HISTORY
"But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations."
PSALM 33:11
FORMING THE ANCHOR BOARD
WRITTEN BY KATIE ROBERTSON
It was seven years ago that I was advised to form a Board of Directors to take The Anchor to the next level. I had never formed a board, let alone founded a Christian non-profit organization. I have learned a lot to say the least! I began the process of prayerfully selecting a group of women for our first founding Board for The Anchor Gathering following council to select five to seven faithful, prayerful and motivated women who were on fire for the mission of the Anchor. And so the journey began.
I asked the Lord for wisdom and saturated the names of the women I would be approaching in prayer, asking the Lord to guide me to those who would be the best fit. I came up with eleven names of friends from the past several years and acquaintances from life’s journey and I crafted a heartfelt and inspiring letter to formally ask each of these women to come on board. Each woman possessed specific gifts and, most importantly, shared a kindred passion with me to share Jesus Christ and the hope and light He brings. I was hoping to receive a yes from at least half of them.
THE FIRST MEETING
I was elated when nine of the eleven women said “Yes!” I was off to a great start! Our very first Anchor Board members were Leslie Parrott, Joy Zorn, Jenny Fronsman, Kelly Wotherspoon, Adele LaCombe, Jodi
Brown, Marilyn Smith, Kristie Ratzlaff and Deb Custer. We held our first Anchor Board meeting in January of 2018 aboard our boat, the Karina Jean. I pinched myself as we circled up in our salon to introduce ourselves and share our passion for The Anchor and making a difference for Christ.
I was in awe of how the Lord had led me and provided these outstanding women. As we met and shared the gifts and talents that each brought to the table, we were aware of the fact that we were still in need of a few skills and expertise. We needed a board chair, a branding/marketing expert, and most importantly, a finance director. I was truly awestruck how God continued to provide more than I could ask or imagine!
Marilyn Smith provided the name of a potential candidate who would make a wonderful Board Chair: Kathleen Cummins. I met her for coffee and we immediately hit it off. She was honored to be asked and gratefully accepted the job. She came highly recommended with a wealth of experience gained serving on several other boards.
I was next led to our branding director, Carla Vail. I met her at one of our Bellevue Anchors and was quickly drawn to her artistic and style expertise which was perfect to help with creating our Anchor branding.
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I met our final Board member, Nancy Buffalow, at a Bible study I held aboard the Karina Jean in the Spring of 2017. Nancy walked off the boat with me and shared how much she liked The Anchor ministry and asked if she could help in any way. She went on to say that she would email me some of her credentials and see if they fit any specific needs we had. I was astonished at God’s faithfulness; Nancy was a certified CPA and had a non-profit certification from the University of Washington! It was exactly what we needed and a true answer to our prayers. Our board was now complete and we were all in awe of how the Lord had brought us together to do His will and share the Good News of Jesus Christ with women everywhere!
OUR BOARD’S SUCCESS
We have worked hard and have learned a lot. We have had exceptional training from the Murdock Charitable Trust and formalized many of our practices. We have our
governance in place and are always striving to put our best foot forward in order to grow The Anchor Gathering and keep us set on a firm foundation.
We have just come to our first transitioning of Board members and have officially had four members roll off their allotted terms. It is a very important and historic time for The Anchor since going forward from a Founder’s Board. Our Board will continue to change as new women with differing skill sets are added to meet the needs of The Anchor and its growth. We have selected four new Board members and are proud to announce: Laila Sharpe, Jen Haralson, Christy Haacke and Sydney Hodge. The Lord is always faithful, and we continue to pray that we may bring Him glory in all we say and do!
We want to acknowledge our departing Board members: Jodi Brown, Marilyn Smith Carla Vail, and Kelly Wotherspoon. We are so grateful and now look forward to four new candidates coming on board soon!
MEETING THE NEED WITH HOPE HISTORY
WRITTEN BY KATIE ROBERTSON
It’s confirmed: The Anchor Gathering is making a difference! Our world needs hope more than ever and The Anchor Gathering is meeting the need with the message of Jesus Christ. With the pandemic only recently behind us, uncertainty in conflicting countries, and continual changes in our economy, the need for the promise of hope and security are at an all-time high.
A recent Wall Street Journal poll states that we are experiencing a loneliness epidemic and a rapid decline in faith. Here is a startling fact: in the study, only 39% of Americans stated that religion was very important to them versus 62% of Americans in 19981. Yet the great news is that The Anchor Gathering is bringing hope and security through the Good News of Jesus Christ. Our founding verse supports this: “We have this hope [Jesus] as an anchor for the soul firm and secure.” (Hebrews 6:19) We are grounded on Jesus' message of strength and hope for today and for the promise of life forever in heaven.
Our mission statement states it clearly: The Anchor is a gathering for women of all ages and backgrounds to be encouraged and anchored in faith and friendship. We are helping some women to see Jesus for the first time and nurturing others wherever they find themselves on their faith journey. We foster community and friendship through our large in-person gatherings and in smaller, more intimate Anchor at Home watch parties in homes.
