Don't Look Down!
By Shannon Parish

Have you ever sat on your living room couch watching another old adventure movie where the hero or heroine is telling their counterpart in the movie, "Don't look down" as they climb a steep cliff, or sky scraper, or trapeze rope?

For that matter, have you ever been some where high up, perhaps as a child, when you yourself was told, "Don't look down!"  Remember that dizzying feeling and the knot that gripped your stomach as fear shot through your brain?  

When circus performers are trained on the tight rope, they don't start at the top, they start at the bottom, walking on a line drawn on the floor.  Then they walk a rope that is only a few inches off the ground.  Over and over they repeat the feat until they can do it blindfolded.  As they master one level, the rope is raised and they begin again with the slightly larger challenge.

Higher and higher the rope moves until a net is finally needed.  Day after day they repeat their training and exercises,  conquering fear and familiarizing themselves with the act until they could do it in their sleep.

Finally the day of the big show comes, and they face the pressure of being watched by thousands of people.  What tremendous joy and exhilaration it must be to the performer, when after completing the final sequence of their act, they roar of the crowds meet their ears in deafening applause!  Leaping to the ground after jumping into the net, and back-flipping from the border ropes, they stand before their great cloud of witnesses and take a bow.  They've run the race, they've been faithful, they did not give up, but instead pushed through weariness, skinned knees and bruised pride to obtain the reward of their labors!

When you feel like giving up - remember how far you've come.  Look up! Don't look down!  Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also! Stepping in front of my first crowd of women, who for the first time were going to 'suffer through' my speaking, I felt that sensation of falling after reaching too high in my ambitions.  The enemy shouted in my ears "Fake! Imposter! Who are YOU to be in front of these women?"  Then, just like one who finds himself struggling for oxygen at a high altitude I faced my fears.  Closing my eyes it was if the Holy Spirit was telling me, "Don't look down" "Look up!"  "Keep climbing!"

I had a choice.  I could stop and back down in defeat, or cast caution to the wind, ignore the one who came from "down there" and look to the one who reigned on high...and push my way through the panic.  As a whisper I heard these tender words in my heart, "Perfect love casts out fear".  

Father God loved his daughters who sat before me.  He desired a willing vessel to pour out that love to them.  What did I have to loose? I've enjoyed speaking to women ever since!  Now I've climbed another mountain.  One I was told I could not climb because it wasn't for 'people like us'.  It's a mountain of dreams and a vision so big that at times it takes my breath away. 

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Be strong and of good courage ...
 for the Lord they God ... will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Deuteronomy 31:6
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One man with courage makes a majority.

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Please write Shannon@sarahstent.com with your interest.  

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"My Pastor and her family are enjoying a well deserved vacation for
almost 2 weeks. We are a new church (a year), not many leaders developed
yet, so the idea of being left alone for that period of time with all the
new people we have concerned me.
I got even more concerned when the Pastor called me to tell me that while
she was gone she was leaving me and someone else in front of the
congregation. I wasn't given options and the other person is away on
vacation and chances are he won't be seen for a couple of services.

As I began to get nervous, I went to the Lord to tell HIM that I couldn't
do it. It is a big responsibility before HIS throne alone, never mind
the Pastor, the members, the visitors.

Then I read your message, the Scriptures you used shut me up before the
Lord. The last thing I want to do is make a mistake that could possibly
hurt someone else, but as you put it clearly perfection belongs to Jesus
not me.
If God wanted to tell me something and set me straight, once again HE
sent you to tell me what I had to hear.

Once again, thank you. HE has done it again thru you."
Many blessings,

Carola

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.
2 Corinthians 6:17 

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HOORAY! Karen Doane from Illinois won last week's game!
CONGRATULATIONS KAREN!!

Click Here to Play! 

Contact Sarahstent@sarahstent.com for more information.

I'm pleased to be able to share the recipe for Cranberry Chicken with you. It's from one of our own pw's. It sounds a little strange :), but I know you will love it! 
Thanks, Chris (MrsTange).

Cranberry Chicken
1- 16 oz whole berry cranberry sauce
1- 8 oz. bottle lite or regular Russian Dressing
1- envelope dry onion soup mix
12 good pieces of chicken skinned

Marinate overnight. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.
Serve over rice.

**I double the recipe for sauce and serve over wild rice. 

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Submitted by Elaine Riley

 An elderly lady was known for her faith and her boldness in talking about
 it. She would stand on her front porch and shout "Praise the Lord!"

 Next door to her lived an atheist who would get angry at her proclamations
and he would shout, "There ain't no Lord!"

Hard times set in on the elderly lady and she prayed to God to send her 
some assistance... She stood on her front porch and shouted, "Praise the
Lord...God I need food!! I am having a hard time. Please, Lord, send me 
some groceries."

The next morning the lady went out on her porch, noted a large bag of 
 groceries and she shouted, "Praise the Lord."

The neighbor jumped up from behind a bush and said, "Ha ha.. I told you 
there was no Lord. I bought those groceries. God didn't."

The lady started jumping up and down and clapping her hands and saying, 
"Praise the Lord. He not only sent me groceries but He made the devil pay 
 for them. PRAISE THE LORD."

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Joy in The Kitchen Volume 4 Issue 29