Flourish in Your Calling-The Gift in You!

     Only one week away until our 15th annual conference "Flourish" with keynote speaker Dr. Caroline Leaf! There is much excitement in the air with emails flying in asking tons of questions about the schedule, what to expect and prayer requests from near and far. God uses gifted speakers/ teachers like Dr. Leaf to impart wisdom and knowledge to embark on the "journey of restoration", our vision here at WJOF.

     2 Peter is a book in the Bible where the apostle Peter wrote to the believers to encourage them to  stay in the truth and not be swayed by deception. The Word of God transcends time, and what was applicable in the first century to those on the journey to restoration is applicable now in 2014. As Peter warned against false teachers and emphasized staying in the truth and knowledge of God, we too are given leaders, pastors and teachers of the Word like Dr. Leaf who has been given a gift to impart incredible truths today. In order for us to flourish, we can rely on the simple but profound truth that through a relationship with Jesus Christ, He gives us "... everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness." 2 Peter 1:3 NIV

    WJOF's recommended study this year is "The Gift in You". Dr. Leaf writes: "No matter what you have been told, what tests you may have taken, or what you believe about yourself- you have a unique gift, different from anyone else's, to fulfill your purpose in this world."
 -Dr. Caroline Leaf Author of "The Gift in You" and "Switch on Your Brain" among other best selling titles being featured at this year's Flourish Conference.

Visit her website  and watch a 40 minute message on "The Gift in You". http://bit.ly/JEt2l1   That outlines the 7 pillars of thought and she helps us to identify the unique gift in how we have been wired to deliver our gift(s) to serve a world in need.

You can purchase her book, workbook and DVD curriculum through her website.  Although her study isn't focusing on spiritual gifts as outlined in scripture, she addresses the gift of how the mind is wired to function in our gifts.

(If you haven't taken personality/strengths tests like DISC, Myers Briggs or you haven't taken a spiritual gift test before, there are numerous resources out there to purchase or incredible classes to take. WJOF has a free pdf download on our website if you can take 15 minutes of your time to read and fill out the questions. If you haven't done so, we encourage you to Click Here to download and print off! Sharing the results with a trusted friend and pastor of a Bible believing church will help sharpen your call and focus for serving.)

If you have any questions about the study (or want to connect with a study group or a church in the Saskatoon area) feel free to contact us at WJOF by emailing admin@wjof.com as we'd love to encourage you on your journey of faith!

"Each of you should use whatever gift he (or she) has received to serve others, faithfully administrating God's grace in it's various forms" 1 Peter 4:10

WJOF and CCS are partnering to bring in Dr. Leaf to Saskatoon for two incredible events this year! Dr. Leaf will be speaking at the CCS event on Thursday November 6th at the Willows in Saskatoon, SK Canada. Visit CCS's website for details and registration. Women's Journey of Faith's 15th annual conference Flourish is on Friday November 7th from 7pm-9:30pm and continuing through Saturday November 8th from 9am-5pm with Dr. Caroline Leaf speaking 4 time's throughout the Flourish event along with music by Dustin Smith and the Faith Alive Band. Lorie Hartshorn (author of Finding Freedom), will be acting as Emcee for Flourish alongside the host of the conference Jodi Kozan, President and Founder of WJOF alongside her team. For more information and to register, visit WJOF's website!

Flourish in Relationships: Man vs Woman by Dr. Caroline Leaf

Relating with members of the opposite sex can be frustrating and difficult, but it doesn't have to be! Successful relationships begin in the mind (which seeks understanding), and, through the choices we make, will end in the Spirit (which knows truth). In my book, "Who Switched Off Your Brain? The Mystery of He Said, She Said", I know the three C's of relationships:

• We are designed to complete each other and not compete with each other.
• We are compatible.
• We are complimentary.

Men and women have been created to complement one another through their own unique strengths; we are exponentially better together! This goes for husband- wife, father-daughter, mother-son, personal and professional relationships. It doesn't take a PhD to know men and women are not the same- we don't think the same, talk the same or act the same. These differences aren't a result of our environments and our upbringing, they're built in by design, God's design. As it says in Genesis 1:27, "He made male and female in His image."

Watch this video clip from a series Dr. Leaf did at Victory church in Atlanta Georgia. She highlights some of the points featured in the book "Who Switched off Your Brain." It's more than a marriage series, it is filled with key insights that will help you better understand the often mysterious behaviour of the opposite sex, and practical tips that will quickly improve your relationships! All of her books will be available at the Flourish conference on November 7-8 2014 at TCU Place Convention centre and also available on her website as a digital download.

