February 29, 2012

Greetings, Cohort!

It is an auspicious day – 2-29-12, so on this Leap Year day I am bringing you all a warm greeting. It is also a snow day for most of us, the only one really of this funny winter, so that also makes this day special. I hope you make the most of the really nice snowman snow if you can!

I have been working on Lenten devotionals for my R&BT website the last 3 weeks, trying to get some ahead so I can concentrate on school stuff. It won’t be long and April 20th will be upon us, so I am trying to put the ingredients together for an awesome time together - Unit Retreat 1-3!

I am really excited about our UR 1-3 workshop time around church history. Not everyone loves history, but it really gets my blood jumpin’. Especially as a woman I have seen the inestimable value of knowing the history of the church. If I would just look around me in the present day without a knowledge of what women have contributed in the past, I would not have any confidence in my calling at all. But as I have dug into the history of the Christian church, I have been able to see women working side by side with men in every age, exercising every gift God promised to all believers.

I will not be majoring on women in history during the UR 1-3 Church History Workshop, but I will briefly tell you about 2 special independent studies I did during my seminary days that highlighted some women’s contributions to the church.

David Tyvoll will be presenting a workshop on Biblical Stewardship on Saturday, April 21. He will give us  a much needed foundation for understanding how God wants us to treat money and other resources he entrusts to us. Be sure to read “The Treasure Principle” in preparation for David’s workshop. Another really great book Steve and I like is by Robert Morris called “A Blessed Life”. It is a wonderful testimony of how God honors us when we honor him with the first fruits of what he gives to us.

“Honor the Lord with your substance and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.” Proverbs 3:9-10.

I have some ideas about enhancing the Systematic Theology presentation this time that I think you will find very helpful and informative.

You are prayed for regularly, and lovingly. God has a plan and purpose for your life, especially as it touches our school. He is bringing much fruit to you and me because we are pressing in to know him better.

My day just got to be more special because of a visiting troop of ROBINS! There must have been 15-20 in my trees and bushes! WOOHOO! SPRING IS ON THE WAY!

Love and Hugs,
Joan Tyvoll

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Welcome to spring, friends! Well… it sure seems like it this week with the warm temps. My dining room table is covered with seed catalogues, so you can tell that spring fever flares up for me at this time of the year…

The other stuff piled on my table is books! Of course. I re-read the Billy Graham book he wrote in 1975 called “Angels” this week. I put his book on your “optional” reading list and as I am reading it I decided to HIGHLY recommend it! It is encouraging, empowering and downright strengthening! God is so good to us to provide angels’ help in little and big ways.

With some national ministers/prophets saying that they feel that God wants us to pray for an increase of angelic presence for the church and individuals in 2012, “Angels” helps us to understand what it is all about, and why we might really want to do just that!

Graham’s book has been on our bookshelf since the ‘70’s, but I hadn’t read it in a long time. So it was a huge blessing to me.

I am already studying and preparing for the April retreat. God is giving me plans for the summer retreat as well. I thought I would remind you of the dates for the summer retreat, and encourage you to be sure to put it on your calendar. It is so easy to fill up your weekends in the summer months. As I see how God is building on each of the retreats, I would hate to have anyone of you miss even one retreat.

Note the date for the October 2012 retreat as well as the January 2013 one. Those two retreat dates are negotiable for a time, so if you see a conflict, now is the time to speak up while I can still make some adjustments… Otherwise they are set in stone.

I am trying to connect with each of you by skype, phone or visit. If I haven’t talked to you since the January retreat, please get in touch with me so I know you are alive, okay and happy! When you talk to me or your coach if it isn’t me, be sure you are beginning a discussion about a possible senior project. Some of you already have some ideas, which is really fun.

Please post any prayer requests or thoughts on the school blog; it is a good way for us to keep current with one another. By the way, I am thrilled you “city folk” are doing some gatherings on your own!

School is such a wonderful blessing to me. As I “handle” this God-stuff, my conviction and commitment to him and his Kingdom work just deepens. It is a huge gift to be passing this precious stuff on to you. I have been thinking about the Mercy Me song: “Spoken For”.  “take this world from me, I don’t need it anymore…”

It occurred to me that this is the heart of NRSD: I want to spoil you for this world (cosmos). I desire for you to fall so deeply in love with the things of God that nothing else will satisfy… “My heart is spoken for…”

Love to all of you. Hope to hear from you soon, and just know I am praying for you.

Joan Tyvoll

UR 1-3: April 20-22, 2012

UR 1-4: July 27-29, 2012

UR 2-1: October 5-7, 2012

UR 2-2: January 11-13, 2013

UR 2-3: April 19-21, 2013

UR 2-4: July 26-28, 2013

GRADUATION!