November 22, 2024

Captivating: What Does Eve Speak To Us – God’s Heart For Relationship

January 15, 2013 by

This book has helped me to see things in such a different way. I’ve heard many  of these concepts and teachings since I was a child but I have never looked at them from the perspective that I now am.

I had to read these few sections more than once to fully grasp what they were saying, and I’m sure I will need to revisit them again in order to understand the deeper truth. I was reading the words but they were not sinking in as much as I would have hoped they would. Like I said it took a few times; but after reading and rereading it began to sink in.  Let me explain why these concepts were difficult to grasp. In my eyes God is powerful, he is masculine, honestly the image I have of my God is far from feminine. I always understood that man bore the image of God, that man was created in his image. In my eyes “man” stood for the literal meaning of man, a male. I suppose that I never dug deeper to use the term “man” as a general meaning, man and woman. I never stopped to see my womanly traits and attributes as coming from God.

  God is relational. So are we.

God has a heart for romance. So do we.

God has a desire for intimate relationships. So do we.

God longs to love us. We long to love.

God longs to be loved. We long to be loved.

 It’s time that we embrace the heart God placed in each and every woman. A heart that is created in the image of Gods heart.

As John and Stasi say several times, we are relational beings. I know that I define myself by my relationships. Good or bad. Whether it is my husband being happy or upset with me. My children thinking that I am a wonderful mom or them thinking that I am mean because I had them go to bed early one night. It can also be the lack of a relationship by which we define ourselves.

Who is the most in-tune person that we know? God. We were designed in his image, this is why we are so in-tune with the relationships we keep. It’s not a weakness as I once thought. It is another part of our heart that is created after Gods.

Gods heart. Eves heart. Our heart.

 There is one relationship that should be held higher than any other.

 How easily do we get wrapped up in life and forget that God’s desire is to have a relationship with us. How easily do we become so caught up in pursuing other relationships that we place our relationship with God on the back-burner.  I know it’s time for me to place my relationship with God in the place He deserves. First.

 

Let’s Pray:

Father, thank You for creating our heart in your image.  Thank You for creating us to be incredibly in tune with the relations we develop.  Help us to see the strength in our hearts. Please help us to remember that our relationship with You is our first priority. You want to love us and You want to be loved by us. You want the number one place in our lives. Lord, You gave us a heart to know You and that is our true desire. Continue to teach us and to grow us Lord.  In Jesus name we pray, amen.

Your Assignment:

These sections reminded me that God created our hearts to seek Him. What is one thing you can do this week to place your relationship with God in the number one place?

If you are interested in joining this online Bible study, please click HERE to sign up.

Once we receive your registration, we will email you further details.

 If you are interested in sending a private message to Tonya, please email her at TonyaEllison@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

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Captivating: Chapter 2 – What Eve Alone Can Tell

January 14, 2013 by

 

“And the Lord God cast a deep slumber on the human, and he slept, and He took one of his ribs and closed over the flesh where it had been, and the Lord God built the rib He had taken from the human into a woman and He brought her to the human.”  (Genesis 2:21-23 Alter)

Girlfriends, our journey today is going to take us to the beginning of creation, when God created the world that we see and marvel at.  The world before sin and destruction altered it.

Before it all came to be there was darkness, everything was formless and empty. In the midst of this darkness, a voice speaks and then there was LIGHT.  What a difference light makes in a room.  When it’s dark it seems as if the room you are in is small and empty but when you switch on a bulb or light a candle, you see everything as it supposed to be.

When Light came into the world it set in motion the creation of everything that we see, water, dry land, plants, trees of all kinds, the sun, moon and stars, animals, birds and fish of all kinds, big and small, long and short, beautiful and not so beautiful, creepy and even scary ones.  All of them were created and placed in their habitats.

Can you just picture how it looked like in the Garden of Eden, the grass was so green, the trees heavy with all kinds of fruits, the flowers were so beautiful, talk of the roses of all colors, lilies, daisies, name them they were all there beautifying the garden.  The lake was so full of fish that you love.  The animals were all in one place like a picture perfect zoo or national park. Picture the lion living together with the lamb and the zebra without thinking of them as food.

I could go on and on about this beautiful Garden which has a river with 4 river heads running through it.  I can picture how it was like seating down at the beginning or ending of a perfect day, watching the sunrise or the sunset.

