November 16, 2024

Lady In Waiting: Finding the Priceless Pearls

October 26, 2012 by

 

When I looked at the schedule and saw I had this section of the chapter to talk about with you ladies, I was ecstatic!  I am pretty sure this is my favorite chapter.  When I read, A Lady in Waiting years ago, I wrote down this sentence from page 61: From the time you wake in the morning until you go to bed at night, set your heart’s desire on exalting Him.  This paper is sitting in my nightstand drawer.  Every time I read that sentence I pray that I am able to do just what is says that day.  Through the years I have learned what exactly it means to exalt God.

I have not always exalted God.  In fact for three years of my life, my heart’s desire was not for God; it was for a man who I tried to make my God.  I lived to honor this man, I lived for this man, from the time I woke up in the morning until I went to sleep at night I made this man a huge idol in my life.  This was the absolute worst time in my life.  He was very abusive, controlling, manipulative, and to put it simply, his heart’s desire was to destroy me and to sit back and watch in slow motion as he painfully ripped every single one of the pearls away I had received from God the day I accepted Him into my heart.  The worst part was I could not defend these pearls he was taking so viciously from me, because I had no idea they existed.

When all I was left with was an empty strand where beautiful pearls once laid, it was my turn to add new pearls.  Instead of adding God honoring pearls to that strand, it slowly started getting corrupted with ugly pearls of drunkenness, provocativeness, impurity, idolatry, outbursts of anger, carousing, anxieties, depression, and honestly I could probably go on and on.  I did not know what God honoring qualities and character looked like for me.  I saw it in other people, my sister and grandmother especially.  They wore their pearl necklaces proud as they should, and I was happy for them and others who did just that, but I had lost all hope for myself.  I truly believed it was too late for me.  I never thought the day would come where I would wear the pearls God has been preparing for me.

I can very thankfully and happily say that today, and every day, I stand confident in the pearls that God has picked out just for me.  I found them all, some I had to work so hard for, others he so graciously gave to me.  One pearl on the strand I think I am most thankful for is, LOVE.  There are no words this side of Heaven to describe to you the benefits and satisfaction in God’s love.  This is one pearl I never have to work for.  God’s love is there for me, even when my strand was covered with sin, His love was still there, on the other side of the clasp, but still, IT WAS THERE!  One pearl I still struggle with is self-control.  When I read this book, years ago, I wrote in the margin, WORK ON SELF CONTROL.  For whatever reason I ignored that note since it was written years ago.

This is what I learned when I saw that note staring in my face the beginning of the week.  We all have access to the God honoring qualities and likeness he teaches us about in the Bible.  Yes, they are beautiful pearls.  But, for whatever reason, we sell ourselves short.  We believe the lie that we are not good enough for God’s best.  We know of the qualities and pearls we can have in Christ, but we choose or settle for the qualities or pearls we have grown accustomed to in this world.  We go for the dime store pearl necklace when waiting for us is the priceless one in Heaven.

Exalting God is when we put aside the dime store necklace we have felt comfortable with and set our eyes and hearts above to the ONE and only who will give us the pearls HE desires for us.  Exalting God is when we let the Holy Spirit fill us with the pearls we are so deserving of from up above.  Exalting God is when we praise Him and honor Him with the pearls he has provided us with to treasure on our “necklace of virtue”.

Let’s Pray:

Father God, I thank you and praise you so much for the priceless pearls that you have for each and every one of us.  I pray that as we continue this study we strive to exalt you every moment of every day.  I pray that each and every one of us on this journey is able trade in the dime store necklace for a necklace of virtue so graciously given to us by Your Spirit.  Thank you for going along this journey with us.  I pray our heart’s desire YOU alone.  I pray all of these things in your precious name, Amen.

Your Assignment:

What is your heart’s desire?  Spend some time today being honest with God about what pearls you have on your necklace.  Tell Him what ones you want to remove, tell Him what ones you need help getting to their full potential.  Think about what exalting God means, and desire to spend your days doing JUST THAT.

Love you ladies all a super bunch!!

Diane

_________________

For the “Lady In Waiting” 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 by clicking the “sign-up here” button at the top of our webpage; which is also where you can sign up to participate in this awesome bible study!

_______________

Have you accepted Christ into your heart?  Is His Spirit living inside of you?  If you have not, but would like to pray, please contact our prayer team at prayer@girlfriendscoffeehour.com .  Someone from our prayer team is waiting to pray with you! 

