by Neta Jackson
Pastor Cobbs lifted his hand as if to signal the praise team to begin—and stopped with his hand in the air. His lips parted; his eyes widened. He was looking out the windows that ran along the front of the spacious room. Heads began to turn. What was he looking at? I craned my neck, trying to see past Denny’s big shoulders.
A Medicar had pulled up right in front of the doors of New Morning’s new space. Its side doors were open. A technician lowered a wheelchair on an electric ramp. A woman stood with her back to us, wearing a flowing caftan with gold braid around the neck and sleeves. Two boys in suits and ties ran up to her as she took the handles of the wheelchair and pushed it toward the door.
My heart nearly stopped. Nony! And Mark!
People scrambled to open the doors. Nonyameko pushed the wheelchair into the room. Mark sat in the chair, dressed in slacks and an open-necked shirt. Bandages still wrapped his head and covered one eye. Scars still raked one side of his face. But there was no disguising the broad smile on his face.
People all around the room broke into applause. “Thank You, Jesus!” “Glory!” rang out from all corners. I could barely see for the tears in my eyes. Pastor Cobbs must have recovered and signaled the praise band and worship team, because the room filled suddenly with a Sion Alford song:
My God is a great big God!
My Lord is a mighty Lord! . . .
He’s my help in the time of need!
I let the words roll over me and fill me up. I caught Nony’s eye where she stood beside Mark’s wheelchair in the midst of our two churches, worshiping together. She winked at me and mouthed, “Watch out, devil!” And we both started to laugh as the musicians led into the bridge of the song:
I don’t care what the devil may do
I’m gonna praise the Lord!
Windy City Stories
in the “Yada Yada Universe”
By Neta Jackson and Dave Jackson
www.daveneta.com
The Yada Yada Prayer Group series
The Yada Yada Prayer Group
The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Down
The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Real
The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Tough
The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Caught
The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Rolling
The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Decked Out
The Yada Yada House of Hope series
Where Do I Go?
Who Do I Talk To?
Who Do I Lean On?
Who Is My Shelter?
Harry Bentley’s Second Chance
Harry Bentley’s Second Sight
Lucy Come Home
SouledOut Sisters series
Stand By Me
Come to the Table
Windy City Neighbors series
Grounded
Derailed
Penny Wise (2014)
Pound Foolish (2014)
A Note from the Author
Dear Readers,
One of the greatest gifts God has given me here in Chicago is a prayer group of multi-cultural women, going on sixteen years now. God has used these amazing “sisters” to turn my life upside down—or maybe I should say “right side up”—taking me deeper in prayer and higher in praise.
Which is where the Yada Yada Prayer Group story begins . . .
As a writer, I wanted to share what God has been teaching me through this group, but you know the drill: “What happens with the sisters stays with the sisters!” So I had to create a fictional group. But what I naively thought would be just one novel became a series of seven novels! I learned that you can’t put twelve feisty women in a novel and expect them to meekly stay there. They all wanted their stories to be told.
The whole Yada Yada journey has been full of surprises. First were the reader letters:
• “I laughed. I cried. It’s been a long time —if ever—that a work of fiction touched me spiritually like this series did. I have begun to think of my prayer life in a whole new way.”
• “Your [novel] has reawakened my desire to have that kind of relationship with God, where praise and thanksgiving are a natural part of my life.”
• “Your thoughtful way of making prayer and praise seem possible is inspiring. The diversity [in your characters] keeps me hopeful.”
• “These books made me want to start a Yada Yada Prayer Group”
This was the second surprise: Yada Yada Prayer Groups began springing up all over the globe. What a thrill—to think that God was using this series to bring women together to pray. Totally knocked my socks off.
And now . . . the Yada Yada sisters are about to be reborn! Thomas Nelson Publishers has repackaged the series with new covers and is sending them out to a new generation of readers. Wahoo! (Wait . . . new covers? Replace the crazy socks? So when I saw the new covers, I showed them to the toughest critic of all—my almost-grown, very with-it granddaughter, who said, “I love these covers! I’d buy a book with a cover like that.” So there you go.)
I’m excited to introduce the Yada Yada sisters to you. While the novels are fiction, the stories and characters were inspired by many real people and events God has used to encourage me and show me the gift of the beautiful diversity within the body of Christ. And the fact that we need each other (see 1 Cor. 12:21–26).
If you join me on this journey, I’d love to hear from you!
[email protected]
Reading Group Guide
1. As Book 4 opens, the Yada Yadas have lots of reason to celebrate! But God’s Spirit prompts Jodi, Don’t let down your guard. Satan likes nothing better than to lull us to sleep spiritually when things are going well. How can we keep spiritually alert?
2. Leslie “Stu” Stuart invites ex-con Becky Wallace to share her home—a well-meaning gesture that turns Stu’s orderly life upside down. Do you think it was worth the risk? Why or why not? How does Stu’s rash decision compare to the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), where the things Jesus advocates seem to go against common sense?