All this beauty was created as a place where God’s own image would dwell.  This would be the home of Adam and Eve.

“The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”  (Genesis 2:7)

“It is nearing the end of the sixth day, the end of the Creator’s great labor, as Adam steps forth, the image of God, the triumph of his work. He alone is pronounced the son of God. Nothing in creation even comes close.  Picture Michelangelo’s David.  He is … magnificent.  Truly, the masterpiece seems complete. And yet, the Master says that something is not good, not right. Something is missing … and that something is Eve.”

The creation of Adam was different to the way God made the world.  He said the Word and it came into being but with Adam, He formed him from the dust of ground and then breathed life into him.  How awesome this is to know that we were created differently than everything else and that we bear the image of God.

Now Adam is in the Garden, he has seen everything, marveled at the beauty of it all, played with the animals, probably swam in the lake, ate a fruit or two.  He has met his creator and everything is just wonderful.

Wait! Did you hear that something is missing?  Yes you heard right! God says “It is not good for that man should be alone.  I will make him a helper comparable to him.”

Every living creature was made together with a partner and when Adam was given the task of naming them, there was “not found a helper comparable to him.”  Wow, for the first time Adam realized that he was alone.

Looking at this situation some people have concluded that Eve came as an afterthought but I don’t think that is true.  Eve’s creation was not an afterthought but a well thought out plan and God wanted Adam to appreciate the Woman who was brought to him.  Where am I getting all this?  Well from what the Lord did, He caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep and took a rib from him to create Eve.  Imagine the surprise and wonder of Adam when He woke up and saw Eve for the very first time.

I am trying to create a picture but I know I won’t do justice to her.  She is so perfect.  This first WOMAN! so beautiful, with flawless skin, long hair, the eyes, when she first set them on Adam. Talk about her body, her arms and legs….. A beauty to behold!

Now Eve is brought to Adam, he hears Eve speak for the first time.  I am sure Adam stammered in reply.  Was this a dream, no Adam, you are awake and this is your Woman.  No wonder he made this statement.  “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh…”

“Given the way creation unfolds, how it builds to ever higher and higher works of art, can there be any doubt that Eve is the crown of creation? Not an afterthought. Not a nice addition like an ornament on a tree. She is God’s final touch, His piece de resistance. She fills a place in the world nothing and no one else can fill. Step to a window, Ladies, if you can. Better still, find some place with a view. Look out across the earth and say to yourselves, “The whole, vast world is incomplete without me. Creation reached its zenith in me.”

Dear girlfriend, you are Eve, the crown of creation.  It’s no wonder you feel the way you do, the way you long to be the beauty or the princess in your story.  I pray that you will allow the Lord to restore what has been lost so that you can take your rightful place.

Be Blessed,

Jackie

LET’S PRAY

Father, I am in awe of You because of the way You created me.  I am thankful that I wasn’t created as an afterthought, but as a crown of creation.  Help me to embrace this truth and live my life with this in mind. In Jesus Name. Amen.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT

 Before reading this Chapter, did you think that because God created woman second to man that women are second to men in the heart of God?

What does your heart do with being called the “crown of creation”?

 

If you are interested in joining this amazing online Bible study, click HERE to sign up.

Once you are registered, you will receive an email with further details.

If you would like to send Jackie an email in regards to this blog, please send it to: Jackie@girlfriendscoffeehour.com.

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Captivating: Chapter 1 Review — The Heart of a Woman

January 11, 2013 by

 

Gen1_27

How are you after reading this first chapter? How are you feeling about who you are as a woman created in the image of God? So many emotions went through my heart as I read this chapter. Some of them were raw and some were just those emotions that you could not describe because they are mixed.

A couple of things jumped from the pages of the book straight into my heart. Let me just highlight one or two things that I found to be fundamental while read this chapter. “God created you as a woman. “God created man in his own image … male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27).

Whatever it means to bear God’s image, you do so as a woman. Female. That’s how and where you bear His image. Your feminine heart has been created with the greatest of all possible dignities-as a reflection of God’s own heart. You are a woman to your soul, to the very core of your being.”

“Every woman in her heart of hearts longs for three things: to be romanced, to play an irreplaceable role in a great adventure, and to unveil beauty. That’s what makes a woman come alive.”