I recently read a few more eye-opening facts in a research report titled Motherhood Today by the Barna Group. They confirm the necessity for The Anchor as an outreach ministry to women. Women are effective and important communicators and nurturers. Barna research states, “Women prove to bring significant impact on their families and those around them. Women are agents for hope and some of the best communicators of the Gospel message.”2
We are excited to see the evidence of God at work as He brings His message of joy and light to women everywhere through our Anchor programs. These include our gatherings, both big and small, and our online presence where women have access to weekly encouragement and a monthly devotional to go deeper in their study of the Bible. Our newest endeavor is bringing The Anchor into churches as a women’s ministry. In a time of declining church membership and attendance, The Anchor acts as an excellent tool for churches to bring women into their community. It is a simple math problem; the more women discovering Jesus as the anchor of their lives equals more positive impact and encouragement across our country and beyond!
A ripple effect has begun and we hope you will join the wave of women sharing the hope of Jesus with more women ultimately bringing hope to a desperate world!
ABOVE: The founding Board at our retreat in 2021. Clockwise from top left: Deb Custer, Jodi Brown, Kelly Wotherspoon, Adele LaCombe, Joy Zorn, Jenny Fronsman, Katie Robertson, Marilyn Smith, Carla Vail. Not pictured: Nancy Buffalow, Leslie Parrott, Kristie Ratzlaff.
"But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience."
ROMANS 8:25
HOPE
PEARLS OF WISDOM
Wise sayings and pieces of advice coming from others who have forged the way ahead in life, inspiring us on how to adorn our lives with that which brings beauty and confidence.
WRITTEN BY HANNAH PEACOCK
Growing up in a Christian home, I always considered myself a follower of Jesus. My parents had actively taken me to church since my mom was pregnant with me, we attended bible studies and volunteered regularly, and I gave my life to Christ around the age of six or seven. For my entire childhood into my teens, I never doubted God and my faith seemed strong.
Then came my freshman year of high school. In the previous year, my parents’ marriage suffered an immense spiritual attack. Pain cut deep, distrust caused division, and reconciliation seemed too far away. While initially I felt numb, the struggles in my home life and social pressures brought on by starting high school caused me to internally collapse over the next year. My emotions were uncontrollable as fits of rage and bouts of sadness clouded my vision. I’d always been a highachieving student, but now I was unable to focus in school, constantly angry with my family, and lived in a continual state of agitation.
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I’ll never forget sitting in one of my classes and feeling that it was possible I had been wrong about God all along — He couldn’t actually exist if He was actually allowing me to go through this much pain, right?
After months of arguing, it was with literal kicking and screaming (on my part) that my parents took me to therapy. I hated them for making me go to these appointments. I planned to sit there silently and let the therapist decide it was my parents who needed fixing, not me. But once I started talking, it all came pouring out and the diagnosis came back: obsessive compulsive disorder, depression, and major anxiety.
SUDDENLY, IT ALL MADE SENSE.
What I had deemed as regular teenage angst was an exacerbated mental state brought on by a chemical imbalance in my brain. I started attending regular counseling appointments and was prescribed a low dose of antidepressants to balance me out. Gradually, I felt my brain rewiring itself
and felt the “real me” coming back. I got involved with my church and bible study, rededicated my life to God, and graduated as salutatorian. Things were finally going well as I began attending a Christian college.
ANOTHER BLOW
Then, another blow was dealt to my personal life, and it hit hard. All this work to get my life back on track, and now because of the hurtful actions of one person, I decided I was done trying to “be good”. What had previously manifested as a passive indifference in high school became an active rebellion in college. I stopped caring about my classes entirely, sleeping through or skipping out. I rarely showed up to work. And ultimately, I fell in with the wrong crowd and decided to try all the “exciting” things I had avoided for so long.
I first tried cigarettes and vaping, which led to regularly smoking marijuana. I started drinking and occasionally trying other substances just to see what it was like. I spent most nights getting drunk or high and stopped caring about my life. I didn’t care that my so-called friends were absent when I needed them, but I responded to their first call. I didn’t care that mixing my medication with alcohol and drugs could cause serious health issues and lead to death. I didn’t care that my family and true friends worried about me and feared a call that I was dead or missing. I just stopped.
LET THE HEALING BEGIN
But then I met my future husband going into my second year of college, and a relationship I thought would end as quickly as it began ended up saving me from myself. Prior to meeting Alex, I invested so much of myself into relationships that I knew were
manipulative. People came and left, and I assumed Alex would be just like the others. But he wasn’t. He helped me heal and find my way back to God when I was at the worst point in my life.
In February 2015, he took me to see Disciple, a Christian rock band. Kevin, the lead singer, spoke of his infant daughter and the love he had for her as he taught her to walk by placing her on his feet and taking slow steps. He shared how much more our own Father loves us and how when we fall, He is right there to pick us back up. Something inside me snapped and I began sobbing uncontrollably. For so long I had tried to be indifferent, tried to tell myself I didn’t care anymore, that no one cared. But God had been there all along. He had not forsaken me. He heard my cries.
After the concert, I was incredibly lucky to meet Kevin, who hugged me and prayed for me. As Alex drove me back to my college that night, I decided this was it — no more partying, no more skipping out on responsibility, no more running. Now began the work of getting my life on track with God.
That same weekend, I had a dream that I was leading a small group. I remember thinking there was no way this was possible, as I had just given my life back to God. He couldn’t use me at such a broken point. I still had way too much healing to be done before I could help others. Then that Monday, our campus pastor spoke of the need for discipleship group leaders, and I’ll never forget his words. “God does not call the equipped, He equips the called.” Sure enough, I applied that day to become a small group leader, received a phone call back for an interview, and was selected to lead a women’s group the following year.
