Bible — Page 23

Winning Him Without Words: Jesus with “Skin On” / Weekly Review

October 5, 2012 by Martha Bush

The young mother tucked her little boy in bed, turned off the lights, and walked out of his room. It was then she heard him cry out: “Mom, turn the lights back on; I’m scared of the dark.” The mother walked back into his room to reassure him. “Now, son, don’t be afraid, Jesus is here with you.” To which he replied: “I know Jesus is in here with me, but I want somebody with some skin on!”

Can we admit that we all have felt that way? “Yes, I know you are near Jesus, but, I really want someone to pray and study your word with me, someone to sit beside me in church, and most of all, Jesus, I want to talk to someone about I much I love YOU. That someone is my husband. Won’t you please tell him to come into the room with me? I am scared of being in this dark room alone.”

Thirty eight years have passed since the day I accepted Jesus as my Savior, and my husband still hasn’t shown up in that dark room with me. But, my goodness how God has blessed me by sending so many Jesus with “Skin On” people! They brought light into my dark and lonely room!

Allow me to introduce a few of them to you.

Jackie: Always saved a seat for me in church so I wouldn’t have to sit alone.
Gerry, Beth, Gloria: Spent hours cleaning their homes for the weekly bible study. Oh, yes, Beth Moore taught me much, but it was these ladies who made it possible by opening up their homes to me and all the other ladies.
Sylvia, Irene, Susan: Prophets that God used to give me a prophetic word at times when I thought I couldn’t take another step.
My Pastor: Preached sermons that I know he prepared just for me!
Melba, my pastor’s wife: Gave me opportunities in ministry. Quite frankly, I had always thought that I couldn’t go into ministry with an unsaved husband. What do I have to offer if the head of my household is not serving the Lord?

I just know that these people will receive a special reward in heaven one day for being obedient to God, and being there for me.

But, I have to confess that when the journey stretches into years of being unequally yoked as it has for me, there is a tendency to grow weary. As the year 2010 was drawing to a close, I felt like I had reached my limits. “When is this man, my high school sweetheart, father of our two daughters, and grandfather of three going to fall down at the feet of Jesus?” I felt the lights being turned off in the room again.

And then one day in March, 2011, God showed up with a whole army of Jesus with “Skin On” people. It happened like this.

I stumbled upon the book, Winning Him Without Words by Lynn and Dineen. In all my many years of being unequally yoke, I had never read a book about the unequally yoked, nor had I been associated with anyone “like me.” But, God in his perfect timing introduced me to these two ladies, along with their community of women on their website, Spiritually Unequal Marriage. And then, He introduced me to you, my friends, at Girlfriends Coffee Hour.

I’m not alone in the dark room anymore. – -I’m hanging out with – – Jesus with “Skin On” people from all over the U.S. and world who are “just like me!”

As for my husband? “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” [Ecc. 3:11]

Let’s Pray:

Father God, I ask you in the name of your son, Jesus, that every lady taking this course be blessed with Jesus with “Skin On” people so that they will not sit in a dark room alone. We need each other to help us walk out our lives before our husbands according to 1 Peter 3. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Your Assignment:

Who are your Jesus with Skin On people? Take time today, not only to thank God for them, but call or send them a note expressing your appreciation for being with you on your journey. For starters, list them in the comment section.

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And now, as we come to the close of the first chapter of Winning Him Without Words, review this past week:

Monday: Know That You are not Alone: Beverly pointed to page 27 in our book that described her feelings of being alone: yearns for her husband to sit with her, feel his arm come around her shoulder, desires to have him look up Bible verses together, hold her hand after they found it. But, Beverly made a decision she has stuck with for 33 years.

Stopped worrying about her husband, and left him in God’s hands.
Kept going to church and serving God in areas that He led her into.
Kept asking her hubby to come with her.
Took her children with her so they could learn about Jesus.
And thanks God that He is sitting with her in that pew, along with friends who support, embrace, and pray for her.

May we do likewise.

Tuesday: The Alone Factor: Jennifer pointed us to reality: we are alone by not having a spiritual connection with our husbands, and it hurts. But, she learned the real truth:

We live for a Savior who desires to do life with us. That actually gives me a sense of peace. I am truly not alone in this. Our Heavenly Father is walking right alongside us, infusing us with power and strength every single day. He knows the aching of our hearts. He knows our longings. He wants the same thing for our husbands and for our marriages. He will not leave us flailing. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28:20(b), NIV)

May we do likewise.