 

With that said let us go through our review. There are so many things to take away from this first chapter alone.

Monday: Introduction: I (Jackie) started us off by telling you what this book is not about – what we are failing to do as a woman.

• I also talked about the stereotypes that we face as women and that we should not be defined by them. Whether I relate more to Cinderella or Joan of Arc, the most important thing that I should embrace is that I AM A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN.

• Lastly, I shared about the expectations that have been placed upon us by our families, cultures and churches. How the Proverbs 31 woman has impacted on our lives.

Tuesday: Unseen, Unsought, Uncertain – The Heart of a Woman: Tonya pointed us to the reality that most of us women avoid dealing with matters of the heart and how she feels like a failure because she cannot live according to the standards of a woman.

• Tonya shared this profound statement and I quote “One night, a while ago I was reading this verse and I realized that I need not guard my heart from outside influences but I also need to guard my heart from myself; from my mind and from my words, from my self-imposed standards. I realized that what I say to myself can do just as much damage as what others may speak into my life.”

Wednesday: To Be Romanced – Beauty to Unveil: Carissa took us to the movies as she talked about how love transformed Lizzy in Pride and Prejudice. She highlighted the reasons why most of us women are ashamed to show our desire to be seen, wanted and pursued.

• Our culture tells us to be ashamed of such desires. • Women don’t want to show that they are vulnerable and helped by being romantic.

• Most of us have hardened our hearts so that we do not show the desire to be the Beauty because we feel like the Beast of the story. Carissa also noted that a shared adventure does not necessarily have to be shared with a man. It simply involves people.

“I know that God has a great adventure in store for each of us – and as women, it’s our duty to seek it.

Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” We must seek Him to discover these desires – the desires that He’s laid on our hearts from our very creation.”

Thursday: By Way of the Heart:  Michelle looked at how we were created as men and women.

• Men want a battle to fight, adventure, a beauty to rescue; women want to be romanced, to play a role in a great adventure, and to unveil beauty. “A woman in the presence of a good man, a real man, loves being a woman. His strength allows her feminine heart to flourish. His pursuit draws out her beauty. And a man in the presence of a real woman loves being a man. Her beauty arouses him to play the man; it draws out his strength. She inspires him to be a hero.”

• Michelle also highlighted the fact that as much as we have these desires “the reality of all this is that many of these desires haven’t been met, hopes or dreams have been broken. And that is okay for now. This is why we are here. This is why we draw close to God. We don’t want to live that double life where everything is fine on the surface, in front of your friends, family, and church; but when you go home and are alone, it doesn’t feel fine. It feels like something is missing. God doesn’t want us in this place. He will meet us there, and He will bring us to where we are meant to be.”

Let me conclude our review with this from Stasi. “God did not place these longings in our hearts to torment us. Rather, they reveal the secret of who we truly are and the role that is ours to play. There is so much hope here, hope to become the woman you secretly long to be, the woman who is romanced, irreplaceable, and utterly beautiful.”

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LET’S PRAY

Father, thank You for this week. Thank You for helping me understand who I am as a woman and that I should not be ashamed of the desires that You have placed in me. I was created for romance, I am irreplaceable and beautiful. Help me to allow these truths to sink deep in my heart so that I can embrace my femininity. In Jesus Name. Amen.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT

There so many things to take away from chapter 1 and I have just reviewed but a few. Share in the comment section below statements, quotes or Bible verses that have left a mark in your heart from this chapter.

Be Blessed,

Jackie

If you are interested in joining this amazing online Bible study, click HERE to sign up. Once you are registered, you will receive an email with further details.

If you would like to send Michelle an email in regards to this blog, please send it to: Jackie@girlfriendscoffeehour.com.

