The Invisible Battle

I had read the words a hundred times. “Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Those are fighting words. And when you really think about it they are pretty dramatic! Spirits of darkness? Come on…is it really THAT bad?

************************************************************************

We went into the battle completely unprepared. In fact it took several months before we realized that we were indeed in a battle and it was a vicious one.

When we began developing The Amazing Collection, it seemed like a great adventure. We were enjoying seeing God open some doors and got excited over the possibility of actually helping women see the whole of the Bible. But war? It truly never occurred to us.

It started with a hit to our financial security We were four women whose husbands had great jobs, we had money in the bank, comfortable homes and a future that included some monetary perks. And it was that area that took the first shot.

Eleanor’ husband’s highly secure job was terminated. Linda was next as her husband lost his job and I followed. The company that we co-owned was devastated when a trusted VP left with a contract that would have put us on solid footing. The devastation was so great we could not recover. In the end, we lost everything… the company, most of our retirement funds, the equity in our house, all security for now and the future. Margi was next as her family took hit after hit.

But the battle was just beginning. As Eleanor sat at her computer writing her script for her first teaching, she seemed to black out. Her husband found her moments later in a heap across the room with a broken nose and a bruised body. It looked like she had been literally thrown across the room. A few months later as she was teaching Deuteronomy with the cameras rolling, she suddenly lost the sight in her right eye. By God’s grace she was able to continue. Later surgery would follow with weeks of necessary immobility.

These are only a few of the incredible hits we all took during the next five years. The battle that raged all around us was more vicious than we could have ever imagined.

One day we were sitting around the “command center” dining room table and all of us were suffering greatly. As we shared our current pain (and it was excruciating!) it suddenly occurred to us that, hey…we were at war! The interesting result was not retreat, but on that day we united together, put on the full armor of God, drew our swords which is the Word of God and entered in with courage and strength.

What made the difference? We realized that day that we were on to something good and it was worth fighting for while even suffering loss! Instead of feeling defeated, we gained strength. The battle was on, we were now armed and ready and above all we knew that in front of us, encouraging, protecting and guiding…was our Valiant Warrior who would win this raging war for us. And in the end, that is just what happened.

The Lord your God is in your midst,
A Victorious Warrior!
Zephaniah 3:17

Choosing Well

Peter and John did not look like they really could do the job. I mean REAAALY, would you have chosen common fisherman to do some of the greatest work for the Kingdom of God? They hadn’t even been to seminary much less Bible School. We are talking great stuff here, like building the church of Jesus Christ! Surely in all of Israel Jesus could have found someone better and more learned and more capable! But apparently God knew who was the best choice, and He chose them. It is such a picture of God choosing the surprisingly simple and then empowering them to do great things through His Spirit.

***********************************

We had gotten her name from Trace Balin who had simply said she knew a young woman who was doing some creative things in videography working part time filming various members’ testimonies at a local church. She encouraged us to speak with her about possibly handling all of the filming for our 66 DVD Bible study. So I gave her a call, and she agreed to meet with us the following week.

The four teachers along with Robin Rosebrough were all sitting around my dining table (AKA command center) when Kelle Ortiz arrived. I must say we were shocked when she walked in! She was a tiny petit blonde child, and well… she looked very young. Surely she could not be old enough nor experienced enough to take on such a huge project!

We invited her to sit down, and I outlined the scope of the project, the vast amount of filming that would need to be done, the tremendous responsibilities it would entail, the desire for individual music videos that would require a creative mind and the hard work that would be involved, along with the fact that she would have to work closely with us to ensure our desires and dreams for this study were realized.

She sat undaunted and busily took notes of everything I said. Then we went around the table giving everyone an opportunity to speak about the importance of the work. When all had shared Kelle simply put down her pen and sat up straight and said with great confidence, “I have been asking God for two years to give me an opportunity to bring Him glory though the creative gift that He has given me. I will meet with you next week with a proposal and we will go from there.”

I must say I was a bit shocked. We had not scared her off nor had she backed down when we explained the complexity of the project. And the truth is we were all impressed with her heart for God and her desire for His glory alone.

The next week she arrived right on time with five copies of the proposal in hand. Of the two other proposals we had received, this one was the most comprehensive, every detail spelled out in a clear, understandable way. And once again she expressed her deep desire to honor God, and she prayed it would be through this project.

Her grace, good cheer, kind heart, and humble attitude sealed the deal. At that point neither she nor we knew just what she could do, but we were willing to take a chance because we trusted the God who worked through her…and in the end she did not disappoint!

We started by hiring her as a part time worker. She kept her job at the local church for about a month, but as things started heating up and the work growing daily, she finally quit her job and was now on our payroll. That all sounds great but we never knew if there would even be a payroll as all of the funding came through prayer. Everything depended on God’s provision.

It was about this time that I needed to explain the “rules” to Kelle. If the money was not available, then we did not move forward. At any moment she could be out of a job. We would always pay her for the work she did but could never guarantee work for the next week or even the next day. Her reply was perfect. “I will trust God for my provision as you trust Him for yours!” And so the partnership, and eventually dear friendship, was formed.

