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From Pam Pierce - |
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December 31, 2009
Dear Friends of GZI:
As another year draws to a close, it is time—once again—to reflect on the last 365 days. This year, not only do we say good-bye to the worn out year, we also cross the threshold into the second decade of the new millennium. Regardless of uncertainty, fear, and unsettling headlines, the pages of the calendar continue to turn. And they will until God says otherwise!
Reflection gives each of us the opportunity to look back and remember all that the Lord has done for us and with us over the past year. Reflection is an opportunity to put events in perspective. In many ways, reflection provides that last piece of the year’s jigsaw puzzle necessary for launching into the new.
For me, 2009 was a year of milestones and pitfalls. I welcomed two new grandchildren, Lily and Samuel, in April and August. I watched my other five grandchildren grow and prosper. I helped Isaac, our twenty-year-old son, move out on his own. I started planning the Twelve Tribes Prayer Garden for Glory of Zion’s land on Interstate 35 here in Denton. I celebrated my 55th birthday. I was rushed to the hospital for the first time in 18 years for something other than childbirth. And I finished my second book with my dear husband, Chuck.
I completed the final chapters of Rewards of Simplicity in the days immediately following my gall bladder surgery last March. Once my strength returned, I knew it was time to get back to the task of simplifying and cleaning out my own home before the book was published! In the bottom drawer of an armoire, I discovered a box full of old slides, Super8 movie film, and 8mm video cassettes. I hadn’t even thought about the box since we moved into this house ten years ago.
After some research, I found a place here in town that could convert all of these formats into DVD’s. My plan was to finally give Chuck a Christmas gift that would be a total surprise—something he couldn’t get anywhere else!
On Christmas Eve, with all of our children and grandchildren packed into our family room, I turned on the DVD from Christmas 1994. As we all watched the much-younger versions of ourselves opening presents, eating, and celebrating, I presented the stack of DVD’s to my husband of thirty-six years. For the first time in many years, he was speechless!
Over the next couple of days, Chuck and I watched portions of the DVD’s as we had the time. At one point, while watching footage of Isaac in a gymnastics tournament, Chuck said, “I don’t remember this. Where was I?” Chuck didn’t remember this particular event because he was traveling at the time, ministering in another city or country as God directed. In fact, Chuck’s demanding schedule was one reason I purchased the video camera in the first place: I wanted a visual record of moments he might miss as our children grew.
As Chuck watched Isaac (who is now 6’7”) win three of four events, he was speechless. Chuck is rarely at a loss for words, so I was surprised when he sat quietly on the couch as we watched seven-year-old Isaac tumble across the exercise mat and flip through the air above the trampoline. When the scene on the DVD changed from gymnastics to the Fort Worth Zoo, Chuck said, “I missed so much when my kids were little. Was I a bad father?”
Isn’t it just like the devil to take a gift intended for joy and twist it into a vehicle for regret and condemnation? Yes, Chuck did miss some moments from the kids’ childhood, but so do many parents. What mattered was the fact that he was a godly father who obeyed God’s call to the nations while he loved and guided his children through their formative years. As I reminded him that day, he now has the opportunity to recapture missed time through his grandchildren.
This is another benefit of reflection. Inevitably, there are missed opportunities in the past, whether it was fifteen years ago or last week. When we allow the Father to put those times into perspective, we can see His hand directing, arranging, and ordering our lives for the present. If we allow the enemy to cloud our memory with regret and condemnation, we either miss or forget what God was doing with us and through us in those seemingly lost opportunities.
When Chuck and I wrote The Rewards of Simplicity, we dedicated it to our grandchildren, “seven reasons why we choose to simplify our lives.” Regardless of what any of us missed over the last 365 days or the past fifteen years, we simply need to appreciate the past, focus on the present, and move forward by faith into 2010.
I want to wish each of you Happy New Year! Let Go of REGRETS and MISTAKES and START THE YEAR OFF RIGHT!
Pam Pierce
Starting
the Year Off Right – WEBCAST Registration Still Available All Weekend!
Tonight we will kick off our Starting the Year Off Right gathering.