The following year was one of the most intense periods of my life. Old pressures were constantly lurking, but I pressed on and kept my focus on God. I led a small group, graduated college a year early, established healthy relationships, and married Alex. Through it all, I grew closer to God and found the value in my testimony. And what I used to be embarrassed to share has become an opportunity to speak of God’s goodness and grace.
To this day, God continues to bless me far more than I deserve, and I pray every day that He would use me to show others His glory. I strive to be a Proverbs 31 woman and give Christ the praise for His gifts of salvation, restoration, and transformation.
HOPE
ANCHOR MOMENT
An Anchor Moment is a time in a woman's life when her faith has truly anchored her, inspired her or directed her decision making.
BARBARA DAVISSTEVENS was born and raised in Seattle where she attended Nathan Hale High School.
She received her AA from Renton Vocational Technical College and her cosmetology degree from Seattle Community College. Barbara has been a hairstylist for 37 years.
Barbara has two great talented children from her first marriage and seven beautiful grandchildren, along with three stepchildren she shares with her best friend and amazing husband Irvin, aka “The Captain”. She loves to spend her spare time with the grands, gardening and growing veggies, and attending Zumba and line dance classes with her friends.
TELL US ABOUT AN ANCHOR MOMENT IN YOUR LIFE: I joined St. Mark’s Lutheran Church on Beacon Hill about four years ago. I hadn’t thought about it until my pastor asked me, “When did you
first believe?” It took me aback but was an easy answer. I never didn’t believe. The first prayer I remember saying from two to three years old was the Lord’s Prayer. Those words were on my lips as I went to sleep and I always knew who the Lord was and what he was for me. I didn’t always agree with the Lord, but I knew who he was. And that’s who I am — I am a child of God! And I’m proud to say so.
That faith in God really shaped and defined my marriage and the friendship and love I gained in my 30-year marriage.
My husband was raised in Catholic school from Kindergarten to graduation and Baptist every Sunday. I was raised Episcopalian and as I moved states after my children were born from my first marriage, I actually joined a Lutheran church. It was a good fit and my kids were baptized Lutheran. I then transferred back here to Seattle and found an Episcopalian church once again. My husband and I loved to talk about the differences in our faith. A lot of people would have thought that we were very different and quite opposite, but people didn’t realize that we were equally yoked in our beliefs. It was the basis of my strength, and still is as I’m coming up on three years of my husband’s passing.
When we found out my husband was diagnosed with cancer, it really helped us to solidify and join together in our faith journey knowing that he was not only going to be received in heaven, but ushered in by the three most important men in his life: his son-in-law, our pastor at St. Mark’s, and my former pastor at Mt. Baker Missionary Baptist Church.
I simply asked them to pray that he would keep his faith strong. They each individually entered into a relationship with him. At the time we found out about his illness and he started chemo, we talked about the fact that not only was our church and Mt. Baker praying for him, but three other churches of family members and friends were too.
My husband was always able to uplift those around him, and the nurses loved to see him coming because they knew he left everybody with a smile. As he walked out of his third chemo treatment, he was talking with the nurses and after they asked how he was doing he said, “You know, I’m doing so well because five churches are praying for me.” The nurses were a little taken aback but replied, “That’s wonderful!”
We continued walking and he said to me, “Baby, I feel those five churches praying for me.” It was such a blessing that he would share and acknowledge that with me. It really helped us as we progressed in his illness.
There wasn’t one time that we entered the hospital that my pastor, Pastor Langford, was not in attendance. One time he even showed up before we got into our room!
Pastor Langford was also there when my husband was transferred into a hospice home arrangement. Both of our pastors showed up and sat at his bedside, prayed with him, and proceeded to call just about every day. I would put them on speaker and they would pray with us daily.
We understood that his transitioning meant he was going to be with his Savior and that was the best, most comforting knowledge that could have ever been given. I got to walk with my head proud, while I cared for him
and I still do, because Jesus has always been with me. Jesus let me know through those three men in his life.
My son-in-law would sit by his bedside and read him the paper because he knew that was my husband’s favorite thing. Our two pastors befriended him and met him where he was, as a true friend. They helped him to make sure that his faith was strong enough to receive his Savior. That will always be a blessed thing for me because even though he’s not here with my now, I know exactly where he is and he’ll always be in my heart.
“I GOT TO WALK WITH MY HEAD PROUD WHILE I CARED FOR HIM AND I STILL DO, BECAUSE JESUS HAS ALWAYS BEEN WITH ME.
"[The righteous are] planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God."
PSALM 92:13
HOME
JOURNEYING THROUGH THE SEASONS
WRITTEN BY JENNY FRONSMAN
The longer I journey through life the more I lean into savoring and enjoying the sweet and joyful seasons while they last. I know seasons are ever changing and are so often a mix of many different things; joy, sorrow, excitement, struggle, and so on. I’ve been learning to accept and embrace this. As the sweet ones fade and more trying and challenging ones emerge I try to make it a habit of asking God what he has for me to learn; and then making space to spend moments in silence listening to His answers. I’m not a natural at the silence and listening part. This is something I’m growing into and have experienced so much peace and wisdom as I grow in making it a regular practice.