About two months later it was clear that Kelle needed help. The best person for the job was her husband Shane who also was a gifted videographer, film editor and musician who had been working as an appraiser. So Shane quit his job and also was now on the “payroll”! Shortly after, Kelle’s cousin Lana would join the team as the producer and Joel Musch, at the age of seventeen, would come on as the animator/graphics coordinator.

Every one of these young people understood the “rules” and all agreed that they too would live day to day trusting God to provide. We would work closely as a team for the next five years, and all of us were taking a road we had never journeyed before -full of high elevations and low valleys- yet following hard after the God who drew us to Himself, guiding, providing and encouraging. We knew we were the least likely for the job. But He had chosen us and we would give Him our best.

End note: Over the next five years of production, God never once failed to provide for the salaries of these four people through gifts to Big Dream Ministries. In 2002 and again in 2005 they were the winners of the coveted Telly award given for outstanding videography. Today Soteria Productions is an outstanding production company that works for some of the largest ministries in the business.

For nothing is impossible with God.
Luke 1:37

Let There Be Music

It first appears in the fourth chapter of Genesis. Music.

“And his brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe.”

I wonder if Jubal could have imagined what he started! Now from his lyre and pipe we have orchestras and symphonies worldwide, small quartettes, duets, rock bands, rap, operas, and rock stars. So pretty much since the beginning of time man has loved music both instrumentally and vocally and it has developed from the simple to the complex. But one thing is for sure, music is everywhere and in every language. Also in scripture, God seems to place a high value on music.

******************************************

It really began the day I heard a group of women perform an outstanding musical called “Adam’s Rib.” The four performers would take an interesting and often comical look at some of the women in the Bible that included creative and thought provoking music. I was particularly mesmerized by Trace Balin who was the main creator and writer of the musical performance. As I watched her, she was not only wildly talented but there was something about the way she exhibited pure, heartfelt worship into each of her parts.

A few months later as the Big Dream Board was beginning to plan each teaching session, I suggested music. None of us had ever seen a Bible Study that included music, but each one of us thought it could truly enhance the message of every book, yet we didn’t know where to begin. Then I thought of Trace and her vocal talent and love for Christ that was so evident on stage.

I had never met her and she had no idea who I was, but when I called her, she was so kind and gracious and immediately agreed to meet me for lunch. Over salads I explained our big dream and ended it with, “We need your help, and by the way this is a volunteer position!”

I expected her to politely decline or laugh hysterically but instead she immediately said “Count me in! I would love to help any way I can!” I was floored to say the least, but that began our first steps in creating and producing nearly sixty-six music videos.

Trace knew the most talented vocalists in the area. She knew almost every song ever written (OK, maybe not every song but it surely did seem like it to us!), so week after week as we would meet, Trace would often join us and teach us the ins and outs of the music business. It would be Trace who would contact various vocalists and musicians, choose the music, and offer excellent suggestions as to how to shape the filming. And it would be Trace who would introduce us to the legal aspects of music (something that would become the most complex part of production).

Above all, though new to our team, Trace provided encouragement that was invaluable. She was so enthusiastic about all we were doing. The fact that she had been a well known recording star and was successful in the music arena and the wife of a pastor made her encouragement even more impactful. She knew the business, and she knew the ministry and felt strongly we were going in the right direction. She literally filled our spirits with all we needed to continue with boldness down the road. As I look back on the journey, Trace was a God-given “rest station” providing refreshment, direction, and renewal for somewhat reluctant and anxious travelers.

About a year after we had begun production, Trace had to step down as music director when she took a full time job, but she first pointed us to another talented vocalist and music genius in the form of Jen Carrozza who continued on in the same generous spirit that Trace had exhibited until the project was complete.

And in the end, the music did exactly what we had hoped. It helped women better understand the message of the books and often pointed to a great and mighty God worthy of our worship. I think Jubal would have been proud.

I will praise God’s name in song.
Psalm 69:30

A Turn in the Road

“What do you mean the Egyptians are heading down the road toward us? I thought they were finished off?” OK, so those exact words are not to be found in Exodus 14 but I feel certain that is what Moses thought when he got the news. Things were going swimmingly. They had left Egypt with a ton of money and every one safe and the enemy defeated, yet here they were up against the Red Sea and the enemy was bearing down on them. This wasn’t part of the plan…or at least it wasn’t part of Moses Plan.

A Change of Plan

I hung up the phone. A change in plans. Gerry couldn’t be one of the teachers for The Amazing Collection She was experiencing significant health problems and would have to withdraw. But what now Lord? I had a plan and I thought it was a good one but now there was a huge detour in the road and I had NO idea how we were going to get around it. I felt we needed four teachers as the project was so large. I felt God wanted four teachers because that is how I had been directed as far as I could spiritually tell. So, now what Lord?