Filed Under: Singles Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lady In Waiting: To Tell the Truth

October 25, 2012 by

Today’s blog is brought to you by Katie Blumberg

It was young adults ministry night and I was nearly certain that he was going to be there. You know, the man I was going to marry. Yep. I already knew who he was, I just had to figure out a way to get his attention and keep it. So as I straightened my hair I plotted out what I would say when I saw him. I did not want to seem too interested and at the same time did not want to ignore him entirely. But if I could figure out just the perfect, adorable, flirty but not sexy things to say, I was certain he would be hooked. On goes the makeup that I don’t usually wear. And where did I leave that adorable button-up top and my favorite flats? Finish with lipstick and slap on a smile, grab my bible and notebook and I am off to meet my destiny.
Have you been there? Found yourself so wrapped up in the idea of seeing your dream-man (or meeting him for the first time) that you become everything but yourself in the midst of it. Your entire focus is on this man, that you may or may not even know well enough to give him such devotion. You may be doing things that, on the outside, seem like they are for the Lord. Going to ministry events. Working or volunteering at the church. Helping out in the youth ministry. Joining a small group. Etc., etc., etc. Don’t get me wrong – these are all really great things to get involved in – but check your motive. If you are not doing this solely for the Lord, you may be involved in the wrong group or ministry.
So here are some questions to ask yourself if you really are not sure about your motives for getting involved in ministry: If that special guy was not going to be there, would you still want to put time and effort into it every week? If you never ended up with this guy, would his friendship still be of value to you? Is this something that the Lord is calling you to do, or are you in it because there is a possibility of meeting your future husband? Are you involved in ministries that include other single women, married women, couples, and brothers and sisters of all ages?
If you can answer these questions by honestly saying that he Lord’s will is your greatest interest, then kudos to you! You are on the right track, Sista!! But if you examine your motives and find that, in your most honest moment, some of the ministries you are involved in would not be a part of your life if that special man were not around, maybe you ought to re-examine your commitment to these things.
So, back to that special night that I was preparing myself for. I arrived (classically late, as always), found a couple of friends to sit with, and began scanning the room. No sign of him yet, but he’ll be here. The message began and I pulled out my bible and notebook to follow along. Still not there. I even left an extra seat open just in case he arrived. No such luck. I spent the entire night eagerly looking to the door at every stir I saw in the corner of my eye. I missed the message that was spoken, couldn’t concentrate through any of the prayers, and did not even involve myself in the question and answer time or small group conversation. The entire evening I spent either excitedly waiting to bat my eyes at dream-boy, or wallowing in my disappointment that I had gotten dressed up for nothing, yet again.
When checking my heart on my motives for this night, I realized that they were all wrong. I was not involving myself in this ministry because I wanted to draw closer to the Lord. I was not in it in order to grow, I was in it because I wanted an opportunity to meet a man. I wanted to take, not learn how to give.

What are your motives?

Let’s Pray:
Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for your grace and mercy. Thank you that you know our hearts better than we know them, and we praise you for loving us even still! Please help us to honestly assess our hearts and our motives for the things we do. Change our hearts to desire your will for us, and to stop inserting our own will. Give us peace as we wait for the man you have set apart for us, and help us to become more and more like you each day. Amen.
Your Assignment:
Honestly assess yourself based on the “test” on pages 58 and 59 of the book Lady in Waiting. You don’t have to share your exact results, but in all honesty, do you fall more on the side of pursuing the Lord, or on the side of pursuing a husband? If so, ask that the Lord would reveal to you how you ought to change that.
______________

For the “Lady In Waiting” 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 by clicking the “sign-up here” button at the top of our webpage; which is also where you can sign up to participate in this awesome bible study!

Filed Under: Singles Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lady In Waiting: Fit for a King

October 24, 2012 by

 

And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening; and he lifted his eyes and looked, and there, the camels were coming. Then Rebekah lifted her eyes, and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from her camel … Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her.

Genesis 24: 63-64, 67

 

Ahhh, so this is where Disney gets it from?

As little girls we learn to be princesses from Cinderella, or Sleeping Beauty, my daughter is learning from Mulan, and Tiana (Princess and the Frog). I honestly never thought to look at the Bible and the stories of Ruth and Rebekah as how-to guides on my journey to being a princess. But, the creative minds at Disney were not far off from the example of what makes a good Princess. They are always kind, willing to help and always seem to want to do what’s best. I am willing to go as far as to say that some of them pulled the characteristics of some of the best selling princesses from the bible.

