Oxygen Magazine 2012 | W.I.L.D

God brings the best out of you... Romans 12:2 msg

YOUR VOICE MATTERS. BE A VOICE.

championscentre.com/oxygen | 1

02A welcome note from our hosts, Pastor Sheila & Jodi, about Oxygen Women’s Conference.

06What Was Once A Weakness

Holly Furtick

10Love In Translation

Jodi Cameron

14 Fighting For Our Beauties

Bringing Awareness

g u e s t you arec o n t a g i o u s

...infect your world.

h e l p i n g

18Party With A Purpose

m o r e . . .

w e l c o m eVISIT PAGE 15 TO FIND

OUT HOW YOU CAN MAKE A

difference! [LOCALLY]

to do...

2 | @ccoxygen

b e r e a d y

Each day you wake up with breath in your lungs, you can be confident you are alive for a reason. There is something we can do, there’s someone’s life we can influence. That is why this gathering of women exists: coming together to get Oxygen for the soul. As women we were born to be life-givers... But, sometimes, we just forget to pause and breathe in the OXYGEN that ignites and illuminates our purpose and passion.

There is nothing quite like a woman who walks in the purpose of God for her life everyday. She is WILDLY CONTAGIOUS!

Whether you realize it or not, you have the ability to influence people in your world for good or bad. Our hope is that through the inspiration and encouragement you can receive at Oxygen Conference, you will realize that your influence can be used for good and for God.

This year, Oxygen Conference is all about girls, coworkers, friends, moms, and sisters, coming together to be a positive force of light in this world. It’s women of all ages being under one roof to breathe in the same OXYGEN for the

Place Your Life Before GodRomans 12:1-2 msg

Take your everyday, ordinary life and place it before God as an offering...Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what He wants from you, and quickly respond to it... God brings the best out of you...

w e l c o m e


soul. This year it’s all about becoming W.I.L.D.—Women In Lifelong Development. It’s time to embrace a new kind of W.I.L.D—you can become an architect of change in our society and recognize your part to impact our world! Open up your heart and see how wildly contagious you really can be and how you can infect your world.

-Sheila & Jodi

laughterJodiCameron

Baby Ky Sheila “GiGi” Gerald

Twitter: @Sheilagerald @Jodi1gc

4 | @ccoxygen


Women In Lifelong Development

BE A MENTOR. EMPOWER A YOUNGER WOMAN. ENGAGE YOUR CHILDREN TO BE A PART OF MAKING A DIFFERENCE.

BE A VOICE. ACT LOCALLY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE GLOBALLY.

BE PURPOSEFUL. LIVING AND BREATHING FOR A GOD-CAUSE.

BE WISE. EDUCATE YOURSELF ABOUT THE WORLD YOU LIVE IN, SHARE YOUR KNOWLEDGE, EDUCATE OTHERS AND IGNITE A CONVERSATION.

BE GENEROUS. GIVE TO NON-PROFITS THAT HELP WOMEN.

6 | @ccoxygen

What was Once a Weakness

p eter was far from perfect. A fisherman by trade, he was closer to rambunctious than

he was righteous. He was assertive, loud, and unafraid to speak his mind. These very character traits that should have disqualified him from being used by God are actually the same traits that God would use to display His glory like never before.

As a wife and a mother, I know how easy it is to focus on everything that’s wrong with ourselves, our husbands, and our children. But I’ve learned that you can never let that be your only focus. If you do, you might just miss out on something God is trying to do right where you are. Throughout the Gospels, I think Jesus uses Peter to teach us several valuable lessons on how to take what we perceive as weaknesses and begin to see them as the strengths that God desires to develop in us.

For example, Peter had plenty of boldness. He often acted before he thought, and it often got him into trouble. In Matthew 16, as Jesus began to predict His death, Peter decided it would be a

h o l l y f u r t i c k

L to R: Steven, Elijah, Abbey, Holly, Graham.


good idea to rebuke Jesus. “Never, Lord!” He said. “This shall never happen to you!”

Not a good idea. Jesus replied, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” I’m pretty sure “Satan” is the worst thing that Jesus could ever call you.

Later, in John 18, Peter stepped out of line again. This time, as Jesus was being arrested, he drew his sword and cut off the ear of one of the high priest’s servants. In Luke 22, we find out that Jesus actually took the time to pick up the ear and put it back on the servant’s head.

All the while, Jesus never let Peter’s weaknesses disqualify him from what Jesus was calling him to do. Remember, Peter was the rock that Jesus chose to build His church upon. He had walked on water and would even preach on the day of Pentecost, where 3,000 people would be saved.

