DON'T MISS FALL BREAKAWAY!

Fall Breakaway
with Judy Jacobs

"Don't Miss Your Moment"
October 2-4, 2008
The Florida Hotel and Conference Center at the Mall in Orlando


Click HERE for Registration Form

WHAT IS A STAYCATION?

My husband Keith and I were suppose to go on vacation last week, but it wasn't meant to be. A friend of ours offered a cottage in the mountains of North Carolina, but with the prices of gas, food and hotels we just couldn't go. I was disappointed to say the least. The day we were to leave my husband ended up in the Emergency room with what they thought initially a "heart attack". Like my earlier blog, thank God he did not have one. He did have a three day stay in the hospital though.

A precious lady in our congregation passed away later in the week, so we were needed for funeral arrangements and my husband officiated the service.

Recently, I've heard of the term "staycation" I asked Keith what this meant--so I looked it up today and have included a paragraph about this newest trend in our country.

Keith & I have been so blessed to go away at times and I'm not complaining or having a pity party. It wasn't meant to be.

Working in ministry can be very stressful, especially after going through a building program such as we have just come through.

Hopefully, we can get away but if not we can always take a "staycation". Read the article below.


By Jennifer C. Yates
Associated Press Writer
updated 1:30 p.m. ET, Wed., March. 12, 2008

UPPER ST. CLAIR, Pa. - Like a suburban stalker, I have watched from my front window as various neighbors packed body boards in their SUVs and headed to the Jersey shore, set off for a week at a North Carolina mountain resort, and jetsetted to Las Vegas.
I admit it. I suffered from vacation envy.

But after spending a relaxing two-week vacation at home with my family — with no packing, no airport delays, and no backseat chants of "Are we there yet?" — I was refreshed. It was just the vacation I needed. I recommend it to anyone who sighs with that sad Sunday night feeling each weekend when it's clear daily living requires more time and energy than a typical week can offer.

ARE YOU DRESSED?

Hi Ladies!

You never know what may come your way. That's why it's so important to read God's word and put on your armor. Lately, the Lord has dwelt with me on this. We literally need to put on his armor everyday.

Every morning I put on the helmet of salvation, the breast-plate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the shoes for the preparation of the gospel. I carry the shield of faith and lastly I carry the sword of the spirit (which is the word of God). It's important to speak this out loud so the enemy can hear this! Don't get caught without your armor on!

My husband Keith who is a pastor went to the hospital on Tuesday to visit someone in the ER from our church and ended up in the ER and hospital himself. He was experiencing chest pain and pain in his arm. His blood pressure was extremely high and this is with blood pressure medication!

Praise God he did not have a heart attack! He'll be fine with the Lord's help! I encourage you to put on God's armor daily and cover your spouses and family with the blood of Jesus. We need to be prepared for what the day brings each of us!

Women's Ministries Pioneer has graduated!

Marsha Woolley, our Women's Ministries Director for Pen-Florida sent this email yesterday morning regarding Sister Johnson. Thought you should know. Please keep her family in prayer during this time.

Blessings to you,
LaDonna Jones
Section 13 Rep.

Dear Reps:

This morning our dear Sister Johnson graduated to Heaven. To many of you, she was a dear friend, and to others she was an icon whose name was always spoken with respect and sincere admiration. She has completed the journey that we are all on, and hopefully, it will be said that we fought the fight with the same enthusiasm and grace that this mighty woman of God exhibited. She is an example to all of us, especially to those of us in leadership. It was under her guidance that Women’s Ministries in PenFlorida rose to new levels of service, especially in meeting the needs of our missionaries around the world. I don’t believe that anyone had a greater heart for missions than Sis. Johnson. Her kindness and devotion will always be a part of Women’s Ministries in this District. She leaves behind a great legacy. So, our loss is truly Heaven’s gain!

Please feel free to join with family and friends across this District and across the nation in honoring the memory of this special lady. The visitation and funeral will be at Victory Church in Lakeland on Saturday, May 31, 2008. Viewing is from 9 – 11 am, with the funeral directly following.
Please check the District website for any further details.

Marsha Woolley
Women's Ministries Director
Peninsular Florida District Council of the Assemblies of God

A Madhatter's Tea

This past Saturday I was invited to attend a Tea at my friend Paula's church, Harvest Chapel Christian Fellowship in Bradenton. She told me that the girls ministry, the Missionettes were hosting this event. I brought guests Jennifer our Youth Pastor's wife and daughter from our church.

We really didn't know what to expect. We walked in and everything was decorated whimsical, somewhat like a fairy tale setting. Each table was loaded with all kinds of goodies from finger sandwiches to desserts. They had PB & J sandwiches, pickles, chicken salad, cute little pretzels dipped in chocolate with sprinkles, brownies and more.