Ruth and Rebekah were hard working, king, selfless, sought to do what was right, and were both examples of a virtuous woman. I’m not saying that God is necessarily asking you to haul water for strange men, or glean off of the field, but He is asking us to display his characteristics now while we are ladies in waiting, so that these characteristics will be second nature to us in what God has planned for us.

He doesn’t just want and expect this. He gave us guides on how to be the princesses he destined us to be.

A great how-to guide on being a princess is Proverbs 31. God tells us step by step how we can live to become that princess.  The commonality between the Proverbs 31 woman, Ruth, and Rebekah is that all three fully allowed God to move in their lives without trying to stop Him.  They allowed Him to create a Christ likeness within them that shown brighter than their outward appearance could ever have.

God gave Boaz to Ruth.
God gave Isaac to Rebekah.
And God showed how much the Proverbs 31 woman’s husband and children loved and respected her.

There are things and people God wants to place in our lives, but first He wants to prepare us for the futures He has planned out for us.  Every little girl dreams of being a princess on some level, as that little girl grows up that dream doesn’t often fade, it may go to the back of the dreams pile but it remains. God is telling us that we are his princesses, and He is preparing us for our Prince; but we are responsible as well. We are responsible for opening our hearts and minds and allowing God to work in us, we are responsible to being Christ-like.

To be honest I was far from these three women in these examples. I believe that God was preparing me for marriage before I married my husband, but I don’t think that I fully accepted what god was doing until after I was married, and until after I felt the pains of a lack of preparation. I didn’t truly surrender myself to God to allow Him to mold me into the princess He created me to be until after I said “I do”, until after I saw how lack of preparation on my part can affect a marriage, and myself. I thank God every day that He continued to prepare me and that He continues to prepare me.

~~~~~~

Let’s Pray:
Father, thank you! Thank you for making us royalty, thank you for not simply expecting something of us, but showing us how to be the virtuous women you destined us to be, thank you for your examples.  Thank you for continuing to sustain and strengthen us on our journeys as ladies in waiting.  Please continue to prepare us, and mold us. You have our “happily ever after”, we don’t know what it is, but we do know that it is from you and that it is good. Thank you for this time in our lives.  In Jesus’ name, Amen

Your Assignment:
Read through the stories of Ruth, Rebecca, and the Proverbs 31 woman, what Christ-like characteristics do you see that we as princess possess.  What characteristics have you been blessed with? What characteristics are you praying for to be strengthened?

** Remember God isn’t asking that we be a perfect princess; it takes work, preparation and his grace and mercy. It’s a life long journey.

~~~~~~

 For the “Lady In Waiting” 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 by clicking the “sign-up here” button at the top of our webpage; which is also where you can sign up to participate in this awesome bible study!

Filed Under: Singles Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lady In Waiting: The Body Beautiful Trap

October 23, 2012 by


“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelery and fine clothes.  Instead it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.  For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful.”1 Peter 3:3-5 NIV

It is so amazing to note that the Bible touches on every subject that pertains to a woman’s needs; beauty being one of them.  Yet how many of us refer to this awesome book when it comes to issues affecting our beauty?  If we did then glossy magazines like Vogue, Cosmopolitan and many others would have closed their doors due to lack of business.

Reading the above verse over and over again, I am beginning to understand that it’s not the “how to” articles in the magazines that will help me become beautiful.  The word of God is the best “how to” book ever.  The magazines will not only confuse me but also make me feel like I am not good enough because I am not as slim as the cover girl or my bank balance does not add up in order for me to buy the trendy clothes that are being advertised.  As holiday season draws near, magazines will carry articles such as “how to eat all you can and not gain weight”, “how to look great in last year’s party dress”, “how to impress that guy in time for the thanksgiving trip to visit your family.”  Almost every article you read in these magazines is about looking good, feeling great and getting the man of your dreams.

Every day we women are bombarded with these messages from morning till evening.  Even when you want to buy a car, the advert is not centered on the car but the kind of woman driving it.  She has the most beautiful smile, flawless skin and a body that most of us only dream about.

The single woman is not exempt, especially when it comes to meeting the right guy, friends analyze you and tell you the reasons you remain dateless, some will advise you to lose weight, others will advise you to do a complete makeover of your wardrobe – “you dress like an old lady, how do you expect to meet a guy wearing such flabby clothes?”, others will criticize you for not being found at the right places – “you don’t go out often, do you expect prince charming to dream that you live in this corner of the world?”  Your friends may mean well but their suggestions are contrary to what the word of God says.  Yes, you need to look good and feel good about yourself but looks alone will not go the extra mile.  As Jackie Kendall puts it “If a man chose me for external beauty, his destiny would be hugging a prune. But, if a man chooses me for my internal beauty, his destiny will be unfading beauty even in the twilight years of marriage, because of Jesus.”

