The VOICE Conference > the VOICE staff blog > Articles by: Anna Petersheim

About Anna Petersheim

Anna is a housewife who enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter, writing, blogging, cooking, and walking with Jesus. Her career choice might best be described as a pilgrim, “forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:13-14) VOICE Involvement: 2005 (TESOL); 2007 (V2); 2013 (Team Leader); 2014 (Northwoods Staff); 2015-2016 (TESOL Coordinator) Favorite VOICE Memory: It wasn’t just one moment, but a conglomeration of memories of Staff prayer times. I loved working with the students, but I think the real “work” took place in the office with all the Staff on their knees, crying out for God to work. It was from those nights I found God’s grace and leading in the everyday highs and lows. I’m so grateful to work with a Staff that prays.

God is real. Die like it.

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Anna Petersheim

“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” –John 17:3

Life. This is life –to know Him.

Our VOICE motto is “God is real. Live like it.” I read it often in the mirror when I wear one of my VOICE t-shirts. I look at the logo of the heartbeat beginning with a cross and I realize that true life starts with Christ. Isn’t it interesting that it is a symbol of death by which we, as believers, are recognized?

The cross is a symbol of a terribly cruel and painful death, yet we decorate our homes and buy diamond studded jewelry of it. I think perhaps many have grown a little too accustomed to seeing it, a little too familiar with its shape. So, lest it be trite and meaningless in our eyes, let’s take a moment to recognize what it means again.

Would you climb with me up to Golgotha, the hill on which Christ died? Let’s stand at his broken, bloodied feet. Let’s look up and see a dying Savior, bearing all the sin –all our sin. And, let’s hear him speak these words: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:24-25)

Do you want to have eternal life? You must know Him. Do you want to know Him? You must die.

The words Jesus spoke in Matthew 16 are significant. He said “take up your cross”. Don’t just wear a symbol of His death –take up YOUR cross! It’s time to die, if you would like to live.

“Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone: but if it die, it brings forth much fruit. He that loves his life shall lose it; and he that hates his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.” –John 12:24-25

I’m not talking about a future physical death. Right now, you can have eternal life flowing through you like a spring of water that cannot be stopped. How?

We must stop trying to do “right” things; we must stop living out the goodness of our own hearts. We cannot live for ourselves and also have eternal life.
We MUST let His Words abide in us and kill off the thoughts of self. We must quit thinking our own thoughts and let His Spirit speak His thoughts in us.

Will you die with me today? More importantly, will you die with Christ, and live?

Three Little Kittens

Posted on May 27, 2016 by Anna Petersheim

This is a story of three little kittens.

Once upon a time, my brothers found some kittens in our backyard. They brought them inside, not realizing it was a death sentence for the little creatures who were only a few days old. We put them back out, but the mother cat never returned to feed the kittens. It’s quite normal for a mother cat to abandon her children if they are touched by humans.
After a day or so, I felt badly for the kittens that would surely die and I brought them back inside and tried to feed them and find them a better home. It was awful. One of the worst experiences ever. They always cried, because they needed their mother and I was an inadequate replacement. It was so heartbreaking for me to watch those little creatures slowly die. I lost sleep trying to feed them and even when I was not in the house I could hear their cries.

It was haunting.

Eventually, there was only one kitten left and I finally found someone with much more experience to care for him. It took a long while to recover from this awful experience. And it took a long time not to hear the kittens’ cry.
One night, a few weeks later, I had a dream about those kittens. In this dream, there was Jesus holding them while they cried.
I awoke and realized why I had been so utterly devastated by the crying. The kittens didn’t cry alone. They cried along with me. While I was desperately trying to save those tiny creatures’ lives, my brother was in a hospital far away fighting for life. I was crying for God to save him, but I didn’t know if He would save him or not. I was helpless, like an abandoned child.

Yesterday, I saw a picture of a Syrian refugee offering up his small baby to be saved from an overloaded raft. The refugees were all crowded together, their faces stricken by hopelessness. They are crying, because they have no safe place, no refuge for their children. And their cry of desperation mixes with mine.

Years ago, I was in a baby orphanage in Romania. There were three rooms filled with beds and a baby in each. The babies had no mother, no one to pick them up when they cried. And though I was only there a few hours, the cries of those motherless children are still with me today.

The kittens, the babies, the refugees, and me. Our cries go up to heaven and beg for hope. And there is Jesus, holding the dying kitten, and somehow as I think on that, I realize that He holds my heart too. And that’s enough.

See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand. ~Deuteronomy 32:39

pressed down and shaken together

Posted on January 23, 2016 by Anna Petersheim

I recently lent out a rather expensive item to a friend. While it was in my friend’s care, it was stolen and I am quite devestated. Not only was this item a gift from my mother, it is also something I cannot afford to replace at this time.

