December 23, 2024

A Daughter’s Worth: Week 2 / Day 5: Your Father Gives Great Advice

October 12, 2012 by

 

Today’s blog post is by Tina Marin 

Growing up in the south has its advantages, unless you are in a really rural area. I was protected and very naive when I went off to college and I can tell you folks had fun with me. You see I was very trusting and took what folks said literally. I wanted to trust that what others said were true and that they were not being hurtful or mean. I mean, if an adult said something, you were not to doubt what they said correct? How old were you when you learned not to trust what an adult told you something. Well, guess what? There is an adult out there that you can trust. He is our heavenly Father.

Jesus stated in John 10:27 ‘My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.’ How do I get to know Jesus and his Father? By making the effort to communicate with God and spending time thinking about how he created us to be unique and to have a special purpose that only we can fulfill.  By reading his word and getting it into my heart, I can give that love to others. I do not always succeed. Life gets in the way and I let it become too complicated. I try to find some quiet time and some way to show God how grateful I am that He chose me to be is child. How do I do this?  It may be as easy as saying thank you in the morning before you get out of bed. It  may be choosing to listen to music that does not irritate your parents.

Proverbs 2:1-6 Instructs us to receive God’s words and to seek wisdom, then we will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of the Lord. What may that look like to you? It could be as easy as listening to scripture and thinking about a verse that really stuck out while you were listening. It could be speaking with someone more knowledgeable than you in the Bible. Or it could be reading a book that speak about God’s love.

As we finish out this week, think about James 1:5. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” Repeat this verse by inserting your name,  “If any of you lacks wisdom, let Tina ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given her”…. and see how it changes your thinking and your attitude toward life and others around you. It takes on a different meaning and feel. God does care about what you do, what you say and how you think. He wants you to be his daughter and to know that he is always there to help you when you reach out to him for guidance or to just say “hi” and tell him about your day.

Let’s pray:

Heavenly Father, I thank you that you love me and that you want me to grow in wisdom and knowledge. Thank you for this opportunity to learn more about your character and build on mine. Help me be the young woman you have planned for me to be. In Jesus’ precious name I pray, AMEN!

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For the A Daughter’s Worth Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. You can order the book right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage.

If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Our new study is A Daughter’s Worth! Please email megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information

Filed Under: Teens Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Daughter’s Worth – Week 2 / Day 4: Your Father Forgives You

October 11, 2012 by

 

Your blog today is brought to you by Memphis T and Mama T <3

Oh My!  This has been a tough topic for me to think about in my lifetime.  Growing up, my dad was, and still is a very hard worker.  He always worked his full time job, grew acres of vegetables on our farm and was active in our church.  My whole family worked around dad’s schedule.  It was rarely easy to keep up and do everything the way he needed it to be done.  When we messed up, and we did mess up, dad would go silent…until he blew up…and then he was silent for weeks at a time.  Sometimes we knew what was wrong, most of the time we didn’t though and that was hard to try to fix.

Girls have a basic need to please.  We especially need to please our fathers.  That is why it is so hard when we have messed up for us not to know how to make it better.  As a young teen I tried very hard to win my dad’s approval and to see him smile or say, “Thanks, gal”, or something.  I needed that from him.  As an older teen I began looking for approval from my uncles and wanted to have a boyfriend to care about me.  I have some really cool uncles.  I messed up a lot in the boyfriend area, but that’s another story for another day.  I have learned a lot and been so blessed with the men God placed in my life.  I got the laughs and hugs and teasing I needed in that way; but not from my dad.

This is by no means a sad story, because I love my dad very much and I know he loves me.  It could be that we are too much alike to express ourselves well, or maybe he didn’t have a good example of a relational father either.  The main thing I learned from my home life was what I wanted to do LIKE my parents raised me and the things I wanted to CHANGE when I had my own family.  Mostly I learned how to lean on my Heavenly Father when I needed that ABBA, daddy, role filled.  God never let me down.  When I messed up, I could ask Him to show me what had gone wrong, where I had gone wrong and to forgive me for my sins.  He was always faithful to forgive me; I had a harder time forgiving myself.