What does this internal beauty look like?  What was it that Boaz saw in Ruth that made him to go to the elders at the town gate to ask to be the Kinsman Redeemer?  What was so special about this foreign lady who I am sure didn’t even bother with make up when she went to the field to pick up left over grain to make this wealth owner inquire about her?  I always picture Ruth putting on a veil above her head each morning before she left the house.   One would only see her eyes as she went about her business of finding food for her and her mother-in-law to eat.

Let us follow a conversation that took place when Ruth and Boaz met albeit for the first time.  “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me – a foreigner?”  Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband – how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before.  May the Lord repay you for what you have done.  May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”  Ruth 2:10-12.

Ruth won Boaz’s heart by her act of kindness, not how she looked, I am sure she was a beautiful woman but at the time she met Boaz, in the field, it had nothing to do with how she looked.

Girlfriends, the little or mundane things that you do for others are a testimony to your inner or internal beauty,  the times you help an elderly lady with groceries; when you hold the door for others to pass, when you give your seat to someone else in crowded room or help out others in need do not go unnoticed.  You don’t know who is watching and falling in love with your character.

“When you look at the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31:10-31, you will see God’s picture of a beautiful woman. There are 20 verses describing her.  Only one verse mentions her outward appearance. If you were to spend 1/20 of your time on outward physical beauty and the other 19/20 on developing the other qualities God describes as beautiful, such as wisdom, kindness, and godliness, you would become the excellent woman Proverbs 31:10 says a man should try to find.”

Remember “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”

~~~~~~~~~~

LET’S PRAY

Father, I pray that as your daughters, we will not fall prey to the trap that the enemy and the world have set for us about how we look.  We are beautiful in your sight; we are fearfully and wonderfully made.  Help us to set our minds on things above and develop the qualities that you describe as beautiful.  We are vessels of honor ready to be used by you my Father.  May we live our lives as examples for others to follow.  In Jesus Name Amen.

 

Your Assignment:  

In the comments section below, please tell us: 

What books have you read dealing with the virtues/disciplines of a godly woman?

In contrast, how many magazines have you read that deal with external glamour?

What good books can you begin to read that will help develop your own personal godliness?

Be Blessed,

Jackie

~~~~~~~~~~

For the “Lady In Waiting” 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 by clicking the “sign-up here” button at the top of our webpage; which is also where you can sign up to participate in this awesome bible study!

Please email Christi@girlfriendscoffeehour.com if you have any questions, or if you have a private comment that you would like to forward to one of our bloggers in regards to their post that day.

 

Filed Under: Singles Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lady In Waiting: The Pearl

October 22, 2012 by

“Consider it all joy my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4)

This is one of those verses, you know them…the ones that are true, even when you don’t want them to be, the ones that hit you where it hurts.  Who wants trials? Trials are not fun; they are painful.  I can’t think of anyone who would ask for one, but ask or not, they come.  We can all tell some stories of pain, suffering, waiting or some other kind of challenge we have faced.  What must we admit once we are on the other side of the trial?  It has usually resulted in growth.  We become stronger, more sensitive, and closer to God.

I love the visual the authors use to explain the process we are going through as a lady in waiting.  A pearl.  For many of us, it isn’t the first time we have heard how pearls are formed.  What I loved were the parallels they used.  How many of us have felt like the ugly oyster shell just sitting on the beach being passed over, watching all the prettier seashells get picked up and taken home?  I know I have.  And I think as more time goes on, and I see more seashells go home, it starts to feel hopeless.  But God does not want us in that place!

He is doing a beautiful work in us!  There is our hope.  The grain of sand, whether it is divorce, loneliness, abuse or any number of other trials we face are not meant to be irritating and painful forever.  God takes that pain and turns it into something beautiful.  This is not an instant process though.  The reworking takes time.  What is most amazing to me is the greater the irritation, the more valuable the pearl!  Think about how beautiful our final products will be.

It is through these works, these trials that God puts us through, and how we come out the other side, that we will become the women that God wants us to be. This is the woman who will be ready for the man who God has for us.  There will be someone who wants to know what is inside that oyster shell, and see our true beauty.  This is not to say that we are unattractive, that men can only be drawn to our inner beauty despite our outer beauty.  But what it does say is that true love comes from true beauty.  If someone is only attracted to the outside shell and puts little worth on what is on the inside, the relationship is doomed before it begins.