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Captivating: By Way of the Heart

January 10, 2013 by

As I was reading through Chapter 1, I related to so many things the author was talking about.  My highlighter was working overtime, and the tears were flowing.  This is actually the second time I am reading through this book.  A friend recommended it to me not long after I became a believer.  I read it, and I did a lot of eye rolling and doubting, and I may have let a “whatever” slip once or twice J  Obviously I was not at the right place to receive this message then!  Because of that I was a little nervous opening this book again, but the difference is mind blowing to me this time around.  As I read the words it feels like Jesus is wrapping His arms around me, telling me how much He loves me and that everything is going to be ok.  And when we break it all down, isn’t that all we really need?

ps45_11

It is amazing to me, when I really stop to think about it, how amazing our God is.  How He has worked out every detail, not only of my life, but your life, and not only your Great-Great Grandparent’s lives, but your Great-Great Grandchildren’s lives.  He has it all under control and He hasn’t missed a detail.  Look at how he has designed us, man and woman.  Men want a battle to fight, adventure, a beauty to rescue; women want to be romanced, to play a role in a great adventure, and to unveil beauty.  It can be a beautiful fit when we realize these desires of our heart.  I think of a key fitting into the lock, and releasing what God truly intended our relationship with a man to be.  “A woman in the presence of a good man, a real man, loves being a woman.  His strength allows her feminine heart to flourish.  His pursuit draws out her beauty.  And a man in the presence of a real woman loves being a man.  Her beauty arouses him to play the man; it draws out his strength.  She inspires him to be a hero. Would that we all were so fortunate.” God is so good.  This can seem like things fairy tales are made of, but as we have talked about this week, isn’t there a part of each of us, whether big or small, that longs to be that princess?  God knows this, and we are all His princesses.  The question is, are we living in a way that shows we believe and honor this?

We have talked a lot about these desires of our heart, how God has created us, and what these things actually look like this week.  The reality of all this is that many of these desires haven’t been met, hopes or dreams have been broken.  And that is ok for now.  This is why we are here.  This is why we draw close to God.  We don’t want to live that double life where everything is fine on the surface, in front of your friends, family, and church; but when you go home and are alone it doesn’t feel fine.  It feels like something is missing.  God doesn’t want us in this place.  He will meet us there, and He will bring us to where we are meant to be.  Through the study of this book we will take a journey towards the restoration and release of the woman you always longed to be.  Isn’t that what we all want?  To be the woman God created us to be?

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LET’S PRAY

Lord, we will never be able to truly comprehend Your magnitude.  You know every hair on our head and every detail of our lives.  Thank You for loving us so completely and with such grace.  We are all in different places in our lives.  I ask You to meet each woman in this study where they are.  The broken, the brokenhearted, the newly healed and fully healed.  Meet us and take us on a grand adventure to where You want us to be.  We are Your Princesses and You are our Hero.  We trust You and love You and pray for the will and discernment to always follow You where we need to go.  In Your Heavenly Name we pray.  Amen.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT

What do you think it means to live in a way that shows and honors the fact that we believe we are God’s princesses?  Are you in that place?  If not, what do you think you need to get there?  Is there anything we can specifically pray for you?

If you are interested in joining this online Bible study, please click HERE to sign up. Once we receive your registration, we will email you further details.

 If you are interested in sending a private message to Michelle please email her at Michelle@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

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Captivating: To Be Romanced – Beauty to Unveil

January 9, 2013 by

 

Ok, I have a confession. When it comes to movies, I’ve subjected every man I’ve dated to watching my favorite. Unfortunately for them, it’s not an action. It’s not a comedy. And some would say it’s not even in English. To what movie can I be referring? Why, to the one and only “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen.

In the movie, Lizzy, a very headstrong young woman, is notoriously independent and has an extremely quick wit. Her sister, Jane, even warns, “One of these days, Lizzy, someone will catch your eye and then you’ll have to watch your tongue.” I love that about Lizzy. She doesn’t need a man. She even turns down men and marriage proposals because she’d rather be single and destitute than live unhappily with someone for the rest of her life. But if this is where the story would end, I doubt so many women across the world would claim it as their favorite as I do. Oh yes, the story goes on.

The strong, “don’t-need-no-man” Lizzy falls in love. She falls in love with a conveniently rich and handsome gentleman by the name of Mr. Darcy. As we watch the rest of the story unfold (I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t seen), we also see Lizzy herself unfold. Her true heart. The heart God created in her. The heart that longed to be romanced, the adventure she yearned to join, and the beauty that she ached to unveil to one, special man. In this dramatic tale, we see many sides of Lizzy: the lover, the warrior, and beauty.

[“At some core place, maybe deep within, perhaps hidden or buried in her heart, every woman wants to be seen, wanted, and pursued.”]