The Missionettes wore these adorable pink hats that they made and decorated themselves. Oops! I forgot to mention, first thing they gave us were colored paper clips and we were instructed that there were three words we weren't allowed to say the whole afternoon. They were "tea", "hat," and "party." It didn't take long and I ended up losing my paper clips which was great because I could say tea as many times as I wanted!

We were all settled eating and all of a sudden someone blew a fog-horn and instructed us to gather our things plates, tea and move to another table. Every fifteen minutes we had to get up and play musical chairs, one good thing that came of this was I met new friends that I wouldn't have met before. We moved a total of five times!

They also gave "unbirthday" gifts! This was a nice surprise until I had to give it to the person beside me, but then I received another gift afterwards that was just as nice! Cute game!

My girls informed me that this party is based on the Alice in Wonderland book. Somehow in my childhood I missed this story and the movie! Oh well! We enjoyed ourselves this past Saturday!

The afternoon ended with a sweet presentation from Celeste, the Children's Pastor from Harvest Chapel Christian. She presented an interesting message illustrating with shoes. From Cinderella's slipper, giant clown shoes, combat boots and the sandal representing Jesus. There were many children there and she kept their attention.

She told the story about Mary that washed the feet of Jesus with the Alabaster box filled with perfume. At the conclusion, she washed her mother's feet and encouraged others to do the same.

It was a fun and interesting afternoon. A different kind of "Tea Party!"

Circle of Friends Tea

Today our church hosted a tea called "Circle of Friends." Our ladies hosted tables and decorated them each so beautifully with their own china and personal taste. Each table was different but they all were so lovely!

Special music was by Tracy, a young woman in our church that sang an appropriate song, "Circle of Friends" by Point of Grace.

We were honored to have our long time friend, Tammy Young from Church of Hope in Sarasota, come and minister to us. It was a busy week for Tammy being at District Council. We really appreciated her coming today.

She surprised all of us coming in from the back of the auditorium in costume as Elizabeth from the story of Elizabeth becoming pregnant with John the Baptist.

She ministered in drama and made quick wardrobe changes as she went into different characters from Elizabeth to Mary and then Hannah. She brought perspective to each character as they were all at different stages in their lives but trusted that the Lord would be with them in their journeys.

Elizabeth and Mary were cousins but close friends too! She shared how valuable friendship is and that we need friends that share in the good times and bad. How important it is that they stand up for you and not gossip about you, that they will protect your back!

Tammy shared how we need friends that will encourage, support, be there for us, and pray for us!

I'd like to introduce a friend in my Circle of Friends, Rev. Deanna Shrodes from Tampa Northside Assembly. Many of you have heard her speak before. I'm including her as a link on this blog. She always has something interesting to share.

I am so thankful for the friends that God has placed in my life at this time. May we always show love, kindness and cover each other's back!

District Council Week 2008

This week my husband and I went to Orlando for Penn FL District Council, an event that we go to every year for ministers and lay leaders. We enjoyed the service on Monday evening as Bro. Terry Raburn, our District Superintendent, brought forth the Word. Highlights of the evening were the Southeastern University Singers. They rocked the place with an awesome rendition of Psalm 23.

Today, Tuesday, we went to the Women's Ministries Luncheon. The food and fellowship was great. I always enjoy meeting up with other pastor's wife friends and other women's ministries leaders from all over Florida. It gives us a chance to catch up. I just love that! Also, making new friends is great! Marsha Woolley was our speaker who happens to be our District Women's Ministries Director as well. The girl can preach! My husband who attended the luncheon and (the only man) sitting at our table wants to book her for special services soon! I don't believe he had ever heard her speak until today.

It was nice to sit and visit with my friend Sandy Phinazee, host of Inspire 2008 this year. She has recently written a devotional book that has ministered to me personally and I know many other women. She encouraged me! What a blessing she was to me today.

Marsha brought a powerful word! She spoke vision for the women of Peninsular Florida! God wants us to move forward and not become fearful. Peter wasn't afraid of walking out to Jesus on the water until he heard those calling out to him from the boat. We have a choice we can continue to sit in the boat when the storms come, or we can get out and walk by faith. After all we're gonna get wet either way! We need to look to Jesus and trust Him. Don't listen to the naysayers. The others in the boat probably thought Peter was nuts for getting out of a perfectly good boat to walk on the water. When he took his eyes off of Jesus that's when he began to sink, but Jesus was there to lift him up again. The future looks promising and we are moving forward towards the prize keeping our eyes on "Him" the author and finisher of our faith.

I want to encourage you ladies to sign up for the Fall Breakaway in October at the Florida Mall Hotel with guest speaker Judy Jacobs. You don't want to miss it! Check out the Pen Florida link for more details. There are discounted prices if you register early!

Happy day! Hope everyone else who went to District Council had a blessed time as well!

