Zebra Ministries: Our Awesome God

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Our Awesome God

Psalm 113:5

Who is like the LORD our God, the One who sits enthroned on high

Good morning Zebras,

I love God.

I love the fact that He is faithful, even when I’m not. I love the fact that He is unchanging and always good even when I’m moody and hard to get along with.
I love the fact that He has all knowledge and all power so I don’t have to. I love the fact that He is everywhere all the time and that nothing escapes Him. I love the fact that He is perfect and holy. I love that fact that He is nothing like me.

I used to look at my circumstances and try to understand God. Now I look at God and try to let Him take care of my circumstances.

Last night Gary and I were discussing our future. Every time we could get to something we couldn’t really do anything about we would say “That’s God’s business.” By the end of the conversation we had very little left to worry about.

Whether or not Gary gets a new job, how much that new job pays, and if it has medical benefits are all things we really can’t control. Gary has to do his part, he has to look for work, but God has to do the rest.

And the same is true for me. Whether or not I go back to teaching next year is up to God. If I need to go back to work, and God makes it possible, then I’ll go back. If God wants me to work full time and continue doing Zebras He will give me the strength to do it. If not, then that’s His choice, He’s God, He gets to call the shots.

Preparing for retreat was an incredible experience for me. To be prepared to teach I spent a lot of time pursuing God. I prayed, like Moses in Exodus 33, that if God was pleased with me He would show me more of Himself. And I believe He did. He put me in the “cleft of a rock” by allowing me to have hip surgery and showed me parts of Himself that I did not fully understand. And then at retreat He brought it all home.

Last July when God gave me the title for the “Pursuing God” retreat and the desire to do it He also gave me another phrase, “Resting in His Presence.” At the time I thought it was supposed to be the theme of the next retreat. But I was wrong. What I think He was telling me is that “resting in His presence” is what happens after you wholeheartedly pursue God, because the more you know Him the more you can rest.

Love,
Jill

2 comments:

Cynthia Chinn-HeadenFebruary 10, 2011 at 2:59 PM
I do agree that God ushers us into a place of rest in HIM, through our first seeking HIM and HIS kingdom. Jesus called us to come and rest in Him...all who labor and are heavy laden. In the old testament, Joshua rested from battle and enjoyed the fruit of his labor. I know HE has hidden me in the "cleft of the rock" at various seasons in my life...and I have never felt safer or more at peace. Thanks for sharing your heart with us today...blessings!
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ShandaFebruary 14, 2011 at 4:34 AM
So true. "My soul finds rest in God alone".
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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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