Our culture tells us to be ashamed of this desire – the desire to be romanced. But why? Romancing involves vulnerability. Much like Rapunzel, it involves waiting. Waiting is not glamorous or exciting. But we must wait on God’s timing for our prince to arrive and rescue us. It’s a helpless position, and certainly not one worthy of admiration. A woman of the 21st century doesn’t need to be rescued. Certainly she can rescue herself. But how silly would the story have been if the prince never came? If Rapunzel attached her hair to a nearby tree and climbed down the tower on her own. That’s a pretty lame story if you ask me. We need the prince and the death-defying rescue to create the adventurous story that we all know and love. Thus, our stories cannot be just about ourselves, our own power, and our own will. Our stories must include other people!

[“Made in the image of a perfect relationship (the Trinity), we are relational to the core of our beings and filled with a desire for transcendent purpose. We long to be an irreplaceable part of a shared adventure.”]

So cool! And I think it’s noteworthy that this “shared” adventure doesn’t necessarily have to be shared with a man. It simply involves people! This relates directly to our purpose for life as pointed out by Jesus in Matthew 22:37-39: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.  And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

I know that God has a great adventure in store for each of us – and as women, it’s our duty to seek it. Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” We must seek Him to discover these desires – the desires that He’s laid on our hearts from our very creation.

[“Many of us have hardened our hearts to this desire, the desire to be the Beauty. We, too, have been hurt so deeply in this area that we no longer identify, perhaps even resent, the longing. But it’s there.”]

How have you been hurt? I can recall many times throughout my life when I felt more like the Beast than the Beauty. Sometimes I am consumed with these hurtful memories. Sometimes they evidence themselves when I look in the mirror or can no longer fit into my favorite pair of jeans. But the Healer and Lover of our Souls has crushed all of those hurts. He gives us strength when we have none. He restores our hearts when we rest in Him and His love. God reassures us of our TRUE BEAUTY.

 

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Let’s Pray

Heavenly Father, we praise You for instilling in each of us these womanly desires. Lord, we know that You knew us even before we were born, before the world even knew we would exist. Father, I pray that as each woman seeks You throughout this study, that each of us would find ourselves in You. I pray that each of us would embrace the unique and special woman who You created us to be. I pray that each of us would embrace the desires You have laid on our hearts no matter what our culture says or our hurts from the past. Heal us, restore us, and renew us, Father. We surrender our hearts, our desires, and our lives to You because You alone are worthy. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Your Assignment

I absolutely love that God has given each woman’s heart these desires pointed out by Stasi and John. The best part, I believe, is that each desire manifests itself differently in each woman.

Think back on your childhood. Can you see these desires evident in a particular instance? Share your stories please!

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Praise Him!

Carissa

If you are interested in joining this amazing online Bible study, click HERE to sign up. Once you are registered, you will receive an email with further details.

If you would like to send a personal message to Carissa in regards to this blog, you may email her at: Carissa@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

.

 

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Captivating: Unseen, Unsought, Uncertain – The Heart of a Woman

January 8, 2013 by

To be honest, dealing with matters of the heart, dealing with heart issues and things along these lines is something that I try to avoid if I can; I think a lot of women do the same. I am a strong, independent woman who is working full time, being a wife, raising a family, running a home, all at the same time as trying to look like the woman in the magazine. I may at times pull off this illusion but I’m not fooling myself, and I’m most definitely not fooling God.

There are days that the laundry and dishes don’t get done, the kids eat pizza for breakfast and cereal for dinner, I’m not the nicest to those around me, I get frustrated and lose my temper and I am as far from the character of Ruth as I can get. But I am a child of The Most High.

To continue with my honesty, I often feel like a failure, like I’m not living up to the standards of a woman, mind you, a lot of these standards were standards that I set in place for myself. In order to be successful in life, well, to be successful in my day, I need to accomplish a,b, and c; and I need to look pretty and appealing while doing this a, b and c. yes, I know it’s laughable, but it’s so real. Not only for myself, but for so many women.

When I started reading this section of the book I was screaming on the inside in response to the first statement regarding how she knew she wasn’t alone in feeling a sense of failure, I was screaming “no! You’re not alone, I’m right there with you!” From not finishing the dishes one night to not feeling like the woman God called me to be, it seems as if failure or at least the illusion of failure is everywhere I turn.

