Reprints! Yeah!

I know I say this often...but I'M SO EXCITED! "The Girl in the Dress" has been out two months and is already going into reprints! What an awesome response!

I had the pleasure of leading worship and speaking at the quarterly Pastors & Intercessors Network Ministry hosted by Zion Christian Church this morning.

And I'm working diligently on a new project on intimacy with God as revealed through the Tabernacle in the wilderness. It's a fascinating study that begins in the Garden of Eden and ends in Revelation. I can't wait to share more with you in the future.

Looking forward to two soon-coming speaking engagements. One in Frankenmuth and one in Kentwood--both in Michigan. And on a personal note, my stepdaughter is getting married and my oldest daughter's graduation open house is scheduled for the following day. Busy, busy, busy.

We loose an hour tonight...so I better get off Blogger and get some work done. Blessings to all...and THINK SPRING!

Aiming to be a Rat Race Escape Artist

I'm running
I'm running from the rat race
I'm running to the holy place
I'm running to the mercy seat
I'm running to my Savior's feet
I'm running to His warm embrace
I'm running to His smiling face
I'm running 'cause He gives me grace
I'm running to the holy place

Just a little poem to introduce a new project I'm working on. It began with a simple commitment to read the Bible through this year. From there it sprouted into a personal study on the Tabernacle that blossomed into a major project I can't wait to share.

I don't have the title yet, but I know at least one of the presentations/segments will be titled Shut in with God to Shine Among Men.

It's a study on intimacy with God--a theme that runs through the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. I have wept at the beauty I have found in the Word--God's plan for relationship, for a Bride for Himself. Someone to respond to His love--willingly, openly, without reserve. Someone to enter into the private chamber of His Holy Place and dwell in His presence among the angels.

So, I'm letting go of the frenzied pace
to enter in that secret place
to partake of delights yet unknown
Drawing near to the ark, the throne
'Til at last I pass through gates of pearl
And become forever Jesus' girl

Oh, yes, it's corny...

Did you expect something else? LOL! But there really is a lot of depth to what I'm studying. Here's a sample that will hopefully whet your appetite and give you something to think about:

Frankincense and myrrh are both harvested from trees slashed or wounded to release their sap. The Bible uses trees symbolically to represent people. If I am a tree, is it my life’s wounds that release the sap used to create the incense that mingles with my prayers before the Lord?

WELL...On the business side of things...

I've scheduled several events this year already (see schedule on sidebar) and have been requested for more that have not been finalized. I've been asked to speak in India and Kenya, and am taking these to prayer. The calendar is getting complicated with personal items as well. My step-daughter plans to marry one week from my first-born's high school graduation. Yikes!

So if you're planning an event and you haven't scheduled your speaker yet, let me know, so we can make sure your event gets on the Affirming Faith calendar before it's completely hijacked with other obligations.

Have a blessed day!

Sharing the Love ... or Love Lessons

Yesterday was Valentine's Day, and because it fell on a Sunday, Pastor Walker decided to do something different for morning worship service. He asked a few couples to share something they've learned about being married. This is what I spoke on.

First, for two people to have a successful marriage, they have to realize they are just that...two people. My husband is a wonderful person...one who also happens to have flaws. Guess what!?! So am I! So are you! I can't expect perfection when I can't give it. And I have learned to accept my husband even on the rare occasions he disappoints me -- even when he purposefully pushes my buttons. He's a big tease, but a sweetheart, and I'm blessed to be married to a man who loves me, cares for me, supports me and prays for me...even if he makes me crazy from time to time (those of you who know him will say amen).

I have to say my greatest lesson has come from my greatest challenge. Not only do men and women think differently and feel differently due to gender issues, but every person has a basic motivational thrust -- their first-response to a situation that gives some insight into who they are and how they think.

Here's an example. If someone spills a can of paint, what is your initial gut response? Bill, the more compassionate of the Wagners, would first respond to the person's emotions. "Oh, no. I'm so sorry that happened." He'd be right there with a towel to help clean it up, too. I, on the other hand, would react in a different way. "How in the world did that happen?" Arms might even flap as I attempted to figure out what caused it and make sure it didn't happen again.

Another person might be motivated by service. They would immediately clean up the spill as their first reaction. Someone else might be motivated by giving. They would run right out and buy you another can. An encourager-type might give you a 12-step plan on how not to spill paint. See how all these different motivations can play out in our lives? Understanding your spouse's basic motivation will help you process the way they react to and approach life--it can really eliminate a lot of frustration.

