Friday, December 18, 2009

REFUGE OF HOPE - REACHING THE HURTING

BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT FOR THEIRS IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN - Matthew 5:4


For those who have ever felt that they are broken in spirit and powerless to do anything of their own volition to change their circumstances,

For those who have walked away from God without realizing they are separated from Him,

For those who have tried all avenues except the will of God in their lives, and

For those who desire a transformation and renewal of their hearts and minds,


WELCOME HOME - BECOME A NEW CREATION AND NEW PERSON IN CHRIST


We are here to help you in your new walk with Christ and to help you understand He is a good and loving God, He is all powerful, He notices every detail of my life, He is in control, He has a plan for my life, He will protect me, He will bring us out of our past and help us let go.

What does he require of us: Worship him, Pray without Ceasing with Thanksgiving, Follow Him and his Ways in the Word.


When you find the Truth - God's GRACE allows you to walk it out.

Refuge of Hope is created to guide, through the Holy Spirit, everyone back to the Father through Jesus Christ.

Acts2:17 says: "In the last days, I will pour out my Spirit on all people . . . .
and EVERYONE who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. No matter what our feelings or thoughts are telling us, God will not abandon us. His word is Truth.

Therefore, my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope.

This site will offer you God's word - various Bibles for study and renewal in the Word, live chatting for counseling and healing prayer, referrals for professional help and a refuge of hope when you need crisis intervention.

As the need arises, we will add your suggestions to our website.

Blessings -

Monday, November 30, 2009

THE WORLD'S WISH LIST - GOD'S GIFT TO US



Tis the season to be jolly - fa-la-la, la-la, la-la-la-la.

God delights to hear "a new song" that praises Him. A new song from our heart lifting Him up for the many blessings He gave us. Through Him we possess all things - good and bad, just and unjust, right and wrong.

WORLD'S WISH LIST: God - I could use a new appearance to my body and face for the holidays, healing in my flesh.

GOD'S GIFT TO US: Psalms 103: "BLESS THE LORD, O my soul, and forget not all HIS benefits: who forgives all our iniquities, who HEALS all our diseases, who redeems our life from destruction, who crowns us with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfies our mouth with good things SO THAT OUR YOUTH IS RENEWED LIKE THE EAGLE'S.

Praise God! My body, soul & mind are restored to a youthful brilliance to shine on this earth for His glory.


WORLD'S WISH LIST: Lord, I am so depressed around the holidays.

GOD'S GIFT TO US: Isaiah 61:4: Put on the garment of PRAISE for the spirit of heaviness. Psalms 150 - Praise the Lord!, Praise God in His sanctuary, Praise Him in His mighty firmament! Praise him for His mighty acts, Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!, Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet, with the lute and harp, with the timbrel and dance, with stringed instruments and flutes, with loud cymbals, with clashing cymbal. Everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Okay - my solutions to doom and gloom - Glory to God in the Highest, Peace, Good Will Toward Men. PRAISE THE LORD.


MY WISH LIST: I need PEACE in my Life - all I have are complications and strife.

GOD'S GIFT TO US: Isaiah 61: Arise, shine - for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the PRINCE OF PEACE.

Return to your First Love - Repent - Seek His Kingdom - AND ALL THESE THINGS WILL BE ADDED UNTO YOU. HALLELUJAH!


WORLD'S WISH LIST: Lord, I am tired of my "old" possessions - I want a new _______________ (fill in the blank) Luke 6:38 - Give and it shall be given unto you. Deny thyself and follow me.

GOD'S GIFT TO US: This season reminds us not be covetous, greedy or full of ourselves. But our challenge from Christ is to take this one step further and become his disciple by denying ourselves - OUR OLD WAY OF LIFE AND OUR PRIDE - in order to become the "NEW CREATION" in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:17 -Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation - old things have passed away - behold, all things have become NEW.

GOD'S GIFT TO US - JESUS CHRIST

"For He made Him who knows no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM." 2 Corinthians 5:21.


In Christ - Karen
honoringhands@aol.com


Have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Call or email me with your thoughts - especially over the holiday.


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Thursday, October 22, 2009

TOTALLY ABANDON YOURSELVES TO THE SPIRIT OF GOD

{Revelation 1:17} "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. . . . {verse 4} "Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen: repent and do the first works. . . .


In this "revelation," Christ is saying to me, I was your First love and I am your Last love. I am forever with you.

NEVERTHELESS, abandon your SELF to my Will and my sovereignty.