But, I can’t help but ask myself, who am I to shame myself into feeling this way? Who am I to allow satan’s lies of inadequacy fill my head? We were created in God’s image. He knew who He was creating when He created me and when He created you.

 

One night, a while ago I was reading this verse and I realized that I need not guard my heart from outside influences but I also need to guard my heart from myself; from my mind and from my words, from my self-imposed standards. I realized that what I say to myself can do just as much damage as what others may speak into my life.

Life can cause us to feel unseen at times, unsought, and these can leave us with a feeling of uncertainty.  God sees our hearts. God is seeking after our hearts. And in all the uncertain areas of our hearts, God is that certainty we can count on.

It’s time to learn our hearts again, it’s time to listen to our hearts again. The Eldredge’s presented some questions to us within these sections. “What is it that a woman wants?” “What is it that she dreams of?” Let’s make these more personal; begin to think about what you want, and what you desire.

 

With Love,

Tonya

_________________________________

Your assignment:

 

I am _________ enough!

 

So often we speak into our hearts what we feel we aren’t, but how often do we say what we are? Today we are going to shout and declare what we are and what God has gifted within us. We are going to speak positive words into our hearts.

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Let’s pray:

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for creating us in Your image. Please help us to remember this when we question ourselves and when the feelings of shame and failure began to creep into our hearts. We were beautifully and wonderfully made. Please open our hearts and minds as we shout the positive words today.  Please help us to see the gifts You have placed inside of our hearts. Thank You for seeing us Lord.  Thank You for seeking our hearts, and thank You for remaining the certainty we need in our lives.  In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

_________________________________

If you are interested in joining this amazing online Bible study, click HERE to sign up. Once you are registered, you will receive an email with further details.

If you would like to send a personal message to Tonya in regards to this blog, you may email her at:  TonyaEllison@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

 

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Captivating Begins Jan 6, 2013!! Are You Ready?

January 4, 2013 by

New Year Greetings!

My name is Jackie Chingawale, and I am the Singles Ministry Co-Leader of Girlfriends Coffee Hour, also known as GCH.

I want to welcome you to GCH! We are a group of women all across the world that love the Lord Jesus, and are always looking for ways to better our walk with Him, and improve not only our selves, but those around us, as well. PLEASE be sure to read this blog post all the way through, as I will be taking you through some things that you need to know in order to have a great experience.

Beginning on Sunday 6 January 2013, we will embark upon a new journey with our second Singles Ministry Online Bible Study “Captivating – Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul by John & Stasi Eldredge”.

captivating

I can’t begin to tell you just how excited I am about this study! Being involved in the GCH Singles Ministry, I have learned so many things from the ladies that joined the first study.  As women whether single or married, we have so many things in common.  But most of all, we all want to feel special and loved.

 

As I began going through Captivating, 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.

  • Through Captivating we are going to learn what is at the core of a woman’s heart.  What are our desires?  What did we long for when we were little girls?  What do we still long for as women?  How do we begin to be healed from the wounds and tragedies of our lives?
  • Captivating is not a book about all the things that we are failing to do as women.  Most of us have grown up being told that we don’t measure up, if you act like so and so you will be accepted or if you follow these 10 steps, you will meet the grade.  We will learn who a true woman is – whether you relate more to Cinderella or Joan of Arc.
  • You will discover that God has set within you a femininity that is powerful and tender, fierce and alluring.  It may have been misunderstood or assaulted but it is there and it is worth recovering.
  • As we take this journey of discovery and healing, you will be assured that your heart is the prize of God’s Kingdom, and Jesus has come to win you back for himself.
  • You will find hope and practical illustrations to apply to everyday challenges in being God’s woman.
  • You will find prayer, support, encouragement, accountability, motivation, love, from other women, just like you, who are currently single or divorced or married, and are willing to share how they face each day with the help of Christ Jesus.

Wow! Now can you see why I am 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 right here, our website, for your reading assignment for the week.

2. Every Monday through Friday, you will come back here again, to read what we have blogged about for that day’s lesson.

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 if you are signed up for this study, you will go to the Facebook Online Bible Study Discussion Group that you have been assigned to, to discuss that day’s lesson just a bit deeper than we do here on the blog. The Facebook Group 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 the 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 the Facebook Groups 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 better known as PoPpers (POP stands for Power of Prayer), who have specifically asked to be placed in the Single Women’s Ministry group. They have a heart for prayer, and for single 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 Singles 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 Michelle Graziano my Co-leader, Tonya Ellison, Carissa Markantone and I. Amazing Women!!!