Wednesday: Is it Possible to Thrive in a Mismatched Marriage? Donna assures us that we can thrive in a mismatched marriage and this is how she learned to do it:

When I let God be in control he takes away the anxiety of my life. God meets me right where I am and meets hubby where he is too. My marriage can grow and THRIVE!! I can rest assured God has our backs in this marriage-After all he created marriage! All I need do is get off my “throne” and hand my scepter over to God, pray for my husband and let God work!

May we do likewise.

Thursday: Placing Christ On The Throne: Sarah makes a statement that all of us could probably admit to when she says: To surrender your power and control is a hard thing to do. Some may say impossible.

But, Sarah has made a commitment to start each day with the following prayer no matter how silly she may feel: Jesus, right now as I begin this new day, I surrender my place of authority over my life to You. I am placing You firmly on the throne of my life. Teach me to focus on Your desires for living. I give you my entire life this day. In Your powerful name Jesus. Amen

May we do likewise.

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For those who are reading this blog and would like to join the Bible study, we would love to invite you to join us! Click here and follow the instructions, (you can also click the SIGN-UP link in the menu bar above to be taken to the form). It’s that simple! We hope to see you soon!

Above all, if you have not accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, and would like to have someone pray with you, please email our Prayer Team Leader: Robin@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com, and one of our prayer team members will contact you.

Blessings to you,

Martha

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

October 4, 2012 by Megan Smidt

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: Bible, bible study, Christianity, fellowship, friendship, future, GCH:decaf, God, Jesus, plans, Prayer, Proverbs 16:3, teen girls, teens

Winning Him Without Words: Placing Christ on the Throne

October 4, 2012 by girlfriendscoffeehour

And Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

MATTHEW 28:20

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Placing Christ On The Throne by Sarah Boyer

To surrender you power and control is a hard thing to do. Some may say impossible. But by relinquishing all the power to Jesus and letting him fill your heart, mind and soul, you will experience the greatest feeling of peace. I know; I’ve done it.

I am a control freak and a worrier. If I don’t have a perfectly laid out plan for everything in my life, I feel out of control, unorganized and frazzled. I am not at rest until I have that plan! This is something Jesus has been tugging at me to fix. I am a work in progress, but this is how I am evolving:

I used to sit and make MY plan of how I think things should go.

My plan would fail and I’d become anxious, angry and uptight, snipping and yelling at everyone in my path.

Then I’d start all over again with a new plan.

Big Fat Fail! It never occurred to me to ask Jesus what His plan was for me! I always thought that Jesus didn’t care about my little day-to-day affairs. He only cared about the big stuff, where I should go to college, whom I should marry, live etc.

I’ve recently learned that Jesus wants to guide your every move, from the little things such as what you eat all the way to the big stuff such as how to speak with your non-believing spouse. It’s sort of like how you help your children. You help them make the simple choices in hopes that when the big decisions come, they will come to you for guidance. Jesus wants to do the same. He wants to guide you through it all. This brings to mind Proverbs 16:9: The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.

So this is my new plan!

I am going to start each day with this prayer from now on!

It is suggested in our study today, that you get out of bed and fall to your knees when you say this prayer. At first when I started doing this, I felt silly. Not because my husband would see me and judge me because he leaves for work 3 hours before I even get up. But because I felt foolish. Isn’t that silly? No one around but me and Jesus and I felt silly. But I made myself do it and have been doing it for the past few days and the foolish feeling is wearing off and the peace and comfort of surrendering to Jesus is taking over. I’ll trade that for foolishness any day! Besides, what better way to start your day then arming yourself with the power of Jesus inside you?

I am now better prepared to handle anything that comes along throughout the day because all I have to do is recall our simple prayer, surrender my authority of the situation and give it to Jesus to handle. And He always does!

Let’s Pray:

Dear Lord, I pray that you can help us all to surrender our authority over to you. Remind us there is no problem big or small for you to handle for us. Please fill our heart, mind and soul with your leadership so that the troubling, painful and fearful circumstances of our lives lose their power. We can do all things through you. In Jesus name, amen.

Your Assignment:

Your assignment today is to write out a prayer that you will begin praying each day, just after you get up. A prayer that gives Jesus control of your day. A prayer that asks Him to direct your day, so you can stay on task for the things that He wants of you. Post this prayer in the comment section below, so we can be praying with you, as well.

If you are interested in joining us in our Women’s 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!

Godspeed!

