This Issue’s Theme: Inside this issue:

Portraits from Sandie 1

Letting Go of Fear
Prayer-Poetry & Praise 2

“Behold, God is my salvation, Women’s Koinonia 3

Book Of the Month
I will trust and not be afraid;
For YAH, the LORD, is my Recipes 4

strength and song; He also Devotional 5

has become my salvation.”
Women in Calvary Chapel 6-7
Isaiah 12:2

Calvary Chapel Information 8

Issue 1 of 2011 January - February Calendar 8

Fragrant Life Ministry

Calvary Chapel Reno/Sparks A Publication Of The Women’s Ministry

PORTRAITS FROM SANDIE BY SANDIE LUITWIELER

“ catastrophic illness. Would my faith be strong enough to carry me through?
Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise
His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can Have I exercised my faith muscle enough, am I strong enough to deal with
whatever the future holds? I hope so. I have so many examples of Godly
flesh do to me?” Psalm 56:3-4
women in this body that have endured more than I could ever imagine. They
I have often heard our faith in God compared to a muscle. Our muscles have come out on the other side as beautiful women of faith and trust, not
get stronger the more we exercise and use them. In the same way our faith shaken but strengthened.
in God gets stronger the more we exercise and use it. Some of strongest
When David penned Psalm 56, he had been captured by the Philistines at
Christians I know are the ones that use their faith muscle the most. One of
Gath; the enemy was on all sides of Him. His goose was pretty much cooked!
the most beautiful women I’ve met has been plagued by cancer most of her
Was David afraid, he certainly was, but what was he going to do? David
adult life, yet she radiates her faith to all who know her. Many people in our
chose to put his trust in the Lord and to praise His word. This same David
body are literally trusting God for their daily bread due to job losses,
wrote in Psalms 121, “I will lift up my eyes to the hills— from whence comes
illnesses and other trials in their lives, yet their faith remains strong.
my help? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. He
Are they afraid, you bet they are! But they know from where their help will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.”
comes from. They have learned to trust God by trusting God. As you see David knew that God would stay awake nights devising ways to protect him.
God working in your life, taking care of your fears, providing for your every And he (David) could lie down and sleep in perfect peace because God was
need, and answering your prayers, your faith muscle is being exercised and on the job.
made stronger. It will be much easier to trust next time.
Ladies, do not fear being fearful. Fear is designed to lead us to God as our
As I started this letter I thought to myself, “I’m not a fearful person. I protector; fear is designed to bring us to our knees in prayer and to teach us
don’t know what I’m going to write about.” I must confess to you after to trust our God more. Fear is one of the things God uses in our lives to
much prayer and meditation I now know that I am indeed a fearful person. I exercise our faith muscle.
have the same fears as most women. What if I lose one of my kids or my
Love, Sandie
husband should be taken from me, what if one of my loved one was hit with

HERE AT CALVARY CHAPEL OUR DESIRES FOR THE WOMEN’S MINISTRIES ARE:
 To encourage deeper relationships and spiritual growth for the women  To give opportunity to study the Word of God together that women
in the body of Christ; might grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus; and

 To provide a place where women will be encouraged and uplifted to  To equip women to be lights in their homes, neighborhoods and
seek God’s best for their lives; workplaces reflecting the love of Jesus Christ to all.
 Page 2 Fragrant Life Ministry Issue 1 of 2011

PRAYER, POETRY AND PRAISE

“Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust, I
will not fear What can flesh do to me?” Psalm 56:3-4

According to Billy Graham… He said, “Jesus had

only three years of public ministry, yet he was never
too hurried to spend hours in prayer. How quickly and WOMEN’S KOINONIA
carelessly, by contrast, we pray...Jesus pleaded long and
FEBRUARY 19, 2011 10:00 A.M.
repeatedly. It is recorded that he spent entire nights in
fervent appeal. But how little perseverance and
persistence and pleading we show! The scriptures says,
“Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).”

