Zebra Ministries: Good Grades

Friday, May 21, 2010

Good Grades

1Thessalonians 5:16-18

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Good morning ladies,

This is an often quoted verse, but I think that it is better understood if it is rearranged: Knowing that everything that happens to you is God’s will allows you to be joyful always, pray continually and give thanks in all circumstances.

Last night our family had a small chance to test whether or not we believe this.

Katherine, my daughter, was really sick the last week of April and the first week of May. She missed seven days of school.

Wednesday when she checked Power School she realized that she had not turned in all of her missing work in one of her classes. Yesterday she tried to turn it in and the teacher refused to take it.

When she got home from school she was really upset. Because of the missing work her grade dropped from a “B:” to a “D-“ and with only two weeks of school left she doesn’t have much of a chance to bring it up.

That is not good news, especially to a child trying to get an academic scholarship, and I was upset too, but God allowed it so there is a reason, and lessons to be learned.

First dealing with a person who has no grace is unpleasant. The teacher had a rule and they were being absolutely fair about not letting Katherine turn in her work. It is funny how “unfair” “fair” feels.

God has rules too and when He returns the next time He is going to be enforcing them. People who think He won’t are foolish and they don’t know God. Only God’s grace is going to save us from His wrath.

Second, there is way more at stake in this situation than Katherine’s grade. Everyone at school knows she is a Christian so lying and trying to sneak by, although tempting, was out of the question, but so is whining and complaining.

If we really believe that everything that happens to us comes from God then we need to stop complaining. God has a reason for everything and even if we don’t understand it He does.

Third, God’s goals are not ours. Katherine’s goal is to get good grades; God’s goal is to save souls. Maybe God has ordained this situation to allow Katherine to finally reach her two unsaved friends, both of whom are in the class.

And finally, God allows everything that happens in our life, the good and the bad. And even at seventeen Katherine realizes that God has given her an opportunity to bring Him honor by the way she handles it.

Love,
Jill

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Why Zebras?

In the summer of 2008 I was looking at a herd of zebras in a wild animal park and commented to my son that I didn’t understand why the lions didn’t just eat the zebras because their markings make them so obvious. He told me that the opposite was actually true. God has marked zebras so when they hang together in a herd, their stripes create the illusion they are one large animal and therefore too big to attack. It is the lone zebra that is usually eaten. The same is true of Christians; we must hang together and encourage each other to fight off the lions. The lone Christian is easy prey.

1 Peter 5:8
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Therefore:

Zebras was started to encourage women who desire to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, who want their lives to be transformed to honor God and who are willing to be “zebras” in a world of “horses”. Zebras exists to reassure you that you are not alone and that God has called you to be peculiar. As a peculiar person you should look different than the world

Romans 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Pastor Endorsement

Jill Getchell speaks from her heart and from God’s word in a way that brings encouragement and hope to God’s people. I’ve been blessed to hear her at Awana conferences, a women’s retreat, and from the pulpit of our church. I am confident your people will be equally blessed by spending the day with Jill at We Have Hope...your church will be blessed as well.

Pastor Al Marks

First Baptist Church Vallejo

I have known Jill for many years now. She truly desires to encourage the churches in our community and to strengthen the believers that attend our churches. Her passion for Jesus comes out in her ability to speak, and her heart is to encourage all those that attend to go back into their churches and be a blessing.

Pastor Kelly Patchin

New Harbor Community Church, Benicia

I believe women are vital to the unity and health of the church. They bear the image of God and serve Him in a great way within His church. Zebras has the ability to unite and excite women to grow in their faith and in their relationships with each other. In John 17:20 Jesus says, "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” One of Christ’s last prayers for His church is that they would be one as He is with the Father. And through our unity the world can come to believe in Jesus Christ for salvation. Unity is essential for a healthy church and healthy relationships between women. Zebras can stimulate healthy growth in the spiritual lives of the women in your church too. It is a blessing at New Harbor and I believe it would be a blessing for any pastor to have in their church.

Kelly Patchin, Pastor
New Harbor Community Church

Testimonies

The Zebra herd has given me the opportunity to be myself. I think we all have a face we put on for others, especially on Sunday. We don’t want to let anyone see the pain or hurt we’re suffering because we feel that it’s a reflection on our walk with Christ. I now have a group of loving Christian women with whom to share the joys and sorrows equally… Without the Zebras, I’d still be wearing my Sunday face. ...............Dawn C.

The Zebra ministry has deepened my relationship with Christ and the women at my church beyond what I thought possible... Most importantly, it has given me a safe place to be very, very real… I have learned how to be transparent and allow my fellow Zebra sisters to support me in prayer and God to minister to the deepest part of my soul--the part that needed it the most.................... Jennifer H.

When I came to New Harbor Church I was so lonely. I knew I needed the fellowship of other Christian women but did not know if I could break out of my self-imposed isolation. I felt unworthy of anyone’s friendship, let alone" godly people"... But Zebras has made me feel the true acceptance of these wonderful women. I have slowly opened my heart to them, with their encouragement and love! I don't have that heavy ache of solitude anymore. ................Barbara B.

I was with you in the beginning meetings of the herd and watched it evolve into a place where we as sisters in Christ could share our burdens without judgment. Being a Zebra helped me through a very trying time- Leap of Faith– leaving a relationship, selling my home and trusting in God. It was encouraging to know that I was not alone and being a part of a group where women could feel understood, comforted, and lifted up spiritually. .................Tracy M.

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