Sarah

Filed Under: Women's Ministry Tagged With: Bible, bible study, Dineen Miller, Girlfriends Coffee Hour, Jesus, Lynn Donovan, Matthew 28:20, Online Bible Studies, throne, Winning Him Without Words, Women's Bible Study

A Daughter’s Worth Week 1: Finding A Lasting Joy

October 1, 2012 by Diane Meyers

Finding A Lasting Joy

This is it! The first official blog post starting the first official day of our Bible Study, A Daughter’s Worth. I am so excited, are you? There is so much I want you to hear, so much that God has laid on my heart to share with you. It is my prayer that you find one thing in this post that will stick with you, that will make you think, and that will encourage you. Ok, let’s officially get started!

When I was in high school I worked at an assisted living facility, as a server. It was my favorite job to this date. One of the things I liked best about this job was getting to know a lady named Mary Jane. Anytime I was feeling bad about myself, God brought her along my path. Her words made me smile. She repeated them over and over again, only because she lost her short term memory, so she had no idea she was saying the same thing over and over again. I still, to this day, remember those sweet words that brought so much joy to my heart, “Wow, look at you, you are so pretty, dear, you really are so beautiful, look at your face, look at your smile, look at you, oh you are so special.” It was some sort of magic, those words alone had the power to take my feeling badly about myself and turn it into me feeling really good about who I was. Her words had never been said to me before or about me before. I always kind of thought I was pretty or special, but without ever having validation from anyone else in my life, I just did not believe those thoughts. Mary Jane was one of the only people who had ever told me that before and there was something about her way of telling me that made me really believe she meant every word. I think it has to do with the repetitiveness, which is something that she did totally on accident.

Who is speaking truth into your heart? Do you have a Mary Jane in life? Do you believe the truth of who you really are? Looking back, I learned why Mary Jane’s role in my life was so important. When I was no longer hearing her powerful words in my life, I craved them from someone else, anyone else. After trying every remedy imaginable; the right outfit, the right hand of a man in mine, just to name a few, I finally realized the only lasting remedy we can ever turn to is God alone. I learned the only thing that will ever satisfy my heart for good, the only thing that will bring me lasting joy are the words that God speaks to my heart through his Word each and every day. This is when I started embracing the truth about who I am in Christ.

God’s way is the only lasting way to make you feel better about whom you are!

WHEN NO ONE ELSE IS SPEAKING TRUTH TO YOU, YOU MUST SPEAK IT TO YOURSELF. No matter what your current remedy may be for making yourself feel better; you must get rid of it and start repeating what God says about you. You must replay what God says about you over and over and over again until you believe it, until you know God is being honest with you always!

Whenever you feel down and out about YOU, please remember who you really are. You are a precious child of God. You are His princess. You are cherished, loved, forgiven, beautiful, chosen, and the list goes on and on. I encourage you to learn the truths that make up who you are in Christ. Repeat these truths until you have them memorized in your heart!

I had to do this; I have an entire list of truths that have become my identity. I used to have to repeat them over and over and over again with my words. Now that I am confident in Christ, when I repeat them over and over again it is not only in my words but it is now in my actions. Those truths are so much a part of me that I do not need to go seeking for anyone else to comfort my soul. Knowing who I am in Christ, makes me feel the best feeling in the world, it is indescribable. Do you desire that feeling? Let your heart ache for Jesus’ truths. If you want to feel good about you, learn who you really are, not to this world, but to God.

Below is a list of truths followed by verses in the Bible that support that truth. These verses describe who you are! When you are feeling badly about yourself, go to this list! I encourage you to memorize the ones that you do not so strongly believe in. Live by these truths. Never let anyone convince you of anything else. Speak these truths over and over again.

Who is your Mary Jane?
Which verses below are your favorites?
Which verses are you thinking you need to be memorizing and repeating over and over again?

Let’s Pray: Lord, I thank you so much for this opportunity to learn and grow from each other. I thank you for bringing us all together. I pray as we start this study that we come to love who we are in Christ. I pray that when we start to feel badly about whom we are, that you help us to wipe away those thoughts instantly and replace them with the truth of who we are in you! Thank you for loving us, thank you that we can always count on you. Amen.

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Who I am in Christ:

I am able

Philippians 4:13 I can do all this through CHRIST who STRENGTHENS ME.

I am beautiful

Psalm 149:4 For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory

I belong to God

John 17:9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours

I am born again

1 Peter 1:23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

I am cared for

1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

I am a child of God

John 1:12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God

I am chosen

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

I am complete in Christ

Colossians 2:10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

I am confident He will never leave me

Hebrews 13:5-6 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”^[

I am dead to sin

Romans 6:11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

I am desired

Psalm 45:11 Let the king be enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord.