DON’T FORGET TO MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!

Sunday, January 6th, the Bible study begins!  Come back here on Sunday, to get the reading assignment for the week and more.

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Let’s Pray:

Father, we come before You today with thanksgiving in our hearts as we start our new Bible study, Captivating.  Lord, we ask You to start with us and be with us in every area of our study.  We commit every woman who has joined us on this journey that You will bless them.  Help us to stay committed and to learn from You.  Holy Spirit be our guide, comforter and helper throughout this study.  Help us to find the woman that you created us to be.  In Jesus Name Amen.

Be Blessed,

Jackie

To sign up for this Online Bible Study, click HERE and follow the instructions. You will also be given a link to where you can purchase this bible study. We’re looking forward to studying “Captivating” with you!!

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Lady in Waiting: Meditation: Reality Vs. Fantasy

December 11, 2012 by
2 Corinthians 10:5

2 Corinthians 10:5

Meditation from page 292 of “Lady in Waiting”.

“An important method of limiting your own self-defrauding is through daily discipline over “prenuptial fantasies.”  Such fantasies may provide you an escape from monotonous reality, but these moments are dangerous.  They will aggravate your struggle for contentment because they are not innocent daydreams, but an attack on your godly contentment.  You may be so used to daily fantasies that you might not even realize when you begin daydreaming again about your prince.”

“Often single women’s struggle with contentment can be traced back to her fantasies more than to her frustrating circumstances.  Just think for a moment about three words from 2 Corinthians 10:5: Casting down imaginations.  Fantasizing about a future with a guy you have been watching in Sunday school or at work is nothing more than your very active imagination.  What should you do when you start daydreaming about a guy you’ve never dated or even formally met?  You must take your thoughts to Jesus and leave them in His capable hands.  This daily discipline of taking your fantasies to Jesus is the foundation for your future as a contented woman, whether you are married or single.”

LET’S PRAY
Father God, we treasure our time with You. So many times we talk incessantly about our needs, our wants, our hopes and dreams. We know that You love hearing our cares, but we also know You love to speak to us also. Help us to slow down in our prayer and devotional time so that we can hear from You. It is You who guide us, and without taking the time to listen to the guidance we will become lost. Thank you Jesus for Your patience and love as we continue the process of drawing close to You.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT
Please share your thoughts on today’s meditation, either in full or in part, below as well as in our Facebook group. Our hope is that you take the time to journal these meditations so that you have them to look back on and use them to help you grow.

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Our Next Single Women’s Online Bible Study

“Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul”

by John & Stasi Eldredge

Begins January 6, 2013

To sign up for this Online Bible Study, click HERE and follow the instructions. You will also be given a link to where you can purchase this bible study. We’re looking forward to studying “Captivating” with you!!

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

Lady in Waiting: Lady of Patience

December 3, 2012 by

 

Ok, time for me to fess up.  I was not looking forward to doing this chapter.  Let’s just say that patience isn’t my best virtue, especially when it comes to my being single.  I feel that the fact that I am 41 years old, that I have “kids” that I saw be born, getting married,and having their own babies; that I am using wrinkle cream and hair dye more than acne cream and cute hair styles, has qualified me for having “enough” patience and I am growing tired of it.  I have to stop myself from rolling my eyes when I hear a 25-year-old complaining about being single.  I think to myself, “Try adding 16 more years of being single and see how it feels!”.  Now, with all that being said…I KNOW THIS IS WRONG…I am not proud of it.  It is a quality I do not like in myself, and it is something I am completely willing to work through while we go through this chapter.  I don’t want to stay here, it’s not fun.  So let’s start unpacking this together, are you with me?

I enjoyed the story of Janis and Linda from the book, and I literally laughed out loud with Linda’s “Great is Thy Faithfulness” line.  Now both their stories ended with happy marriages and they both enthusiastically agreed it was worth the wait.  We don’t know how old they were, how long their wait was, but it did seem like it was a painful process for them, even though they joked about things and kept the faith.  They stayed strong in their convictions and were “rewarded” for that.  It does make me curious about what would have happened if one had married and the other hadn’t, or if they were both still waiting, but that is a topic for another day!