Beauty fades, character doesn’t.  What attracted Boaz to Ruth?  It wasn’t her outer beauty.  In fact, she looked very different from the other women in the area, beautiful or not.  When Ruth asks Boaz why she should receive his favor Boaz replies, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been reported to me, and how you left your father and mother and the land of your birth, and you came to a people who you did not previously know”.  It wasn’t what Ruth looked like that caused Boaz to fall in love with her, it was the woman of virtue that she was.

So ladies, let God work in you.  Take those sands of pain and turn it into a beautiful string of pearls that all ladies of virtue deserve to wear proudly.  The Lord wants you to be a lady of virtue – a costly, beautiful pearl for all to admire.

God bless,

Michelle

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For the “Lady in Waiting” 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 by clicking the “sign-up here” button at the top of our webpage; which is also where you can sign up to participate in this awesome bible study!

Please email Christi@girlfriendscoffeehour.com if you have any questions, or if you have a private comment that you would like to forward to one of our bloggers in regards to their post that day.

Filed Under: Singles Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Lady in Waiting: Lady of Virtue

October 21, 2012 by

Girlfriends, I am so blessed to be on this journey with you.  So far it has been a rollercoaster ride with each chapter.  We are now going to Chapter Four, becoming a Lady of Virtue.

One verse stands out when I think of the word Virtue –

“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised”.  

Proverbs 31:30 (NIV)

I am so excited to read what is in store for us in this chapter which promises to be rich with truth about how we see ourselves.

__________________________

Here is our reading assignment for Week 4

October 22:      Lady of Virtue – Michelle
October 23:      Body Beautiful Trap – Jackie
October 24:      Fit for a King – Tonya
October 25:      To Tell the Truth – Katie
October 26:      Pearl Necklace  – Diane

__________________________

LET’S PRAY

Father, thank you for being with us on this journey.  We are learning with each chapter who we are and how much you love us and want us to become the best.  We are still a work in progress and we know that if we do not grow weary we will receive our rewards.  Bless each one of us and our families in Jesus Name.  Amen

Be Blessed

Jackie

For the “Lady in Waiting” 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 by clicking the “sign-up here” button at the top of our webpage; which is also where you can sign up to participate in this awesome bible study!

Please email Christi@girlfriendscoffeehour.com if you have any questions, or if you have a private comment that you would like to forward to one of our bloggers in regards to their post that day.

Filed Under: Singles Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Saturdays with Shauna: Photography! Part 1

October 20, 2012 by

PHOTOGRAPHY

 

This week I thought I’d start a mini-series and share something with you that is near and dear to my heart.  Some of you may know that I used to run a part-time portrait photography business a few years ago and I still love to take pictures even though I’ve closed the business.  Photography is something I feel we take for granted now that we have digital cameras and the ability to take as many pictures as we want… some of you may remember the days of film when we had 24 or 36 shots to a roll and we were much more discerning in what we deemed photo worthy.  Then we had to wait anywhere from an hour to a week to see the prints!  These days, we come back from vacation with 2,000 digital photos to sort through and many of them never even see print.  It’s such a shame that treasures like this end up living on our computer or camera cards instead of in frames on our walls so they can be enjoyed.

In my opinion, photography is the greatest invention of mankind; it is truly a gift from God that we are able to preserve our memories and the faces of our loved ones for future generations.  I would like to share some of my thoughts and tips with you in the next few weeks on getting great shots that you and your family will treasure in the years to come and also how to get those images into frames and albums so they can be appreciated.  I also want to show you how to archive and manage your digital media so you don’t lose your images in the event of a hard drive crash.

Me with my parents a LONG time ago 🙂

 Week 1 – Getting the Shots!

First of all, you have to actually take pictures!  Some of us get busy and forget and we let months or years go by without really taking any photos, except maybe at functions like graduations and weddings.  Especially if you have little ones, pets, and elderly people in your lives, you really need to make an intentional effort to take photos of them often.  Little ones don’t stay little for long and sadly, pets and elderly relatives aren’t getting any younger.  I don’t mean to be Debbie Downer, but having lost all of my grandparents by the time I was 19, my dad when I was 21, then my mom when I was 27, along with my father-in-law in 2006 and our beloved toy poodle, Ginger, last year, I find myself wishing all the time that I had taken more photos of all of them.

Here are some ways you can be intentional (there’s that word again!) about taking photos of your loved ones for posterity:

Look at every day as a photo opportunity!  You don’t have to wait for a family get together or a holiday, just take photos!  In your backyard, in the living room, at the park, whatever.  Especially if you have young children – they change and grow up fast so you really need to make it a point to take photos of them often.  Use your camera or your smart phone if you have to, but just make sure to get the shots.