I am filled with joy

John 17:13 I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.

I have the power of God behind me

Philippians 3:21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Love,

Diane <3

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Filed Under: Teens Tagged With: a daughter's worth, ava sturgeon, Bible, bible study, fellowship, friendship, GCH:decaf, God, Jesus, joy, mentor, Prayer, scripture, teen girls, teens, truth, widsom

Lady In Waiting: Lady in Reckless Abandonment / Alabaster Box

October 1, 2012 by Michelle Graziano

I started this book with excitement. As someone who runs the book club at her church as well as bible studies, I enjoy reading, and I get to read a lot of quality Christian books. But one thing I do not get to do is focus on myself and my ‘singleness’. Our church is mainly composed of families, so in planning events singles are rarely taken into consideration. So I sat down with eagerness to focus on me a little bit. Then it hit me, the emotion. I was taken aback when I saw my feelings in print. So yes, I struggled a bit, but the message in our chapter this week is just amazing ladies. Have you been thinking about your alabaster box?

Did you all know the meaning of the alabaster box? I had heard of it of course, but I did not know how significant it was, and how relatable it was to me as a single woman. Throughout the whole chapter I just kept wondering, “Could I, would I have done what Ruth did?” Recklessly abandoned. Am I? Are you?

We face a lot of challenges as a single woman in our society. The pressure to be pretty, to be thin, to be sexual and through all this we are trying to draw closer to Jesus. As you were reading did you think of each little section as I did? Like a little checklist to take my “reckless abandonment” temperature? I like to think that I am close to Jesus. I have used this time of my life to work on my spiritual growth. I lead Women’s Ministry at my church, I am a Youth Leader, I am the administrator for our youth group as well as our Worship Team, and I sing on the worship team. I run bible studies and retreats, I talk to trusted Christians to help me in my walk, I thought I was doing just fine. Sure, I’m close to Jesus! Then the “checklist”:

~ Am I willing to let friends go if they are standing in the way of my growth?
~ Am I willing to switch churches or jobs if that is what God wants me to do?
~ Am I spending enough time WITH Jesus instead of just trying to serve Him?
~ Am I willing to let go of society’s norms and take the chance of being singled out for being “different”?

I may be clutching my alabaster box a little more tightly than I thought I was. Letting a few drops out here and there, maybe even a little stream if I am feeling really good (or really bad) that day. But have I smashed my alabaster box at Jesus’ feet? I can’t say I have. I still struggle with the “missing puzzle piece” as Jackie and Debby call it. Knowing that the only way I will be complete is through Jesus. When I am lonely I wonder how that can be enough. Even as I just typed that out and read it as it went across my computer screen, I realize how dishonoring that is. How can Jesus be enough? Really Michelle? Did you just say that “out loud” for everyone to see? So yes, through the study of this book, I will be working on fully and completely smashing that alabaster box at the feet of Jesus as I ask His forgiveness. Are you with me?

Let’s Pray
Father God, we ask today for Your forgiveness. We are sorry for not being fully and recklessly abandoned to You. Please help draw us closer to You. We love You Lord and we want to trust in the truth that You are all we need. We will never be complete without You. No matter who comes into our lives, they will not be able to fill the void that only You can fill. Renew our minds and hearts as we seek to live fully in Your love. In Your Holy Name we pray. Amen.

Your Assignment
Please leave a comment below sharing whether or not you have broken your Alabaster Box at the feet of Jesus. Are you afraid to break your box? Why? How can we pray for you as you start this journey?

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority (Col 2:9 – 10)

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If you would like to take part in our Online Bible Study 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! 🙂

Blessings,

Michelle Graziano

Filed Under: Singles Tagged With: Alabaster Box, Bible, bible study, Colossians 2:9-10, Girlfriends Coffee Hour, God, Jesus, Lady In Waiting, ministry, Singles

A Daughter’s Worth Week 1: Recognizing Your Worth

September 30, 2012 by Megan Smidt

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

A Daughter’s Worth by Ava Sturgeon.

Romans 5:6-8

⁶When 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. ⁸But 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 🙂

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Filed Under: Teens Tagged With: a daughter's worth, ava sturgeon, Bible, fellowship. worth, GCH:decaf, God, Jesus, Matthew 13:45-46, online bible study, Prayer, Romans 5:6-8, self-esteem, teen, teen girls

Winning Him Without Words … Our Journey Begins!