Oh Lord, we cry out to you . . . . in our pride and search for self fulfillment - we resisted you - our Maker. We chose to not reflect when you told us "In this world you shall have distress, but have confidence in me, I have overcome the world," {John 16:33) .

REMEMBER. . . how trivial your lives have become without me. REMEMBER my sacrifice at the cross. While you were still sinning, I died for you.

Thank you for rescuing us when we abandoned ourselves to the fears of this world.

Return to me . . . . and I will return to you.



Forgive us Lord. Forgive us for choosing to forget your infinite love and goodness. Your mercy endures forever. Thank you for reminding us of your omnipotent presence and Your devotion to our wretchedness and weakness.


I return to your promise - your transformation of my soul.

Teach me again your truths in your Word. Return to me my joy of salvation. Transform us Lord to fulfil your will - for in our abandonment of self, your glory will prevail among the nations .



Tuesday, September 22, 2009

CONFRONTING YOUR FEARS WITH GOD'S PROMISES

We spoke last time about God's strength being made perfect in our weakness. His inexhaustible love and mercy reaches out to us to restore us.
But are we at a point where we can RECEIVE from Him at that very moment in time?
Most of us discover that we are trapped in thought processes revolving around our wounds,
(past, present & future), hurts, rejections, anxieties, stresses of the everyday world. Our first inclination is to reach out to others for answers or to withdraw more into ourselves and our thoughts.
As a result, the enemy begins to set up a perpetual cycle of pain, doubts and fears and we find
ourselves less able to focus on prayer, the Word, the comfort and teachings of the Holy Spirit,
Jesus and God's promises.
Then unbelief erupts. What if God is not going to come through? What if I am not good enough? What if believing God's promises works for everyone else and not for me? What if . . .
So you say how do I OVERCOME. Most of us have to reach a point of coming to the end of ourselves and our answers for ourselves. What do I mean? Discipline yourself to let go of your thoughts and what you think about your problems and turn them over to Jesus Christ.
The Red Sea experience speaks to this situation. The Israelites were surrounded on both sides in the Wilderness - the Egyptians pursuing them on one side and the magnamious waters of the Red Sea on the other. Do I trust God or go back into slavery and bondage? The Israelites trusted God's promise and stepped forward into their destiny.

Invite Jesus into the situation . Consult with the Holy Spirit by praying continuously. "Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." {Matthew 4:4}.


When your mind constantly reiterates the world situation - what do I eat? What do I wear?
What does this person think of me? What happens if I lose my job? Where will I live? How will I survive? Why am I so depressed? We give our minds over to the god of this world. We do this because we do not know what the Word or Jesus says about us. He has predestined us to be SONS- to the praise of His glory and of His grace.
I spoke to a man with knee pain today who had just had surgery. He told me nothing had helped his knee. He had done everything. I said to him - do you know Christ died at the cross for our complete healing? Have you ever had the laying on of hands? Our conversation stopped abruptly, when actually the love of Christ could have interceded, so this man might receive the healing power of Christ.
Come to the end of our thoughts about ourselves and others and replace them with what God says about us. His promises in His Word is always bigger than our problems. {Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you} Matthew 6:33.
So our starting point with God begins with our weakness to ourselves.
If you would like to overcome the fear in your life, I would like to start a teaching series online where we can discuss in detail overcoming fear by building faith and love. Let me hear from you on this article and if you are interested in classes online.
In the meantime - soak in the promises of God.

Karen







Friday, August 28, 2009

Welcome to Refuge of Hope Ministries.
Every conversation is confined to this chat room and kept confidential. We care, encourage, exhort and attempt to shine God's light into your path through Holy Spirit intervention.
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on
your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge
Him, and He will make your paths straight." (Proverbs
3;5-6)
Just hit the online chat button to send me a message, and I will respond immediately after receiving your input.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Our Latest State of the Art Addition...Counselor's Video Chat Room

I am happy to announce that Karen Weitzman will be "In" the Counselor's Chat Room for all of you that wish to join her or meet her. She will be there every Monday at 11:00AM (est) and 10:00AM for Midwesterners...and for all of us west coasters, that is 8:00AM. Be sure to pour a cup of coffee or tea and stop by for a chat. You will find Karen understanding helpful and happy to greet you.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

REFUGE OF HOPE MINISTRIES - KAREN WEITZMAN

Refuge of Hope Ministries seeks to establish an environment of God's love, peace and comfort for those who are experiencing crises and stress in their lives.


When we are angry, depressed, worried, anxious, discouraged, fearful and then find ourselves relapsing into the usual grief and despair -- at the same time employing the same habitual patterns of coping with life's issues -- we begin to lose patience, get discouraged and want to give up the struggle, believing that we have been abandoned by those we love and by God Himself.