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7

Set Your Mind On Things Above…
My Dear Sweet Sister’s, Oh how I struggled this
month to bring to you worship and praise that would
encourage your walk with Jesus Christ. Many hours
were spent searching and listening to beautiful words
that praised Our Heavenly Father and Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ. When I think about letting go of fears in
our lives, I think about letting Christ live within us and
change us into what we should be.
It is written in Colossians 3:1-4 “If then you were
raised with Christ, seek those things which are above,
where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set
your mind on the things above, not on things on the
earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with
Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears,
then you also will appear with Him in glory.”
We should be setting our mind on things above; a
Godly perspective. Not letting our fears control our
thinking. We need to stay “hidden with Christ.”
Be Thou My Vision
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art,
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, and I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, what ever be fall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,

We need to keep our eyes on Jesus. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
Page 3 Fragrant Life Ministry Issue 1 of 2011

WOMENS KOINONIA DECE MBER 18, 2010

“And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the
glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly
afraid. Then the angel said the them, “Do not be afraid, for
behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all
people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a
Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:9-11

Go out and share the good news of Jesus Christ with others! Do
not be afraid. Look forward to meeting with Him in prayer and in
his Word each day! Let your fears be turned to joy!

THE BOOK BAG~ WOMEN’S MINISTRY BOO K OF THE MONTH

This month we will be reading the book by Cheryl Broderson,
When a Woman Lets Go of Her Fears. Cheryl is the daughter of
Pastor Chuck and Kay Smith and the wife of Pastor Brian
Broderson. She and her husband currently serve at Calvary Chapel
Costa Mesa. This book is about the power and work that the Lord
can do through us, when we allow Him to have full access to our
lives. The greatest destroyer of our faith is fear. This book is an
excellent Bible study resource for women.

STARBUCKS AND BOOKS…

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works

and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

Wednesday’s: 9:30-10:30

At Starbucks on Longley & McCarren

Please join us anytime!

Call Kelly Gardner 657-6422

gardner.joyfullbooks@gmail.com

Or join us on the web!

http://joyfullbooks.blogspot.com
 Page 4 Fragrant Life Ministry Issue 1 of 2011

ENCOURAGING RECIPES FROM THE LADIES OF CALVARY CHAPEL

CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE PIE Topping Ingredients:

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Crust Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)
1 cup flour (rice flour or white flour) *gluten free with rice
flour Mix crust ingredients and press into a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350
degrees for 20-25 minutes. Cool to touch.
1/2 cup butter
Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, and half the container of
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)
Cool Whip together. Pour over cooled crust and smooth.
Filling Ingredients:
Prepare chocolate instant pudding by adding milk. Mix
8 ounce package cream cheese (soft) together 5 minutes. Pour over the top of cream cheese layer.

1 cup powdered sugar Spread remaining Cool Whip over the top of chocolate pudding
layer.
13 1/2 ounce container Cool Whip
Top with mini chocolate chips and nuts.
Large Package Chocolate Instant Pudding
Refrigerate several hours or overnight.
3 cups milk

PIE WITH A HISTORY… When the first of our kids married almost three
years ago, this recipe was passed on to her. She
When I first married my husband, this was the
made this most scrumptious pie for her husbands
second most delicious dessert he baked for me!!!
graduation from college; as his grandma followed
The first was a jar filled with chocolate chip
her around the kitchen eating bits out of the bowl
cookies already prepared as he brought me across
before the pie was even complete! Thus again…
the threshold into our first home together! The
“Love Pie.” This past Christmas we had our
second… was this most joyful bit of yum, we like to
daughters in-laws over for Christmas dinner. Once
call, “Helen’s dessert.” I like to think of this pie as,
again they declared they just “Loved the pie!”
“Love Pie.” Oh...don’t judge until you try… you will
say, “I love this pie too!” Happy Baking !

With Love, Kelly

 Page 5 Fragrant Life Ministry Issue 1 of 2011

DEVOTIONAL
Fear or Faith? key to tackling our fears? Faith.