Although our onsite registration is totally sold out, you can still join us
by webcast as we gather to release the Prophetic Seer Gift of
vision for the next season! You can register today or any time on Friday or
Saturday. We are encouraging home churches and those aligned with us
all over the world to rally the Triumphant Reserve and gather by webcast to
watch the New Year come in. Joining me are Cindy Jacobs, Bill
Johnson, Peter Wagner, Barbara Wentroble, Bishop Hamon, Jacqueline Del Rosario,
Robert Heidler and others.
We want to see a move of glory in every state and nation! Starting
the Year Off Right can be a catalyst to create this! We want
to hear how you will gather in your region and city. This is a time for us
to SPREAD THE GLORY THROUGHOUT OUR LAND AND KNOW HOW WE ARE CONNECTED
AS WE MOVE INTO THE SEASON AHEAD! I have loved to see how various
groups are hosting gatherings in their regions. A few examples are:
Skyway Church of the West Valley in
Goodyear, AZ (hosted by Greg Brown)
King of Kings Worship Center in Basking
Ridge, NJ (hosted by Peter and Trisha Roselle)
Victory Christian Life Center in
Victoria, TX (hosted by Brick and Leann Wall)
NE Metro Christian Fellowship
of Atlanta (hosted by Tony Cavener)
We even have a group in Brazil
that is translating the webcast and allowing others to join them via the web!
The discounted rates are still available for webcast groups, so go to our website to register today! We begin tonight at 7:00 PM. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings we begin at 8 AM.
Starting the Year with a Mind to Prosper!
I am looking forward to our next Zebulun School class on Monday, January
4. Joining me will be Jerry Tuma. He is the President
and Founder of Cornerstone Financial Services, and has done daily and weekly
programs discussing financial topics, investments, and the economy for several
decades. He will teach on the biblical Principles of Prosperity and
Ways to Prosper in the Midst of Economic Challenges. This webcast-only
course, Starting the Year with a Mind to Prosper, will begin on Monday
night at 7:00 PM (CDT). If you are unable to join that webcast that evening,
it will be available as an “on demand” replay through the end of January.
For more information on The Zebulun School, go to www.gloryofzion.org
and select “The Zebulun School” tab, or call 1-888-965-1099
and ask for Rose. E-tickets are available on our MP3Store tab for $50.
If you happen to still be in town after our Starting the Year Off Right Gathering, you are welcome to join us in the sanctuary for the class taping on Monday morning at 9 AM.
Blessings,
Chuck D. Pierce
Books by Pam Pierce …
The Rewards of Simplicity by Chuck D. and Pam Pierce
God has given us this book as a gift in a world of conflict, change and uncertainty!
Pam Pierce's ability to communicate faith in a simple, clear way is amazing.
The Rewards of Simplicity has the best of both worlds; Pam communicates
faith and Chuck explains the warfare we go through internally in dealing with
all of our issues. This book will give you practical ways to "bottom
line" your life. Every business person should read this book! There are
also many new insights concerning how the enemy uses our anxiety in an attempt
to rule our lives and stop our destiny. The Rewards of Simplicity is
one of the key books to read going into this season!
Special: $10 (reg. $13) or purchase 5 for $40!!!
One Thing: How to Keep Your Faith in a World of Chaos by Chuck D. and Pam Pierce
One Thing is a collection of refreshing moments to help
you hear from the Lord and press on. This is a book that will make you laugh
as well as cry. Pam and I share experiences that will ignite faith for your
future. These stories and principles will shower you with fresh strength,
and empower you to step out once again into an uncertain world and fulfill
God’s best for your life. This is a book you can buy for your family members
that do not have an intimate relationship with the Lord in hopes that when
they read One Thing, faith will be ignited within them. ($12)
Look Again! Seeing What You Have Not Seen!
This series is a collection of 8 messages by Dr. Chuck Pierce, Robert Heidler
and Allen Faubion. This revelation includes:
- Return and Be Whole (Chuck D. Pierce)
- Glory to Advance (Chuck D. Pierce)
- Come and See! Follow Me Into Your Next New Season (Chuck D. Pierce)
- 10 Keys for 10 Years (Chuck D. Pierce)
- A Time to Grieve is Ending: Find Your Joy for this Season (Chuck D. Pierce)
- Jesus SAW! (Robert Heidler)
- Laying Hold of the Promise (Robert Heidler)
- Fracked Out: How Wells Work (Allen Faubion)