Over an extended period of time, we can lose hope.


It's exactly at this moment -- when we're weak and worn out -- that God shows up. "For when I am weak, then am I strong" (2 Corinthians 12:10). Do we believe and trust that the mercy of God is greater than all the vastness of our weakness and despair? Do we know we can't escape his omniscient presence? David states in Psalms 139:8 - "If I ascend into heaven, Thou art there; if I make my bed in hell, Behold, Thou art present. . . . . . the darkness and the light are both alike to Thee."


Do we have the confidence in God to relinquish the "I did it my way," stance, which has not been working, and change our focus to His way?

We dwell on our pain and are self absorbed with problems at work, our needs, our wants and our feelings, when actually, Jesus gave us the answer to abundant and joyful life: "Love your God with all your heart and soul, and love your neighbor as yourself." He doesn't promise there won't be adversity. In fact, once you draw near to God, he will give you the spiritual strength to overcome moment by moment. "In the world you will have tribulations, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (John 16:33).

I hope you feel comfortable in adding your comments or contacting me, by email or instant message, at honoringhands@aol.com

Keep coming back for more guidance from the Holy Spirit.

God bless - Karen Weitzman


Thursday, August 13, 2009

Welcome Karen Weitzman to the Blog


Greetings in the name of the Lord:

I am very excited and happy to inform you of the addition to our blog of Karen Weitzman.
I have included Karen's picture in this blog so that you will know who you are speaking to.
Karen is a Crisis Counselor and will be blogging right here with information that will be of help to you. Be sure to join the blog and follow Karen. She has loads of wonderful healing advice to
help you over the rough patches we encounter. I know you will love her. Stop by the blog and say hello. :)

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Up dating the website

This is a day that the Lord has made! Let's all rejoice and be glad in it!

It's early, yet the sun is already starting to blaze in the sky. Hallelujah!
We can complain about the heat, but really...how would we feel if we had no summer?

I have recently been making changes to the website. New features include:
The Master's Chat Room...where we can gather to discuss the Lord and lift one another up.
...where you can join me for bible study on Tues, Weds, and Friday
mornings from 10 AM to 11 AM (pst) Tues. We offer up The Blessing
Weds. We Learn about "Our Words" and the effect they have on our
lives and the lives of others. On Friday we delve into the Book of
Revelation. Make plans to join us in the Master's Chat Room. You
will be glad you did!
Christian Crisis Counseling...Recently the Lord blessed me with a new friend, who has a mighty
ministry. She is a Christian Crisis Counselor. I asked her to join our
webministy as a link. She agreed and I am happy to report that I am
able to feature her information on our Crisis Counselling Webpage.
She will be offering group and one on one counselling not only locally
but through the Master's Touch website as well in the Master's Chat
Room. For appointment times and Session times, contact her
directly: Karen Weitzman, at honoringhands@aol.com.
Ministry Resources Org....One new feature that has been getting a lot of attention, (Praise The
Lord) is the Ministry Resources Organization page. I have added this
page to the website to assist those in ministry in getting over the
hurdles that the world places in our path aswe begin our ministries.
This particular portion of the website is continuously under
construction...adding new and important "how to's" to the on going
ever increasing list of invaluable information. Use these tools often
and consider them as a gift from God. By the way...watch for the
ebook coming soon for download. You will be able to have the how to
information on your desktop for immediate reference. That's coming
soon!
Sacred Oils.........................This is not a new feature. However, I would like to point it out for
your review. In the Old Testament, the Elders were called upon to
pray, anoint with oil and lay hands on the sick...the promise then
from God is that we too should do this and "THEY SHALL
RECOVER." I undertook an extensive study when the Lord led me
into this area. The oils that were used for the laying on of hands in
times were medicinally laced...with the leaves from the trees for the
healing of the nations. Frankinsense, Myrrh, Cassis, Lemon Balm,
Eucalyptus and other oils were combined to create just the right oil
for healing, preservation, total wellness etc. On the Sacred Oils page
of the website, you will find those pure and health giving oils.
The purest oils formulated from biblically instructed recipes come
not from my kitchen, but directly from the Holy Land. I use these
in my healing ministry as God instructed me. They are offered to you
most reasonably on the Sacred Oils page. Take a look...you will find
a description of the ingredients and what to expect with use as well.
News You Can Use...........This page has been added to help you keep God out of the box. On it
you will find video clips of sensational, yet controversial subjects.
Too, you will find scientifically grounded information that backs up
the bible. Remember science proves the bible, the bible doesn't
prove science. I think you will enjoy the topics and the information
offered. Am I trying to push you into believing something new or
even weird and unbelievable? NO, After prayerful discussion with
God, He has given me permission to offer the items that you will
see and hear there, to keep you mindful that "All Things" are possible
with God. Keep an open mind. By the way...nothing on that page will
ever NOT line up with the word of God.
There are more exciting things happening on the website and coming in a rush. I am constantly
making the additions as quickly as I am physically able. Remember too that we offer classes and distance learning as well for your edification. We offer one on one training in ministry and in instruction in the Word of God. I think you will find the changes enlightening and exciting!