Time of Dedication

Yesterday was Dedication Sunday for our new sanctuary and offices. We celebrated a beautiful Sunday service with guest speaker District Superintendent, Bro. Terry & Athena Raburn. I love to hear Bro. Terry share. He is truly a gifted and humorous communicator.

We were honored to have our very own North Port City Commissioners come out to support us on our special day. They all sat front and center in specially reserved seating. I have to say during our praise & worship I felt a bit intimidated because they were in my view from where I sit on stage and play piano but Bro. Terry broke the ice with a joke and seemed to make our guest feel comfortable. And of course we recognized them and thanked them for coming to our building dedication.

Bro. Terry shared that the Assemblies of God is a Pentecostal denomination. I'm not sure if our Commissioners have ever attended a Pentecostal church service before. After the service was over I greeted our special guests. One told me he enjoyed the service and will come back and check us out again. I believe the Holy Spirit ministered to him as his eyes looked a bit watery. He said he was from a Presbyterian background.

The presence of the Lord was real inspite of my intimidations or reservations. He showed up and ministered to our guests.

My husband shared with the Commissioners how we as a church congregation prayed for them and realized that their jobs were not easy. I believe that statement touched them. Our dedication service was special and something to be remembered.

God Bless You!

Dear Ladies:

My Pastor's wife friend, Kristy Dykes who serves with her husband Milton in Jacksonville, Florida was diagnosed with brain cancer in November of last year.

Her blog is a link to this blog for Section 13. Their entry for today, Wednesday, April 16th is titled, "God Bless You" it is so precious! It shows video of Kristy and her husband sharing with us.

Their love for the Lord and each other is evident. I want to encourage you read it daily and pray for them. They are believing for God to intervene in her behalf.

They will encourage you in as they walk with the Lord in the good times as well in the bad.

Be Blessed!

LaDonna

Post-Times of Refreshing

It's hard to believe Times of Refreshing has come and gone so quickly! It seems we were just planning for this event and now it's over. Kellie Williams, our guest speaker, a cute little petite blond-haired woman with pizazz (and a little bling) not only spoke but the girl preached! Kellie spoke about "Living with Passion on Purpose." The thing that stuck out most to me about what she said was spurring one another to act. We are to urge and encourage one another in the Lord. Kellie said when she and her family moved back to Florida from Michigan her husband was finishing his education and neither were bringing in a paycheck. They had some money in savings to live off. In not having any income for a little while the money kept going out and not being replenished. They bought a fixer-upper home and were working in the yard one day when her husband said that their next project was to do yard work and paint the home of a family at church and they were going to pay for it too. Kellie said she about had a fit because they hardly had enough money themselves. But they did it anyway. God did provide for them but it was hard for her to do that. Later on she felt good about helping the family. The daughter has an illness and is in constant pain that doctors cannot do anything to relieve. It's kind of like the movie Pay It Forward. We are to spur one another to bless others and not only bless others but to be looking for opportunities to bless others.
Also, the story stuck out to me because the current economy is not that great. My daughters, after 4 MONTHS of graduating college are STILL looking for jobs--no, not just a job--ANY job. Boy could my girls and I relate to that story she shared. But we are still plugging along, trusting God, and blessing others in the ways we can (time, energy, and talents).

Overall, the day was great. I am very pleased with every detail of the conference. Thank you for coming!

Don't Miss Out on Your Blessing!!

Times of Refreshing is quickly approaching!

If you have not yet signed up I urge you to do so immediately!

We have been working and praying hard to present to all the women within Section 13 AG churches a one-day retreat where you can come and experience God and be renewed by the Holy Spirit. (Acts 3:19) Our guest speaker, Kellie Williams, comes to us from First Assembly Ministries in Fort Myers. She will be sharing with you about how she daily lives with passion on purpose. To get a sneak peak of what Kellie is all about check out her website here.

If you have NOT YET registered but DO want to COME, send me an email at LaDonna at GulfCoastAG dot Com. (Typed this way to deject spammers.)

Cost is $15 in advance (deadline extended to Monday, April 7) and $20 at the door. Please refer to the poster (above) for more information.

I hope to hear from all of you and see you all at

Times of Refreshing!

"So repent (change your mind and purpose); turn around and return [to God], that your sins may be erased (blotted out, wiped clean), that times of refreshing (of recovering from the effects of heat, of reviving with fresh air) may come from the presence of the Lord. . . "

Acts 3:19

SHOPPING FOR TIMES OF REFRESHING!

On Friday my friend Cindy and I went out for lunch, her treat at Panera's. This is one of my favorite spots to go for lunch. We don't have one in our town so if we go to the next town for shopping I enjoy going there for something different.

It was a beautiful spring day as we sat outside and enjoyed the breeze blowing and the sounds of birds chirping. We then realized our mission for the day and reluctantly got up from our leisurely lunch.