Faith, simply put, is trust in God. It‟s the

Fear and faith. In the life of a Believer, these
certainty that what God says is true. Andrew
two words are considered polar opposites.
Murray, in his book “An Exciting New Life”,
There are many trials in life that cause fear to stir
explains faith as “what God has said or promised.
within us…upsetting things going on in the world
With God, speaking and doing always go
around us. Just turn on the latest news report
together.” Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith, it
and you‟ll hear enough in the first 10 minutes to
is impossible to please Him…” How much faith is
send you into a tailspin of fear. Does your life
required? Jesus told His disciples, “if you have
feel out-of-control, just as the events going on in
faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this
the world? The truth is, our lives *are* out-of-
mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will
control…that is, out of *our* control! It is in the
move; and nothing will be impossible for
control of our loving Father, the One who
you.” (Matthew 17:20) Do you know the size of
promises to take care of us.
a mustard seed? It is minute, tiny, the smallest of
When my children were little, going to bed could all seeds. Yet all we need is faith the size of a
become a battle of the “fears”. Being fans of mustard seed.
Veggie Tales, I would often sing a familiar song to
Faith believes the Word of God and the
them. The main words to the song were “God is
promises of God. Faith gives us comfort in the
bigger than the boogie man, He‟s bigger than
midst of fear. It gives us victory over our fear. It
Godzilla or the monsters on t.v. Oh God is bigger
sets us free.
than the boogie man and He‟s watching out for
you and me”. The words to the song spoke to my I‟ll close with the words to the old hymn, “„Tis
heart as much as its simplistic message spoke to So Sweet to Trust in Jesus”:
my children. Let‟s personalize this song to fit our „Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
situation: God is bigger than my---fill in your own Just to take Him at His word;
blank. God is bigger than my finances. God is Just to rest upon His promise,
bigger than my health issues. God is bigger than Just to know “thus saith the Lord.
my rebellious teen. God is bigger than my bad Jesus, Jesus how I trust Him! How I‟ve proved
habit…He‟s bigger than marital problems, He‟s Him o‟er and o‟er!
bigger than concern over unsaved family, He‟s Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! O for grace to
bigger than all of it. Our problems are nothing trust Him more!
compared to what God can do. So what is the
 Page 6
WOMEN IN CALVARY CHAPEL
TAKE TIME TO PRAY
BY MARY JANE ROBINETTE
From the moment I accepted Jesus Christ as my
Lord and Savior, God has been directing my
spiritual path. I have found that in my journey I have
stepped out of my comfort zone in ways I never
imagined would happen. Each time the Lord detours
my direction in my walk with Him, I find myself
questioning my confidence in myself to do the task
he places on my heart. Yet I know that when my
King calls upon me to serve Him, I will always
accept His call with a willing heart.
I was still in my shy zone several years ago when
I was invited to go along to a Women’s Night of
Worship. I was unfamiliar and nervous about going,
but I accepted the invitation. I thought it would be
worshiping the Lord in song. Instead it was a night
of women gathering in groups to pray aloud.
Instantly my emotional alarm was attacking me. Fear
had always been my enemy. Prayer to me was pre
written and memorized words. This Christian type of
praying was indeed a foreign language to me. My
first instinct was to inform the ladies surrounding me
that I was not aware we would be worshiping in
group prayer. I shared that I was raised in the Roman
Catholic religion and not accustomed to praying in
this manner. Even though these dear ladies were
comforting and understanding, I had no doubt in my
mind that I would remain silent when my turn to
pray came around the table. However, that didn’t
happen. To my surprise words began flowing from
my lips. I could hear my voice speaking, but I wasn’t
sure if any of my words were making sense. Nervous
words of prayer continued to flow from me. I was
praying aloud. I was oblivious to how many times I
had prayed. The near panic inside of me was
overwhelming but praise God, I was not alone that
evening. In my weakness the Holy Spirit helped me.
He gave me the words I needed to speak aloud in
prayer. The Lord had directed my path to attend that
Fragrant Life Ministry Issue 1 of 2011
Women’s Night of Worship. It was that night the
Lord was exhibiting to me that in His future plans
for me, prayer was going to become a ministry close
to my heart. The Holy Spirit was leading me to greet
my Lord in prayer. He removed the fear of being
void of words to give praise to my Father in prayer
in the presence of others. What an amazing God we
serve. He gives us the delight of knowing that we
have the Spirit’s help, even in praying. Romans 8:28
NLT And we know that God causes every thing to
work together for the good of those who love God
and are called according to His purpose for them.
My second experience in praying aloud was a
new beginning in my spiritual journey. Accepting
the Lords calling to my Greeters Ministry changed
my prayer life. The Lord was covering me with a
blessing of protection against my fear to pray aloud
with other people. My prayer partner and sister
greeter was a God sent inspiration of assurance to
me that my God wasn’t expecting for me to be fluent
in knowledge of big words, or that I needed to have
every bible verse memorized. My Father only
required for me to be myself and allow my words of
love to pour out openly in adoration to Him. I