When my friend told me about the problem and offered to replace the item, I realized I don’t her to. It’s not her fault it was stolen and most of my attachment was in the sentimental value. But still, all my warm feelings of helping her by lending the item are now replaced with frustration and dissapointment. It’s like my generosity shot me in the foot.

Realizing how frustrated I was, I brought my hurt before God and asked Him how I should fix it. He showed me that the only way to gain back my peace is to completely let go of what was mine. I have to take my “generousity” to the next level and become a giver.

There is a difference between being a giver and a lender. A lender will give something of theirs with the hope of eventually being repaid. It’s a kind act when done in love, but a giver has no such hope of repayment. I must count the item as a gift to my friend -gone forever. Does it seem a bit unfair? Well, of course it is! But God isn’t fair. He gives freely.

“While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” -Romans 5:8

While all the pain of losing something I valued is not completely erased yet, I chose to give. And while it might make me sound generous, I’m actually doing it with the hope that I will see God give back to me. And when He does, I know it won’t be a meager, “as little as possible” portion, but an overflowing, “as much as can be packed in” gift. And I know this because He’s already done it before.

My sweet gift from God. 🙂

“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” -Luke 6:38

So, lender or giver? Which will it be?

Cast Out Fear

Posted on August 7, 2015 by Anna Petersheim

I have often heard, and perhaps even written, about fear being combated with faith. However, faith, on its own, is not enough. When fear is filling my heart and mind with statements that are both true and false, I find simply mustering up statements of truth has little power.

1John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear.” I like that phrase: “casts out”. Isn’t fear often like an unwelcomed visitor? We can ask it politely to leave and even try bringing in other things to fill our heart, but one thing, one Person actually, has the authority to cast it out.

Petersheim Baby

There are many scary things happening in our world today and I have the privilege and fearful responsibility of bringing a small child into the middle of the chaos. What if the end times are here? What if all we’ve heard described as the tribulations and sufferings of this world passing away is about to come to pass? Can I protect my child from the woes and monsters of this age? No, I cannot.

But, Love…Perfect Love can cast out my fear and give me peace.

I’m brought back to a familiar scene in the life of Christ. Jesus and His disciples are out in the boat on a stormy night. Jesus is sleeping. The disciples are bailing. Fear says, “You will die in this storm.” The disciples believe fear. They awake Jesus and ask, “Don’t you care?” It wasn’t a question of whether or not He had the ability to save them, but whether or not He would.

Love. Love, perfected by an ultimate act of sacrifice we cannot fully understand, extends His hand and says, “Come. Abide in Me. Know Me and know My peace.”

My child is safe in Him. Fear, you must leave.

Learning a New Song

Posted on February 19, 2015 by Anna Petersheim

First, it was the beautiful and wonderful proposal by my now-husband, Nate. 🙂 Then it was the heart-wrenching shock of my fifteen-year-old brother, Joseph, being diagnosed with Leukemia (cancer of the blood). After that came months of mixed emotions: joy and pain, fulfillment and love in relationships with hurt in the suffering of my little brother and family.

Then decisions had to be made.

-Do we have a wedding even if Joseph can’t come? (He is staying in a different city getting treatment.)

-Do we continue on when we don’t know when the transplant will come?

-How do we make plans around the wedding knowing I may need to go to Memphis at any time to be Joseph’s bone marrow donor for the transplant?

Up and down it went with tides of emotion sweeping me this way and that. Yet, underneath, there was a Rock, a Foundation that didn’t move. His Hand was there in every moment to hold me and to still my desperate thoughts. Looking back, its clear that every moment was guided carefully by an All-Knowing and Loving Shepherd.

Joseph graciously understood when Nate and I decided to have the wedding before Joseph could be there in person. He was even able to join in through video calling on the internet. The transplant was postponed till mid-January, giving Nate and I time to honeymoon and even unpack at the new house.

And now, sitting here , hundreds of miles from my old home and family, with life so strange and different, I wonder how I am still tempted to doubt my Great Heavenly Friend. He fights for me. All the change of moving and marriage and Joseph on the slow road of recovery is the gift of a new song. It’s an old truth of God’s faithfulness sung in a new way, different than any other I’ve ever known, but the same Changeless God. It’s the song of my life -Praise to our God, who is worthy!

The stem cells and plasma I donated for Joseph’s bone Marrow Transplant.

“He has put a new song in my mouth -Praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord.” -Psalm 40:3

(Joseph had a very aggressive kind of Leukemia which the doctors felt, if killed, would simply come back. The doctors decided to do a bone marrow transplant with my stem cells so that Joseph has a higher chance of his body staying cancer free.)