3. The Yada Yada Prayer Group has to “get tough” to battle the events that threaten to crush them. What are the weapons they use for this spiritual warfare? What weapons would you add to this list?
4. Psalm 8:2 in Today’s New International Version says: “Through the praise of children and infants you have established a strongold against your enemies . . .” How does praise build a stronghold against the enemy? What is the significance of the psalmist mentioning children and infants?
5. What does it mean to you to pray “in the name of Jesus”?
6. Like Jodi praying for “the girl in the sundress,” have you had a burden to pray for someone but you didn’t know why? If so, what was the result?
7. Jodi’s son and Florida’s son concluded that “nothing will ever be different” when it comes to racial relations. How did they each get to this point? Do you sometimes feel this way? In what other areas of life or relationships do you feel discouraged that nothing will ever change? Why?
8. “One person can make a difference. My attitudes. What I say or don’t say. What I do or don’t do. It has to begin with me” (chapter 39). Why did Josh Baxter find hope in this perspective, even when the circumstances were so huge? Apply this to yourself: what needs to begin with you?
9. After weeks of struggling with the attack on Mark, Nony reflects, “God is showing me I need to let go, that we weren’t ready to go to South Africa” (chapter 41). Why weren’t they ready? What needed to be different about future decisions? What role does prayer play in your own family decision making? What needs to change to bring about more unity when making decisions? (Be honest!)
10. The biblical story of Joseph reminds us that what Satan meant for evil, God can turn into a greater good. Why does Peter Douglass think merging Uptown Community and New Morning fits into that concept? Is it realistic? What would be the challenges? The blessings?
11. Read 1 Corinthians 12:12–26. How can we learn to appreciate the different parts of
the body of Christ (i.e., other churches in your area that may be culturally or denominationally different)? Do you need these other parts of the body? (Reread vv. 21–26).
The
YADA YADA
Prayer Group®
GETS TOUGH
Celebrations & Recipes
Let’s Celebrate!
Naming and Blessing
A Blessing Shower
Make Name Meaning Bookmarks
Other Ways to Use Names and Their Meanings
Resources for Names
Recipes
Seven-Layer Make-Ahead Salad
Jodi’s Secret Spaghetti Sauce
Hamburger Vegetable Soup
Dressy Bow-Tie Pasta Salad
Let’s Celebrate!
Ever since Jodi Baxter discovered the meaning of her name (“God is gracious”) at a time when she needed a touch of God’s grace (see Book 2, The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Down, chapter 15), she’s been digging up the meanings for people’s names and finding ways to bless that person, just as she did for Mark Smith at the hospital in this novel. To tell you the truth, she’s on to something.
Naming and Blessing
Naming and blessing are two important concepts in Scripture. For one thing, God has many names, each one revealing an important aspect of His character (see pg. 365). For another thing, our names are important to God! At times, God gave a new name to a man or woman when their spiritual life direction changed—e.g., Abram (“exalted father”) to Abraham (“father of many nations”); Simon (“he who hears”) to Peter (“rock”); Saul (a Hebrew name) to Paul (a Roman name).
Why are names so important? To know and use a person’s name, that which identifies each of us as a unique individual, is to take the first step toward a personal relationship. And the opposite is true. One way to hold a person at arm’s length is to think of them as “that girl” or “those kids” rather than bother to know them by name.
The amazing thing is that God knows each one of us by name. And He longs to bless us! Not just generically, but specifically, by name! You. Me.
Biblical Background
Use the following Scriptures as a foundation for some of the celebrations and activities below, for a Bible study with your “Yada Yada Prayer Group,” or simply as fodder for your own reflection.
God knows us by name! See Isaiah 49:1 (He knew our names before we were born!) and Isaiah 49:14–16. In verse 16, the New Living Translation uses the phrase, “written your name on my hand,” which is also implied in all the other translations when they say, “engraved you on the palms of my hands” (NIV), “inscribed you on the palms of My hands” (NKJV), and “graven thee on the palms of my hands” (KJV). Think about it. If our names are engraved on the hands of God, Christ took our names with Him to the cross when He willingly spread out His hands … and died for our sins.
God calls us by name! See Isaiah 43:1. His redemption is not just generically for “the whole world,” but for us individually by name.
Isaac blessed his two sons. See Genesis 27:1–40. Isaac blessed even the youngest who fooled his father into thinking he was the eldest and even the eldest who so carelessly gave away his birthright.
Jacob wrestled with an angel (or God Himself) until he got a blessing (and a new name!). See Genesis 32:22–32. And for the rest of his life he had a limp to prove it!
Moses blessed each of the tribes of Israel by name. See Deuteronomy 33. Note how specific the prophetic blessing is for each tribe!
John the Baptist was prophetically named before his birth and prophetically blessed at his naming ceremony. See Luke 1:5–25; 57–80.
Jesus was prophetically named before He was born. See Luke 1:26–38.
The infant Jesus was prophetically blessed by Simeon and Anna in the temple. See Luke 2:21–40.
