November 22, 2024

What’s Next for Girlfriends Coffee Hour?

Now that our Girls with Swords study has been completed, what’s next for GCH?  I’m glad you asked!

1)  We are very close to releasing our next online Bible study, titled “I AM“, written by Teresa J. Bolme.  You may have read some of Teresa’s blogs right here, every Monday, for the past 12 weeks, as she blogged for the Girls with Swords study.  She has spent many hours writing this next study, exclusively for GCH!  You won’t find this study anywhere else on the World Wide Web!!  It can only be found HERE!  If you have not already registered for this study, please CLICK HERE to be taken to the Registration Page.

2) “I AM” is in the final editing stages, and we are anticipating the release date of July 3rd.  When that happens, we will make an announcement right here and give you instructions on how you can purchase and download the study!  Remember, to purchase the study, all you have to do is make a donation to GCH in ANY AMOUNT to help us cover the ministry and website costs that we incur; AND this gives us the ability to offer free Bibles to those who don’t have one.

3)  When you purchase and download your copy of “I AM“, you will want to store it in a 3-ring binder, or take it to an office supply store to have it bound.  I am planning to take my study to the office supply store and have them bind it, so it will stay neater and more functional.  I’m really trying to figure out how I can get an actual signed copy of “I AM” from the author!! (hint hint)

4)  Everyone who has registered so far has already been placed into our GCH Fellowship Group.  Please don’t confuse this group with the actual Facebook Chat Room, which is where we will dig deeper into the “I AM” study.  The Fellowship Group is where we…well, fellowship!!  It’s a place to just let your hair down and have some fun!  It’s a place to make some new friends, share your favorite recipes, show pictures of your cute little animals, or even the kids/grandkids.  We share devotionals, and prayer requests in the Fellowship Group, as well!  It’s really just a place where faith, friends, and fellowship flourish!

5) Toward the middle of this week, we will start adding you to the actual study group (Facebook Chat Room).  THIS is where you will go each day to get that day’s reading assignment, and the link to the blog lesson that is posted for the day.  You will read the blog, and if you want, you can comment there; but you will come back to the Chat Room to dig a bit deeper into the study, and discuss it more as a group.  This is an awesome place to really ask your questions about the study, and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you through what is shared in this group!  If you are not on Facebook, you will just read and comment on our blog each day.

6)  You will want to set aside some time every day, Monday thru Friday, to check into the FB Chat Room to see what your daily reading assignment is, and t0 find the link to the blog lesson for the day; maybe use this as your devotional time each day.  A lot of women use the GCH blogs as their morning devotional.  It’s a great way to start the day!  One word of advice:  Don’t give up on the study if you begin to fall behind on the study.  Just take some time to get caught up, and/or jump in right where we are in the study, and catch up later!  Just don’t quit!  We try to encourage women to stay on board even if you have gotten behind!  We all do that, but we are here to help you get back on track again!

What will you need for the study?

1. The “I AM” Bible study, of course.  Without it, it will be impossible to follow along!  You will need the book!

2. Your Bible

3. A journal

4.  Pen & Highlighter

 

So let’s run through this one more time:

  • The study will be released for purchase & download on Wednesday, July 3rd!  
  • Be sure to have the study downloaded no later than July 7th.  If you have any problems with purchasing or downloading the study, PLEASE email us at GirlfriendsCoffeeHour@gmail.com.
  • Have all your study tools on hand & ready for when the study begins July 8th!
  • You are more than welcome to invite your friends to join us, but REGISTRATION ENDS JULY 7th.

We look forward to studying God’s word with you through this amazing study “I AM“.

God bless,

Christi Wilson, Founder of Girlfriends Coffee Hour

 

LOVE One Another

Last week, I brought up a simple fact: loving God = obedience to Him.  After delving into the Scriptures, we were convinced that there is no way around it: if we want to love God we must obey His commands.

For this is what LOVE for God is: to keep His commands.
1 John 5:3

This week, we will look at one very specific area in which our obedience (or disobedience) clearly shows our LOVE for Him—our LOVE for one another.

1 John 4:21
And we have this command from Him:
The one who LOVES God must also LOVE his brother.

God specifically communicates, just as distinctly as in 1 John 5:3, that LOVE for Him requires obedience.  If we LOVE God, we keep His commands—we obey Him.  His command in this area is that we must also LOVE our brother (and sister).  And we are encouraged that ‘yes! I CAN do this!’ because we know that His commands are not too hard for us “…His commands are not a burden…” (1 John 5:3b).