One aspect of the Anchor Gathering that I deeply love is how women are able to share personal stories from their journeys. We were created for community and to share life. I love that the Anchor draws women together and creates this opportunity.
So as I write, I’m thinking of you and wondering how your journey is going right now. Here are some thoughts from the path I’m walking.
MY CURRENT SEASON
If I had to pick a couple words to describe my current season in life it would be “full and stretching.” My husband and I have been thinking and praying on starting our own business for years and recently decided it was time! These past few months we’ve been working hard to get the business started, and just two weeks ago my husband transitioned from his previous job to working with our Finish Carpentry business full time. We have been truly grateful for many open doors and great opportunities; one of which has involved him working out of town part of the week for two months.
I’ve been adjusting to caring for our sweet and lively 1.5 y/o son, running the household, growing our sweet baby girl (who will be born by the time this issue is published!) and working part time on my own, during weekdays. It’s going well and we’re very fortunate to have supportive family and friends close by. However; I have many moments of feeling so exhausted. Some days it feels the to-do list never ends, and others I feel guilt over not feeling I spent enough quality time with our son Henry.
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I’ve found taking the leap from working a secure job with a company; and then switching to working for your own business, comes with its own host of emotions, long to-do lists and unknowns.
I woke up one morning last week feeling so tired, and worn down. My autopilot mode would have trudged through the day, checking off what I needed to do, and just getting things done. However; that morning I took a few moments and asked God what I could do to feel some joy and energy. Immediately I knew the answer, a walk by the water and a treat at a new bakery I had been wanting to try. So I did it. I re-thought my day and made time to drive to our favorite waterfront walk. Henry and I shared a pastry and spent time playing at his favorite park.
As I walked breathing in the salty air and soaking in the sun on my face, I felt life and joy seeping back in. When we finished our walk and got back in the car I felt like a new person. I’ll always remember this day because I felt God deeply and gently remind me how important choosing and making space for joy and delight is. I’ll admit I’m the type that tends to trudge on and get things done in busy seasons without making the space for things that bring joy. I was reminded that creating this space gives me so much energy for the journey. So in the seasons where joy, lightness, and delight seem scarce I felt reminded to keep looking for it and making space. For me sometimes it is the tiniest joyful things that make all the difference. A cup of chamomile tea in the evening, walking barefoot outside, trying a new recipe, getting together with a friend, or spending a moment to breathe fresh air outside. The smallest things done consistently I find, make so much difference.
I love the book Hinds Feet in High Places by Hannah Hurnard. In metaphors she describes our earthside walk with Christ through hills, valleys, darkness, light and mountain tops. As the terrain of the path our feet are on changes from easy walking to hard, I find so much wisdom in stopping to ask questions.
Similar to stopping to look at our trail maps so we don’t get lost. “Lord, what do you want me to know in this season? How can I grow? Do I need to change anything? How can I incorporate small shifts and practices that will bring light and joy?” On a full day when I don’t have time to ponder so many questions I find these two important questions give me so much wisdom and peace.
Simply asking, “Lord, what do you want me to know? What do you want me to do?”
One of the most challenging but life giving aspects of journeying is surrendering our own will and trusting the Lord to guide and grow us as we walk our path. It’s so easy to attempt to control the path and try to make it something it was never meant to be. I’ve found growing into giving up what I can’t control to the Lord and asking for His wisdom with what I can control has given me so much peace. It’s not something I’ve mastered (and probably never will!) but as I continue to practice, it does become less difficult.
However your journey may look today, may we rest knowing we’re so deeply loved by Him and He’s got our whole world in his hands. Wishing you grace and peace, from my little path over here to yours.
ABOVE & BELOW: Henry on his favorite slides
“I ONLY THOUGHT MAYBE THESE SONGS, WHEN PLAYED, WOULD LET HER KNOW SHE WASN’T ALONE.
HOME
THE GIFT OF MUSIC
WRITTEN BY ADELE L a COMBE
Back in the late 90s, when I first began my journey with Jesus, I started listening to worship music for the first time. In my excitement for this newfound love of the genre, I made music CDs for family members.
The CDs made their way to some of my nieces, and it created a unique bond that we have to this day. Songs like “Live Out Loud” by Steven Curtis Chapman and “Day Like Today” by Out of Eden make us break into dance and sing to this very day. It takes us back and it connects us!
I’ve found through the years music has been a go-to gift that connects me to another person on a myriad of occasions, often when there
are no other words and the item on the store shelves feel impersonal and disconnected.
When my brother passed away in 2011, I created a playlist of songs that spoke directly to my soul, often worship songs I heard on Sunday morning. Songs that began to slowly heal me, putting my broken heart back together. I shared this with my sister who was the manager of a gift store. She played it on repeat at the shop for months, letting it wash over her and her customers who knew what she was going through.
When a friend faced a similar loss, I shared the playlist with her, adding a few songs that seemed to speak to her situation. I knew I
couldn’t change her situation, and I knew she was going to be hurting for a while. I only thought maybe these songs, when played, would let her know she wasn’t alone.
That began a journey for me. Anytime a friend was hurting or going through a trial, I created a playlist just for them. It has become a sheer joy to listen to songs with them in mind. Searching for music with key words, phrases and praying for them as I create it.