Lastly, what I've learned is that the place where my husband and I clash the most is the very place we probably need each other the most. Here's another example. I have a tendency to want to make quick decisions. My husband likes to take a very contemplative approach to decision making. Well, you can see how this could put a strain on a marriage. I can't say I love it when decisions don't happen within my self-imposed time frame (fingers drumming on the desk or toes tapping beneath), but I have learned to better temper my compulsive tendencies and trust my husband, especially on the big decisions. And perhaps Bill has learned in our 12 years of marriage to be more purposeful about decision making and not hold off when there is no reason to delay.

So there's some of the Wagner dirty laundry out on the line. Marriage is great, and although it's not always easy, I hope you will learn from my school-of-hard-knocks lessons that God uses our spouses to help us grow personally and spiritually.

Conference Highlights

I had a request for some of the highlights from Because of the Times. Keep in mind this is a conference for ministers and these are totally out-of-context excerpts from 40 pages of notes taken over two-and-a-half days...so here we go...

Bro. David Bernard - Our world's greatest revival is in front of us. To see it we must think outside the box, reach out to those who are searching spiritually and remember the most cutting-edge and relevant thing we have is the power of the Holy Ghost.

Governor Bobby Jindal - Don't worry about your questions for God. Worry about His questions for you.

Bro. Anthony Mangun - Church shouldn't be a place to go to, but a place to go from. Even if you're taking God from where He was to where He wants to be, we have to do it His way and not look to what the Philistines did (when David retrieved the ark of the covenant). There is only one way to have revival--the Holy Ghost. We can get so "deep" we miss the depth of the Holy Ghost. There are no large or small churches in the Kingdom--God walks AMONG the candlesticks.

Bro. Terry Shock - You CAN teach an old dog new tricks. Don't live your life on cliche theology, but on the Word of God. God doesn't put more on us than we can bear, but we can.

Dr. Archibald Hart - Finishing well starts at the beginning. God is more concerned that we finish well than be a "success." We have to live within the boundaries of God's design and God designed us to be fragile, weak, vulnerable clay pots. We can't be spiritual and deny our humanity. Jesus obeyed every physical law, even the law of rest. It is not great talent God blesses, but likeness to Jesus. The vessel must be clean or the message won't be. God designed our stress reaction and recovery cycle--it is part of His creation. Build in recovery time.

Bro. Michael Williams - Rending garments signaled grief and desparation--a problem or dilemma or tragedy that defied resolution. Priests were forbidden to rend their garments. There is nothing too overwhelming for God. The priests of the second temple rent their garments in Jesus' presence, but Jesus' robe, our high priest, was not torn. We are called not to rend our clothes in despair and hopelessness, but to rend our hearts.

Bro. Wayne Huntley - Don't flirt with birthing something wild you can never regain or remove. Preempt the conception. What you preach is what God will do. The devil can't put any yoke on you the anointing of God can't break. Don't transfer your need for approval and acceptance to those who stand around false fires, but from those of like precious faith.

Bro. T.F. Tenney - Don't ask "What do you believe?" but "Who do you trust?". We can use the name of God without knowing His character--we must express His character through love. Revelation + experience = power. We can't invoke the name of Jesus to accomplish the will of man. Jesus is on the mercy seat, not the judgment seat. The devil never showed up in the Old Testament tabernacle or temple, but he did in the synagogue. There was no mercy seat there; only the law. Some of the things we preach against aren't sin, but they keep us from sin. God put all the meaning and power of the Old Testament names of God in Jesus, and we have to experience Him in these ways to be empowered. Jesus isn't just the A and Z, but everything in between.

Sis. Vesta Mangun - Nothing hell can produce can upstage the Church. We should wear our hearts on our sleeves: not our emotions and feelings, but our real selves. Get real. Pull off the mask. If you love God, wear it for all to see. Our prayers have the power to heal the past and provide for the future. Lead people into prayer, into revival, into winning our cities. If we haven't done well how can Jesus say "Well done"?

Bro. Robbie Mitchell - To achieve global impact we must have individual impact. Every person is extremely important to God. When our words and our actions don't go together there is a problem. We can't neglect evangelism to minister to petty needs of saints. Nothing should interfere with our focus on the lost.