Come by, pay us a visit...stop for a chat or discussion. You are ALWAYS WELCOME at ...
THE MASTER'S TOUCH HEALING SCHOOL OF MINISTRY.

Want to go into the ministry or learn how to have an intimate relationship with God? Email us!
God's yoke is easy and we keep the burden light!!!

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

A long and restful weekend

Good Monday Morning:
There is nothing like heat to make one rest. We keep seeking shelter from the heat and rays of the sun. I can remember when I would lie out in the sun for hours working on the tan that never came. I would blister and peel...after a full summer in the sun, my body was a little browner however, my face was still white and slightly more freckled than before my quest for the ultra tan had begun. Thank God! those days of mindless torture are over for me. I now hide from the sun in the most remote places I can find. It seems that the sun is a bit hotter now than it used to be too. I think I am just more sensitive to the heat now that I have some sense.
This last weekend, was a real doozie...heat and all. However, I spent my mornings while it was cool in the (you guessed it) gazebo with Sybil and Art sipping coffee and enjoying the flowers that God has blessed us with. When my mother was alive she tried year after year to grow Moon Flowers. She never saw a bloom. The vine was always green and lush but devoid of any of those large round white flowers that bloom in the moons rays...It was the night she went home to Heaven that daddy in his grief took a stroll around the pool in the back yard...he came racing in and told me that the moon flower was blooming. All those years of toil and waiting only to be disappointed year after year...finally...when she was no longer here to see it, it bloomed. I told daddy that I thought it was a sign from Mama that she was happy at last. The vine died shortly thereafter. Just this spring, when Art and I were nosing around the nursery trying to decide what to attempt to grow in the yard, Art came forth with a package of Moon Flower seeds. I told him the story again and he shared with me that it was time to replant. So, we did.
All spring I kept finding Moon Flower seeds in all the packages I bought. We have planted so many that we can't even recognize what we have planted....they all look like Moon Flower plants...Green vines everywhere...all well manicured though. Well the other day in one of my morning coffee jags in the gazebo, I saw this tiny green vine peeping over the fence and under the gazebo roofline coming into the gazebo itself. When Art saw it he investigated its root location and found it to be a MOON FLOWER vine. The following morning, he came in and hollared for me to come out and see... in the still misty marine layered air not quite lighted by the suns creeping over the horizon, there it was in all of its glory...THE MOON FLOWER HAD BLOOMED. Needless to say, we didn't take a picture and that will be the only bloom we get this year. But oh my, what a delight it was to see. I kind of thought maybe Mama was smiling down on me for just a wee moment. (sigh) ... Now if I could just find some way to get rid of the pesky ants...:)

The weekend was crammed with teaching and bible studies and glorifying the Lord. What a wonderful time...yet I also had time for plenty of rest. God is good and His mercy endures forever!

AMEN!

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Greetngs!

This is a new endeavor for me...I am not quite sure how to do this but here goes. Anyone who knows me knows that I am very wordy...I love to talk about the Lord and help others get understanding of His word. I am at all times first and foremost a Pastor and Teacher of those things. However, I also have owned and operated many Tea Shops. I now still cater tea parties into homes or the venue of your choice. See my website www.tickybooteashoppe.com for further information on that subject. It's lots of fun. I am in hope that others like me will join in this blog as we discuss all sorts of things. I love gardening and have a beautiful English Style garden at my home. My husband built me a lovely gazebo where I take my morning coffee and spend quality time with the Lord. We have a little tiny chiauaua dog named Sybil. She was actually my Sister's dog and she moved and we kept Sybil with us...now she is ours. My husband built the gazebo for me, but Sybil thinks it is hers and spends time lying on the loveseat on a cushion listening to David Hicken's Music...Go figure? That gazebo which is now four years old has seen many many wonderful days. I am just beginning some new endeavors on my Healing School website www.themasterstouch.org. I have added some videos and a chat room and lots of interesting teachings on the word of God. Please feel free to go there and take a look.