So many people are choosing a word of the year. For a dear friend this year, her word is brave. Her husband filed for divorce, and she knew she was going to need courage, strength, and bravery to face the road ahead. For the weeks leading up to her birthday, I sent her items for around her house with the word brave on them. Then on her actual birthday, I sent her the playlist with 92 songs all having to do with the word “brave.” Of all the things I had done, this one gift was the greatest gift of all. She knew it would take her a long time to get through the playlist, so for weeks to come she would be able to enjoy these doses of encouragement — these shots of bravery.
A gift like this has no cost, but it comes straight from your heart and it connects you to another’s. And often when someone is going through an exceptionally difficult time, these are the things they need to know: that others care and are thinking of them. In our pain we often need space, and yet also need to feel the comfortable assurance that we are not alone, music can be a way of letting our friends know we are thinking of them, we love them, and we care.
There are so many ways to make playlists other than CDs these days. If you’re over 50 (like myself), you may want to ask the youngest person in your household for help.
For me, I have an iPhone and use Apple music. So, I create a playlist there and share it via text message with my friend. I can continue to add songs to the playlist for them to enjoy as a surprise. They can even share this same playlist with others. You can also create a playlist on Spotify or through other music apps.
With all the talk of music and playlists, I thought it appropriate to create a playlist just for you, my sisters of the Anchor.
So below you will find links to the Anchor Playlist, a playlist of songs that have been sung on our Anchor at Home videos as well as some songs that include the word Anchor in them. I hope you’ll add the playlist to your music library and enjoy the music wherever you go.
Scan the QR codes below with your mobile device or tablet, or visit Adele's article online at tinyurl.com/yp3a7dee for links to the Anchor Playlist.
Spotify Anchor Playlist
HEART
"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day."
2 CORINTHIANS 4:16
HEART
A BEAUTIFUL UNBECOMING
WRITTEN BY AMY STEINGARD
In 2019, I sort of imploded. Call it what you will, but it was a crisis of self of the worst kind. I embarked on a year-long journey of finding myself again and finding purpose again.
I thought I needed a pivot, a new thing. I wanted something different. I searched high and low and couldn’t find it. I got angry, I despaired, and still it eluded me. I couldn’t understand why God would be so silent. Why wouldn’t he pull me out of the muck and the mire and put a new song in my mouth?
I went to a women’s retreat in Colorado full-on desiring a lightning bolt moment, but he came in whispers to me. I didn’t see a new path or even a bend in the road. The biggest realization I had there came in these words I wrote down, “I am me. Wherever I go. Here I am.” Ultimately, I am who I am. I didn’t really like this answer.
I wanted to be someone else. Not this wrecking ball of a girl who felt too fiery for church and too holy for the world. This girl who always seemed a little extra and never quite fit. I wanted to be light and funny, not deep and expressive. I wanted to be sweet and calm, not passionate and emotional.
I wanted a new path to follow, but all He did was drop a few breadcrumbs.
I later read a quote by Parker Palmer that said, “The God whom I know dwells quietly in the root system of the very nature of things. This is the God who, when asked by Moses for a name, responded, ‘I Am Who I Am,’ an answer that has less to do with the moral rules for which Moses made God famous than with the elemental ‘is-ness’ and selfhood. If, as I believe, we are all made in God’s image, we could all give the same answer when asked who we are: ‘I Am Who I Am.’ One dwells with God by being faithful to one’s nature. One crosses God by trying to be something one is not.”
The problem here is that we’re often so busy trying to become someone better or different, someone more like her, someone we are expected or told to be. In doing so, we lose sight of our own nature.
We overlook our own gifts and undervalue our own worth. We label some attributes as good or more appealing or even falsely more Christlike, while we label others as less desirable. We accentuate or downplay things in ourselves based on these ideas, not based on who God made us. Ironically, as women, we end up looking and sounding like each other, instead of like Jesus or even just ourselves. We lose sight of our truest self. She’s imperfect, but mighty too.
MY TRUEST SELF WAS ALREADY THERE
From the very beginning, my truest self, the image-of-God-bearing, unique person I was born to be was already there. So was yours. Psalm 139 reveals, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb… My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body: all the days were written for me before one of them came to be.” And in Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you…”
He knows us deeply, created us purposefully, and calls out in us who we are in His image. When He showed me that I Am Who I Am, He also showed me that the things I wanted to change about myself are actually reflections of His image that He specifically placed in me. I bear His depth and creativity, His passion and radical love for people down to my very soul. He calls that out in me, and the very best thing I can do is live into that.
In the same way he commands the snow to “fall on the earth” and the rain shower to “be a mighty downpour”, He simply says to me, “Amy, be a mighty Amy.” He created snow to be snow, rain to be rain, me to be me, and you to be you. We are each an unrepeatable miracle of God.
It’s actually the differences and uniqueness that God put inside of each one of us that makes us powerful and effective in our lives and, ultimately, in His Kingdom. It’s often the things we try to cover over or bury that are actually His treasure within us, meant to be shared.
I’ve been on a journey of digging up that treasure, and here’s what God’s teaching me:
Maybe life is more of an unbecoming than a becoming. Maybe it’s accepting both our gold and our weaknesses as a whole, so they no longer cancel each other out. Maybe it’s peeling back the layers of hurt or expectation or the many hats we have to wear until we reach the true heart of what’s within us that we can give to someone else. Maybe bringing glory to God is simply being fully alive humans who cause other people to flourish by simply being who we are created to be. Maybe everything we are and everything we need has been in us all along.