Earning My Place

Posted on September 6, 2014 by Anna Petersheim

I’m standing before the doors to a regal throne room. My clothes are torn and my face is dirty, but I have to go inside. I see two choices. I can try to clean up my mess and earn a right inside or I can bust open the doors and walk to see the king.

This is not any old throne room. There sits the Creator of everything we see and feel and know. He is reigning on a throne in the heavens, reigning over every spirit and being. He is surrounded by angels and heavenly beings who are worshiping and serving Him in perfect obedience.

With that in mind, you might think about that second choice and find it a little audacious. How could I walk in and think I’m “important enough” for God to hear? If I was simply an innocent child, it might be a different matter, but I know I’ve failed. I’ve tried my own ways. I’ve been distracted by things that don’t matter. I’ve listened to the lies. I’ve got the face and hands to prove it. There is dirt on my soul.

But, putting that aside for a moment, look at choice number one. Is there any possible hope of me earning my way into that throne room? Good works never impress God and there is no possible way for me to remove dirt from my soul. So really, what I see as a choice is actually an impossibility. There is no way into the throne room except through Christ.

Ephessians 1:4 is talking about those who have accepted Christ righteous sacrifice and been forgiven. It says, “…He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.” There is no arguing that our own “clothes” are stained. We have the guilt and shame to prove it. But what Christ did was take those dirty clothes on himself and he gave us his.

So, I’m here before the doors of my Heavenly Father’s throne room. I see the stains of sin on my life and my heart tells me I must change. But instead of working harder, I open the door and I run to the One who can change me. God looks and sees His own child, running through the great hall, and He opens His arms.

Anna 🙂

What are You Chasing?

Posted on May 16, 2014 by Anna Petersheim

What if God offered you the fulfillment of all your hopes and dreams? What if you could be in your “promised land” in victory and wealth, with an angel to guide you? But, there’s a little catch…God isn’t going with you. Would you take the deal?

I suppose that sounds a little heretical, but it’s almost exactly what God told Moses in Exodus 33. He said to go up to the promised land, with an angel to guide the way and their enemies fleeing before them; but He wasn’t going along. Moses’ response proves his heart: “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth” (v. 15-16).

I often pray for grace and help in my life, but sometimes I forget that God’s grace is His Spirit in us. I’m afraid I often find my heart willing to take the deal presented to Moses. My dreams, even from God, can so fill my vision that I squeeze God right out of the picture. But without God, the promised land is just dirt.

It’s the enemies of our souls that say, “Be strong. Be you. Pursue your dream.” Don’t listen to them. We find a totally different message in the Word. God says, “I’m your strength. Be like Christ. Walk with Me. Let My Spirit fill you. Pursue Me!” Do you get the picture that it’s really not about us at all? It’s so easy to run after the dreams God gives us, but God says to walk with Him. What is the Gospel but the good news that God is Emmanuel – with us!

Dear friends, let’s open our hearts to God. Let’s bring Him our dreams and lay them at His feet. Let’s say with Moses, “Father, do not bring us from Your Presence! Make us separate from the world around us, separated unto you.”

Revive Me

Posted on December 14, 2013 by Anna Petersheim

“God, I can’t make it today. Life’s too hard. I’m tired.”

Do you have those days? I’m not talking about just having a late night and not wanting to get out of bed. I’m talking about the kind of tired where you don’t know if you care to ever get out of bed—the kind of tired that sinks into your soul. Psalm 119:25a says, “My soul clings to the dust.” I’ve found myself identifying with this verse.

It wasn’t anything in particular that made life hard. It was simply, well, everything. All of life’s platitudes and helpful sayings hit me like a slap in the face. Each morning rushed upon me like a charging bull. I needed a way out of an endless cycle of hurt and self-pity. Praise God! He has given one—the Word.

I thought: “I’ve tried that. I’ve read the Bible. Tell me something new.” But, the amazing truth is my answer is not in some new thing that will magically solve all my problems. My answer, as a child of God, is within me. The Father, who gave His all to know me, lives inside me and IS the answer to everything. And if He is what I need, I must fill my life, my heart, my mind, my soul with the Word. “…and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

All throughout the Word, we find the command to keep His commandments. “And this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.” (1 John 5:3). Keep means to hold on to something, to take care of it, to have it with you. Our Father knows our weaknesses and needs above anyone else. When the soul is laid low, the answer is still the same.

Do you feel like your feet are slipping and you are desperately grasping for something to stop your plummet? Cling to His Word. Read the Word. Memorize it. Talk about it. Fill your free time with it. At first, you may not notice a difference. I didn’t, but, slowly, something happened. In the end, my life hasn’t changed too much, but my heart has. Deep inside something has grown. It’s a flicker of hope.

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“My soul clings to the dust; revive me according to your Word.” ~Psalm 119:25