I venture to tell you today that God

h o l l y f u r t i c kstrength

“ Whatever you’re frustrated with in yourself, your spouse, and your children, may actually just be an undeveloped strength waiting to be put in the hands of God.”

keepin’ it real“I like to write in pencil. Not sure why. Maybe because I am a bad speller and I can erase.” - Holly

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wants to take your greatest weaknesses and turn them into your greatest strengths.

So what does that mean for me?

Does it mean that God is going to take every sin in my life and turn it into something good? Of course not.

This isn’t a magic trick.

But whatever you’re frustrated with in yourself, your spouse, and your children, may actually just be an undeveloped strength waiting to be put in the hands of God.

For example, all of my life, I’ve considered myself to be a people-pleaser. I spend way too much time worrying about what other people think about me. Is everyone happy with me? Is anyone angry with me? Did I say anything that may have hurt someone else’s feelings?

But God has taught me that what I’ve always seen as a weakness in myself is actually a strength in my marriage. Because I want to be at peace with

everyone, I can sincerely admit when I’m wrong and begin working to mend the relationship.

While this originally stemmed from not wanting anyone to be mad at me, I’ve let God work on me and I’ve grown to see

that my desire to be a people-pleaser has turned me into a peacemaker. The difference is that people-pleasing is all about me, while peacemaking is all about having right relationships.

After all, the only person that needs to be pleased with me is God. And if I focus all of my energy on what God thinks about me, how God feels about me, and what God wants me to do, then everything else will fall into place under that. I will be the right “me” that God has

called me to be.

I believe that opening your eyes to how God wants to transform your weaknesses will change your entire way of thinking. God doesn’t want you to focus solely on fixing the problems you see in your husband, your children, or the people around you. Instead, harness every struggle and every season in your life

“ Harness every struggle and every season in your life and turn it into an opportunity for God to develop you.”


and turn it into an opportunity for God to develop you.

God has especially used our children to teach me this. Often, you see, your weaknesses manifest themselves in your children. They’re like little walking mirrors. Sometimes, I have to ask myself,

“Did I teach them that? Did they hear me say that?” But in actuality, our children’s weaknesses may just be undeveloped strengths that God will use later on in their lives.

Here’s what I mean, in Elijah and Graham, our two boys, some of the greatest characteristics of their father come across in a completely different light. My husband, Pastor Steven Furtick, is an amazing communicator with a natural ability to persuade people to obey God. But that strength shows up in Elijah (six years old) as argumentative. He’s basically a walking law firm, always making sure we see things from his perspective. Also, the same qualities that make my husband a fearless leader for Elevation Church can come across as hyperactive and reckless in our children. Graham, who is four years old, has actually had stitches twice—in the same place.

And while I must teach my children to be respectful and well-behaved, I must protect their strengths and guard their weaknesses. Above all else, I want to set my children up to have their character developed and used by God, just like He has done for me.

Maybe you struggle with being shy, the strength of that weakness is that you are a good listener. Maybe you have been accused of being cocky, cockiness could easily be turned into a boldness for Christ. Or maybe you have a weakness because of a bad experience like abuse or divorce or the loss of a loved one. God can take that hurt, that pain that you have been through, and use you to help someone who is going through a similar situation.

God wants to turn your greatest weakness into your greatest strength. Just like He did for Peter.

Don’t wish away any of the difficulties in your life, embrace them. Place your

weaknesses in the hands of God and allow Him to develop those weaknesses into strengths for His glory.

Love in Translation

They even sang us a few songs before we left. Some of the songs included hand motions! We couldn’t understand all of the words, even though they teach a lot of English, most of the songs were in native languages that we are not familiar with.

Last May right after Oxygen Women’s Conference, I went to

South Africa with a team from our church and Champions Foundation. We were visiting our Champions Forever Home that we sponsor for kids who have been orphaned by AIDS.

One of the days we were in town, the team and I visited three different “creches” (or informal day care “centers” for children) in a local township. This township is only about 15 minutes away

from a pretty affluent area, but there are 16,000 families living in this informal settlement in extreme poverty. In fact, two of the kids who are currently living in our home were rescued from this specific

township.

We partnered with our friends and local Johannesburg church, Rivers Church, to go into this township and we delivered food, mattresses and blankets for their soon approaching

winter season (June-August).

Two of the kids who are currently living in our Forever Home were rescued from this specific township.”


generosity

When we arrived the children were happily eating lunch. They were very responsive to us, laughing and playing once they were finished with their meals.

The one thing our team kept coming back to is that love is universal, and all kids—wealthy or impoverished and everything in between—want to feel and experience love. They want to be held, cuddled, spoken to with authentic care, high-fived, hugged, laughed with. Love is universal regardless of who you are or where you come from.

That is why I Iove supporting and being involved with Champions Foundation. We’re bringing God’s love to people right here in the backyard of our communities and nation as well as around the world in places like Johannesburg, South Africa.