My son, Gunnar, having dinner one night at home <3

Create your own “family photo days”.  Schedule a day and take your family to a scenic venue for some family photos.  Do it once a month or once a year, it doesn’t matter – just do it.

My sister-in-law (at the time), me, and my brother… love that 70’s film look! lol

Use the holiday season and family get togethers to take photos.  Maybe you don’t see Aunt Judy but once a year at the family reunion.  Make sure to take a photo of her!  Maybe with the birth of a new baby there’s now five generations alive in the family – get them together for a group shot.  Maybe Great Grandma is celebrating her 97th birthday – get a picture of her blowing out her candles.  Or Uncle Joe flew in from Timbuktu for Christmas this year.  You get the picture (pun intended 😉 )

Get in the shot!  Maybe you’re like me and you abhor photos of yourself.  You avoid the camera at all costs and make jokes about breaking the camera lens when someone forces you to pose for them.  Quit it!  Your kids and their kids and so on and so forth, will treasure photos of you one day.  Get out from behind the camera once in awhile and get in the shot.  Use a tripod and your camera’s self-timer or give the camera to someone else.  Your loved ones won’t care about how bad you think you look in the picture, they will cherish photos of you regardless of what you looked like.

Our toy poodle, Ginger, who passed away in February 2012

Don’t forget Fido!  Our pets are like family too and they have a much shorter life span than we do.  Sometimes we neglect taking their photo because they’re always around.  But unfortunately, your beloved pet won’t be around forever.  Be sure to take plenty of photos, even if it’s just a picture of the dog lying on the couch.  One day you’ll be glad you did.

Next week, I’ll have some basic tips for you on taking better pictures!  In the meantime, your homework assignment is to take some photos this weekend!  Be sure to share some of them on our Facebook Fellowship page and comment below and tell us about your experience! 🙂

Filed Under: Singles Tagged With: , , , , ,

Lady In Waiting – Meeting Across Continents

October 19, 2012 by


Where He Will Find Me

When I read this book a couple years ago, I decided to also read through the book of the Bible, Ruth.  If you have not read the book of Ruth, I strongly encourage you to do so with this study!  This section of the book called Meeting Across Continents really makes me think of Ruth.  In the first chapter of Ruth we see that instead of staying in a town where Ruth had the possibility of security in a husband and children, she decided to leave so she could care for her mother in law, Naomi.   Leaving ultimately meant there was no way of ever getting married and having a family.  Ruth gave up that dream because she knew following Naomi where God was leading them was better than staying where she was.  WOW!

On the contrary, here we are in our little lives we have grown oh so comfortable with, scared to leave our towns because if we go where the Lord is calling us, we will miss out on the guy that is going to put a ring on it!  Really that is what you think, isn’t it?  I know it is what I think.  I think that if I stay in my town or at least in my country than I will certainly cross paths with the man that I am supposed to marry.  I have had thoughts of going oversees to work in a ministry I have come to love but I stop those thoughts from being anything other than thoughts because I am scared if I let that thought flourish and even start praying for that thought then I will end up far away from my family helping women who hurt so badly find Jesus; instead of having the dream wedding I have always dreamed of.  That was really hard for me to write, but it is or was should I say unfortunately the truth.  Today I decided to pray for that thought.

I love Ruth for many things, but I think the best thing about Ruth is she saw how important it was to care for Naomi.  She gave up her life to care for Naomi.  In my Bible (I have the Life Application Bible) it says that back then, there was almost nothing worse than being a widow-which Naomi was.  The nearest relative to Naomi should care for her according to the law.  However, Naomi did not have any relatives.  All she had was Ruth.  Ruth desired to care for Naomi.  This selfless act, the Lord blessed incredibly.  When they traveled to Israel-the place Ruth should never have been able to marry, the Lord provided Ruth with her husband, Boaz.

Do you know who God is calling you to care for?  Is He calling you to care for a family member, like Ruth?  Is He calling you to a ministry somewhere other than where you are at this moment to care for hurting people in the world?  Maybe He is calling you somewhere that is far away from your family and will cause you to think if you indeed do go, you will miss out on your husband.  More importantly though, are you open to seeing just where the Lord wants you to care for the hurting people in the world.  Do you open your eyes to HIS desires for you?  Or are you scared because if you do, you are thinking you will miss out on your man.