Dr. Leaf shares "You are You! And you express your uniqueness through your maleness and your femaleness and you will be interacting with the opposite sex daily whether you like it or not! So in order to not get toxic in our minds, we need to understand each other and target that struggle! In doing so, we increase our intelligence, health and longevity! Why is this important? Here is a sobering thought: research shows that couples that have especially sarcastic and argumentative discussions heal 40% slower than those who don’t. And we all want to be healthy!"- Dr Caroline Leaf

WJOF is excited to host Dr. Leaf to our 15th annual conference "Flourish" on November 7th-8th at TCU Place Convention Centre in Saskatoon!  With 1400 women registered thus far, we have room for hundreds more, so don't delay and get your tickets through TCU Tickets or online- for registration information, contact numbers visit www.wjof.com/2014 to purchase your tickets and to learn more about our exciting event. You don't want to miss it! Questions about the conference or the ministry of Women's Journey of Faith? Our website is a great place to learn more- or you can email us at admin@wjof.com   

We'd love to hear from you! In what ways are you flourishing in (or not experiencing) the truths of the three C's of relationships? Feel free to comment below or connect with a WJOF leader through our WJOF mentor Centre! 

Flourish & Renew Your Mind!

"Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." Romans 12:2

   God has given us this beautiful gift of free will, the ability to choose. Sadly, many of us are held back from living our best life by the battle that is in our own minds to choose rightly! Romans 12:2 reminds us that we are called to renew our minds by allowing God to radically yet gently transform and restore us!  I am keenly aware that we are living in an age where the world is offering a 'counterfeit restoration' on many fronts. The battle is fierce both in the church and in the world for our attention, devotion and are preoccupation with thoughts that are not worthy of taking up real estate in our God given think-tank.  Toxic thoughts, believing lies, and distorted media messaging can mess with our minds on so many levels, we need to heed the warning the Apostle Paul is giving us:" "Don't copy the behaviour and customs of this world."...  Or for many in the Church, we often hear the phrase: "Be in the world, but not of  the world'. We know we are called to be "set apart", but in reality...our church pews are filled with many double minded devotees, not able to recognize God's voice or discern His will. Black and white becomes grey, depression, anxiety, apathy, pessimism becomes the norm for so, so many. We must ask ourselves: do we have a desire for the world's "behaviours and customs" more than the hunger for the Word of God and to be in His presence? Have we allowed any of this to creep into our lives, our minds, our journey?

 I say it's time to 'switch on our brains'  so we can truly flourish as we were created to!

    Early on in my walk with Jesus, I was introduced to the ministry "Freedom in Christ" with founder Neil. T Anderson. Although I was raised in a Christian home, attended church regularly, I didn't learn or retain too much in my formative years about the Holy Spirit, the reality of spiritual warfare (and how to combat it), my identity in Jesus Christ or the importance of announcing truth and renouncing lies. It wasn't until I was a married woman with two small children at home where I experienced a profound life changing moment with the Living God who delivered me, set me free and truly spoke deeply and intimately to my spirit of who I am and how He views me as His daughter. Soon after that encounter, Freedom in Christ's resources became some of my early discipleship tools/ resources that I devoured and recommended to others like "Bondage Breaker", "Victory over the Darkness" and the "Steps to Freedom." Their ministry comes to mind as we prepare for our upcoming conference "FLOURISH" as they focus so much on having a truth encounter with the Word of God.  Practical teaching to equip the reader to take control of our thoughts through the help of the Holy Spirit at work within, renounce lies and to announce truth as a regular discipline in our journey of faith. Truly a bootcamp for the soul!

http://www.jodikozan.com/resources.php

    The 7 steps to freedom are not the be all end all resource out there, but I can personally vouch for the fact that it is truly one of the best there is to identify all the various areas where we loose our focus, become tripped up in the world of sin and how to confess, repent and renounce anything that comes in the way of living our best lives. I loved this resource so much, that when it came out in a free pdf online e-book, I highlighted it as a recommended resource on my personal website. If you haven't gone through the process before, or have access to that book- He has simplified the 7 steps in his book "Restored!" Click here to view the ebook, intro video and to download and print a copy of "Who am I in Christ." I encourage you to memorize those truth statements so it becomes a practical tool on your journey to flourish! If you do, let us know here at WJOF so that we can cheer you on, encourage you and give prayer support. You can email us anytime or click here to visit our online WJOF Mentor Center and we can partner you with an online-mentor!
- Your friend on the Journey, Jodi Kozan (Founder, President of WJOF)

      Save the Date! Biblical Scientific expert on the mind Dr. Caroline Leaf will be our keynote speaker for our 15th annual conference "Flourish" on November 7-8th in Saskatoon, SK Canada.   www.wjof.com/2014  We encourage you to visit her website, pick up one of her books, watch her videos online or consider downloading her 21 day Brain Detox program. Better yet, pick up your tickets NOW and join us for our 15th annual conference in November. This is a rare opportunity to meet Dr. Leaf in person as it is her life calling to equip others with practical tools through her teaching and resources to renew our minds! "We control our brains, our brains don't control us. ...I love to share with people that you are you are literally your own best 'brain surgeon'! What I mean by that is is that you are designed with your mind to change your thoughts..., you can wire them out. "- Dr. Caroline Leaf 

Watch Dr. Leaf's  episode "Pop Those Toxic Thoughts and Renew Your Mind"