Knitting Hearts Ministry on Saturday, October 12, 2019
With Irene Partipilo
Albaster Boxes Ministries, Indian Land, SC
Written by Sue Sanders
Beautifully decorated tables adorned with props for the interactive activities and tables filled with a delicious continental breakfast set the atmosphere for a powerful and anointed morning. As guests ate the delicious continental breakfast, they mingled and shared around the tables. Joyce Sanders welcomed everyone and opened the gathering in prayer. Dalana Barnett’s enthusiasm was obvious as she introduced Irene Partipilo from Alabaster Boxes Ministries to the group and shared some of her credentials and background.
Irene gave a short introduction to her message, “Glide: Learning to Rest n the Wings of God’s Love.” Burt Cousar blew the shofar. We lifted our hands and opened our hearts as Tony Bogart drew us into the presence of the Lord with a powerful worship song. We acknowledged that all other names fade way and invited Jesus to take His place. Dalana invited us to share with the ministry through giving an offering.
Irene shared the focus of her message: To disclose the key that opens the door and thee simple techniques we can start doing today that will change our lives. She shared a key Scripture, Isaiah 40: 31: “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint.” To soar, eagles need a headwind. They must face into the wind to experience lift. The air currents flow over and under their uniquely formed wings, and then the gliding bird is lifted up. Assisted by these air wings, the eagle can then soar. Her goal was to teach us practical steps that would help us soar like the eagle and discover the incredible plan God has for each one of us.
Irene shared that she had three lives. The first was her life before Christ, the second her life after salvation but living in her own strength, and the third experiencing the power of the Lord in her life in surrender to Him. She quoted from Nelson Mandela, “Resentment is like a glass of poison that a man drinks; then he sits down and waits for his enemy to die.”
(Outlines of her complete message are available.)
Irene defined forgiveness telling us what it is and what it is not. She instructed us that reconciliation is a two-way street. She stated, “It requires repentance, acknowledgement of wrong and a turning away resulting in changed behavior. It takes time to rebuild the trust that was broken.” She illustrated by covering herself with a black cape labeled as sin. Once she gave her issues to the Lord (symbolized by casting the cape aside), then she could forgive. Participants made a small cape from items on the various tables and labeled it as sin. Then we were encouraged to ask, “Who do I need to forgive?’ She reiterated that forgiveness is a one-way street while reconciliation is a two-way street.
The next part of her teaching focused on learning to apologize. She declared, “If you don’t forgive, you allow your past to rule your present and rule your future.”
Through song, Tony led us to give the Lord our hearts and our souls. We cried, “Every breath that I take, every moment I’m awake, Lord, have Your way in me.”
Romans 12: 1, 2 urges us to offer our bodies as a “living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Irene mentioned Caroline Leaf’s study on training the brain and renewing the mind for anyone desiring to go deeper. She pictured repetitive thoughts as traffic jams in our brain and warned that every thought we have is not ours. This segment of her teaching centered on bringing our thoughts captive and yielding to God’s plan. The acronym ANTs, Automatic Negative Thoughts, guided the lesson. Guests pulled a pipe cleaner out of the bag on the table and fashioned a visual of an ant. We were to remember to identify and eradicate the ANTS. We wrote affirmation cards to replace ANTs with truth.
We then sang of being undone in His presence, bowing before Him, and declaring Him wonderful, beautiful, glorious, and matchless in every way.
She shared a visual of being filled with the Lord and putting God first. She also invited us to picture a conveyor belt going up into God’s presence. All the issues we are dealing with are on the conveyor belt. There is a curtain and then rows and rows of angels. We are to give the issues to the Lord so that the angels can be released.
She quoted I Peter 5: 6-7: “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” Then she invited us to picture the escalator and visualize what we needed to surrender to Him. It could be our desires, our worries, our thoughts, our ministries. We must let go of these so that the Holy Spirit can fill us. She said, “Transformation requires that we learn to release all of these things to Him, the good and the bad, creating space (quiet) for God to fill us with the treasures He has stored up for us.” As individuals waited before the Lord, Tony sang of running to the mercy seat where Jesus is calling. He said that His grace would cover and that His blood would provide the healing. The invitation was open for each one to come running to the mercy seat.
A contemplative atmosphere rested over each one as we waited in God’s presence to discern what He was saying to us. Letting go and releasing is an ongoing process if we desire to soar and rest on the wings of God’s love.
Hearts United Women's Ministry 