realized that prayer is praise that comes from the
core of our heart and soul. Our Father wants His
children to speak His fragrance boldly in our own
words, no matter how big or small those words or
sentences may be. Our prayers are precious to Him
and should be prayed with a humble heart, praying
for wisdom to understand and trust His will. Praying
aloud is no longer a fear to me. No matter what
circumstance I face in prayer I always know that the
Holy Spirit, my helper, will be with me. The Holy
Spirit takes me as an empty vessel and fills me to
overflowing with a calming peace as I pray.
Matthew 18:20 NKJV "For where two or three are
gathered together in my name, I am there in the
midst of them."
The Lord has directed me to share with you my
personal prayer journey because He knows there are
many of us who fear praying aloud, or who are not
praying daily. The Lord has been speaking to my
heart everyday overwhelming me with a feeling that
 Page 7
WOMEN IN CALVARY CHAPEL
he wants me to communicate with others to pray. My
heart, my thoughts are consumed with only one word.
Our Father in heaven is asking us to "pray."
We are in the beginning of a new year. Resolutions
to change ourselves are usually made but soon
forgotten. Could this be the year we should ask our
self whether or not we are going to make our usual one
time a year resolutions in an attempt to better our
physical self; or are we going to make this the year we
change our spiritual self by having a true desire to love
the Lord and spend time each day in fervent prayer
with Him? So much is happening around us, in our
own church body, in our community, and the world.
The Lord is calling on each of us to get down on our
knees and pray.
Our God wants us to remain alert to the vicious and
soul hungry enemy that is hard at work to devour
anyone who has yet to accept Jesus as their Lord and
Savior. These lost souls continue to live by the flesh
and turn away from receiving God’s free gift of
salvation. Far too many times we approach these
people about Jesus and repeatedly we hear the same
reply, "I’m not there yet." It is so important for us to
cry out in our daily prayers for the salvation of lost
souls. We need to pray for our brothers and sisters
who struggle because of the bad decisions made by
our government leaders. They have lost their jobs.
They are losing their homes. Their families are in need
of food and shelter. Marriages are being attacked from
all the pressures the failing economy has placed upon
their daily lives. And the children, I {{fear}} for the
suffering of the precious children that have to witness
what is going on in their own homes and around them
in the schools. I pray that the Lord will cover them in
protection. The eyes of the evil one are watching what
is happening in our world today. Assuredly he is
boasting that even souls that are saved are turning to
sinful ways of the flesh. Not spending time in daily
prayer is what Satan is using to make us grow weak in
our spiritual life. Our God is crying out for us to come
to Him in prayer. Our sisters and brothers both saved
and unsaved who are struggling with the burden’s of
life will be encouraged to know that we love them so
much we will intercede in prayer for them. It is
Fragrant Life Ministry Issue 1 of 2011
(C ONT INUED)
through our faith that we spread the message of
salvation. It is through our intercessory prayers we can
help bring souls to come to know that Jesus is their
only path to heaven. It is through our intercessory
prayers we can help others find peace and fulfillment
of living a Jesus life and not a life of the world. Praise
God ~ we are blest to know that Jesus is coming soon
to take us home. Our daily prayers can bring healing to
the lives of our sisters and brothers. Our daily prayers
can save precious souls so that our loved ones and
even strangers will not be left behind to face the world
after the rapture.
My dear sisters in Christ, our Father is asking us to
begin this new year resolving to spend time each day
in prayer. He is reminding us that praying is having
conversation with Him. He gives us an intuitive
feeling that keeps returning. It is scripture God keeps
putting in our thoughts that He wants us to remember.
Praying is a worship activity where we praise the
Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in song. Prayer is
an intercessory act of love and concern when our Lord
gives us thoughts of other people close to us, or in our
church body, or even in our government. God sends us
messages to come to Him in prayer.
1Timothy 2:1- 6 NLT "I urge you, first of all, to pray for all
people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and
give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who in
authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by
godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior,
who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.
For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile
God and humanity - the man Christ Jesus. He gave His life to
purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to
the world at just the right time."
Beloved sisters in Christ,
with a loving heart I pass
on to you this word from
God our Father, "PRAY."
“Give ear to my words, O LORD,
Consider my meditation. Give
Heed to the voice of my cry, My
King and my God, For to You
I will pray. My voice You shall
hear in the morning, O LORD;”
Psalm 5:1-3
 Calvary Chapel Reno/Sparks 6,13,20,27 Women’s Prayer 9 am
January 2011
220 Edison Way, Reno, NV 89502
2nd Missions Prayer Meeting
(775)856-1110 FAX: (775) 856-2031
12:30 pm
www.calvarychapelreno.org
Sun Mo Tue We Thu Fri Sat 8th Singles Potluck 6 pm
Senior Pastor Tom Luitwieler
Admin. Pastor Rob Wolfe
1
Youth Pastor Juan Rodriguez 9th Widows Meeting 8:15am