We headed toward the stores to shop for the gift bags we usually provide at Times of Refreshing. This is something that I've always enjoyed doing, sometimes I have help, but other times I just do it. It didn't take long and our buggy was full with everything needed.

We're working on all the details and want this to be special for you. The ladies at Abundant Life are excited about hosting this year. They've recently been able to get back into their building as it was destroyed by Hurricane Charley.

It willl be an awesome day! We need you there! Please check out the info from previous blogs to sign up! It's not too late!

The cost is $15.00. Make your check to: Gulf Coast Assembly of God, P.O. Box 8009, North Port, FL 34290. Attn: Times of Refreshing--include your name, address and phone number.

MOVING ON UP!

The theme song from the TV show "The Jefferson's" comes to mind, "Moving on Up!" Our church Gulf Coast Assembly of God has been in a building program for months now. Just this week we were able to move in. The staff and volunteers have been busy as bees getting everything in order for services on Sunday.

We built the new sanctuary on our existing property. This evening I walked over to the old sanctuary, which has become a multipurpose building now, it looked so bare and quite sad. Most everything had been taken over to furnish the new building.

Change is hard for me, but I know that we are fulfilling God's plan for our church and vision God has given our leadership.

I am excited as to what the future holds for us as a church body in our community. God has been good and we have been blessed.

We have to let go of the old so that God can bless us with more. I encourage you ladies to do just that. God wants to do a new thing in all of us. He has so much in store for us! All we have to do is make ourselves available and allow the Holy Spirit to have His way in our lives.

Don't forget to check out the info from previous post regarding "Times of Refreshing". You don't want to miss it!

My Time of Ministry

A group of 10 ladies and I attended the Inspire Conference 2008 at the Florida Mall Hotel in Orlando this past weekend. Everything--from the praise and worship to the speakers to the hotel rooms--was awesome! (Go Southeastern Singers!) The presence of the Holy Spirit was so real. Everyone who attended was touched and ministered to by God. It was good to see friends from other churches that I have had the privilege of meeting from along the way and pick up where we left off.

It seemed no one wanted to leave Friday night because the presence of the Holy Spirit was so strong we just wanted to stay and basque in His presence. It's nice to get away to these conferences because everyone is there for the same reason to receive more of God. They press in because they hunger and have a need for more of Him in their lives. I find that being in the ministry leaders tend to hide the fact that they have needs themselves and put it aside to tend to the needs of others first and foremost. This is in and of itself a good thing. It is sacrificial and ministering but we are human and we need to be ministered to also. This weekend I just let go completely. I cried my heart out and I received a spiritual refreshening in my life. Now that I am filled up and I go out there tomorrow on the platform and once again minister and give all that I have to enter the others into the presence of God. I encourage you to take advantage of seminars and conferences. They are life changing and can help you dig deeper into the things of God.

Inspire 08

I am gearing up and getting excited about next weekend! Inspire 08 is going to be at the Florida Mall Hotel. This conference is every lady's dream--we get to fellowship with other women, experience God, have some fun, and the best part . . . SHOP!
(This conference is at a mall/hotel. Man, if a male created this then God hath given him some wisdom and insight into the woman's mind.)

Inspire 08 is February 28-March 1 at the Florida Mall Hotel featuring Sandy Phinazee, Sheri Hawley, Missy Monokian (she is HILARIOUS), and Deanna Shrodes.

I am expecting BIG things of God. I hope to see all of you ladies there.

It is not too late to register! Visit their website for more info here.

Helpful Hints from LaDonna

Check out our new Pen Florida WM Director, Marsha Woolley. (to the left)

To learn more about her you can visit the Pen FL website at http://www.penflorida.org/.

For Women's Ministries logos or other great marketing items, please visit the National Women's Ministries website at http://www.ag.org/ and click on Women's Ministries.

Times of Refreshing

(Click on the poster to make it bigger.)

You may register through the leadership at your church or you can snail mail a check for $15 to:

Gulf Coast Assembly of God

P.O. 8009

North port, FL 34290

Made payable to: Gulf Coast Assembly of God

With "Times of Refreshing 2008" in the Memo.

Advance registration deadline is April 5.

If you have any questions, please call 941.426.7160.

It's that time of year again!

Big Things Coming!

Yesterday, Thursday, February 7, all the Penn FL Reps met in Lakeland and had the priviledge of meeting our new WM Director, Marsha Woolley. We had an awesome time together. We worshipped and prayed for the future of our district in Women's Ministries.

I am confident that we are going to move forward and succeed. God is going to do awesome things through each of us to make this happen.

The district will host Fall Celebration October 2 - 4, 2008 at the Florida Mall Hotel in Orlando. Judy Jacobs, nationally known from TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network), has signed on to be our guest speaker. More information on this special event to come!