I couldn’t sleep that night. I tried looking down this new road, thinking of every living Bible teacher in the Atlanta area. I would hold her up to the Lord. “This one Lord? Is she the one.” “No.” On down the lengthy list I went until I could not come up with one more person. I laid still, eyes looking at a ceiling I could not see in the dark. Discouraged.

A Change of Plans

Then I sensed a name. It had a familiar ring to it. “You are to teach”. This wasn’t great news. Others were far more at ease in front of an audience. Others would do so much better in front of a camera. Others were true gifted teachers. Please Lord not me. I CAN”T DO THIS!!”

Are you willing.

Ouch.

Then some of the books in the Bible that I loved started coming to mind and little by little I could feel an excitement well up in my heart. Exodus! Jonah! Joshua! Philippians! And many others followed!

So Moses is standing there in charge of a couple million people and the well trained, well armed Egyptians who are out for blood are hot on their trail and he does the only thing he can do. He trusts God.

Am I willing? I’m scared. Am I willing? I’m incapable. Am I willing? I am willing Lord .

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through God Who strengthens me.

The Power of Prayer

I remember well a time when at the age of nine, I saw my dog, Timothy, drop through the ice on Lake Michigan and disappear below the surface. I was terrified, immobilized and could do nothing but fall on my knees on that frozen beach and scream a passionate prayer to God. “Help Timothy! Help Timothy!” A few minutes later my dog came racing up the beach to me. He had been rescued by my very brave eleven year old friend. She had risked her life and had run out onto the ice and saved my dog. I could do nothing but pray. .. but that was enough

The Prayer Campaign Begins

And so we began to move out into the unknown. I met with the Mighty Prayer Warriors, four housewives sitting in Gwen’s sun porch ready to ask for the impossible. We were timid. “Lord, could we please have some money… we would like to hire a production company.” Actually I don’t think we used the term ‘production company’ because we didn’t know what a production company was, but we knew we needed someone with a video camera. “Lord, could we please have some money ….and someone with a video camera?”

Some money. We were hoping for a few hundred to start. God immediately brought us a gift of $10,000. (Three years later, this same group would no longer be timid but on more than one occasion would rush into the Throne of Grace asking for sums that would have staggered our minds just two years before! In the end, God would bring us $1,700,000)

It was one of our first acts of prayer and the speed in which it was answered was shocking and thrilling. HE, the Lord of all creation, had heard the prayers of four women sitting on the sun porch and had answered with a resounding YES…..and not just yes but more than we had ever expected. Another bump in the road had been mastered. We gratefully stood up a little straighter and marched on.

Prayer formed the foundation of the ministry. Over the next years, God continually provided through prayer alone. The interesting thing is that we never knew where the funding would come from. God would continue to surprise us as we would receive funding often from obscure places as God continued to remind us that it was His provision alone. And that provision came to us as we weekly cried out on our knees, “Help us! Help us!”

Matthew 18:19-20
Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name there I am in the midst of them.

Some Road Rules

When our kids were young we would have specific guidelines for road trips. It went something like this:
1. You must keep your seat belt on all the time the car is moving.
2. You may not scream or cry while the car is moving.
3. You may not fight with your sister while the car is moving.
4. We will not stop to go to the bathroom more than one time every two hours.
NO EXCEPTIONS! (that rule was often broken!)
5. You may not order the most expensive thing on the menu when we stop for a meal.
These little guidelines made for a better, more sane trip. Traveling always goes better with
a few rules.

First Command Center Meeting

Linda, Margie, Eleanor, Robin Rosebrough,, our secretary and I were sitting at my dining room table in January 2001. . That table would become the “command center” for the next five years. We knew that in the next few months we would need money. We also knew that a couple of the teachers knew some very wealthy folks. So that presented a dilemma. We had a feeling that we could approach those people and ask for funding. We also knew we could write up grants and ask for funding. We actually came up with several funding methods including a bake sale, but for some reason none of us felt comfortable with any of it. We needed to know from God Himself that we were doing things His way. We needed to be guided by His hand in a very tangible way. We made a few radical decisions, all that would stretch our faith immensely.

Guidelines for the Ministry

1. We would not ask anyone for money.
2. We would not fund raise. (not even a bake sale!)
3, We would not apply for grants.
4. We would never borrow money.
5. We would not go into debt. If the money was not there for the next step, then we would not
take a next step.
6. We would trust that if God wanted us to move forward then we would know His will by His
provision.
7. All funds would be raised through prayer alone, nothing else.

We were truly traveling into unknown territory. None of us had ever taken such a seemingly rash step of faith. Yet we knew God was all powerful. We also knew He knew we were not skilled in what He was asking us to do. We, like the frightened women we were, had to be sure that God Was Indeed With Us!!

In Exodus 33 Moses is fearful that God will not go with the people. They have been obstinate. They have been rebellious. Moses makes a statement that says it all, “ If Thy presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here. For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Thy sight.” God’s presence was ultimately the most important thing to Moses. And so it was to us. If God was leading us, then His provision was the definitive sign we needed.

Philippians 4:19
My God shall supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.