Until the mattresses and blankets were delivered these beautiful babies & kids were sleeping on a concrete floor with a thin canvas spread over it.

by:Jodi cameron

12 | @ccoxygen

b e l i e v e

We are made strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that God has for us!

Colossians 1:10-11


courageous

14 | @ccoxygen

my first memory of learning about human trafficking was at

Oxygen several years ago. Christine Caine was speaking and she shared her story about the birth of the A21 Campaign and her fight against this injustice over in Europe. The stories she told shook me to the core, yet it still felt so far away. Buy the necklace in support of Christine Caine’s ministry? Definitely. But that is where it ended for me. You see, my life is currently here in America—not in the dark underground parts of

Europe where these atrocities take place. I pictured stealth missions to dark and dirty places in order to rescue these women from their captors—far from my reality. I left the conference with a broken heart and feeling like there was no more I could do for these women. I was lost in a disconnect.

Fast forward several years and there are tears strolling down my face in the middle of my sister’s 30th birthday party while my beautiful girlfriend relays what she is learning about human trafficking.

FIGHTINGFOR OUR

Beauties


My comfortable world shatters as I learn that this isn’t only happening in the dark underbelly of European cities, this is happening in my city. This isn’t only happening to women, this is happening to girls—our girls. Research has shown Seattle to be amongst the top 3 cities in the United States where this is taking place, and the average age of entrance (when she becomes a human trafficking victim) for a girl is 13 years old. No matter how much I learn, this still seems unreal. (I think denial works as a coping mechanism like that.) However, it really doesn’t matter if it seems unreal, because for the girls who become a victim of human trafficking this becomes their current reality. What matters is that we—that’s right, you and I—have the resources to give her a way out, to provide her with a hope and a future. The answer lies with us. William Wilberforce, British politician,

philanthropist and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade said it this way, “You may choose to look the other way, but you can never say again that you did not know.”

The beautiful thing is that I am not alone in this fight. I began attending the anti-

trafficking initiative meetings held by Champions Foundation and continue to do so today. This is where I am able to connect with others who share the same passion as I do to see human trafficking come to an

end. God has shown Himself faithful as our anti-trafficking initiative grows and we continue to take steps of faith in this area. We work to bring awareness in the community and increase education on the topic. More recently, we have begun building our resources in order to be a point of rescue and support for survivors.

f i g h t f o r i tbeautiful

“ The beautiful thing is that I’m not alone in this fight.”

16 | @ccoxygen

We also link arms with other groups in the community fighting for the future of our beauties. Washington State is leading the way in doing this, both in legislation and in efforts led by community action groups. Compelled by the same vision [to see an end to human trafficking], we are experiencing unique partnerships between people and the state, between liberals and conservatives, between non-profits and for-profits. This comes from a realization that the problem of human trafficking transcends our individual identities because everyone has a part to play in bringing these women and children freedom.

wisdom

“We work to bring awareness in the community and increase education on the topic.”

WE WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO

STOP BY OUR BOOTH OR EMAIL

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE

PART YOU PLAY! YOU CAN

BEGIN BY HOSTING A “COFFEE

WITH A PURPOSE” WITH YOUR

GIRLFRIENDS. WHEN YOU HOST

A “COFFEE WITH A PURPOSE”

YOU ARE HELPING SPREAD

EDUCATION AND BRING

AWARENESS TO THIS EPIDEMIC,

WHICH IS AN IMPORTANT STEP

WE CAN ALL TAKE.

e d u c a t e

Bekah MandtChampions Foundation Rep

[email protected]

[email protected]


C FFEEwith a purpose

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to do...

18 | @ccoxygen

d i p i n t o s o m e t h i n g

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Oxygen | 19

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f o l l o w a s I f o l l o w . . .confident

COLOSSIANS 3:12-14. SO, CHOSEN

BY GOD FOR THIS NEW LIFE OF

LOVE, DRESS IN THE WARDROBE

GOD PICKED OUT FOR YOU:

COMPASSION, KINDNESS, HUMILITY,

QUIET STRENGTH, DISCIPLINE. BE

EVEN-TEMPERED, CONTENT WITH

SECOND PLACE, QUICK TO FORGIVE

AN OFFENSE. FORGIVE AS QUICKLY

AND COMPLETELY AS THE MASTER

FORGAVE YOU. AND REGARDLESS

OF WHAT ELSE YOU PUT ON,

WEAR LOVE. IT’S YOUR BASIC, ALL-

PURPOSE GARMENT. NEVER BE

WITHOUT IT.

f o l l o w a s I f o l l o w . . .confident

Oxy

gen

you arec o n t a g i o u s

...infect your world.

2012WO

ME

N’S

conf

eren

ce

Documents

Oxygen Magazine 2012 | W.I.L.D