Bro. Jeff Arnold - The dimension of faith is like a jetstream; we have to jump into it. We are anchored to Jesus and He is unmovable. In overwhelming times we need an overcoming God. Your destiny is not up to the devil. Anchors give us stability and keep us from drifting. They will hold us as long as we keep in the right direction, but they can be dislodged if you circle around and go the opposite direction. Don't try to escape what God wants you to experience.

Generous January

Yep, that's what I said..."generous January." The Lord has blessed the beginning of the new year in so many ways.

First, the holidays were just awesome and my sweet husband gave me the most wonderful Christmas gift: a ticket to Because of the Times (BOTT), a tremendous conference where I marinated in the rich presence and Word of the Lord for three days. It was great and I'll be feasting on what I took from there for a long time...no kidding...I took over 40 pages of hand-written notes.

I've been amazed at all the requests coming in from all over the country for speaking engagements in 2010. Still finalizing many of the details, so check back for updates, or better yet, drop me an email at loriwagner@affirmingfaith.com and sign up to be on the Affirming Faith mailing list.

One special lady really blessed my slippers off when she placed an order for 100 copies of Gates & Fences for an upcoming mother-daughter conference. I was so happy to sign and pray over each book and hope the young ladies are encouraged by this thoughtful gift.

I am so happy I have all my ducks in a row for tax season (I hope and will find out tomorrow). What a huge undertaking. I have a confession. I use the shoebox method for receipts. It's very convenient throughout the year, but quite a mountain of work to prepare Affirming Faith, my husband's drywall and plastering business and our personal things for the accountant. But I know myself, and I will trade the 361 days of non-filing and non-spreadsheeting for the 4 days of sweating it out during tax season.

One very nice thing I ran across this month was a file of devotional thoughts I wrote probably 15 years ago. They were written before my first husband passed and I could see the Lord's hand preparing me for the road ahead in the things he showed me. Here's a sample, and I'll be adding some to the Message in a Bottle blog (see link in column at right).

Worry or faith?
Anxiety or hope?
Apprehension or trust?
The answers are etched on our faces by time.
Are we creating a sculpture of a frowning person
...or one full of hope and joy?
Say what we will, time will tell.

Jesus, let the lines on my face turn upwards
in praise to You
...to Your faithfulness.
Thank You for the hope and peace I have in You.

And then to top it all off, The Girl in the Dress was released this month, as well. Have you ever wondered why some girls choose to wear only skirts and dresses? This book answers some of those wonderings, in a fun, informative, graphic presentation exploring what the Bible, history, fashion designers, psychiatrists, teenage boys and others have to say about modesty and clothing. Ordering information available at www.affirmingfaith.com.

Well, I can't wait for Fabulous February! Blessings to you today...

December Days

December has been such a rich and rewarding month. I was so privileged to assist the Troy Police and VFW Post distributing baskets to families struggling to make ends meet in our Michigan economy. The bulk of the work was done by the Police and VFW, but the Pastors & Intercessors Network Ministry (www.pinmtroy.blogspot.com) raised money to assist in the purchases during our October prayer walk, and it was a blessing to be a small part of seeing their mission accomplished.

I had the cutest little assistant at the Cultural Christmas Extravaganza hosted by People of the Book Lutheran Outreach Ministries. I researched traditional Armenian Christmas traditions and shared some of them along with my book, Bachik, the Birthday Kiss, and other Affirming Faith resources. It was a fun evening and I was glad to have my daughter Hope with me in coordinating holiday fashions.

On a personal note, my husband delighted me with fresh roping this year, something I've always admired and wanted to do at my own home. Bill works on stilts in his drywall business, and that really came in handy when he and Charles were putting up the outside decorations.

Of course, there were Christmas concerts, a school play, a church children's musical, family get-togethers, and my first-born daughter Noelle turned 18 this month. Along with all the activities, I have found some time to write, because there was much on my heart to write about. I invite you to check out some that is posted on the "Message in a Bottle" blog at www.affirmingfaithmiab.blogspot.com. And as always, if the Lord gives me the opportunity, there will be more forthcoming on the blog and in some magazines I have been asked to write for.

I forgot to mention the Michigan National Day of Prayer Coordinator, Sylvia Turbergen, asked me to speak in a Lansing area church to some of the Michigan folks who couldn't make it out to the annual NDP conference. She wanted me to share the message I gave in Colorado Springs this past October called "You Have a Field to Defend." I forgot to take my camera, but here's a picture of Sylvia and me at a training we hosted in my neck of the woods previously.

So that's the synopsis of December although there is one day yet to finish out the year. May God richly bless you in 2010.