He will put a new song, something brand new in your mouth and you will praise Him like you haven't been able to before. It's this process that causes us to grow in God, to increase and prosper in areas we were not able to before. Please understand that the pits we find ourselves in are simply places where we are stuck and lack understanding. Places where we need help. Some are deeper and thicker than others but all of them give us opportunities to increase and find a new revelation of who He is to us and praise him for it.

Learn to love the journey that you are on with God. Like Paul learn to rejoice in whatever place you currently find yourself in. Wait. Listen. Learn. Grow.

Until next time...

Living & Loving,

Kathi

A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.
Proverbs 25:11

This has always been one of my favorite scriptures. It says so much about the power of our words to bring life or death to a situation. As I sat here this beautiful Saturday afternoon I read it again and thought I would share a few brief thoughts that came to mind...hope it encourages, empowers or inspires you a bit.

When we speak we must speak words that are first and foremost suitable and timely for the moment. It is in remembering this that our words become valuable, desirable and accessible to us and or others we are speaking to.

When something has value it becomes an added asset to our lives. Assets are those things that we now can use as a resource for our lives and they can often give us an advantage. Michael Jordan was definitely an asset to the Chicago Bulls all those years he played for them. He was a resource that gave them a definite advantage especially in the crucial moments of the game. He always seemed to be able to make the tough shot or block. The timely truth that comes into our lives can become our own Michael Jordon.

When something is valuable it also is desirable. No one cares if you throw away a paper plate; it has no real value to it. There is no real loss if it goes missing from our lives. Paper plates are easily replaced. Now if you add the authentic signature of a major sports star to that same paper plate...the story changes. We have instantly added not only value to it but we have made it desirable. Our son had the opportunity to meet Deion Sanders a few years back. Stephen already had a rookie year football card of Deion which has some small value to it. During one of their times together Deion signed the rookie card. Guess what...the value of that rookie card just increased but more than that so did it's desirability. Now all the local sports colletors were interested. Value always adds desirability.

Remember that words are like vehicles. They carry something into the life of the hearer. The hearer then has the ability to reject or receive what the words have brought. If I have spoken timely suitable words they are valuable and therefore now desirable which means the hearer should want to receive and not reject the truth, wisdom or encouragement spoken. Once it is received it is now acessible and can easily be used or applied into a life.

Always be aware of your words. Our ability to communicate is a wonderful God-given gift. The root of the word communication is commune. When we communicate we are in essence communing with each other and the hope and purpose of communion is to bring us together, to strengthen us, to bring us into a common union. When we speak suitable, timely communication that is what will result.

Big hugs & remember you are awesome in every way!

Sis. Kathi xoxo