Worship Pastor Scott Cresta 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

5,12,19,26 Starbucks & Books 9:30
Evangelism Pastor Leonard Sanchez
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Secretary Kim Wirshing
10,17,24,31 Women’s Bible Study
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
How Can I Get Involved in Women’s Ministries at
Calvary Chapel? 23 24 25 26 27 28 29

Calvary Chapel and You! 30 31

First: Present yourself to God (Romans 12:1) for

confirmation that He has planted you in this fellow- February 2011 3,10,17,24

6th
Women’s Prayer 9 am

Missions Prayer Meeting

ship. If so, then discover your gifts and God’s call- 12:30 pm
Su Mo Tue We Thu Fri Sat
ing in your life. 12th Couples Potluck 6 pm
1 2 3 4 5 13th Widows Meeting 8:15am
Second: Study to show yourself approved unto
God (2 Timothy 2:15). As you grow in your rela-
tionship with God, let Him prepare you for effec-
6 7 8 9 10 11 12 2,9,16,23 Starbucks & Books 9:30

tive service. 19th Women’s Koinonia 10am

13 14 15 16 17 18 19
7,14,21,28 Women’s Bible Study
Third: Be doers of the Word (James 1:22). Com-
mit yourself to the work of Jesus Christ in this 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
fellowship. Get involved as a yielded vessel to
God’s guiding anywhere He directs. 27 28

W H ER E I S G OD C AL L I N G M E TO S ERV E I N T HE C H UR CH
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ANY OF THESE MINISTRIES, PLEASE CONTACT THE CHURCH OFFICE AT 856-1110

 Helps Ministry—food pantry, meals ministry  CHILDREN’S MINISTRIES, NURSERY & CHILD CARE

 Café 2:42  Widows Meeting (Encourage & Prayer) 2nd Sunday of the
month in Café 242 @ 8:15 am.
 Women’s Greeters
 Moms In Prayer—Wednesdays 1:30-2:30 pm. This ministry is
 Women’s Monday Bible Study for moms who want to get together and pray for their
children. We meet on a weekly basis in the 3rd/4th grade
 Women’s Koinonia, Conferences, and Retreats
classroom. Child care will be shared as needed. Call DiAnn at
 PACE (Post Abortion Counseling Education) call Virginia Kentch at 972-4264.
287-2264.  Spirit Led Writers for our women’s newsletter. Original
 Women’s Prayer Group—Thursday’s 9 am poetry, recipes, stories, missions, answered prayers; fruit the
Lord has grown in you that you would like to share with
 Women’s Night of Worship others! email Kelly Gardner: clay-kelly@charter.net or call
657-6422.