As I have learned to parent my daughters, I have always told them to be honest with me.  Even if it is hard to say what they have done, I would rather know what happened from them than to hear it from someone else or be surprised by the truth later.  I have made them a promise to be patient and slow to anger with my words so that they will trust me with their hearts.  I like to think that this is a lesson I learned from my Heavenly Father.

Jesus said, “Let the children come to me” (Mark 10:14), “Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3) and in Matthew 19:13 we see that parents were bringing their children to Jesus so he could lay hands on them to pray for them and give them blessings.  I wanted to be that kind of mom someday.  I wanted to be the kind of mother that my kids could come to for comfort, talking, mutual respect and love and I wanted their friends to feel comfortable talking to me too.  It took breaking some bad learned parenting behaviors, but God has been faithful to bring me children and teens to love on.  He gave me a desire of my heart.

No matter what kind of earthly dad, or parents you were born with, God wants to be your FATHER.  With that comes love, guidance and, yes, discipline.  Discipline is not a bad word.  It means having self-control.  We don’t act on every whim and do what feels good, just because it feels good.  Our verse for today is:  Hebrews 10:22, “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”  God wants us to come to him and tell him what is on our hearts and minds.  Take some time today to think back to those “secret” things you have stuffed down inside your heart and tell HIM about it.  He already knows, but HE wants to hear you say it so you know you are clean.  No more guilty conscience.  No more beating yourself up about something in your past.  Just you and HIM.  God sees you through the filter of His Son, Jesus.  You look pretty good, you know.  Embrace the Father’s love.  You deserve it!

<3 Mama T (Teresa)

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There is nothing so horrible or terrible that God cannot or will not forgive you for <3 God sent His one and only son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins so that we would have the opportunity to live in eternity with Him. How awesome is that?

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,

that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Have you ever did anything that you thought was so bad that you thought your parents would never forgive you for, and once you told them, they weren’t as mad as you thought they would be and things changed for the better? Well that is how God is J Satan would love to hold those old horrible things over your head, having you to think and believe that God will be angry with you for the rest of your life and never forgive you (while typing this, satan is trying to persuade me to not tell you all about what happened to me years ago because it was a very difficult time for me and my family, but it is part of who I am and it shows how God forgave me for something that I thought was so horrible at the time).  God is totally the opposite girls!! He is so loving and forgiving!!! He wants you to come to Him and repent (to tell Him that you are sorry and turn away from that thing that you were doing wrong) and live your life for Him. He is always waiting there with His big loving arms held open for you to run to Him. He desires to be there for you!

I can remember doing something that I thought was so bad. We are friends and we can be honest with each other here at GCH: Decaf. I was 20 years old, not married, working in ministry, and I got pregnant…yep, there it is…I said it, Ms. Tonya got pregnant. I felt like I had disappointed my mom and dad, my sisters, my boss, Pastor, friends…everybody, but most of all I felt like I had let God down!! I knew what God had said about getting pregnant before being married and I definitely was not married. Were the special, important people in my life disappointed in me? Yes they were. Did they ever stop loving me? No they did not!

It took me a while to heal from that time in my life. I had to really get to know who God was better than I thought I did. He wasn’t this mean old person who was going to point His finger at me and shake it and say, “Tonya, you make the biggest mistake ever and I am no longer keeping you as my daughter!” He was exactly the opposite. Our Heavenly Father loved on me! He sent people around me to comfort me, teach me more about His Word, and help me to get back on the right path of following and living a life for Him!

Remember this: When God forgives you. You are set free!!! You are free from being reminded of that thing that you did wrong and you are free to go to God whenever you need to!

When God forgives you, He forgives you and He remembers it NO More!! We are the ones who remember. God does not desire to torture us with reminding us of what we did wrong, He wants us to ask for forgiveness, turn away from that thing that were doing wrong, learn from it, and move forward. He is so forgiving!! Humans can hold grudges, God does NOT! Whatever it is that you think is so horrible that you think you cannot go to God about, think again, He wants you to come to Him! Try Him …Go to Him… Allow Him to show you who He really is! A loving Father who LOVES His daughters.. ALL of us 🙂

Let’s Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you so much for loving us for who we are. We are so grateful to be called your daughters. Thank you for being a loving, forgiving God and for reminding us that there is nothing so bad that You will not forgive us for. Please remind your daughters Lord that You are there for them, and that You still desire to have that Father daughter relationship with them. Let them know that You are waiting. In your Son’s Jesus name I pray. Amen.

<3 Memphis T (Tonya)

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For the A Daughter’s Worth Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. You can order the book right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage.

If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Our new study is A Daughter’s Worth! Please email megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information

Filed Under: Teens Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Daughter’s Worth – Week 2 / Day 3: Your Father Protects You

October 10, 2012 by

Psalm 91:4-10

His huge outstretched arms protect you– under them you’re perfectly safe; His arms will fend off all harm.

Fear nothing… No harm will even graze you. You’ll stand untouched…

Yes, because God is your refuge, the High God your very own home,

Evil can’t get close to you; harm can’t get through the door.

I don’t know about you, but I have had some friendships and relationships in my life that have ended. I have had some things I was passionate about taken away. I have experienced loss. And each time, it hurt.

One day I was madly “in love” with a guy, and the next day I was bawling my eyes out because he dumped me. Or one day “Suzy” was my very best friend, and the next day she was ignoring me. One day I was obsessed with cheerleading, and the next day, I was injured and lost the nerve to try any more stunts or tumbling. And with each loss, I experienced heartache and pain.

I can honestly say, though, with every break up, with every weekend I spent at home, with the activities I gave up, I found the purpose. Not the day after. In some cases, it took months. Other cases, it took years. Each time I found that the Lord was protecting me. From what, you may be asking? Most of the time, I find that the Lord is protecting us from ourselves. Here’s what I mean by that… We often turn boyfriends, friends, sports, grades, etc. into idols. We place them as first in our hearts. We seek THEIR approval. Sometimes we make EVERY decision with them in mind…. from how we wear our hair that morning to where we want to go to college.

We are setting ourselves up for heartbreak by allowing a person or an activity to dictate our lives. Sometimes boys change their minds. Sometimes friends have bad days and take them out on you. Sometimes you fail a test. Sometimes you lose a soccer game. But God doesn’t change His mind about you. God doesn’t have bad days. God is faithful. He is constant. He is the same… yesterday, today, and forever.

I think it’s safe to say that He knows what is best for us. After all, He created our hearts. And even when something precious to us is taken away, we HAVE to trust that He is making all things work together for our good. So let’s put Him first. Let pleasing Him be the reason behind all of our decisions.

Let’s pray~

Lord, thank You for loving us enough to protect us. You know that You are the only one who is constant, and You love us enough to protect our hearts. Continue to teach us to guard our hearts. Lord, when we place things above You, give us strength and conviction to lay those things down. And after we lay those things down, God, we will run into Your arms, we will return to our First Love.

~Jordan

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For the A Daughter’s Worth Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. You can order the book right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage.

If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Our new study is A Daughter’s Worth! Please email megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information

Filed Under: Teens Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

A Daughter’s Worth Week 2: Accepting The Father’s Love

October 7, 2012 by

 

2 Corinthians 6:18

“I will be a Father to you, and you will be my… daughters,”says the Lord Almighty.

Hey girls…. It’s Megan <3

WOW….. I hope you all enjoyed all of the blog posts from week 1 as much as I did! Are you ready to really dig into the word this week? I know I am!

Week 2 is all about accepting God’s love. That is one HUGE subject as His love is bigger than anything I know! …but we are going to break it down this week and this is what that will look like:

Monday you will hear from Diane all about how your Father wanted you to be born. On Tuesday, Teresa will share some thoughts with you about how much God delights in your existance. Wednesday is when Jordan will bring her words to you about how God protects you, while Thursday we will hear from Tonya about God’s forgiveness. On Friday, Tina will share with us about all of the great advice that God gives and Saturday we will be on week 3 of Coleen’s excellent series on prayer.

WOW….. what an AWESOME week we have ahead of us!!

Last week, you met my amazing 15 year old friend named Morgan who is a teen member of our GCH:decaf Leadership Team and she has a few words for you as we begin week 2…

Hey girls it’s me Morgan again! I hope everybody enjoyed last week, but this week we really can start to begin to dig deeper. Everyday you’ll read some verses and some really cool points that Ava makes… which is very awesome! This week we will be talking about how God is our Father, yes you have a father here on Earth, but God is the Father in Heaven, He is the Father to those that are Fatherless.

What’s also cool is that God is here for us no matter what! He will always listen to us vent… He’s like that best friend that everybody wants, that they can just go to that person, and then vent their heart out and feel so much better. God wants to be that for you and me, so just try one night and just pray whatever is on your mind. He can look at your heart, but He loves to hear the words from your mouth too.

You’ll read later on this week in Isaiah 41:13 where it says “I am the Lord your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, “Do not fear; I will help you.” Don’t you think that’s amazing?! God wants to protect you, I have 3 sisters…2 older, and 1 younger than me. I sometimes wish I had a brother, younger or older, that would be the like protective brother in my life, and God has just placed some awesome college age men of God in my life to be that for me. That blesses my socks off, and I’m so thankful for it.

They give me advice, they help me when I’m in a tough spot, they also laugh with me. Girls, God can be that for you. God will be there for you, help you, and also give you advice through His Holy Word to help you out, so I pray that this week during the study you will see all that God gives you, and you will realize that you are a daughter of the King of Kings and are worth so much more!!

Morgan (:

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For this Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. You can even order your book right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage.

If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Our new study is A Daughter’s Worth! Please email teens@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.

Filed Under: Teens Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Daughter’s Worth Week 1: Making Plans for the Future

October 4, 2012 by

 

I can remember so vividly in high school being asked the question repeatedly, “what are your plans for the future?” What do you want to be when you graduate? Are you going to go to college, go to the military, get a job, etc…I had so many questions! If you were like me, those questions could be a little overwhelming at times! Someone suggested to me that I should pray and ask the Lord what He had for my life. You definitely don’t want to leave God out of your plans for the future.

 

 Jeremiah 29:11

He is the same One who said that He has plans for us to prosper us, not harm us..

 

Well, I didn’t seek His direction for my life and it sent me on what some would say…A wild goose chase, for what I wanted to do with my life…which was really God’s life. It was His life after all, right, if I gave it to Him?

 

I wanted to get married and have a family, I wanted to be a nurse, I wanted to move away and go to college. Most of those plans didn’t succeed and I spent a lot of my earlier years of my life going in circles. If I had only took the advice that was so freely given to me, I possibly wouldn’t have made the unnecessary decisions that I made and I wouldn’t have wasted a lot of time trying to figure out what I wanted. I started off going to college to be a nurse. I went two whole years before I realized that I was not great in math and with that profession, you definitely need to be “on it” when it comes to figuring out how much medication to give, how often to give it, etc… So, no that was not the profession for me, although I loved serving others and taking care of others, that just was not the career for me.

 

I then changed my major to teaching. Oh how I love to teach, but I sort of wanted to combine teaching and ministry together, but wasn’t sure how I was going to do it. I detoured from the idea of teaching after almost finishing my degree and changed it to Human Services. Let me tell you girls something: If I had only went to God first, I would have been finished by now, but I know that this is the path that He wanted me to travel, because I have learned so much in my life up to now!

I am now a Young Women’s Coordinator that works with young girls everyday where I get to teach education and Biblical studies!!! You can’t get better than that!! I LOVE what I do!! After I began to seek His direction and Commit my plans to Him, it was then that He began to orchestrate things and turn it all around and place me on the path that He always had laid out for me J I am oh so much happier than I could have ever been doing what I do now. I am truly walking and working in His will!!

If you don’t take anything from this blog post today, I ask that you take at least this one thing: Commit to the Lord WHATEVER you do and your plans WILL succeed!!

He WANTS to be involved in your plans for the future! He WANTS to be involved in your life!!

 

Let’s pray: 

Dear Lord, I would like to ask You to help our precious girls to see You for who You are and who You desire for them to see You as, in their lives. Help them to see that You are so in love with them that You desire to see them happy and on the right path. You have such GREAT, AWESOME plans for their lives and help them to see, know, and feel that. I just ask that You help them to place their futures in Your hands because You created them, each one by one, individually and you have such great plans for their lives! You KNOW what their futures hold and I just ask that You continue to place people in their lives to help them along the way. I ask this in Your Darling Son’s Jesus name. Amen <3

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For this Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. We will begin the devotional part of this study next week, so really, you have until NEXT MONDAY to get your book! You can even order it right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage.

If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Our new study is A Daughter’s Worth! Please email teens@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.

 

Filed Under: Teens Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Daughter’s Worth Week 1: Getting Along with Family

October 3, 2012 by

Relationship over Being Right

When I first saw that this was my topic I thought, “I am not qualified to talk about this.” For those of you who don’t know me or my story, right now I am still living at home. I am supposed to be in my second year of college, but because of financial reasons, I have not been able to go yet. Let me tell you, being twenty and living at home is not easy. I have always been an obedient child, for the most part. I have never “tested the waters” or really acted out any form of rebellion against authority. But I do have 3 younger siblings, and as many of you know, it isn’t always easy to turn the other cheek.

Teenage years are difficult. You’re dealing with friends, boyfriends, school work, and family. Your home is supposed to be a place where you can escape from the worries that every other area of your life demands. However, that’s not always the case. You must keep in mind that your parents and your siblings also deal with other relationships and other obligations. Too often, we think that OUR problems are the worst. I am SO guilty of this! Because of the season I am in right now, I sometimes think that the things my family members are walking through are not NEARLY as hard or nearly as painful as what I’m walking through. Then I am reminded that their problems are big to them, and I should care that they’re hurting. I should show them compassion and sympathy, because that’s what I would want if I were walking through something difficult.

Let’s talk about parents… Your parents, if they are walking with Jesus, strive to make every decision to benefit you. I don’t mean that they make decisions to make you happy. They make decisions to protect you from straying from the path that leads to Heaven. “Children, honor your father and mother.” Yes, this means to obey. It also means to respect them, and to trust that they are doing these things because they love you.

Family members are human. That means that one day or another, one of them will be sad, angry, frustrated, upset, or all of these things at once. We are called, as children of God, to LOVE them. But what happens when your sister borrows your shirt without asking? Or what about when your mom won’t let you spend the night out? Or when your brother reads your journal? In that case, we’re excused from loving them, we’re excused from giving them grace. Right?

WRONG.

Matthew 5:38-39

You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for an eye, and tooth for a tooth.’

But I tell you, do not resist an evil person.

If anyone slaps you on the right cheek,  turn to them the other cheek also.

Regardless of what they’ve done, regardless of who is right or who is wrong, you are called to love them. Anytime my siblings and I are arguing about something my mom ALWAYS says, “You should value your relationship more than you value being right.” We should forgive when we’ve been wronged. We should extend grace when we’ve been disrespected.

Jesus calls us to love our neighbor, and your neighbor is most definitely your family member. Pray today that the Lord would give you patience. Ask Him to reveal to you the ways you need to change your heart toward your family members. He will begin to convict you, and He will begin to change your thoughts, your words, and your actions if you let Him.

Let’s pray…

Lord, thank You for my family! My prayer, Lord, is that I would reflect You in the way I interact with them. Lord, give me patience, and give me Your heart and Your eyes to see them and love them as you do. Thank You for grace, Lord. Thank You for forgiving me when I don’t react to their wrongs in the way that is pleasing to You.

~Jordan

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For this Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. We will begin the devotional part of this study next week, so really, you have until NEXT MONDAY to get your book! You can even order it right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage.

If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Our new study is A Daughter’s Worth! Please email teens@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.

Filed Under: Teens Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

A Daughter’s Worth Week 1: Recognizing Your Worth

September 30, 2012 by

Welcome to GCH:decaf’s very first online Bible study

A Daughter’s Worth by Ava Sturgeon.

 

Romans 5:6-8

6 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.7 

Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing

to die for a person who is especially good. 8 But God showed his great love for us

by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

Hey girls…. It’s Megan <3

You are one precious daughter of the most-high King and your Heavenly Father has already determined that you’re worth the ultimate sacrifice. Now he wants to reveal His powerful presence in every single aspect of your life.

No matter what you hear in the media, at school or with your friends…. your life as a teenager CAN be HAPPY, Fulfilling and GODLY!

This is what we are going to learn over the next 12 weeks…. how we can embrace our worth as a daughter of god and use it to change the world around us…. one day at a time. I am so excited to see how God is going to use this study and your new friends to help transform your self-esteem, standards, and your purpose.

Each day this week, we will have a different focus. On Monday, Diane will be blogging about feeling better about myself. Tuesday, we will be hearing from Teresa about dealing with friends and boyfriends. Jordan will be writing about getting along with family on Wednesday. On Thursday, Tonya has some words for us about making plans for the future and Friday, Edwina will be writing about handling stress at school. Saturday, Coleen will have another blog post for us about prayer.

Now…. I have this awesome 15 year old friend named Morgan who is a teen member of our GCH:decaf Leadership Team and she has a few words for you as we begin this journey together…

Hi Girls! I’m so excited for what God is going to do through this study, I know that it’s going to be great! I have been praying for you, and that God will just show you through this series your worth in Him, and that no matter what may come you always have a Father that loves you no matter what, isn’t that awesome? I love knowing that God is always for me it brings such a comfort to my life, it makes me feel good knowing I’m not alone struggling with all of the pressures that this culture brings on, from making sure you look good, making sure you have the right hair, that your friends with the cool crew, making sure that you wear the right clothes, I mean this world has so much pressure.

I hope that through this study you will be able to find your true value and always know that you have worth in God’s eyes, you know the story in Matthew about the man who sold EVERYTHING he owned to have a pearl?

It says in Matthew 13:45-46:

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.

When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”

God is this way for you, when he found you, He took his Son and bought you with the ultimate price of death for His Son, just so you and I could have a place in Heaven forever with Him. Isn’t that amazing?! Imagine somebody giving up their Son and not just any Son this was a man who had lived a perfect life, and He didn’t deserve to die, He came to save us, so He paid for us with the ultimate price, He went and paid our way to Heaven with everything that He had. God loves you so much and I just know He is going to be doing big things through this study.

Love you! Morgan 🙂

______________________________________

For this Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. We will begin the devotional part of this study next week, so really, you have until NEXT MONDAY to get your book! You can even order it right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage.

If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Our new study is A Daughter’s Worth! Please email teens@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.

Filed Under: Teens Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lord, Teach Us To Pray: Part 1

September 29, 2012 by
Today we begin a series entitled Lord, teach us to pray!  Do you ever cry out with that same concern–“Teach {me} to pray”?  Oh, I do! 
Each Saturday over the next couple of months, we will intentionally pursue asking the Lord to do just that—teach us to pray.  My heart’s desire is that, as we take an in-depth look at learning how to pray through the Scriptures, we will develop into daughters who pray—who delight, yearn, love to pray to their Father.
Now we know that Jesus was asked this very question by His disciples.  One of the places that it is recorded is in Luke 11, verse 1: “Then He was praying in a certain place; and when He stopped, one of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray….”  His disciples SO desired to be like their Master!  They had observed Him going off to pray many times, I am sure.  In the Gospels, it is spoken of numerous times, that He “arose early,” “went off to pray,” “withdrew…to pray.”  Jesus PRAYED; He spoke with His Father.  And when asked, Jesus very simply taught His disciples the foundational basics of how to pray to God.  Listen to the full instruction that He gave to them when they asked :
“Pray, therefore, like this: Our Father Who is in heaven, hallowed (kept holy) be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven (left, remitted, and let go of the debts, and have given up resentment against) our debtors. And lead (bring) us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen”  (Matthew 6:9-13).
The very first thing that He instructed them in was to address God as “our Father…”  Father God. What do you think when you hear “Father” relating to God Almighty? 
In the book of Isaiah, the prophet proclaims of God “Yet, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our Potter, and we all are the work of Your hand” (Isaiah 64:8).
Paul writes in the New Testament:
“Yet for us there is [only] one God, the Father, Who is the Source of all things and for Whom we [have life]…” (1 Corinthians 8:6)
Think about the word Father in this context. When I read these verses, the words “Father…Potter…work of Your hand” as well as “one God, the Father, Who is the Source” all stick out.   
In addition, we get an even bigger picture of Who God is…our Father…in Galatians 4:6:
“And because you [really] are [His] sons {daughters!}, God has sent the [Holy] Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba (Father)! Father!” 
Through the Holy Spirit, we can have the same relationship with God the Father as Jesus His Son did!  Imagine that!!!  Really, pause here, for one moment…maybe three…and think on that truth. <3  The word, “Abba” in the vernacular of our day & time would be communicated as “Papa” or “Daddy.”  It speaks of a very close relationship, one that is tender and intimate. Here is a good definition: “a close, familiar, and usually affectionate or loving personal relationship with another person.”  That is the level of relationship that God (the Creator, the Almighty, El-Shaddai) wants with you. And with me. He wants to be our Father, our Abba Father!
Jesus shared a relationship with His Father that was close, tender, intimate.  So, of course, He desires for us to enjoy the same.  Therefore, when asked about praying, the very first thing of importance to Jesus was to show His disciples that a Father/beloved child relationship with God comes first. Oh. How. He. Loves. Us. So. <3
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This week in our blogs we have considered the question, ‘Are you God’s daughter?’  Together we have looked at various aspects of our lives that show, or prove, that we ARE God’s daughters. we have focused on 1) obedience 2) submission to your parents and how we ALL must submit to authorities in our lives 3) having a pure heart–and how that begins in our thoughts; how having God’s Word ‘hidden’in our hearts keeps us from sinning 4) attitude–having the right attitude; 5) beginning anew.  Let’s allow all of those considerations to bring us back to the foundation of our question this week: ‘Are you God’s daughter?’ 
I would like you to answer a question based on the premise that ‘YES! I am God’s daughter!’ Ready?  I promise, this is easy!  Fill in the blank: Since you are God’s daughter, then He is your __ __ __ __ __ __.  Right!  He is your Father!  Imagine that! Your heavenly Father.  Who loves you so much!  Who has provided for all your needs.  Who saved you, and redeemed you, and made a way to Himself through the perfect provision of His Son, Jesus Christ. <3
 

~Coleen

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If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Our new study A Daughter’s Worth starts October 1st! Please email teens@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.
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New Beginning

September 28, 2012 by

Hi, everyone, my name is Tina Marin. I am a mother to a son, Brandon, age 22, a daughter Nikki, 25, and a wife to John for 17 years. I live in Murfreesboro, TN where I attend World Outreach Church and serve in a couple of different areas.

I have known Megan for a little over a year while serving with High School Infinity, but more intentionally through an online Bible study. I must say, I have found it easier to have a relationship with other women as I mature than when I was younger. Partly a trust issue I suppose. I haven’t been much of a role model in that area and I never saw it modeled very well.

However, through it all God has his hand in my life. My aunt and uncle adopted me, while both of my parents were still alive and I always seemed to know I did not belong to them. We lived in Memphis, TN for a while and moved to North Mississippi until I was around 22 when I moved to Memphis to live with my half-sister. That was an adventure. Anyway, God always had made my heart soft and pliable, not able to hold a grudge after I worked through the anger, hurt and forgiveness necessary.

God had his hand in my life, it was not until I received deliverance that I knew I was a daughter of the King, forgiven and redeemed through the precious blood of Jesus. I felt His loving embrace, encouraging me to become the woman I strive every day to be for Him.

You see, even though I did not have my original family, God knew what family I did need.  He knew what I would go through as a child. I love my parents, both sets, and I know my Aunt (Mom) did the best she could with what was going on. Even though I was mistreated, I still had to honor them for who they were to me and I had to release them from the anger, guilt, and shame I had. It was up to me to release it, not them to say they were sorry, because God would take care of that for me. I had to take care of my part in everything that happened and forgive myself. Once I was able to do that, I could move on. Did that happen overnight, in two months, two years? No, I had to work on some of it for a while.

God had his hand in my life, it was not until I received deliverance that I knew I was a daughter of the King, forgiven and redeemed through the precious blood of Jesus. I felt His loving embrace, encouraging me to become the woman I strive every day to be for Him.

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for revealing the truth, that I am a child of the King! I know the precious blood of Christ your son redeems me and that you have adopted me, yet again, into your Family! How great and wonderful is that. I love you Father and pray your grace and comfort to those who read this today. In Jesus’ precious name, AMEN!

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If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Our new study A Daughter’s Worth starts October 1st! Please email teens@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.

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Attitude…. Does It Really Make A Difference?

September 27, 2012 by

What does the word attitude mean? The dictionary states it as meaning: a manner, disposition, feeling, position, etc., with regard to a person or thing; tendency or orientation, especially of the mind: a negative attitude; or a position or posture of the body appropriate to or expressive of an action, emotion, etc.: a threatening attitude; a relaxed attitude.

When you hear the word attitude, what are some words that come to mind? Do you think of words like angry, bold, sassy, mean, and bossy? Have you ever looked at the word attitude in a positive way? Attitude makes all of the difference in the world! My mom used to say that your attitude will either break you or make you. I always wondered what she meant by that saying. I found out what it all meant once I got older. Look at it like this; if you look at something with a positive attitude, it will make you…you will see things in a more upbeat light. People will love to interact with you and will see you as a happy person, and most importantly, they will WANT to be around you. If you have a negative attitude towards things, people will NOT want to be around you and will avoid you at all cost. People with negative attitudes always look at the down side of everything and will have everyone around them talking and acting in a negative, bad way. Your attitude will dictate to others who you really are. Your attitude is like people seeing who you are on the inside.

          I can remember when I was younger, going through my teen years, my mother and I didn’t seem to see eye to eye on anything…I’m being honest. Whatever she said, I would say the opposite. If she said go left, I would go right. I don’t know if any of you can relate to that… I had a smart mouth, can you believe that?! I always had to get the last word and my attitude stunk, if you know what I mean. I needed what my mom called an “attitude adjustment,” and quick!

Well, that didn’t happen until I started getting a little Jesus way deep down on the inside of me. I couldn’t share a space in my heart with Jesus, that space that seemed to be so grim and bleak and nasty on the inside. I had to allow God to slowly come in and give me the attitude adjustment that I so very much-needed. I had to change the way that I viewed life. I was angry because of what happened with my dad and his drinking. I was frustrated with having to move. I was angry with my mom because I somehow thought that she could have helped my dad. I was young and scared and didn’t know how to process it all, so I took on a negative attitude towards a lot of things. Things such as life, people who were allowed to continue their lives on the Military base, my friends who got to continue to live that lifestyle, the lifestyle that I always knew. I was just plain ole Tonya with the ugly attitude that needed changing.

Psalm 51:10

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me

            Well, once I started attending Young Life, the ministry that was picking up at my school in the afternoons, God used my Young Life leader, Rita, to help me with that process. I began talking more and not holding things in, I started reading the Word, I started spending more and more time with My precious Jesus and He began to create a new heart and attitude within me. I was being made into a new creation…God’s ultimate daughter! Jesus started taking up that negative space in my heart and mind and I began to change! The new me was and is so much greater and better than the old me! I just had to start looking at the positive side of things, which helped me to change my attitude. God is so awesome like that!! He can do the same thing for YOU!!! Why don’t you give Him a chance to show you? 🙂

Precious Jesus,

I ask that you please forgive us of the things that we have done that were not pleasing to you and we ask that you come into our hearts and start moving those negative things around and help us to move them out, so that we can have room in hearts for all of the positive things that you desire for us. Things like love, peace, joy and true happiness. Lord we know that you are able to do this and so much more. We are going to thank you now, in advance for what you are about to do. We thank you now in your Darling Son’s Jesus name we pray. Amen

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