Cut this 5x7 print out, hang it where you'll see it, and be inspired to stay anchored to the Lord!
A BEAUTIFUL UNBECOMING
You are a beautiful unbecoming. You gorgeous soul wrapped in tremendous layers Names, like dresses, we try on while wearing faces not our own.
Hats piled high, a balancing act These scarves are lovely, don’t you think?
Cocooned coats of metamorphosis growing into something more or so we thought.
You look stunning, my dear. What’s your name again?
This backwards dance of the putting on, of building ourselves while becoming… unrecognizable.
Mirror catches breath. Truth reflected
You do not need to become.
Unbecome all that you thought you needed all that you were told all that you piled on all that striving
You are a beautiful unbecoming.
Peel back layer after layer Your exquisite form finally unearthed. Your gorgeous soul revealed. Ah, there you are.
You already are.
Everything you wanted to be. Magnificent.
SHOOTING FOR THE MOON
HEART WRITTEN BY KATIE ROBERTSON
A couple of weeks ago, I was stunned by the full moon that lit up the sky. I captured a brilliant picture of the amazing sight. I watched as the moon rose higher and higher in the sky as twilight settled in. I can’t remember a view of the moon so spectacular. It reminded me of a conversation I had recently with my husband.
He has always been obsessed with space and the moon and all that goes with it—NASA, rockets, orbits, you name it. Seeing the moon shining so brightly confirmed the encouraging words he had shared with me about The Anchor. He is my biggest fan and listens to my every thought and idea concerning our ministry. I share a lot about our hopes and dreams for The Anchor and he always helps to point me in the right direction.
We have big dreams and are shooting for the moon to reach one million women in the next 20 years with the great news of Jesus Christ and the hope and light He brings. Every woman, of every age and background, has the right to hear about Jesus and the true anchor He is for our lives in this uncertain world.
Most days I am confident that we are on course to reach our goal, but there are days I can feel discouraged. It takes perseverance, obedience, endurance and trust to stay committed and on track. There have been moments that I have wondered if we are on course and doing the right thing. It is a journey that includes daily prayer and a dependence on the Lord, asking Him for wisdom and guidance along the way. Enduring a pandemic has been one of those periods (or should I say years!) when I have questioned this path. This is when my husband’s words of wisdom come to mind and keep me focused. He uses a moon analogy that has brought such clarity, hope and inspiration to me.
He recalls his NASA knowledge and likens our course in ministry to a moon expedition. He has enlightened me as to what it took for the astronauts to get to the moon. In order for them to reach their goal, midcourse corrections had to be made all along the way to best meet the circumstances and obstacles they faced. I grasped onto this metaphor as it helped make so much sense to what I experience at times on this Anchor adventure. A mid-course correction is a navigational adjustment made at some point during the journey of a ship, airplane or rocket. In a lunar expedition, it means when a spacecraft or rocket gets off of its trajectory though space, it must be put back on the right path.
In order for them to reach their goal, midcourse corrections had to be made all along the way to best meet the circumstances and obstacles they faced.
This moon message resonated loudly and clearly with me. During the pandemic, we definitely have had to make some midcourse corrections, as when we pivoted to the Anchor at Home—bringing a virtual Anchor to everyone, everywhere on our YouTube channel. As I write, we have over 200,000 views and have reached all 50 states which truly blows my mind! To accurately start calculating the number of women we are touching with The Anchor at Home is more than we could have imagined when the Covid-19 struck! Having to adapt our strategies and plans to ever-changing conditions has kept us on course. The Lord has been leading and guiding and helping to navigate The Anchor with the midcourse corrections needed to help us reach our ultimate goal of sharing Jesus with more women!
Speaking of lunar landings, the most amazing thing happened a few years ago. It is a memory I will never forget and encourages
ABOVE: My husband Ron and I with astronaut Gene Cernan
me every day as we “shoot for the moon” with our goal of reaching one million women for Jesus. I had the privilege of meeting the last man to stand on the moon. His name is Gene Cernan. Ron and I were invited by friends to accompany them to the premiere showing of the movie about Cernan’s life titled, “The Last Man on the Moon.” We (especially my husband!) jumped at the chance to attend. We were over the moon with excitement as this truly was my husband’s dream come true. We were also invited to share dinner with Gene, and we soaked up every word he shared about his experience on the moon. What mesmerized me the most, and has stuck with me since, were the words he used to describe what he saw when he was on the moon. He said, “It was as if I were sitting on God’s front porch.” He shared that the view of Earth and space was vast and beautiful, and he attributed it to God’s majesty and power over all creation. It was awe-inspiring.
So as I look out at the moon, I am encouraged to keep my aim high — shooting for the moon. I’m confident that with the Lord’s leading and wisdom and course corrections along the way, we will reach our goal of a million women for Jesus!
HOSPITALITY
"For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
I TIMOTHY 5:10
HOSPITALITY
SIX INGREDIENT CHICKEN
BY LISA ODEGARD, @TUCKINTOTHIS1
This is my go-to recipe when I don’t have a lot of time to cook but still want a healthy & delicious dinner.