What did speak to me, in a big megaphone type way, was the line, “Many women have waited and won.  Many women have lost faith and compromised.”  How many of us have put time constraints on God?  Or at least thought “If ‘x’ doesn’t happen by a certain date, then I am just going to ‘y’”  I used to have an age limit of 40 to have another child, and as that approached I moved the “deadline” to 42.  I will admit to thinking that if there isn’t someone in my life by 45 I will loosen my standards.  Now would I actually go through with these random deadlines, I’m honestly not sure.  I may have just moved it up, the way I did the baby one.  I don’t know.  What I do know now, as much as it is painful to think about, as scary as it is to consider, I have to trust in God’s timeline.  I can not start taking things into my own hands because of a self-imposed deadline.  I need to trust that God is taking care of things in my best interest and that I need to continue to be a Lady of Patience.  I am opening myself up to stretching and growing with all of you this week.

LET’S PRAY

Jesus I call on You today,  Thank You for always having our best interest at heart, even when it is difficult for us.  I know that our Father loves us and only wants the best for us.  Please help those of us who struggle with patience.  Help us trust in You, help us enjoy the journey.  You know our hurts, take our hearts in Your hands and care

YOUR ASSIGNMENT

Please share whether or not your struggle bring patient in your single life.  If you do, what are the fears and struggles?  If not, what strategies have you developed to cope?  Also, do you think age influences patience?

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Our Next

Single Women’s Online Bible Study

“Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul”

by John & Stasi Eldgredge

Begins January 6, 2013

To sign up for this Online Bible Study, click HERE and follow the instructions. You will also be given a link to where you can purchase this bible study. We’re looking forward to studying “Captivating” with you!!

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

What’s New with the GCH Singles Online Bible Study??

December 2, 2012 by

As we near the end of this study, it’s time to let you know what our next Online Singles Bible Study will be!  But before we do that, I want to make sure you know what your reading assignment for “Lady In Waiting” is for this week!

Lady of Patience

December 3:    Lady of Patience – Michelle
December 4:    Why Is Waiting So Hard – Jackie
December 5:    Consequence of Impatience – Tonya
December 6:    Developing Patience – Carissa
December 7:    Intro to Meditations  – Diane

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And now for our BIG announcement!!

When we start thinking of new bible studies, we always look for something that will be interesting, and life-changing!  When we decided upon this next study, we felt it was the perfect study for our Singles Group!  We hope you agree!

Every woman was once a little girl. And every little girl holds in her heart her most precious dreams. She longs to be swept up into a romance, to play an irreplaceable role in a great adventure, to be the beauty of the story. Those desires are far more than child’s play. They are the secret to the feminine heart.  And yet―how many women do you know who ever find that life? As the years pass by, the heart of a woman gets pushed aside, wounded, buried. She finds no romance except in novels, no adventure except on television, and she doubts very much that she will ever be the Beauty in any tale.

Most women think they have to settle for a life of efficiency and duty, chores, and errands, striving to be the women they “ought” to be but often feeling they have failed. Sadly, too many messages for Christen women add to the pressure. “Do these ten things, and you will be a godly woman.” The effect has not been good on the feminine soul. But her heart is still there. Sometimes when she watches a movie, sometimes in the wee hours of the night, her heart begins to speak again. A thirst rises within her to find the life she was meant to live―the life she dreamed of as a little girl.
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The message of Captivating is this: Your heart matters more than anything else in all creation. The desires you had as a little girl and the longings you still feel as a woman are telling you of the life God created you to live. He offers to come now as the Hero of your story, to rescue your heart and release you to live as a fully alive and feminine woman. A woman who is truly captivating.
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In 2001, John Eldredge’s book “Wild at Heart” explored the inner life of Christian men–and became a bestseller. Now, he and his wife Stasi have teamed up to write “Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul.”
Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul

Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul

Our Next Single Women’s Online Bible Study

“Captivating:

Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul”

by John & Stasi Eldgredge

Begins January 6, 2013

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To sign up for this Online Bible Study, click HERE and follow the instructions.  You will also be given a link to where you can purchase this bible study.  We’re looking forward to studying “Captivating” with you!!  

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