Zebra Ministries

Monday, June 26, 2017

Good morning Zebras,

Sorry for the late post, but I needed to take care of something before I could write.

For reasons, unrelated to this post Gary and I have a lot of garbage this week. Garbage Day is Wednesday and our bin and most of our downstairs trash cans are already full. And the trash keeps coming. Yesterday we decided to use the bins of our neighbors who are on vacation.

We couldn’t find the bin of the people we know the best, people we always trade favors with, so we dumped our trash into the bin of a neighbor we barely know.

But before we did I checked around to make sure that they wouldn’t be home before trash day. I didn’t want them to know I was using their bin without permission. My source said they thought they were gone for another week. They were wrong.

Last night at 1:30 am I woke up to the sound of them unloading their suitcases and all I could think was “I’ve been caught!” When I finally went back to sleep, I had nightmares the rest of the night about being a thief.

Of course, I was a thief before they got home, but now I was a thief who was going to get caught! So, this morning I had to sneak over and take my trash back.

Robbing space in a trash can seems like a very small crime considering what others do, but “others” aren’t our standard. Our standard is God’s Word and I broke the 8th and the 10th commandment.

Exodus 20:17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or ANYTHING that belongs to your neighbor.” (even their empty trash cans)

Exodus 20:15 “You shall not steal.”

I coveted the empty space in their trash bin and then I sent Gary out to steal it. A "small sin," but still a sin, and one that needed to be dealt with because the Bible is very clear, there is no such thing as a “small sin.”

James 2:10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

Which makes me grateful that God loved me enough not to let me get away with it.

Hebrews 12:5–6 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”

And since I don’t want to add "lying by omission" to my “list of accomplishments” I have already resolved to tell them what I did and ask for forgiveness.

Love,
Jill

Funny end note: When I took back my trash, I had to take theirs too so I ended up worse off than I was.

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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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