Connecting Women to Jesus and One Another.

Are we going to see you there? We hope so! Please help us plan ahead by registering online (link in the bio) or reach out to Bonnie at Church. You won’t want to miss this!

2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” The beautiful part of God’s grace is stated so plainly in this verse in 2 Corinthians that it makes tears well up in my eyes. “...always having all sufficiency in all things…” I’m sure you could find a theological definition of grace that's more technical, and there have been pages upon pages written about the Grace of God. But for me, a daughter of the King, who wears so many hats in this life, the view of grace as having all sufficiency in all things IS grace. It's a grace that keeps me on my knees when I need answers. It’s a whispered prayer on my lips when I’m facing what feels impossible. It’s that extra second of patience that keeps me from yelling at my children. It’s that friend who stops by with a coffee just to say they see you. It’s the 15 minutes you get to leave work early so you can get to the baseball game on time. It’s the lifegroup that keeps you floating each week with prayers and texts of encouragement. There is grace that God has extended to us for the forgiveness of our sins. And there is grace that abounds towards us daily in this – that for all of our life, God has sufficiently provided all that we need so that we may have an abundance for every good work. We don’t have to look any farther than the next 10 minutes to see God’s grace in our lives, if we are looking for it.  And maybe that’s clutch. We just have to be aware of the little ways God is sustaining us and giving us ALL sufficiency in all things. He doesn’t promise that He will give us SOME things or only sustain us for the BIG things in life. He says ALL sufficiency in ALL things. And that is such beautiful grace; demonstrated daily, there for the taking, eyes wide open, we are sufficiently able to do all things through His grace.  Written by: Alisha Keating

Look for this Snowball Bash donation tree in the courtyard at Church on Sunday!

Come celebrate the birth of Jesus together ❤️💚 The link to register is in the bio or stop by the women’s ministry booth on Sunday ❣️

Dearest women of EFCC, please come usher in the Christmas season together on December 3rd at a brunch from 10am - 1pm. Join us as we enjoy timeless traditions and hear how the Greatest Story Ever Told is still just as important today as it was back then. Our special guest speaker will be NBC News Anchor Monica Dean. Please register online or at EFCC.

INTENTION. Thank you Alisha Keating for your powerful words. “Intention is a word I think can sometimes feel daunting. We’ve all been told being intentional is a wonderful thing but what does it ACTUALLY look like?  I’ve come to realize intention is all about the small decisions we make throughout the day. One of my absolute favorite quotes is by Mother Teresa who said,  “Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love”. I just love that. In fact, she was putting into practice 1 Corinthians 16:14 that says “Let all that you do be done in love”. Every small act I do can be done with great love.  One example of what I am trying to be intentional about right now is building my boys up with my words. I am trying to make sure that when I talk to them or about them, that I am using my words to encourage them. It is something I have to be intentional about because words of correction and guidance come much more easily to me. I have to make an intentional decision each day that I will use my words to help build their confidence in who they were created by God to be. It’s a known fact in my house my oldest son has the loudest voice. That boy can project at an ear piercing, max-decibel-verified, rate. I used to sort of plug my ears and say things like “that is too loud!” But then I saw that he started also noticing how loud he was at times, I realized he was sort of getting “being loud” as a part of his identity, for good or for bad. So now I have set my intention and I try to just laugh and smile at him and say “That voice of yours is going to be used in a mighty way for God when you’re a grown man!” It sounds so cliche when I write it, but I honestly believe that my speaking these kinds of words of encouragement over him will help shape his identity. Instead of being worried about how loud his voice can be, he will be more willing to be in a position of speaking, coaching, singing, or preaching. God needs my son’s voice somehow for His Kingdom and I need to keep my intention of speaking words of encouragement over him, and do it with great love.  What is something you are being intentional about?

Please be aware that the following post has content that may be difficult for anyone who has lost an unborn baby I love meeting new friends. I am fascinated by people and love hearing people's stories. But as a female of child-bearing age, I'm scared of the question that inevitably comes with meeting new people: Are you going to have more kids?  I have two beautiful boys who are 5 and 7 now so naturally, the question arises. And I get it. I'm sure I have done it to other people in the past. I have asked private questions expecting a generic answer.  But somehow the question still always makes my heart race, my hands feel a little sweaty, and my mouth dry up.  At first, I used to just say "No, we probably won't have any more", because that's a safe, generic answer and no one questions it. But the more I shared my stories in private conversations, the more I realized, it was fear that was holding me back from an honest answer. You see, the honest answer is that I've carried 5 babies who were never born alive.  I begged God to spare their lives but the answer was no. The last kiddo I carried passed away at 16 weeks gestation and I got to hold him in my arms and say goodbye to his little earthly body even though he was already in heaven with Jesus. And with all that, I am not able to have more children because of how the pregnancies physically affect my heart and have been told it would be too dangerous to keep going. The honest answer is that even though years have passed, I still can't talk about my babies in heaven without tearing up. For years I have tried to grapple with this reality and through wonderful friends, counselors, and family, I have learned to hold my grief with open palms at the foot of the cross. (Continued in comments) -Alisha Keating

Ladies- it’s our Fall Kick-off event!!! You don’t want to miss it! Register today at EFCC.org/events

