Joy Alert June 23, 2008

Message from Anita June 23, 2008

John 15:12
“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”

Last night, my spirit within felt an urge to grab my little pocket testament and go for a walk through the fields behind our house. I needed some time alone with God to process a book that I had just finished reading, “I Would Die For You: One student’s story of passion, service and faith.” The story of B.J. Higgins, a missionary who died right before his 16th birthday is very compelling and challenging. Everywhere B.J. went he shared the gospel including those he ministered to on a Peru Mission trip where he contracted a fatal respiratory disease. The reader is left with the challenge, “Who will take his place?” Who is willing to lay down their life for Christ? Who is willing to die daily to the flesh and its selfish ways, and be more concerned about lost souls then their own personal pleasures?

As I walked through the peaceful corn field I kept asking God, “Do I have it in me, to die completely to self?” You see, just nights earlier, I had failed miserably at dying to self. The Lord showed me this through a pitcher of ice tea! For those who don’t know this, I am a southern at heart when it comes to ice-tea. I will only drink fresh brewed ice tea. I had made a fresh pitcher Friday afternoon and was hoping it would last a little longer than the last batch I had just made. A group of young adults had converged on my house for the weekend and had devoured one pitcher rather quickly.

Friday night a 16 year old young man came to our house to swim. My son had told me he is gay and each time he has come to our home I have made time to get to know him. My son was away for the evening so I decided to stop working and take time to talk with him. As we sat on the deck talking, he asked me if I had anything to drink. (This is where the selfishness came out!) I did not want to share my ice tea with anyone at that moment. So I told him that I had water and milk to drink. He said water would be fine. So I poured a glass of cold water with ice for him. You know the saying, “your sins will find you out?” Well, it is so true! A few minutes later, another young man who happened to be playing volleyball on our volleyball court came into the house to help himself to a drink. He comes walking out on the deck where we are sitting with a tall glass of ice-tea!!! Of course my young friend could clearly see that the other guy had ice tea and proceeded to ask, “hey, where did you get that ice tea?” I won’t take the time to tell you how I wormed my way out of that one.

The gravity of my selfish heart did not hit me until Sunday morning, as I was teaching JoyShop at my church. I had given everyone the assignment to read John 15:1-17. As I was reflecting on that passage of scripture for the umpteenth time, the Holy Spirit convicted my heart. I heard this question from Him, “Anita, who committed the greater sin Friday night, your friend who does not really know me and is living a gay lifestyle, or you, who claims to be my follower but was unwilling to share your ice tea? How can you say that you are willing to die for me, when you can’t even give up a glass of ice tea in my name?” Tears flooded my eyes, as I heard this question repeated over and over. It was a sobering reminder that my heart is wretched and it was for this very reason that Christ had to come to this earth and die for my sins. I immediately confessed my sin and asked God for forgiveness, thanking him for pointing out the “beam” in my eye.

With God pointing out my selfishness and lack of love for others that morning, and reading about the selflessness of B.J. in the book I read that afternoon, I knew I had to get alone with God in that corn field and talk it over with Him. I found a place to sit, pulled out my pocket testament and began to read John 19:17-18.

“Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). Here they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.”

It was the phrase, “Jesus in the middle,” that I could not shake. Yes, everyday Jesus is in the middle of so many decisions. We have two choices, just like the two criminals that were hanging on crosses beside Jesus. They each had a choice in how they were going to respond to the “King of the Jews”. The one blasphemed God and the other plead for mercy.

In the quietness of the evening, looking up to the sky, Jesus stood in the middle of my thoughts. I asked Him to have mercy on me and to renew my heart’s commitment to him. Acknowledging that I am incapable of truly showing the gratitude that He deserves for dying on the cross for my sins, I once again surrendered my heart to him and asked him to make me willing to die for Him.

As you go through the day, I invite you to take this phrase, “Jesus in the middle,” and apply it to the circumstances you encounter today. Put Him in the middle of every decision and may our hearts have the same plea for mercy as that of the one criminal, “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Ministry Highlights

Praise God for the open door He gave JoyShop Ministries at Lancaster County Youth Intervention! I had the opportunity to minister to about 14 teen girls. I was permitted to give every girl a Pocket Testament (with the staples taken out), a journal and a highlighter. The Chaplin felt my time there was very profitable and gave me an open invitation to come again. Pray that God will send others to water the seed that was planted in these young women.