Jesus laid hands on and blessed the children. See Mark 10:13–16. It’s easy to imagine Jesus not only touching each head tenderly, but calling the children by name as each child was blessed.
A Blessing Shower
So why not give a Blessing Shower for the next baby-to-be-born among your family or friends, instead of the usual baby-gifts-and-shower-games party? Nothing wrong with the latter, but a Blessing Shower can be very meaningful.
With ultrasound and sonograms so common, many couples know the sex of their baby before it’s born and have already picked out the name. (If not, why not throw the Blessing Shower after the baby is born when sex and name are known—and then the guest of honor can be present!)
When you invite the shower guests, provide an 8½ × 11-inch sheet of paper (there are so many pretty papers available today at stores that sell office or paper supplies!) and ask them to write out a blessing for the child. (Option: This could be done as an activity when guests arrive, with you providing paper and fine-tipped colored markers for them to write blessings.)
At the shower, have each guest read their blessing one by one and present it to the parent. One of the blessings might include the meanings of the child’s first and middle names (see pg 363).
Collect all the blessings into a presentation folder or notebook to give to the parents after the shower.
Optional: Include blessings for the parents too!
Oh, go ahead and let guests bring baby gifts too—but keep the emphasis on blessing the new child, a gift that will be remembered long after the rattles are lost and the cute outfits outgrown.
Make Name Meaning Bookmarks
Readers of the Yada Yada novels have written to say that Jodi’s name meanings have inspired them to make bookmarks as gifts for the sisters in their prayer groups, with the name of each sister on a bookmark, along with the meaning of her name. What a wonderful idea! (Thank you, readers, who have shared this idea!) Here are a few ideas for making bookmarks:
Laminated Paper Bookmarks
Using fun fonts on your computer, write out each person’s name with the name meaning underneath, centering the type and using different colors for the name and its meaning.
The size of the fonts should be approximately 36-point type for the name and 26-point type for the meaning of the name (depending on the font).
Leave adequate space between names so that when cut apart horizontally (and then turned lengthwise), this part of each bookmark is approximately 1¾ inches wide. Print on scrap paper until you get what you want. Then . . .
Print out names on a color printer, using heavy white paper or cardstock, if possible.
Cut this part of the bookmark so it measures approximately 6¼ × 1¾ inches.
Now cut a piece of heavy colored paper 6½ × 2¼ inches. Glue the name piece to the larger colored piece.
For the back side, once again using fun fonts and colors, type out a portion of Isaiah 43:1: “I have called you by name, you are Mine.” Font size should be around 16–20-point type. Print out on heavy white paper or cardstock using a color printer. Cut out Scripture using the same dimensions as the front side of the bookmark (e.g., 6¼ × 1¾ inches). Glue to the back side of the bookmark.
Add cute stickers (hearts, swirls, flowers, stars, whatever) if you wish.
Laminate the whole bookmark, front and back. Punch a hole near the top and thread a thin ribbon through it, tying a knot so the ribbon ends hang 3 to 4 inches long.
Embroidered Bookmark
If you like to embroider or cross-stitch, cut a piece of sturdy (but not too heavy) material approximately 7 × 5 inches. (This allows the bookmark material to be folded once lengthwise and the edges turned under ¼ inch and hemmed). You might want to iron the fold and the to-be-hemmed edges before you embroider, so you know where to center your design on one side.
Using a light pencil, draw the name you wish to embroider and the meaning underneath.
Embroider or cross-stitch along the pencil markings, using a complimentary color for the embroidery thread. Add any designs you’d like.
Now fold the length of material in half (to hide the back of the embroidery—usually a mess!). Hand sti
tch or machine stitch the top, long side edge, and bottom together (turned under at least ¼ inch). A zigzag machine stitch can make a pretty edge all the way around.
Leave as is, or add a ribbon or thin cord at one end before stitching the two sides together.
Other Ways to Use Names and Their Meanings
Family Reunions
As a way to bless the members of your family, look up the meanings of their names (see pg. 364). Create a page for each family member on your computer with his or her name and its meaning, using fun fonts on your computer (or fonts that capture a person’s personality). Print each person’s name page on paper with a pretty border (can be purchased in packs at any office or stationery store), roll it up like a scroll, tie with ribbon, and present each name and its meaning at one of your family gatherings.
Use the meaning of each person’s name to bless or encourage him or her as you give the scrolls, e.g: “David, your name means ‘beloved’—and you are definitely ‘beloved’ by me and the rest of this family” . . . “Connie, your name means ‘constancy, firmness.’ We already know that when this little girl makes up her mind, it’s set in cement! Might drive us crazy, but it can be a good thing . . .” etc.
Birthday or Encouragement Cards
If you’re good at making handmade or computer-generated cards, consider using the person’s name and its meaning as a way to bless and encourage the recipient, e.g.: “Maggie ~ ‘Pearl’ . . . Maggie, even when the grit of life gets into the gears, you always seem to be able to turn little problems into pearls of wisdom and beauty.”
A Quilt Square for a Friendship, Wedding, or Baby Quilt