I always pictured myself on the mission field. In a remote village somewhere giving medical care to the most vulnerable, namely orphans and widows. Growing up as an MK (missionary kid in church speak!) I had always assumed I would be in a third world country for most, if not all, of my life. I went to school to become a nurse and then a nurse practitioner because I knew the more I knew, the more helpful I would be in whatever country I ended up in. I ordered my life very carefully with my goals to work a few years in the US and then to move to a country that the Lord would call me to.  And then I got married.  My husband is supportive of my dreams and loves to dream with me on how God could use my skills and passion for global health, but at this time in our lives, he has been called to serve the local church, not the global one. So the first full time job he got working at a local church stunned me in a way I had not expected.  I’m not going to lie, it was a very hard pill for me to swallow. Because I grew up overseas and saw the beautiful and challenging work of serving the global church, I had somehow started to believe and truly feared that living a life in America meant mundane, “average”, and selfish. Now any of you who have lived overseas, perhaps can understand this subtle, yet dangerous view of the world. I was sure God didn’t need me to serve Him here in the US where most people have access to at least some form of water, food, and healthcare. I was sure He already had enough people in the US to do His will and surely He needed me somewhere else. I was sure that everyone around me had access to the gospel and so why would God need me to serve His kingdom with my gifts here? Through counseling, lots of tears, and a lot of life events that stripped so much of my self-clung identity away over the past few years, I can truly say that everything is as God wants it to be. He wants me to serve Him HERE. Right here in Escondido, at EFCC, alongside my husband, raising 2 boys… in the US.  (Continued in comments) Written by Alisha Keating

1 Peter 4:10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. You have a gift.  I love this verse. There’s no beating around the bush or denying it. There’s no hesitation. It’s almost as if Peter is just assuming it when he’s writing this– You have a gift.  I think sometimes we don't FEEL like we have any gifts so we aren’t sure where to serve. We sometimes just serve with what’s in front of us because it was presented to us. And honestly, that’s ok and sometimes necessary in our life– just jump in serving the people in front of you and figure out what gift you have later.  But isn’t it amazing that God has given you a gift and wants you to steward it for his grace? How crazy is that!? He actually loves that you have a unique gift and wants you to use it to glorify and serve Him.  And in fact, being a good steward of our gifts means being intentional about knowing WHAT our gifts are. It’s not always an easy process to identify and it often takes discipleship and mentorship from others to help us hone our gifts. I am being mentored by my beautiful friend Bonnie Nichols, and it has been so helpful to identify my core values, my gifts, and my stengths. I know one of my gifts is being a connector. I love to connect with people and also to connect people with other people. It’s one of my favorite things and brings me so much joy! I see God use this gift as I come alongside my husband in the music ministry. I love getting to host and connect with the many people on the worship teams and help others feel comfortable and connect with each other.  What is something you feel you are gifted at? How do you think you could serve the body for God’s grace and glory? We would love to hear from you! Written by Alisha Keating

How do you feel about that word? It’s our word this month and our verse is 1 Peter 4:10. “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” Can I ask you a question? Do you serve? I’m asking because these are the questions I ask myself and work through with God. If you do- why do you serve? If you don’t- why don’t you? I’m not placing any judgment. I know that I have had seasons that I haven’t served in my own life, but I think it’s good for us to ask ourselves the tough questions. Just because we serve doesn’t mean we are serving with the right heart. And just because we aren’t serving doesn’t mean we aren’t for good reasons. So I think that taking the time to ask some tough questions of ourselves could serve us well. I know it helps me to evaluate myself from time to time and make sure my heart is where it should be and if it’s not then it’s a good time to catch it and get it turned in the right direction. Here’s some questions I’d like to pose for us to ask ourselves. Do you serve? Why do you serve? Do you like where you serve? Do you believe God calls you to serve? Is there something else you could be doing that would serve better? Do you know when to take a break? What do you do to refuel yourself? If you don’t serve, why? What is the condition of your heart when you serve? Again, I want to remind you, these are questions between you and God. And believe me, I am asking myself these same questions. Where I need to change or adjust, I trust God to show me. And where I am settled right now, I trust Him to keep me there until He shows me it’s time to move. God’s word says we “should” serve. I know there are plenty of times I haven’t done what I should’ve and I’ve missed out. I’ve missed out on the benefits that come from the things we should do. God asks us to do things because He loves us and since He loves us they must be what’s good for us. Is it always easy, no. Is it always worth it, yes! Let’s take some time this week and examine our “service”. I’ll be doing it with you

Have you ever noticed how the word JOY definitely takes a front seat in our minds around the Christmas holiday season? It’s like all of December is focused on JOY and then as the year starts off we slowly let it go and embrace the stress and realities of life again. By February, some of us might not even be experiencing JOY at all and are struggling with life experiencing words like STRESS, WORRY and FEAR, When I picked the “words of the month” that I wanted us to focus on in 2022, JOY was definitely one that I wanted to include. However, for some unforeseen reason it ended as our word for July. I’m gonna definitely give God the credit for that because as I evaluate life, we are halfway through another year and I think many of us could use the reminder right about now that JOY is something we should be more intentional about pursuing. Romans 15:13 says- May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Can we let that sink in for a minute? We know God is a God of hope and want that hope He gives as we pursue the life He has planned for us. How do we get that hope? The verse tells us- by keeping our eyes on Him and having Him fill us with joy and peace as we trust Him. I would also suggest that part of the definition of “hope” includes joy and peace. And why does God tell us this? So we can overflow with hope! How much joy would we experience in our day to day lives if we lived in overflowing hope? Ladies, JOY is a blessing from God. How can we be intentional about living in JOY all year and not just the month of December? Share with us your ideas! Leave a comment below.