September 30, 2012 by girlfriendscoffeehour

Good Morning!

My name is Christi Wilson, and I am the Founder of Girlfriends Coffee Hour and the Women’s Ministry Leader. I, along with an amazing team of bloggers, will be leading you through this study, “Winning Him Without Words: 10 Keys to Thriving in a Spiritually Unequal Marriage” by Lynn Donovan and Dineen Miller.

I want to welcome you to Girlfriends Coffee Hour! We are a group of women all across the world who love the Lord Jesus, and are always looking for ways to better our walk with Him, and improve not only our selves, but our marriages, as well.

PLEASE be sure to read this blog post all the way through, as there are some very specific directions for you towards the end.

I can’t begin to tell you just how excited I am about this study! Being involved in Women’s Online Bible studies for quite a while now, I have learned that many women across the world struggle being in spiritually unequal marriages! It’s heartbreaking to hear some of their stories!

2 Corinthians 6:14 tells us to not be yoked to unbelievers. But what happens if you become a Christian AFTER you’re already yoked to an unbeliever? You are going to love this book, if you are in this position today. This book truly is an encouragement to all of us who are spiritually unequally yoked to an unbelieving spouse!

As I began reading this book, I wanted to write down all of the things I could find that would help explain to you what you can expect from this study. I think you will be pleasantly surprised to learn that it IS possible to thrive in a spiritually mismatched marriage! The authors of this book Lynn Donovan and Dineen Miller, have an amazing way of making you feel right at home with this study! They are real, authentic, funny, and so encouraging! I’m sure you will begin to love them just as much as I do, once you dive into this study with us!

So, with all that said, I want to tell you what you CAN expect from this study:

you will experience the wonder of Scripture as it comes to life in this book
truths that will rock your world
fresh perspective and optimism
no matter “how” you arrived in your spiritually unequal marriage, God’s plan for your marriage and your future are fantastic and may take turns that are often unexpected
you will find that God is the Master of redeeming our past and our pain to reveal a life He has always desired for you to live
you will discover a hope so wild that you will thrive in your challenging marriage
you will find healing and wholeness
you will find hope and practical tips
you will discover the key principles to thriving in your marriage
you will find prayer, support, encouragement, accountability, motivation, love, from other women, just like you, who are struggling or have struggled and found freedom in their spiritually unequal marriage, through Christ Jesus

Wow! Now can you see why we are so very excited to go on this journey with you!!??

Let’s talk about HOW this Online Bible Study works.

1. Each SUNDAY, you will want to come here for your reading assignment for the week.

2. Every Monday through Friday, you will come here to read what we have blogged about for that days lesson. Saturday’s will be a day filled with DIY projects, crafts, recipes, homemaking tips, and more!! 🙂

3. You can leave your comments in the comment section of this blog, if you wish. We actually like it when you do because it gives us feedback on how we’re doing! So please do comment! Remember, anything shared here on our blog is open to the public. It is not private. HOWEVER, you do have the option of commenting anonymously, as well.

4. Then you will go to the Facebook Online Bible Study Discussion Group that you have been assigned to, to discuss that days lesson just a bit deeper than we do here on the blog. THIS is where you will be able to share openly and honestly without anyone outside of that group reading what you’ve posted. This Facebook Group is set up to be a SECRET Facebook group. That means two things: 1) No one outside of this group can even find this group, and 2) Everything shared within the group cannot be seen by anyone outside of the group! How cool is that, huh? We want to make sure that we provide a place for you to share your heart without the concerns of a friend or family member seeing what you are posting! We take every precaution to make this a SAFE place for you!

That’s it! Pretty Simple, huh?? There are just TWO places that you will want to check every day: HERE (our blog) and Your Facebook Group! It can’t get much easier than that!! 🙂

In your Facebook Group, we have a team of women put together for you that will be there to pray with you, and encourage you along the way. They are members of our Prayer Team, who have specifically asked to be placed in the Women’s Ministry group. They have a heart for prayer, and for women’s ministry! I’m sure you will grow to love them just as much as we do!!

We also have an AMAZING Team of Bloggers, who will be blogging about this study! You are going to love these women, and their hearts for the Lord, and for Women’s Ministry! We took quite a while looking for the perfect women to work with us on this journey, and we believe we have found the perfect women for this study! We can’t wait for you to meet them! Their names are Beverly McCormick, Donna Day, Jennifer Mlenczynski, and Sarah Boyer. Amazing Women!!!