INGREDIENTS
3 lb chicken (bone-in, skinon drumsticks and thighs)
16 oz cherry tomatoes
16 oz Brussels sprouts, halved
15 oz garbanzo beans
½ cup avocado oil, divided
4 Tbsp spice mixture, divided
Note: I used Dukkah seasoning you could use Old Bay, shwarma spice, berbere, curry or another favorite spice mixture.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350º F.
2. Place chicken pieces into a one gallon bag. Pour 2 Tbsp of spice mixture & ¼ cup avocado oil over the chicken. Close bag and shake to evenly distribute spices and oil onto the chicken. Set aside.
3. Place cherry tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, and garbanzo beans into a one gallon bag. Pour remaining 2 Tbsp of spice mixture and remaining ¼ cup oil into the bag. Close bag and shake to evenly distribute spices and oil over the vegetables and garbanzos. Set aside.
4. Grab a large cast iron griddle, 17” skillet or sheet pan and pour spiced vegetable mixture onto the pan. Make sure the flat side of the Brussels sprouts are laying cut side down on the pan.
5. Lay chicken pieces on top of the vegetables and bake in the 350º F preheated oven for 45-60 min.
• Don’t use boneless or skinless chicken. The chicken will be dry & cook quicker than the vegetables.
• If you don’t have avocado oil, use light olive, peanut, grape seed, sunflower or safflower oil. Don’t use vegetable or canola oil, it does not taste the same.
HOSPITALITY
BELONGING
WRITTEN BY JANNA KACH
Have you ever walked into a place or a room and felt like, "Hey, I belong here." I am so lucky that that is how I feel in my church and community, and I'd love to share my story with you.
I was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico. My birth family, residing between Taos and Santa Fe, is a family that goes back sixteen generations to the late 1600s with a stunning landscape rich in history.
When I was fifteen months old, my triplet sisters and I were adopted into a Christian family and raised in the Spokane Valley on an 80-acre farm. My parents and grandparents were a significant part of my early childhood and upbringing. My parents often told us of our adoption story and we always felt loved — a beautiful belonging.
I moved to Redmond, WA in 1982 after I married my husband John. There we raised our three children in Carnation, WA.
MY FAITH JOURNEY
I accepted Jesus in my heart at a David Wilkerson revival in the ninth grade. That
ABOVE: John and I on our honeymoon
Christmas I asked only for a Bible and that’s pretty much all I received, along with some new ski socks and Bonnie Bell lip gloss!
But, high school invited me into new friendships and activities. I strayed away from my Christian walk. As I entered my college years, I was heart broken and slightly battered. That was when my Mom came to visit my sister and I and said, “I am really praying you girls marry Christian men." "Wow, Mom, that’s a novel idea!" we replied, but her words stuck. I felt a gentle nudge in my heart and was reminded of Isaiah 44:22: "Return, return to me, for I have redeemed you."
Two months later I met my future husband, John, fresh from Iowa State University. He left the corn fields of Iowa to go to the rolling wheat fields of Eastern Washington.
John told me somewhere between the sunflowers fields of South Dakota and the majestic mountains in Montana that he said a prayer, "Lord, why? Why are you taking me away from my family and friends?"
Well, it was to meet me! He also came with four years as a Navigator in college and — truthfully — I just might have been ready to return to Jesus because I wanted him!
He was funny and smart and loved the Lord. And so, we married and joined a church in Issaquah where we would grow more and
(CONTINUED ON FOLLOWING PAGE)
TOP: John and I in Cle Elum in 2016
BOTTOM: Katie, Carla, and me at the first Cle Elum Anchor Gathering
more in our walk with Jesus. At this little church we were mentored and prayed over, and this is where we served from the ages of 23 to 63.
I BELONG HERE
To quote Corrie ten Boom, “Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives is the perfect preparation for the future that only He can see.”
I want to tell you how the Lord has been an Anchor in my life in the last year and a half with another belonging. My friend Carla Vail and I started The Anchor in Suncadia and Tumble Creek in Cle Elum, WA several years ago. Our first Anchor at Home gathering was in 2019. We had Katie as our speaker and a local musician from one the churches. With a total of five women in attendance, it was a small group yet we did not give up or back down.
The Covid-19 pandemic gave us some pushback and hence we restarted in the Fall of 2021, this time joined by ten women. We immediately had a kindred spirit feeling with the ladies, and because this community is so close, we felt they caught our vision. There was that feeling of belonging again.
Then came April 26th, 2022. I was happily serving with The Anchor and as Prayer Chair for Community Bible Study in Sammamish, WA. This particular morning I walked into a meeting and said, “I’m keeping my phone close; my husband is not feeling well.” John had gone to the ER thinking he had a stomach bug he couldn’t shake.
Instead, about four hours later, I got a call that would project me into the new unknown world of cancer. My husband had stage 4 lung cancer that had already spread to his liver and bone. At that moment I couldn’t
have envisioned my husband would be with Jesus in under six months, going home to heaven on October 18th, 2022.
In those six months that my husband was sick, my Anchor ladies (as we call each other) turned towards me with love, prayers and care. A photo was sent to me of the them huddled around Carla’s outdoor fire pit lifting John and me up in prayer.
