November 24, 2024

A Daughter’s Worth: Week 3 / Day 3 – Watch What You See

October 17, 2012 by

 

Sometimes I find myself wishing I had been born 200 years ago, or even 100 years ago. Why? Because we are bombarded day after day by images portraying what the “perfect” woman should look like. I am sure ALL women, regardless of when they were born, have dealt with insecurity, but women 100 years ago didn’t have Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, magazines, E! news, or music videos. It is SO easy for us to compare ourselves with other women because we are constantly seeing images of them.

I struggled with my weight throughout most of high school, so I had this idea that women who were thin or fit had no insecurities. I have found that this is different for every girl. “You’re so pretty, there is nothing for you to be insecure about!” or “You’re so popular, why are you insecure?” or “Your boyfriend loves you. How could you possibly feel bad about yourself?” Whatever you’re the most insecure about, you will envy most about other people. I also found that by watching certain shows or reading certain magazines, I was in an awful funk after watching or reading. Most of the women on tv, who I envied, most likely eat around 500 calories a day and exercise for 3 hours twice a day… and the images in the magazines? They’re not real. They’re doctored. They’re photoshopped. They’re made to make those women look like they weigh 95 pounds, when in reality, they weigh around 130 or more. It is just part of the industry in Hollywood.

Am I telling you to delete all of your social media accounts? Absolutely not! Am I telling you to watch TV altogether? Nope. Here’s what I am telling you- if you find yourself wallowing in self-pity, it’s time to step away from these things. And also, you need to learn to recognize the enemy’s lies. I believed the lie that, because I wasn’t skinny, I wasn’t worthy of love. About a year ago, I recognized that those thoughts were NOT from the Lord, and I began the journey toward freedom. I started eating healthy, NOT to lose weight, but to take care of myself. My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, and I cannot do the work of the Kingdom if I am feeding myself garbage! I also added exercise to my daily routine. Yes, I felt better physically, but I also felt better mentally. And now I can watch those shows and read magazines without experiencing thoughts of self-hatred. I have made the choice to keep my heart and my eyes fixed on Jesus. I have made the decision to take care of what He has given me. And I have made the choice to kick the enemy in his teeth whenever he lies, because I have the Spirit of God in me!

Girls~ your worth is NOT defined by your outer appearance.

Your worth is found in JESUS, and Jesus ALONE. And He says you’re BEAUTIFUL!!!!

 

Lord~ I ask that EVERY girl and EVERY woman reading this today would KNOW that You have created them, and because YOU are perfect, the work of Your hands is perfect. I pray that they would get a new revelation of Your love today, that they would be comforted and encouraged. When the enemy tries to come and lie to them, I ask that Your Spirit would protect them and that they would see the chains and bondage and they would RUN into Your arms. There’s power in Your name, Jesus. At the very mention of it, satan HAS to flee. JESUS, we call upon You in our moments of insecurity and self-doubt. We BELIEVE what You say about us! We believe that we are fearfully and wonderfully made! I pray that every girl would walk in confidence, knowing the truth! Amen.

~Jordan

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

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

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

A Daughter’s Worth: Week 3 / Day 1 – You’re Beautiful

October 15, 2012 by

 

When reading the chapter titles in this study, my heart sank a little when I read “Embracing True Beauty”. That is something I struggled with BIG TIME for a majority of my life. I was interested what this week of the study would stir in my heart and yours. I cannot help but pray that as we tackle this week titled EMBRACING TRUE BEAUTY that we all come to find our beauty in God alone and to be confident of who we are in Him; BEAUTIFUL.

About three years ago, my sister sent me a text message that said, listen to Beautiful by Mercy Me, it reminds me so much of you, you have to hear it! When I saw that message I started to tear up. I did not understand how a song titled “Beautiful” could ever remind her of me. I thought I was the farthest thing from beautiful and I certainly did not think anyone else thought I was beautiful. I went home that same night she sent me the message and listened to Beautiful by Mercy Me. Listening to it brought me more tears, but the words also tugged so softly on my heart.