Jesus was preparing His disciples for His soon-coming death, resurrection and departure.  One of the very important things that He spoke to them about was this very thing—LOVE—when He told them,

This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples,
if you have LOVE for one another.
John 13:35

Think about that for a moment, please.  Was there ever anyone who loved more, or better, or more completely, or selflessly than our Lord?  No…not ever.  But, we understand from His communication with His disciples that they would be recognized as His by their LOVE for one another.  Just amazing, isn’t it?  Truly, I believe, we also are recognized as His by our LOVE for one another.  How blessed are we!!!

We all know the ‘LOVE’ chapter of the Bible…that’s right, 1 Corinthians 13.  Contained in that portion of the Scriptures is God’s definition of what LOVE is.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Love is patient,
Love is kind and is not jealous;
Love does not brag and is not arrogant,
does not act unbecomingly;
It does not seek its own, is not provoked,
does not take into account a wrong suffered,
does not rejoice in unrighteousness,
but rejoices with the truth;
bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails;

Dear children, let us not LOVE with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
1 John 3:18

The actions  are clearly defined for us in 1 Corinthians chapter 13:

  • being patient
  • kind
  • displaying no jealousy
  • or bragging
  • not being arrogant
  • acting becomingly (appropriately)
  • being selfless
  • not being provoked
  • not worrying about wrongs done to us
  • not rejoicing in unrighteousness
  • rejoicing in truth
  • bearing and believing and hoping and enduring all things

These are the actions—the attitudes of our hearts—that show, or prove, or display our LOVE.  Words are easy to say…but actions show the truth.  Amen?

Praying for you each (please pray for me, too!) as you endeavor to be obedient and to treasure the commands of our God.  Remember, loving God = obedience to His commands.  He has commanded that we LOVE one another and to LOVE with actions, not just idle words.

Let all that you do be done in LOVE.
1 Corinthians 16:14

Praying for each of you!

♥  coleen

LOVE God, LOVE People (lyrics)

how can i thank You for the way that you freely gave
LOVE so beautiful, unconditionally
had to stop, take a break, feelin’ good today
everything’s wonderful…You didn’t have to do this for me
but then i look and see all of the suffering, i wanna do something
but something’s gotta start with me

i can’t give it ‘til i live it
now that my eyes are open, teach me how to LOVE

LOVE God…LOVE people!  LOVE my neighbor as myself
my brother, my sister; everybody LOVE somebody

and now it’s time to make a change—revolution day
put it into action…live compassionately
you take the black and the white…red, yellow, brown
life gets better, it just gets better when we
we look around and see all of humanity
waiting on someone—someone is you and me

you can’t give it ‘til you live it
now that your heart is open, just reach out and LOVE

you can’t give it ‘til you live it
you can’t live it until you give it away
you can’t give it ‘til you live it
now that your heart is wide open, you gotta give all of your LOVE

you can’t live without giving LOVE
so let your heart be open; just reach out and, just reach out and LOVE <3

_________________________________

If you would like to send a personal message to Coleen, you may email her at:

Coleen@girlfriendscoffeehour.com, or leave a comment below.

Captivating: Week 1 Reading Assignments

The time is here! We are ready to start! I consider myself blessed to be able to share this journey with you. I have faith that God is going to work in this group over the next few months and we are going to see big things happen!

Here is our reading assignment for the coming week.  Please let me know if you have any questions, or if you are still not quite sure how this whole online study works.  We are here for each other and we want you to get the most out of this study.  Don’t be shy!  We were all new once 🙂

WEEK of JANUARY 6

Chapter 1: The Heart of a Woman

Sunday:  Michelle – Reading Assignment

Monday:  Jackie – The Heart of A Woman (Intro) through A Woman’s Journey

Tuesday:  Tonya – Unseen, Unsought & Uncertain through The Heart of a Woman

Wednesday:  Carissa – To Be Romanced through Beauty to Unveil

Thursday: Michelle – The Heart of a Man through By Way of the Heart

Friday: Jackie – Weekly Review

LET’S PRAY

Father God, as we begin this study I ask You to join us.  We are all in different places in our walk, but You know the heart’s of each and every woman here.  Meet each of us where we are and take us on an amazing journey of growth, love and grace.  We thank You for Your blessing on this study.  We are grateful for Your mercy.   Thank You for loving us.  In Your holy name we pray.  Amen.

In Him,

Michelle



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: Michelle@girlfriendscoffeehour.com.