THE DIFFICULT MOMENTS
John’s memorial was all we hoped for, and in the words of Pastor Tim Timberlake, "Memorials are necessary not just because death is inevitable but because life is beautiful." And in my sadness during the service, I turned around and saw Anchor ladies spread throughout the sanctuary, ready to walk alongside me on a journey no one wishes to be on.
In Issue 02 of Anchored Living titled "Calendar Girls," Carla shared a ministry of sorts she created for a friend who had lost her husband. Carla wanted to find a gentle way to support her through what she knew would be a challenging first year without her husband so she reached out to a few more friends and a few neighbors and collected e-mail addresses until she had 31 unique names. I felt loved and a huge sense of belonging when Carla began a "Calendar Girls" for me.
Each woman was given a day of the month and on their day they would call me, text me a scripture, drop off some chocolates, send me a lovely book, etc. They remembered me on important days, birthdays, and my husband's birthday. I could feel the prayers on the darkest of days. On those long days as the rain poured down and I felt a tinge of despair, a text would come at just the right time. God knows.
BELONGING MEANS SOMEONE CARES AND SOMEONE LOVES ME IN MY SADNESS AND IN MY TRIALS. I’M NOT ALONE. THIS GROUP WAS WITH ME FOR THE LONG HAUL TO WALK WITH ME IN MY GRIEF.
I was given a little scripture card of Psalm 46:5 while John was sick and it said, “God is within her, she will not fall." A friend who was visiting noticed this on my counter and said, "It’s okay if you do fall Janna. We are all here to pick you up."
Many of my Anchor ladies' husbands saw that my yard needed to be cleaned up, so they gathered together, raked up 20 bags of pine needles, stopped by the dump with old outdoor furniture, and when they were finished, went to the Cottage Café for breakfast. Here’s to the Anchor men!
One of the Anchor ladies by the name of Jennie Graham, who lives in Cle Elum, juggles four young children along with her husband’s business building homes. She felt the nudge to make me a beautiful quilt; she calls it a "God Nudge." This quilt has small squares with a written note of encouragement from the women of the Suncadia/ Tumble Creek/Cle Elum Gathering. Look what I have for the dark rainy nights!
It’s been a year now that my husband has been gone. With love and gratitude I’m beginning to step out of the darkness. At our first Anchor gathering this year in Cle Elum, we were all huddled inside when Carla said, "The elk are here!" She turned off all the lights as we slowly walked out onto her terrace. We looked up at the shining stars and listened to the elk making their own songs.
Belonging. I belong here.
HONING IN
REFLECTION & NOTES
HOPE
HONING IN
REFLECTION & NOTES
p. 10 Has there been a time when you felt yourself pulling away from God? How did you begin to heal, or are there things you're wanting to try to get back on track?
p. 12 Barbara leaned on three men dearly important to her husband during his fight with cancer. Who do you lean on for support?
HOME
HEART
p. 17 What season are you in? Jenny encourages you to ask the question, “Lord, what do you want me to know? What do you want me to do?”
p. 18 Is there someone you can create a playlist for or share the Anchor Playlist with?
p. 23 We encourage you to cut out Amy's poem and keep it near you to stay anchored!
p. 24 What mid-course corrections have you had to make? What lessons did you learn from these trials?
HOSPITALITY
p. 30 Have you ever walked alongside a friend and made sure they knew they "belonged"? Is there a friend you could reach out to today to support?
SOURCES
p. 07
1Zitner, A. (2023, March 27). America Pulls Back From Values That Once Defined It, WSJ-NORC Poll Finds. Wall Street Journal. https:// www.wsj.com/articles/americans-pull-back-from-values-that-oncedefined-u-s-wsj-norc-poll-finds-df8534cd
2Barna Group, & The MomCo by MOPS International. (2023). Motherhood Today: The State of Moms and What It Means for the Church. Barna Group. https://www.barna.com/motherhood/
JOIN US FOR THE ANCHOR AT HOME!
In our world today we are faced with uncertainty and battles big and small. God promises to be our strength and shield every day. Join us this year as we explore the theme of what that looks like to be anchored on the truth that Jesus is our strength and shield for whatever we face.
Visit theanchorgathering.com/anchor-at-home for more information.
HONING IN
MEET THE FOUNDER
KATIE ROBERTSON FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Katie Robertson, of Gig Harbor, WA, faced one of life’s greatest storms after losing her daughter to a five year battle with cancer.
In the midst of this loss, Katie held firmly to the Anchor of her faith, Jesus. She knew she was not the only woman experiencing the trials of life; her heart broke for the women in her community facing storms without any anchor at all.
She felt the urgent need to share the hope we have in Jesus to encourage and anchor one another in faith and friendship.
HONING IN
WHAT'S A GATHERING?
Women of all ages are welcome to enjoy appetizers, drinks, music, community, and stories from women about their faith, and engaging in the deeper questions of life with a dynamic speaker.
The Anchor at Home is a virtual gathering on YouTube, premiering the first Thursday of the month, October through June. Watch on your own, host a watch party (virtual or in person), or attend a watch party in your area.
Anchor Gatherings are hosted in person on a quarterly basis with amazing speakers, hosted appetizers and wine, drawings, and best of all, each other! If you're not local to an in-person Gathering, don't worry — we live stream the whole evening! We're excited to include all Anchor at Home watch parties in the evening's festivities!
GATHERING
COME BE ENCOURAGED.