For all the lies you’ve held inside so long, they are nothing in the shadow of the cross.

That is my second favorite line in the whole song. What lies about who God created you to be do you believe? Do you actually believe you are beautiful? I believed I was ugly, unworthy, damaged, destroyed forever, and disgusting. Now all I see when I look at myself in the mirror is God’s beauty shining through. After all that truly is the most beautiful thing about each and every one of us. We have God’s beautiful spirit living inside of our hearts. The more we let HIS beauty that we have in our hearts overflow into the lives of everyone around us the more beautiful you become.

Think about it again, WHAT LIES ABOUT WHO GOD CREATED YOU TO BE DO YOU BELIEVE? Can you please write them down, and throw that paper away! They have no place in your life. It is time to embrace the beauty you have within! Psalm 139:14 says, I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Are you confident that this verse is true? Are you confident that you are wonderful and unique because you were made by a God who loves you so much? I struggle with the confidence from time to time, but thanks to this study bringing Isaiah 32:17 to my attention, I will now repeat what this verse says every time I start to lack confidence in my beauty. The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.

I so strongly believe that there is nothing more beautiful than a precious princess of the King being confident in the beauty that the Lord has brought to her life, embracing it, and sharing it with others. I hope that every time you look in the mirror, that you see God’s beauty shining through. I pray that when you do look in the mirror you take a minute to thank Him and praise Him for YOU.

I remember the day I sent my sister a message that said, Beautiful by Mercy Me is on and I thought of you, I remember when you told me to listen to that song and I thought I would never believe those words, I finally believe those words, thank you! It is my prayer that you finally believe my favorite line of that song; YOU’RE BEAUTIFUL!

Let’s Pray: Lord, I lift every single person who reads this up to you. I pray that you wipe away any negative image they have of themselves, and that you give them YOUR eyes to see the beauty that they possess. I thank you and praise you for creating us. We are all special because we are created uniquely in YOUR beauty. Thank you Lord, and help us to embrace the beauty you have given us! We love you so much, Amen.

Be Beautiful Today and Always! Much Love,

Diane

Listen to Beautiful by Mercy Me Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C2o0jHNRuU

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

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

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

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

October 12, 2012 by

 

Today’s blog post is by Tina Marin 

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

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

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

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

Let’s pray:

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

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

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

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

Lady In Waiting: Ministry of Service, Writing, and Hospitality

October 11, 2012 by

This blog is brought to you

by Katie Blumberg

 

For me, the excuses began in college. I wanted to meet the perfect man, and in order for that to happen, I had to become the perfect woman. In my mind the perfect man for me would be studying to become a pastor or a youth pastor, therefore I would need to become the perfect pastor’s wife. How does one attain this high and regal status? By becoming a Biblical Studies major of course! Now don’t get me wrong, I loved studying the Word and diving through Scripture, pursuing the Lord, and learning about how to do ministry well in my every day life. I do not regret what I studied in school because it has made me the woman I am today; however, my initial intentions were not the holiest! I thought that as I waited for my future man, I would have to give up on becoming anything but a future wife of someone.

Continuing on to graduate school… Studying something that may lead to a job, rather than just a marital status… Pursuing a long-term mission’s trip to another country… Traveling to the other side of the country for a summer to work in a ministry position… Taking a fellowship in another state where I could pursue my dreams of owning a coffee shop, and be connected with other Christians who are figuring out life post-college… Joining Youth With a Mission and traveling the world spreading the good news… Moving in with my aunt in Georgia and doing ministry in her church… The list goes on and on. These are all service opportunities, dreams, and passions that I gave up as I waited for my future husband. “I’ll do that when I get married,” or “What if doing that leads me away from the man that I am supposed to be with, and I miss my opportunity with him?” were always thoughts that held me back from accepting my singleness and running towards my dreams. So here I sit, snuggling my cat in a city I feel safe in, surrounded by people I feel safe with, at a job that is safe. I only fear now that I will get married, eventually, and wonder what could have been if I had pursued the desires of my heart when I was single.

Ladies, you have all been blessed with gifts, desires, and passions. Some you may be figuring out, others you have known your entire life. Use them! Don’t wait around for your husband to arrive thinking that you will be able to pursue those things then! He is not going to make you any more able to be you than you can be RIGHT now! Have you been blessed with a servants’ heart? Find out the needs of those in your neighborhood (ministry is not confined to a four-walled building we call the church!) and help them!

Has the Lord given you the gift of encouragement? Write a letter, and email, send a text, or meet a friend for coffee and tell them how much they have blessed you. Is opening your home to friends and family exciting to you? Break out your best dishes, cook up a delicious meal and invite over everyone you know! Please don’t stuff those gifts inside thinking you’ll pull them out on a rainy day or that your husband will help you to become the woman you were meant to be.

Use this time to build relationships with amazing, godly women who will encourage and lift you up, surround you with love, keep you accountable, and push you to use those gifts for the Lord.

“It is doubtful that there could ever be a better time to serve Jesus than this “moment” of singleness. Rather than wasting precious moments fantasizing about an earthly lover, take advantage of your free hours each day to serve the Lord of Heaven. If you are frustrated and distracted, rather than fruitfully serving Jesus, then ask Him right now to adjust your vision.” (pg 33).

Take this time to let the Lord teach you who you are, what you love, and how you will be used to advance his Kingdom. Your husband is not going to tell you those things, and guess what?! I bet that amazing man will be even more attracted to you if you have spent time figuring these things out, building a strong foundation in Christ, and serving the Lord and your neighbor even without him by your side! Take the risk you have been putting off for fear of losing your chance with ‘him.’ Figure out your love language, and start loving on everyone who comes across your path!

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 Let’s Pray:

 Abba, Pappa; thank you for your grace and mercy on us. Thank you for bestowing gifts upon us to bless you and others with. Please teach us to prayerfully and thoughtfully use these gifts in the way that you intended. Give us the courage to explore our interests; teach us who we are in YOU, so that we never lose our identity, even in marriage! Instill in us a servants heart, and a desire to seek out your plan for our lives. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.

Your Assignment:

What have you given up for fear that you will miss out on finding the man of your dreams? Are you waiting to start something big because you think you need a husband to help you? If so, what step are you going to take to stop sitting around bored and day-dreaming about your fantasy man, and start acting on what the Lord has given you? Let’s get started ladies!

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Meet Katie Blumber – Blog Contributor Singles Ministry

Katie is a recent graduate from a small Christian liberal arts school, with a degree in Biblical Studies and Human Services. She has a huge ache for deep justice in her community and city, and longs to do God’s work in her every day life.

She is a barista at a local coffee shop, where she gets to serve amazing coffee and interact with people all day long. She volunteers at her church, loves going to shows and discovering new bands, and spends time with her amazing friends any chance that she gets.

For Katie, life is all about living out Christ’s love in the community that she lives in.  She is also passionate about purity, healthy relationships, and teaching others to see themselves the way that Christ sees them.

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

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

October 11, 2012 by

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

<3 Mama T (Teresa)

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

John 3:16

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Let’s Pray:

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

<3 Memphis T (Tonya)

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

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

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

Winning Him Without Words: Throw Me a Life Preserver!

October 10, 2012 by
Jesus answered,
“I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6
The decision I made to follow Christ was the single most life changing decision I could have made.Once I decided to follow Him I immersed myself in Him. We literally ate, drank and slept Jesus. It was a time of learning and seeking for both my husband and I. The things I learned and resolved were so freeing!
As I grew in Christ I learned to forgive. I was able to let go of the unforgiveness I had for the abuse I suffered at the hands of my parents when I was a child. That forgiveness was for me as well. I had carried it around for so long and letting go of it gave me a freedom in my heart I didn’t even know existed!! God has said the truth shall set you free and I was free indeed. So in my journey with Christ I have learned to recognize that nudge from God when I need to let something go and forgive.
Having already confessed that I am somewhat of a control freak, letting go is sometimes hard for me. I need refining and reminding just like Lynn says. Our marriage is always being refined and I think it should be. As we yield our marriage to God, he loves and shapes us into the couple who can serve Him free of all the hurts and pain we bring on each other. Our life journey is together as well as separate. We experience life and problems from our own unique perspectives.
As I yield these experiences to God and choose to let Him lead, I react in a right and godly way. My husband sees that and hopefully wants to respond that way too. We, as their wives, are a constant example of Christ to them since we live together 24/7. I’m always asking God to show me how to respond, move on and forgive if I need to, in the situations in our life. Now I’m not always successful, I fail more times than I want, but I get right back up and try again knowing God always gives me another chance. The little things I let crowd in and fester can be let go of  if I yield it to my Savior.
Twenty years ago, when I gave up looking for our new house because our supposed “dream house” fell through, I let anger take over. I left it to my husband to find us a house. He finally chose one that I hated! It had gold shag carpet, gold draperies, and brown and orange wall paper in the dining room! It was ugly! But my husband saw potential. So once again I had to choose not to be angry and let it go.
The choice to let go of the control of choosing a home for us and leave it to God and trust that my husband had made the right choice was not easy. I prayed and spent much time speaking out to God that I wanted Him to be in control. Giving it over daily was all I could do.
My husband has literally remodeled every room in the house and even built us a beautiful bedroom retreat with a balcony just for us!  Our home is beautiful thanks to God and my husband. I can praise God that he chose it and my husband for all the hard work he has put into it. God took care of my needs and our marriage too. I have found that when I hang onto God and trust him to be in control I find freedom and, to quote our author, God can change little ole me and my marriage for His glory!
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Let’s pray:
God we love you. Help us to let go of things that hold us back from making us all you want us and our marriage to be.  Free us form those strongholds that we let take over. Free us to move in our marriages just the way you want us to. Thank you Lord. In Jesus name Amen
Your assignment:
Are there things in your life, like I had in mine that hold you back in your marriage? Unforgiveness, anger, control? Let’s name some of these things and purpose to give it to God and then let’s pray for one another over them. After all the body of Christ need each other and what better way than to pray for our sisters to be free??!!
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If you are interested in joining our FREE Online Bible Study, please click on the “Sign-Up Here” button at the top of our webpage, and follow the instructions.  We’ll be glad to get you signed up!
Blessings,
Donna
Filed Under: Women's Ministry Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

A Daughter’s Worth Week 2 / Day 2: Your Father Delights in Your Existence

October 9, 2012 by

Zephaniah 3:17

The Lord your God is with you; He is mighty to save. 

He will take great delight in you; He will quiet you with His love;

He will rejoice over you with singing.

Delight is a word that isn’t used very often.  Delight is one of those words with deep meaning.  I looked it up so we could know more fully how God feels about us and this is what I found:

DELIGHT

1) A Feeling of extreme pleasure or satisfaction; JOY

2)  To please greatly

3)  Something or someone that provides a source of happiness.

Growing up I can’t say that ‘delight’ was in my vocabulary.  Aside from a few pictures, the emotion of ‘delight’ was foreign to me.  So the thought that my Heavenly Father took delight in my existence was a little hard to grasp.  I have always been a “thinker”.  When I have questions about random, everyday stuff I ‘google’ it.  My head is full of trivial information that I don’t even know where it came from.  When I have BIG questions I go to “The Source”.  I ask God, himself, to give me the answers to my hearts questions.  As a result, my heart is full of TRUTH and I DO know where I got it; My Father!  Check out Luke 11:9: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

Not only does He want us to ask, He wants us to KEEP asking.  Jesus said in Matthew 7:7-8, “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for.  Keep on seeking, and you will find (what you are looking for).  Keep on Knocking and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks, receives.  Everyone who seeks, finds and everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Did you catch that promise directly from your Father?  So when we have questions and need answers we are to ask him and He promises to give us whatever we have asked for.  So if that is true – why don’t we know everything and have everything we need?  In James 4:2-3, we find the answer to that question (you see how I did that?  I took you back to the Source).