Praise God that the Pocket Testament League is able to print more of JoyShop Ministries pocket testaments, but it will take about two months before they are available again to their membership.

I continued to be blessed with the opportunity to serve my own church each Sunday in June. Recently I received this email from a man attending the JoyShop:

"Just wanted to drop you a note.. I have started the 21 day challenge.. WOW...Just looking back over these past years.. How I have missed Gods blessings...in my life of serving him...I love your study guide I will be using it for other chapters I read...It was last week every morning at my desk for devotional time... I asked God to show me with his presence of his beautiful birds, I asked for a different color bird each day and God did just that.. that is just WOW...

Thank you for opening my eyes to what I have been missing....

The ministry also received this email from a woman who had attended a JoyShop Retreat back in the spring. She wrote, “My life has been transformed because of the message you shared through the power of God’s Holy Spirit.”

From a Messiah College student through Facebook I received this message:
"hi anita! I asked you to be my friend on facebook a while ago around the time that you spoke at my school…I heard you speak both at chapel and at a workshop that evening. I wanted to let you know that I just bought your book, "The File" off of your joyshop website. I am anxious to read it this summer. Although I already heard your story at my school, I am excited to read your words. Thank you for everything that you do...God is definitely using you in more ways than you probably know. Good luck in everything you do!"

From a student at Lititz Christian:
"hello again. so i just finished reading your book! it was really good! haha i could hardly put it down :] thanks so much for giving it to me, i will pass it on to my friends and hopefully then we can donate it to the LCS library. thanks again!"

From a man I met in Dallas recently who is a business administrator of a large church in Californina:

“That night I opened your book and began reading the Introduction-and Icouldn't put it down. I read it clear through that night. Since I returned, my wife has read your book. Next it goes to a new believer in our 'not-so-small-group'…Next it goes to our Youth Pastor…she is anxious to get her turn. We have a thriving youth ministry of about 176 youth. With that many youth (over half new believers coming from outside families in the congregation) you can imagine, we deal with every kind of life situation. We will have some interesting conversations of how to best utilize this resource.Where it goes from there, only God knows.”


Only God knows is right!!!! I say this all the time to our operational team and board. We really do not yet know the full magnitude of where the Lord is going to take JoyShop Ministries but we are so excited and confident in the One who does know!

Ministry prayer requests

As I wrap up my last Sunday at Manor Church, pray that many will make a heart commitment to prioritize their relationship with Jesus. Unless the Church makes their relationship with God their first priority, they will never fulfill their true destiny as a Christ follower.

Sunday night I will be speaking to youth at the Byerland Mennonite Church. They have invited youth from other area churches. Please pray that many teenagers from the community will be looking for something to do that night and that the Holy Spirit will move in an unusual way to stir hearts into action.

While you are at it, you can pray that I have strength to speak three times in one dayJ!

Tuesday night, July 1, I will be speaking to a large group of young adults at an event called “Extreme Worship” in Atglen. Pray for an anointing of the Holy Spirit over my mouth and what comes out. Pray for changed lives. Pray for a revolution to begin in the heart of every person that attends.

Please continue to pray that the Lord will lead the team as we make decisions about the direction of the ministry and how to increase the awareness of JoyShop Ministries to colleges and high school settings.

In closing we continue to thank the Lord for His hand on this ministry and the way He provides financially as needs arise. Recently the board had approved a budgeted amount that we could spend on professionally taping JoyShop so that we could have video footage to use on our website as well as a promotional DVD. Amazingly we had already received a generous check from a supporter of the ministry earmarked for this project but we needed a lot more! God had been nudging me for months to approach a couple about partnering financially with us on this project without having to pull from our checking account. Two days after the board meeting, I had lunch with this godly couple and shared my heart with them. Within a couple of days they handed me an envelope with a personal note that they were pledging $5000.00 towards the project and we would have it by August 1. Tears came to my eyes as I realized their check plus the other one was enough to cover the budgeted amount for the project! Does not God’s goodness just blow you away!

As you each partner with JoyShop Ministries in your own unique way, know that you bring to this ministry what is needed to impact lives for eternity! I thank God for your support and for enabling us to fulfill the call that God has placed on each of us!

Learning to die daily,

Anita