Well, now it’s time to actually begin this study!! Below you will find your reading assignment for each day, Monday thru Friday, and who will be blogging for that day! So, let’s begin!!

Your Reading Assignment:

Oct 1 – Matthew 28:20 – Introduction / Know You’re Not Alone – Beverly

Oct 2 – The Alone Factor – Jennifer

Oct 3 – Is it Really Possible to Thrive / Mismatched Marriage – Donna

Oct 4 – Placing Christ on the Throne – Sarah

Oct 5 – Jesus With “Skin On” / Discovery / Prayer – Christi

DON’T FORGET TO MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!

Tuesday, October 2nd, Conference Call Special Guest Speaker is:

Lynn Donovan

Co-Author of “Winning Him Without Words”

If you would like to take part in this call, please EMAIL US at:

Womens@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com

YOU MUST BE A MEMBER OF THIS ONLINE BIBLE STUDY GROUP TO PARTICIPATE.

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Let’s Pray:

Father, as we begin this new journey learning how to thrive in spiritually unequal marriages, we ask Lord for Your wisdom, direction, discernment, and guidance. We ask Lord that You open each heart that is represented in this study; prepare that heart Lord to receive what YOU have for them. Remove the veils Father, so we can each clearly see what Your intentions are for our marriages.

I pray Lord for each woman that is hurting in her spiritually unequal marriage. I ask that You touch her Lord, and love on her. Help us to minister words of love and encouragement to her Lord. Help us to see her and her marriage Lord, through Your eyes. Father break our hearts for what breaks Yours, in this spiritually unequal marriage study. Lord, I also pray that You show us through the first few chapters of this book that there is HOPE, and that it IS possible to thrive in these marriages! That it is possible to get past the hurts and offenses of the past. That it is possible to forgive and forge ahead in the plans that YOU have for us!

Lord, Your word tells us that You have plans for us. Plans not to hurt us, but to prosper us, and to give us HOPE and a FUTURE! Lord, I claim that now for each woman who has signed up for this online Bible study, and I thank You now Lord, for the mighty work You are doing in each life represented here. Lord, we give You honor, glory, and all praise for the good work that You have begun in each us, and for continuing that work!! In Jesus’ Precious Name, AMEN!!

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If you have just stumbled across this website today, and you would like to join us for this Online Bible Study, please click on the “Sign-Up Here” button in the Menu Bar at the top of our website and follow the instructions. We’ll get you placed in one of our discussion groups as soon as possible!

Be Blessed,

Filed Under: Women's Ministry Tagged With: Bible, bible studies, bible study, Dineen Miller, Jeremiah 29:11, Lynn Donovan, marriage, Winning Him Without Words, women's bible studies

Lord, Teach Us To Pray: Part 1

September 29, 2012 by Megan Smidt

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.

Filed Under: Teens Tagged With: a daughter's worth, ava surgeon, Bible, bible study, clay, fellowship, GCH:decaf, God, Isaiah 64:8, Jesus, luke 11:1, potter, Prayer, teen girls, teens

New Beginning

September 28, 2012 by Megan Smidt

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.

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.

Filed Under: Teens Tagged With: a daughter's worth, ava sturgeon, Bible, bible study, family, fellowship, GCH:decaf, God, Jesus, new beginnings, Prayer, teen girls, teens

Attitude…. Does It Really Make A Difference?

September 27, 2012 by Megan Smidt

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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Our secret fellowship group on Facebook is OPEN, so join us to make some new friends who love the Lord!!!!

AND…. all of our SECRET FB Bible study groups are opening TODAY!!!!!

Please “like” our Facebook Community page here to stay up-to-date on all we are doing for teens over here at GCH: decaf: https://www.facebook.com/GCHdecaf.

Be sure to email our lead barista, Megan, if you have any questions about the study or this ministry. She would love to hear from you! Megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com.

Our first study will start October 1st! We will be studying A Daughter’s Worth by Ava Sturgeon.

Join by clicking HERE !!!

Filed Under: Teens Tagged With: a daughter's worth, attitude, ava sturgeon, Bible, bible study, Christianity, disposition, Facebook, fellowship, GCH:decaf, God, Jesus, Love, Prayer, Psalm 51:10, teen girls, teens, youth groups

Winning Him Without Words: Jesus with “Skin On” / Weekly Review

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

Winning Him Without Words: Placing Christ on the Throne

A Daughter’s Worth Week 1: Finding A Lasting Joy