James said, “…You have NOT because you ASKED NOT.”  As a mom, there is nothing that gives me more joy, more delight, than to give my daughters something I know they really, really, REALLY want.  Most of the time, what my daughters want is not monetary.  They desire my time, my touch, my ears to listen to their hearts.  Sometimes I can show them I have really listened to them by remembering to do something nice for them.  I want to be the one who provides this very basic need for my daughters.  If it makes me that happy to please my daughters, how much more happy, joyous, delighted – must God the Father be to know that He provides for us exactly what we want and need?  Because we are God’s daughters, he wants to provide for us.

In Psalms 37:4 it says, “Take delight in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.”  Because God created us, HE KNOWS US.  We may go through life feeling unloved, without friends, lonely, and well, UN-known.  But our heavenly father knows what we need and gives us a very specific example in the way He acknowledged Jesus on the day he was baptized.

Let’s look at that day in Jesus’ life.  He was about 30 years old, he knew what his purpose was on this earth and he knew it was time to begin the work.  I imagine the human side of Jesus was nervous to get started, anxious about what was in his future, and a bit overwhelmed at the sheer size of his job.  He had come TO SAVE THE WORLD! Where do you start?  Who do you start with?

Jesus started at the beginning.  He decided to do the job he came to this earth for.  The first public act of his obedience was to be baptized, so he went to see his cousin, John.  (You should really go read that story.  It’s awesomely cool)

Matthew 3:16-17 takes us to the next part of Jesus’ story.

16)  After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. 17) And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”

God gave Jesus the 3 things everyone needs to hear:

1)       God claimed Jesus as His own son.  “This is my SON.”

2)      God proclaimed His love for Jesus.  “Whom I love.”

3)      God exclaimed His Joy, Delight, and Extreme Pleasure with his Son.  “I am very pleased with him.”

I imagine that Jesus needed to know who he belonged to; who loved him and who was pleased with him to be able to begin the job God sent him to do.  If Jesus needed it, so do we.  It’s OK to admit that we need to belong, be loved and be delighted in.

That’s how God made us!!!!!

“Realizing God’s delight in your existence is a wonderful ego booster.  Your Creator, the Father of everything, is always happy to hang out with you.”  (page 18, A Daughter’s Worth)  God delights in our delighting in Him.  God values our valuing Him.  Who can tell me where the verse is in the BIBLE where it says, “We love him because He first loved us”?  (Trivia Contest – Leave the answer in the comment section)  🙂

God already has claimed us as his daughters.  He has already proven he loves us.  He gives us the desires of our hearts because it brings Him joy and pleasure.  Now it’s up to us ….

Let Us Pray:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for being my dad, my papa, my ABBA.  Thank you for loving me, for telling the world that you love me and for providing everything that I need.  I am honored to be your daughter.  I accept the place you have reserved for me in your family.  My earthly family doesn’t always look or feel very loving and secure, but I know your love for me never fails. 

Father, continue to change my heart as I draw closer to you.  I love you daddy.  AMEN

<3 Teresa Bolme

VIDEO     Mighty To Save  sung by Laura Story (scripture taken from Zephaniah 3:17

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

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

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

Lord, Teach Us To Pray: Part 2

October 6, 2012 by

Today we continue a series entitled Lord, Teach Us To Pray!  Do you ever cry out with that same desire as Jesus’ disciples did ––”Teach {me} to pray”?

Each Saturday over the next couple of months, we will intentionally pursue asking the Lord to do just that—teach us to pray.  I believe that, as we continue to 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.  This is my heart’s desire.

Jesus was asked this important 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….” They had observed Him going off to pray many times.  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 His disciples wanted to be like Him!  When asked, Jesus very simply taught His disciples how to pray to God.

Listen to the words that He spoke 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

Last week we focused on the very first and most important aspect of Jesus’ instruction—addressing God Almighty as: “Our Father….” We looked at verses from the Scriptures which taught us about the level of relationship that God (the Creator, the Almighty, El-Shaddai) wants to have with us.  We found that He wants to be our Father…our Abba Father!  We learned that ‘Abba!’ (today we would say ‘Daddy!’ or ‘Papa!’) is used when talking about “a close, familiar, and usually affectionate or loving personal relationship with another person.”

This week we are looking at the very next aspect of prayer that Jesus deemed of importance—“Who is in heaven.”  Jesus’ first attribute relating to God showed the depth of relationship we have with God.  This next attribute also pertains to relationship but tells of the utmost importance of Who God is.  He is in heaven.  To me this relates to His being The Creator…’heaven’ always has been.  It is where God IS, where He exists (though certainly without any limitations).

In Genesis chapter 1, we read “And God saw everything that He had made…” (v25).  Think for a moment…if God was observing what “He had made,” it couldn’t include where He was at.  So, where was that?  By exclusion, it must have been beyond everything that He had made.  God, His existence, is beyond time and space and any limitation within our scope.   After all, He is ELOHIM, The Creator.  Everything belongs to Him.

Deuteronomy 10:14

Behold, the heavens and the heaven of heavens

belong to the Lord your God,

the earth also, with all that is in it and on it.

Many times throughout the Scriptures, our Father is spoken of as “the Lord, the God of heaven”… “the God of heaven and earth” … “He Who sits in the heavens” … “Who speaks from heaven” … “Possessor of heaven and earth” and in similar other ways.  The heavens are His.

When Solomon finished building the Temple, in His prayer to Almighty God he voiced,

But will God indeed dwell with men on the earth?

Behold, the heavens and heaven of heavens

[in its most extended compass] cannot contain You;

how much less this house that I have built?

1 Kings 8:27

Solomon, the wisest man on the earth (by God’s blessing) knew that surely a building couldn’t contain the glory of the Lord…the Lord’s presence…if the ‘heaven of heavens’ was not able to!  He knew God was above all.

And that brings me to one of the most awesome promises contained in the Scriptures.  A promise from Almighty God, Elohim, our Father to you and to me:

 

Ephesians 2:4-8

But God, who is rich in mercy,

because of His great love that He had for us,

made us alive with the Messiah

even though we were dead in trespasses.

You are saved by grace!

Together with Christ Jesus He also raised us up

and seated us in the heavens, so that

in the coming ages He might display

the immeasurable riches of His grace

through His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

For you are saved by grace through faith….

Sit there, please, for one minute and meditate on this promise: in the coming ages, you and I WILL be seated together with Jesus in the heavens.

In the coming ages, we WILL be seated together with Jesus in the heavens.

We will dwell for all eternity with Jesus and Almighty God “Who is in heaven.”  Oh. How. He. Loves. Us. So. <3

—————————————————————–

This week in our blogs we have talked about recognizing our worth.  We have looked at it from various aspects: how we feel about ourselves; within our relationships—family, friends, boyfriends, school; our hopes, dreams, plans for the future.

I put before you this thought:

How much worth,  ______ (insert your name here), do I have if God Almighty has promised
that I will sit with Jesus in the heavens? <3

 

“Our Father, Who is in heaven…”

~Coleen

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***This is a special Saturday series for GCH:decaf.

For our Bible Study, A Daughter’s Worth, 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 THIS MONDAY to get your book! You can even order it right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage.

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

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

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

October 4, 2012 by

 

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

 

 Jeremiah 29:11

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

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

 

Let’s pray: 

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

________________________________________________

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

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

 

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

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

October 3, 2012 by

Relationship over Being Right

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

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

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

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

WRONG.

Matthew 5:38-39

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

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

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

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

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

Let’s pray…

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

~Jordan

_______________________________________

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: , , , , , , , , , ,
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