I love the truth written on page 47 of our book; Jesus can bring your life-mate to you, no matter where you live.  Do you believe that?  You need to!  It is not about where we are, but what we are doing.  If we are doing God’s will then that is where we will find the man God has hand-picked for us!  Being in God’s will is where we should always desire to be even if it is in a different continent.  I do not want you to think that when you finally submit completely to God’s will than that means you will finally get that ring on your finger.  Being in God’s will is where you are meant to be single or married.  In God’s will is where you will be the happiest GLORIFYING God by caring for those he has hand-picked just for you to care for.

As for me, I know that I want the man I marry to find me in God’s will, doing what God so desperately desires for me to be doing.  When Ruth left all of the eligible bachelors in Moab-the last thing she was thinking was that God would bring her one in Israel, but He did!  I pray that as we have faith to leave the eligible bachelors we see with our eyes, we find the one with God’s eyes He has for us.

 

Let’s Pray:  Thank you Lord that we have Ruth to learn from.  The way she so selflessly cared for Naomi is incredibly encouraging.  I pray that you instill in us a desire to care for the people you have hand-picked for us to encounter in this life.  I pray that wherever you lead us, we have the faith to end up in your will for us, meaning single for some of us and married for some of us.  I pray that you help us to live by faith and not to live by our own wills.  Thank you Lord that you have taken care of our greatest need already-SALVATION.  We love you always and forever!  Amen

Your Assignment:  Read Ruth!!  Please feel free to leave a comment below (your comments can be anonymous if that makes you feel more comfortable) about your journey of living in God’s will for your life.  Or, share with us any time where you have decided to give up on an opportunity because you wanted to remain where you were just in case Mr. Right walked by.

 

 

If you would like to take part in this Online Bible Study and Facebook Discussion Group, please click on the “Sign-Up Here” button located at the top of our website, in the Menu Bar. Once we receive your request, we will add you to our group!

Love you all,

Diane

Filed Under: Singles Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lady in Waiting: Divine Encounter

October 18, 2012 by


This blog post is brought to you by Katie Blumberg

“The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’” Genesis 2:18
This verse was one I clung to (and still do!) all throughout my college years of singleness. I have faith that the Lord has created a man to compliment my gifts and talents. I have faith that he has created me to be someone’s helper, Encourager, and partner. So at the beginning of every new semester, and every time I walked into a church or worship service, or every time I started a new class or joined a new club, I would immediately be on the look-out for that man that the Lord was going to provide for me. How much time did I lose trying to place myself in the path of the “man of my dreams” rather than trying to place myself in the center of God’s will for me?
Let’s go back a bit to last week’s conversation. If we are pursuing the God-given dreams, desires, and passions that we feel led to, we will find ourselves in the best possible place: HIS will! But what about that fear that if we were to do that, to give our hearts entirely to the Lord and to allow him to lead us in every decision, that we might miss out on the man of our dreams? Let’s face it – not every woman who pursues the Lord’s call on her life to be a missionary in another country meets a man immediately to pursue that dream with her. Sometimes it takes years. But what the Lord is concerned with is our faithfulness to him…he has all the other details worked out!
“Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4
This verse does not say that you will immediately receive a husband. It doesn’t say that if you follow him all things will go your way. It says that HE will give YOU the desires of YOUR heart, when you delight yourself in him. That’s right! Our loving and faithful God longs to bring us things that we will enjoy, be blessed by, and that we long for most! But what are the requirements? We must delight ourselves in him. That means giving up to him the things we think we want and need the most. That means trusting that his will is better than ours. That means we must stop trying to arrange our own future marriage by throwing ourselves in every man-pit we come across, and allow him to ordain the perfect time for your meeting. Many of the best love stories I hear have much less to do with women who forced their way into a relationship with “the perfect man” and much more to do with a divine encounter!
So I will repeat the question that Michelle asked, do you trust God? Do you trust that he already knows the desires of your heart and is waiting for you to delight in him, so that he can make your heart look like his? Do you trust that the Lord does not want you to wallow in loneliness and singleness forever, but to meet and marry a man that you are attracted to inside and out? Do you trust the Lord to bring you into a divine encounter with a “pillar of strength” (like Boaz!) that will become your husband? Our perfect and continually faithful Father knows what we are longing for. He knew when he created us, and when he created our helpers, that it would not be good for us to be alone. But He is also a jealous God, and he longs for us to turn our hearts to him, delight in him, and find our wholeness in him before he brings about Mr. Right at the perfectly appointed time.
Let’s seek the Lord and ask him to guide our paths, so that we are on the right one when the man he has been preparing for us decides to cross that path too!
Let’s Pray:
Heavenly Father, Thank you for knowing us more intimately than we know ourselves. Thank you for knowing the desires of our hearts, and creating us with those desires! And thank you for already knowing the plan you have for our lives. You have a divine encounter awaiting each of us, and all you ask is that we delight ourselves in you and follow your will. Give us patience as we wait the days, months, and maybe years before that divine encounter happens. Give us wisdom to seek you even when it seems hopeless and we want to turn back and follow the logical and easy route. Teach our hearts to delight in you, Lord! In your heavenly and precious name we ask these things, Amen!
Your Assignment:
Sometime today find a half hour that you can give your undivided attention to God. Ask him what it means to delight in Him, and how you have been successful in this, and how you can learn to do this more. Report back what he answers!
Be blessed,
Katie
_________
If you would like to be a part of this Online Bible Study, and join our Facebook Discussion Group, please click on the “Sign-Up Here” button at the top of our website, and follow the instructions.  We’ll be happy to add you!!
Filed Under: Singles Tagged With:

Lady In Waiting: Eyes of Faith

October 17, 2012 by

 

The first thing that struck me when I read this section of the book was the first line. “Orpha’s example of going after the available men could have influenced Ruth to return to Moab, the home of her parents and the gods of her youth. “

How many times have I let the examples of others lead me to places where God doesn’t want me to go? How many times have I let the examples of others lead me to people God didn’t mean for me? Sheesh, the first line and I am already beginning a series of introspective questions. But this is a good thing, I see it as God showing me the times in my life when I did not have eyes of faith, He’s using my past to teach me how to trust Him in my present and in my future.

Before I was married I had my daughter. I found myself a single mother with no prospect of a husband on the horizon.  I saw friends embarking on successful relationships, I saw my friends being happy, and well what I thought was happy at the time. And here I was, hopeless and alone.  I began to put my hope in my friends relationships; “if I only do this or that I will be happy and complete like them”, “If I go here or there I will find that successful relationship.” I was putting my hope in the wrong things and in the wrong people. I most definitely did not have eyes of faith.

Not having eyes of faith led me down roads I didn’t need to go down, it led me to have relationships I didn’t need to have. Not having eyes of faith separated me from God, it distanced me from him because I was telling him that I didn’t trust Him enough to bring me the husband I wanted,  the life I desired, it said I didn’t trust him to fulfill the promises he made to me, it went beyond me wanting a husband.

As the book said I needed spiritual eye wash. I needed God to reign me back in and I need to began working on eyes of faith. I once had the wrong mindset that walking in faith would mean that everything would fall into place, that my knight in shining armor would be standing on my doorstep once I  committed to trusting Gods plan for my life.  Nope. It did not happen like that. I had to wait and have him better my vision; I had to strengthen my sight before he brought my husband.  It was hard at times but I knew He was working on me, preparing my husband for me and me for my husband.

The good thing is that He is still working on me. I am still cleaning my eyes out daily in His word to become the Tonya He designed me to be. I can’t see into the future but my eyes of faith don’t have to, all I need to see is the words written on the paper, and in my heart. Some days are hard and I can’t see straight, I can’t feel the words on the paper. Despite my lack of feelings on those hard days, I know He’s still there. I know I can still trust Him.

Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Let’s pray:
Lord, faith is hard sometimes, it shouldn’t be but it is. I find myself questioning my life sometimes, I find myself asking question after question about my future. For that I’m sorry. Please forgive me for not having eyes of faith, for not seeing that you have my future planned out and that the future you planned is the one that is good for me. I may not see what you have in store but I will stop allowing the examples of my friends influence me in my actions, I will stop allowing their examples  to influence me to look where I do not need to be looking, what you planned for them is not what you planned for me. Thank you for this time of waiting that you have given me to strengthen my faith and to become the woman of faith you created me to be. I bind satan’s lies in your name. His whispers in my ears will not affect me. You know what you’re doing and I am going to trust in you. Thank you for your grace and mercy on the hard days, when I can’t see clearly.  You alone know what I need and when I need it.  In Jesus’ name amen

Your Assignment:
Is faith as a single woman ever hard for you? Does your vision blur from time to time? Let’s encourage one another, when you need “spiritual eye wash” what scriptures help you see better?

_________________

If you would like to take part in this Online Bible Study and Facebook Discussion Group, please click on the “Sign-Up Here” button located at the top of our website, in the Menu Bar.  Once we receive your request, we will add you to our group!

Filed Under: Singles Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »