November 25, 2024

Authority and Submission

September 25, 2012 by

HAPPY TUESDAY EVERYONE!!  Last week we talked about putting “First Things First”.  In that discussion we talked about what it means to put God’s Kingdom FIRST.  To do that properly, we need to know why we are to do that.  Last week we looked at Matthew 6:33, “But put God’s kingdom first.  Do what he wants you to do.  Then all of those things will also be given to you.”  Today we are going to talk about the next sentence, “Do what HE wants you to do.”  The only ways we can truly do that is by accepting Jesus’ authority over our lives and submit to that authority.  Those are two pretty scary words, so don’t shut off your brain on me just yet.  J  We can get this…

 

So I looked up the definitions of Authority and Submission for us and this is what I found:

AUTHORITY is the power or right to control, judge, or prohibit the actions of others;  a person or group of people having this power, such as a government, police force, etc; a position that commands such a power or right (often in the phrase in authority ); and  the ability to influence or control others: a man of authority.

SUBMISSION is an act or instance of submitting / to give over or yield to the power or authority of another.

Stick with me here.  I have an issue with GIVING away my authority.  I used to have a problem submitting my will to someone else’s (ok.  Sometimes I still have a problem with submission).  :-/

My Bible tells me that there is One who deserves to have Authority over MY life and I should Submit myself daily to that authority.  There is this man, Jesus that died for my sins.  He knew what kind of person I would be, what kind of trouble I would get into, what I needed to be saved from myself.

In Romans 5:6-8 it says, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly die.  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:  while we were still sinners, CHRIST DIED FOR US.”

If that wasn’t plain enough, my favorite disciple, Peter says in 1 Peter 3:18, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, TO BRING YOU TO GOD.”

God’s authority touches every area of our lives.  When we get that relationship settled, everything else falls into place.

This is a visual image of how authority works.  I want to see how many verses in the Bible we can come up with to support each of these areas of authority.  What does and where does the Bible talk about how we are to act in our family?  Where should we begin to find out what God says about that?

What does the Bible say about how we are to treat our Government leaders?  Sometimes we don’t agree with the way they do things and we hear some pretty harsh language thrown around.  Is that OK for a Christ-follower to do?  Are we showing biblical respect for their authority?  What about in our church?  Do we give the Pastor, Teachers, and leaders the respect they deserve for offering their service to us?  Some of us have jobs or will have jobs in the future and it would be wise to see what God has to say about how we treat our employers as well.

I would like you to take some time and begin to search out what the Word has to say about Authority and our responsibility to Submit to it.  Post a comment and let me know that you have found at least one verse supporting this topic.

Maybe this is the first time you have attempted to find a certain topic in the Bible.  I’m so glad you are here.  Most Bibles have a section in the back called the Concordance.  It is arranged topically.  You look up “authority” just like you would in a dictionary.  It will give you verses to begin reading to see what God has to say about that topic.  Some of your Bibles will have a dictionary in the back as well, use it when you don’t understand certain words or phrases.

It is my prayer that we can grow deeper in the Word of God together.  We don’t want to meet God in heaven and be wearing our spiritual diapers and sucking on a binky.

I want to leave you with a thought from Mother Teresa (if you don’t know who she is, look her up on Google):

There is always the danger that we may just do the work for the sake of the work. This is where the respect and the love and the devotion come in – that we do it to God, to Christ, and that’s why we try to do it as beautifully as possible.

Mother Teresa

I love you guys.  Mama T <3

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

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

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

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

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Resolution for Women: Choose Wisely

September 24, 2012 by

Ladies…. if you have read today’s resolution you know that it is imperative that you ask yourself the following questions…

  • Are you making today’s decisions with tomorrow’s impact in mind?
  • When you’re arranging your priorities and forming your habits, do you think about your children, your grandchildren, about the kind of character they’ll remember about you and inherit from you?
  • When you spend your money, or sport your fashion sense, or speak your piece, or spare your time, does it ever occur to you that you;re not just making a choice for yourself, in the moment?

The types of resolutions you choose to make each and every day not only matter RIGHT NOW, but they keep on mattering because they are your LEGACY!

Proverbs 13:22

A good (woman) leaves an inheritance.

Last Sunday my family and I were having dinner and my 14-year-old daughter Vicky announced to everyone that *I* am her God story.I was blown away. She said that through watching me, she has learned how to have an intimate relationship with the Lord and she doesn’t think she would be this close to Him if I was not in her life.

I am not her biological mother. I have been her mother for the past 10 years and have been walking with Jesus for only that last 6 of those years. I have yelled, I have screamed, I have been mean, I have gotten frustrated and I have not always been the best example. I HAVE BEEN HUMAN.

BUT….. that isn’t what she credits me for. By the grace of God, she chooses to credit me for teaching her to pray and walk with our Lord and Savior. I can’t think of anything more humbling…. can you? I can only pray that her brothers will one day be able to say the same thing. They have all seen me INTENTIONALLY spend my time every day working to be BETTER in all that I am and all that I do.

They see me serve. They see me pray. They see me say “yes” to God when I want to say “no.” They hear me encourage and they see me be a good steward of my time and other resources. They see me work hard. They see me mess up and they see me repent. They see me give and they feel my love.

I am telling you all of this for you to see that leaving a legacy does not mean that you are perfect by any means. It means that you purpose to be your BEST and live intentionally with the future in mind. It means that it’s not about YOU… and if it has been in the past, you can change that NOW and be a difference maker for you and your children… and every other life you make contact with. It is not too late. Please, let your legacy begin now <3

Let’s pray:

Lord, I ask that you be with each and every one of us as we determine to start this day anew with a fresh heart and spirit and intentionally look to the future in all our actions. We want to be difference makers, Father, and we desperately need your help in order to impact our children the way you intend us to. Help us leave a legacy like only we can, God! We thank you for this perfect provision! In Your Son’s matchless name we pray, amen <3

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Don’t forget!!! Our next Women’s Online Bible Study starts next week on October 1, 2012!!  We will begin an awesome study by Lynn Donovan and Dineen Miller, “Winning Him Without Words…10 Keys to Thriving in a Spiritually Mismatched Marriage“.  We are VERY excited about this study!!  This study will end on December 13th.  I hope you will join us!!  To sign up for this study, please email us at

WOMENS@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com

We will send you all the details to get registered.  All you will need is a copy of the book, a pen/pencil, your bible, and a journal (if you like).  Each day, Monday through Friday, we will blog about this study RIGHT HERE on our website!  Then you will go to our Facebook Discussion Group, where we have set up a SECRET Facebook Group, so you can share your thoughts privately with just the women in that group.  The Facebook Groups are an awesome way to let your hair down, be yourself, be real, and not have to worry about the whole world reading your thoughts!  Plus, it’s a GREAT way to meet other Christian like-minded women and build friendships all over the world!  Give it a try!

Many blessings,

Megan 🙂

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How do I know I belong to God?

September 24, 2012 by

Made in Heaven

 

There are just some things you notice about people that stand out in a way in which you know there is no way they are not related.  One day I saw a momma with her two kids, their facial features were IDENTICAL.  There was no way those precious children were not hers.  My nieces have the same long, blond, straight hair.  They look like twins.  When you see them, you know they belong to one another.  Now on the contrary, you will see that family of red heads along with a blond haired little girl.  Does that blond girl really belong with the rest of the family?  There is no way by just looking at that family you would be able to say without a shadow of a doubt that the blond haired girl is related to the rest of the red heads.

Have you ever felt like the blond haired girl with Jesus?  Feeling like because you do not fit in with the rest of the world that there is no way you fit in with God?  How many times do you think to yourself, there is no way I belong to God?  I am not sure that I am His, and that He is mine forever.   You let doubt sink in, and because you do not think you resemble God in any way, shape or form, you fall into the lie that you are not His, you do not belong to God (He is a red head, you are a blond).

With every lie we sometimes believe, there will always be a truth to go right along with it.  Please listen to this truth and let it sink into your hearts; YOU BELONG TO GOD, HE IS YOURS, YOU ARE HIS, HE CALLED YOU BY NAME, AND CREATED YOU FOR SUCH A BEAUTIFUL PURPOSE!  Don’t just take my word for it, take the Lord’s word for it; lets seek the Bible for this truth!  Isaiah 43:7 says, “Everyone (insert your name here) who is called by my name whom I have created for my glory I have formed him, yes I made him”.  We are literally called, created, and made by God.  God loves us so much!  Anytime you want to believe the lie that you are not God’s precious daughter, remember this truth and let those lies melt away!

Do you think people know you are related to God when they see you?  Do you think you resemble God?  The coolest thing about being in God’s family is that we do not resemble him by looking the same, we resemble him by being different and standing out in HIS love.  We were not created to fit into this world, but rather created for God’s glory by standing out in His love and beauty.  This has to do with our actions, and remaining obedient to Him.  People see Jesus in us when we “act” differently.  Instead of cheating on a test, we study hard.  Instead of teasing kids, we stick up for the bullied.  We stand up for God in a place where people talk badly about Him.  Let us desire for others to know positively when they see us that we are God’s forever and ever, and that they are too- no matter what color their hair-no matter what they have done or where they come from.  We are all made in Heaven, and living in this Earth-for God’s glory.

Let’s Pray:

Lord, I lift every single person reading this up to you!  I pray that you let them stand strong in YOU and accept the truth that YOU love them and that YOU called them by name and have created each one of them for YOUR glory.  I pray you help us to stand out in your beauty, and not be discouraged by being different.  We desire to fit into YOUR life for us.  I thank you so much for this comforting truth: we belong to you, and we are yours forever and ever.  Amen.

I have learned that doubt has a really tough shot trying to sneak in when I can shout it away with the Lord’s powerful words.  Meditate on the power of the Lord’s words in Psalm 24:1 “The earth is the LORD’s (belongs to the Lord) and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”  Let’s memorize this verse together.  Let us hold onto this truth and use it against Satan when he tries to fill our head with lies! 

<3 Diane

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

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

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

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

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Are YOU God’s daughter?

September 23, 2012 by

 

In preparing our hearts for our Bible study we will be beginning next week, we thought it would be good to take this week to talk about all the things that make us a daughter of the most-high King! THIS  is the schedule for our blogs this week….

I’m excited for you to read what Diane will be sharing with you tomorrow here on our blog about how being a godly girl isn’t about doing a list of things… it is about being obedient to Christ in everyday life and showing His love through every interaction!

Right now you can be obedient to Christ by doing things like obeying your parents and other authority in your life. Teresa will be sharing more with you about that on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Jordan will be talking with you about having a pure heart. What Does it Mean to Have a Pure Heart? Well, purity means cleanness from foulness or dire and Daniel 12:10 says, “Many will be purified, made spotless and refined.” Purity really begins in our hearts and thoughts. Pure daughters must learn to control their thoughts. Sometimes, it will be hard. To control your thoughts, it helps to focus on God by praying, thinking of Bible verses and hymns. This is a time when the Bible verses you’ve memorized really help; think of Psalm 19:11: “Your Word have I hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”

Tonya can’t wait to share with you on Thursday about your attitude! Is your attitude right, or are you just going through the motions? How we act reflects the attitude of our hearts. “As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man. ” (Proverbs 27:19, ESV)

On Friday, our new blogger, Edwina, will be sharing with you about beginning anew! Let’s start this Bible study with open hearts and fresh eyes ready to hear from our Lord and Saviour!

And on Saturday…. Coleen will be continuing our series on prayer. I hope you enjoyed her 1st post in this series yesterday! I really loved it! 🙂

Friends, I am so excited to see how God is going to work though each and every single one of us through this study! Have you signed up yet? There is still time!!! All you need to do is email us at Teens@girlfriendscoffeehour.com and let us know you’re interested! THEN… we will give you access to our super safe and secret Facebook groups where you can meet and hang out with other teen girls who love the Lord just like you do!

You can like our public Facebook community page here:

https://www.facebook.com/#!/GCHdecaf

Let’s pray…

Dear Lord, thank you for each and every one of your daughters reading this blog today. Father, we are believing You for BIG things in their lives through diligently seeking You in such an intentional way through GCH:decaf. We pray that You bless every household and every precious heart involved. We love you, Lord, and we thank you! In Your Son’s mighty name we pray, amen <3

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Saturday Prayer with Coleen

September 22, 2012 by

Lord, I thank You for Your promise that as we draw near to You, You will   draw near to us!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpdAk7CG3DI

Be quiet. Sit still.  Draw   close.  Dwell in His presence.

Rest in His love.  Listen as He speaks.  Cling to His words. And remember, God speaks to those He loves….

What a privilege we have that the Almighty God, He Who is mighty to save,   the Creator of the heavens and the earth would speak with us!  That He   would draw us to Himself, bringing us into a tender and close relationship   with Himself!

Think about the importance of God’s words.  With His words He   spoke all of Creation into existence.

And God said, Let there be light; and there was light.

Then God said, “Let there be an expanse   in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the   waters..and it was so.

Then God said, “Let   the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the   dry land appear” and it was so.

Then God said, “Let the earth   sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth   bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them;” and it was so.

Then God said, “Let there be lights   in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them   be for signs   and for seasons   and for days and years;” and it was   so.

Then God said, “Let the waters teem   with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth…God created the   great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters   swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind;  

Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living   creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth   after their kind”; and it was so.

Then God said, “Let Us   make man   in Our image, according to Our likeness…God created man in   His own image, in the image of God He created him; male   and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and   multiply….”

(excerpts from Genesis   1:3-28)

This same God, YHWH, the Creator   desires to speak to us!  He wants to speak words—His words—that will   heal us, set us free, comfort us, bless us.  Throughout the Scriptures we   read often of God speaking through prophets and holy men words that had   much impact.  Words that brought life…sometimes death.  God   communicated His heart through His words to His people.

And the Lord said to   Moses,

Say to Aaron and his sons, This is the way you shall   bless the Israelites. Say to them,

The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and   keep you;

The   Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious   (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you;

The   Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace   (tranquility of heart and life continually).

(Numbers 6:22-26)

God was   speaking to Moses the words that the priests were to speak to the Nation   of Israel  to communicate to them the blessing of God.  These words   had life.

You have said, ‘Seekmy face.’  My heart says to you, ‘Your face, Lord, do I seek’ ”  (Psalms   27:8).

As you seek Him,   know that He will be found.  Your God desires to care for you, to bless   you, to provide for you.  And He wants to speak to you…take time to   listen.  < 3

Love,

Coleen

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

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

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

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

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Resolution for Women: Living w/ Grace Weekly Review

September 21, 2012 by

Because He Gave His Everything

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This week, we’ve been talking about living with grace in our home.  Learning to just say “okay”.  Learning how to use WD-40, better known as GRACE, to loosen up a bit and not be so rigid in our expectations.  Then we ended the week in learning how to find that Sabbath Space in our home.

We could focus on grace here on out, if we wanted to; which is technically what this chapter was about.  But I want to focus on something else today.  WHY we are able to offer grace.  Because of Jesus and what He did on the cross.  He gave His everything in order for us to walk in grace and offer it to others.

His sacrifice was the ultimate act of grace!

Today, I want to Praise Him!  I want to shout His name on high.  I want to thank Him, and bring all glory and honor to Him, for that sacrifice of grace.

I’m not sure if we will ever truly comprehend the price He paid to show us grace, until we meet Him eye to eye.  The ultimate sacrifice of being scourged for our sins; of being nailed to that cross….FOR YOU AND I.

GRACE ….

GRACE …

GRACE …

Because of Him and what He did for us that day in Calvary, we CAN offer grace to those undeserving.  There is no reason for us to think otherwise.  He paid that ultimate price to give us the ability to love those undeserving, and offer them grace.

GRACE …. Because He gave His Everything!

The resolution this week calls us to cultivate a peaceful home where everyone can sense God’s presence not only through acts of love and service, but also through the pleasant and grateful attitude with which we perform them.

Next time something in your home calls for grace…and you don’t think you can offer it …. think of what He did on the cross for YOU and how undeserving you were for that sacrifice.  Then extend the same kind of grace to others.

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Let’s Pray:

Jesus, we love YOU so very much!  We thank You for the ultimate sacrifice You paid on the cross that day in Calvary.  Jesus we would be lost without You; but because of You giving Your everything, we can face tomorrow and live eternally with You!

Thank You Lord.  Some days there just doesn’t seem to be an adequate way to say thank you for the deep sacrifice that You paid.  But Lord, my heart is full today; it is alive; and I am alive today because of You!  I give You all my praise, glory, and honor.

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If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, please write to us so we can get in contact with you today to share the Love of Christ with you, and walk you through a prayer to accept Him into your heart.  We love you!  He loves YOU!!

You can email Robin Packer, our Intercessory Prayer Ministry Leader, at Robin@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com.

Robin will contact you and pray with you.

Thank you for joining us this week.  I pray the blogs this week spoke to your heart, as they did mine!

We love you, and so does He!!

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Reminder… on October 1st, we will begin our brand new Online Bible Study, entitled “Winning Him Without Words” by Lynn Donovan and Dineen Miller.  If you are in an unequally spiritual marriage, you won’t want to miss this study!!

To sign up for this study, please send an email to: Womens@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com and we will send you all the details you need to get started!

Now jump on over to our Facebook Group for the daily activity!! If you do not yet belong to this group, and would like to, send us an email atGirlfriendsCoffeeHour@gmail.com with FB GROUP in the subject line, and we’ll be glad to add you!

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Letters from Grandma

September 21, 2012 by

Have you ever had a pen pal? I remember in elementary school that was the thing to do! We were actually required to find and keep pen pals from all over the world. Back then it was hand written letters not emails. I loved having pen pals, but unfortunately the only lasting pen pal I had, was my grandmother. From the time I was a little girl my grandmother and I have been writing letters back and forth. She always tells me, she doesn’t do email and is so excited that I still write to her! I don’t think she knows the excitement I have that my grandmother takes the time to speak truth and love and hope into my heart through her precious letters to me!

My grandmother is the sweetest lady you could ever meet. Her obedience to the Lord is not only captivating but completely inspirational and encouraging to me. She is always ready to talk about her relationship with the Lord and what He means to her in her life. She is always prepared with encouragement she has studied throughout the Bible and daily devotionals. When I look at my grandmother, all I see is Jesus. It is truly amazing. She is such an angel in my life. I look up to her, and truly admire her for the way she lives her life, by following Jesus.

When I was in high school, I bombarded my gram with lots and lots of letters. All of them were filled with the “junk” I had to go through as a teenager. I would pour out my heart to her, telling her exactly what was going wrong in my life. I would tell her about the boys that I liked but never seemed to notice me, the girls that were being mean to me, the fights I was having with my parents, the sadness I felt when my sisters got to do cool things and I was not allowed. Every time my grandmother wrote back to me, it was always exactly what I needed to hear. It was like God himself was talking to me through her letters. Her letters were completely Spirit-filled. She gave me Bible verses that went along with every struggle I had. I called her letters magical. I am so beyond thankful for her letters in my life. God was using and still is using my grandmother to speak truth, hope, and love to my very soul! Where I would be without her letters, I do not want to know! By her sending and sharing what the Lord laid on her heart for me, the Lord saved my life through her!

There is one group of letters that will forever be a part of my memory, ones I look back to and are such a reminder of God’s faithfulness to me. In this particular letter to my gram, I asked her to please pray for me. I told her that I felt distant from the Lord and that we were so far apart. I described to her how lost I felt and that I didn’t think God cared for me or liked me very much. When my grandmother wrote me back, I have never forgotten the words she wrote that spoke directly to my heart, The Lord never leaves us, He waits patiently for us to come back to Him! I am praying for you. There is no way she knew the impact those simple words had in my life.

Well, three years later, I got to write my gram telling her all about the impact they had. How the Lord waited for me, and I am back in His arms! It was the best! I started to realize that not only do I have my grandmother for support and advice, but I have my Heavenly Father to write letters to, and He will always write back!

It is so very important to have friendships with other godly women, women who will lift you up in prayer, give you advice based on what the Bible says not this world, women who will encourage you with the truth of God! I think one thing about GCH: decaf that I am most excited about is having just that! We have the access to letters, and emails, and messages, and private groups where we can all share our hearts and our junk with one another; in response you will not receive judgment or feel ashamed, instead you will feel the power of the Spirit working through the fingertips of each one of us!

How blessed we are to be able to share what the Lord has taught us or showed us about things that someone else may really be struggling with. How thankful we are for a Heavenly Father who never leaves us and is with us in our group! He is writing right along with each and every one of us. I pray that we allow the Spirit to work through our every word we write, that we are able to say what He is guiding us to say, knowing it will help and bless others too. Without His guidance, and leading, we are going nowhere. I desire to get mail from Him daily in our group! I look forward to writing many more letters to HIM with each and every one of you.

Psalm 73:23

The Lord is always with us, he is holding us by our right hand.

Let us pour into our groups what he is pouring into our right hand, LOVE, PEACE, COMFORT, WISDOM, TRUTH, FORGIVENESS, GRACE, and MERCY!

<3 Diane

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Remember… we are giving away 5 copies of the book for our very first Bible study A Daughter’s Worth by Ava Sturgeon!!! TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO ENTER TO WIN!!!

How do you enter to win?!?!?!?

1. Tell your friends about the Bible study! You can call, txt, email, FB, etc…. any of your best girlfriends that YOU think would benefit from this online Bible study!

2. Have them send an email to teens@girlfriendscoffeehour.com to sign up for the Bible study and have them give us YOUR name as referring them.

3. The 5 people who refer the most people to the Bible study WINS a FREE copy of the book!

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

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

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

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

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Resolution for Women: Sabbath Spaces

September 20, 2012 by
Today’s blog is brought to you by Donna Day.  Donna is new to our Women’s Ministry Blogging Team, and will become a full-time blogger when our next study “Winning Him Without Words” begins on October 1st.  I hope you enjoy her post today, as much I do!! <3 Christi  

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I remember as a little girl growing up in Wisconsin, the snow days like the one Priscilla talked about in this part of our study today. Of course we had a lot more snow days than Dallas would have had. We wished for them so we could get out of school and go sledding or ice skating. Snow days here were not a day of being stuck in the house with nothing to do. All the kids in the neighborhood would gather and have a great time in the snow.

Our dilemma would have been the stormy days when the electricity would go off and we were forced to a day of solitude indoors with no radio or TV. I hated those days then, but now I love them! A chance to get caught up on reading a good book or just meeting with God for some quiet time.

Isn’t it humbling to know that we have a God who wants to meet with us? The God of the universe, the creator of everything desires my presence with Him! Out of the hustle and bustle of our world our Father wants us to know that he desires to be with us and spend time together.

That’s why I love this “14 challenge” that Priscilla has given us. Our world today is so pushy and intrusive. With all the internet, cell phones and television we can’t live without, sometimes it’s overwhelming. Society tells us that we have to constantly be busy achieving and going to the next level to accomplish all-even if it takes 7 days a week! To teach our children that we need this 14 minutes of carved out, purposely planned time with God is a gift to them. Teaching them how to listen and pray and hear from God helps them know how to plan for the day and for life.

My husband recently remodeled our bedroom and added a balcony on to the back. I have always tried to find a quiet place and time everyday to meet with God and during nice weather days, that balcony is where I meet with God. It’s a tangible place I can go to and know it will be quiet and peaceful.

My children have always known that Mom has a quiet time everyday. They are grown and gone and have their own lives now but I pray that I have instilled in them the pursuant of peace, a sabbath rest from which to draw on for the day.
May I suggest some  practical tips you could use to make your “Sabbath Rest” a success?

* Decide during the day what time can be easily set aside for this. Whether it’s morning, nap time, or evening when everyone is quiet. Whether you have to get up earlier or stay up a little later.

* Find a peaceful spot so that you are not distracted by anything around you.

* Turn off all phones, TV and radio, so you are not distracted by them. It won’t hurt for this small amount of time and it says you’re serious about taking the time to meet with God.

* Set everything out the night before, if possible, so that when you are ready it’s all there and you don’t have to go hunting for it.

* Go in with an attitude of prayer and be ready to let God speak to you.

Now that you have done all this in preparedness, purpose to take time everyday-it will change your life!!! If it’s 14 minutes or half an hour, you will not regret it. In fact you will look forward to it and God will meet with you. You will find that “Sabbath Rest” we all need on a daily basis!

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Let’s pray: God we want to meet with you. Help us make it a priority in our lives. Help us carve out time to make this happen-even if it’s only a few minutes a day. so that we can teach our children and be an example to them of this important time. teaching them that it is necessary to be able to live grounded in You. Thank you so much  that you desire time with us. In Jesus name Amen
Your assignment:Share in the comment section below, how you do or will carve out that necessary Sabbath rest time with God. Be honest and share and be creative too, sometimes we need to be creative to make it happen!

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Donna lives in Southeast WI, with her awesome husband Ronald.  Together they have 3 children and 2 grandchildren.  She went to school in the Brodhead WI area, and met her husband in the 5th grade!  He told her years later that when he first met her, he knew he was going to marry her!!  How sweet!!

Donna attends Rock Assembly of God, where she is active in coffee ministry, Worship team and heads up their Women’s Ministry, as well.

She loves to read, sing and listen to some talk radio.

She became a born again Christian when she was 12, but didn’t really get discipled until she had been married for 2 years. Then she and her husband both gave their lives to Christ and they’ve never looked back.

We are so blessed to have Donna on our Leadership Team.  She is such an encourager, and a joy to be around!

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Reminder… on October 1st, we will begin our brand new Online Bible Study, entitled “Winning Him Without Words” by Lynn Donovan and Dineen Miller.  If you are in an unequally spiritual marriage, you won’t want to miss this study!!

To sign up for this study, please send an email to: Womens@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com and we will send you all the details you need to get started!

Now jump on over to our Facebook Group for the daily activity!! If you do not yet belong to this group, and would like to, send us an email atGirlfriendsCoffeeHour@gmail.com with FB GROUP in the subject line, and we’ll be glad to add you!
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God: The Same Yesterday and Today…

September 20, 2012 by

… and He wants to connect with YOU!!

Hello GCH: Decaf Girls!!! I am so excited to be walking alongside you on this journey! I want to share with you that the God you hear about and have read about in your Bibles, is the same today as He was a long time ago. He reaches out to us in so many ways.

I can sense who He is whenever I am by water…any large body of water.  The water is like God in a sense. The water is soothing and comforting. The sounds of the water brushing up against the bank is as if God is reaching out for me to tell me that everything is going to be okay and that He is here for me.  Water is also a source of cleansing which reminds me that He washed away all of my sins and I am a new creation in Him. He loved us that much to send His only Son to die for our ugly sins. He loves us so much!

Whenever I am around nature I quickly think of the trees, grass, creeks, and cool breeze.  When the wind is blowing it is as if God is speaking to me Himself. You feel the wind but you can’t see it. It is like that with God. You can feel Him but you can’t see Him…but for me, I see Him when I look at my teens, my face in the morning, through my friends on Facebook and Twitter.

God is so smart that He has allowed us to create ways in today’s time to see Him. The Bible on the internet, scriptures and quotes that some of your friends may place on their pages, text messages that some of your friends may send that may be the scripture of the day or even our own GCH women who place daily devotions on their Facebook pages.

God desires to be a part of every aspect of your lives. He doesn’t want to be left out. He wants to be included. Maybe the next time you are on Facebook or sending a text message to a friend…you could send a prayer, scripture, or inspirational quote for encouragement, or even a smiley J. Those are a few ways that we can include God in ALL that we do. You will be sharing Him with others.

Hebrews 13:8 (NKJV)

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

He LOVES you my dear precious friends and He desires to be connected with you and in all that you do.

He is still the same God today as He was yesterday!

Love you bunches,

Tonya <3

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Remember… we are giving away 5 copies of the book for our very first Bible study A Daughter’s Worth by Ava Sturgeon!!! How do you enter to win?!?!?!?

1. Tell your friends about the Bible study! You can call, txt, email, FB, etc…. any of your best girlfriends that YOU think would benefit from this online Bible study!

2. Have them send an email to teens@girlfriendscoffeehour.com to sign up for the Bible study and have them give us YOUR name as referring them.

3. The 5 people who refer the most people to the Bible study WINS a FREE copy of the book!

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

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

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

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

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Resolution for Women: Off Broadway

September 19, 2012 by

 

For the law was given through Moses,

grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

John 1:17 

 

If you didn’t read today’s chapter, you’re probably wondering what in the world a can of WD-40 is doing in our blog today!!  If you did read it, you will know exactly what it’s meant for!  Read on…..

When I read the script Priscilla mentioned in the first part of this chapter, I have to admit that I was feeling a bit uneasy.  Why?  Because I felt like she was talking about the script that was written about my home a few years back.

The Lord is really working in me the last couple of weeks.  Last week, we talked about loving our kids; and the difference between loving them and being their friend.  This week, we are talking about grace in the home.  This chapter, we are talking about expectations / grace within the home.

I admit when I first moved into this home, I had no experience being a step-mom.  I have been a step-child before, but never a step-parent.  I had good and bad experiences as a step-child.  I learned, or rather I thought I had learned, what to do…and what not to do.  But, as life would have it, I realized very quickly that I hadn’t learned anything about step-parenting.

I had it in my head what I thought my new home was going to be like.  My husband and I talked a lot about what my responsibilities would be.  I thought I was going to just walk in and everything would just be peachy-keen!  Not!!

I can go back now and see the reason why things didn’t go so smoothly.  I was bullheaded.  My expectations were extremely high, especially when there had been NO expectations prior to me living in our home.  ANY expectations that I would have had would have been considered too high because of the lack of expectations before me.

To me, I wanted the kids to understand that I was just doing what their dad wanted me to do.  To the boys, they just wanted me to go away, and leave them to do whatever they wanted, as they had been doing for almost two years.

I was an intruder.  I was a spy.  I was a tattle-tale.  I was the enemy in their little world that had been so rudely interrupted!

Grace?  We didn’t know that word back then.  None of us did.  We were one of the most dysfunctional families in the neighborhood.  Neighborhood?  Nooo, in the whole town it felt like!

I expected the fairly tale setting.  I would move in.  We would all love each other.  We would all get along.  We would all have a great time.  And so on…..  WRONG!!!

I and everyone else in this family found out rather quickly that was not to be!

My expectations were to have respect for each other.  You did what you were told to do.  You didn’t bad-mouth each other.  You, in no way, showed violence.  You kept peace in the home.

Some may say that doesn’t sound like my expectations were too high.  But in this home, it was, only because it had never been reinforced before.  Now I come into the home and I was reinforcing these things, and the troops were not happy, at all!!  I was truly the enemy.

I admit now that I blew it.  My expectations should have been adjusted to a lower level, until we learned about each other.  Instead I just marched in and laid down the law.  Wrong way to go about things.  That blew up in my face, and it caused a lot of heartache for all of us.  I take the blame for that.  If I could go back and do it all over again, I would totally do things differently.

The lesson I learned is that each individual in your home has certain capabilities.  The expectations of that person should be based on what that person is truly capable of giving.  No individual should be forced into doing something they are not capable of doing, no matter what.  It should begin with teaching that individual first.  No one can do what they have not learned.  How can they?  They have yet to learn what is expected of them.  They Will Fail!!  And so will YOU, if you insist on them performing something they have yet to learn!

Re-evaluate your expectations of those in your home.  Re-evaluate how you can adjust your expectations to what is capable for each person in your home.  Don’t set the expectations so very high that no one will be able to reach it.  If you do, YOU will be hurt, disappointed, and more!  You will not achieve what you hope to if your expectations are not attainable.  Yes, I agree that we sometimes have to stretch our expectations to help our self and others strive for success.  But, what I am talking about here is setting the expectations so high, that no one can attain them …. To YOUR Satisfaction!

If you want peace, fun, laughter, acceptance, love, and a well oiled family unit, whip out the WD-40 (GRACE) and start spraying the areas where the expectations are too high, so you can loosen up a bit!  Don’t be a drill sergeant like I was!

 

Be a woman resolved to show grace in your home! 

 

Grace is the smile that everyone in your home is waiting to receive from you.

 

Truly if you use the grace card in your home, you will see much better results that I did when I first moved in here.  Today, we still struggle with past hurts because of how high the expectations had been set, and unmet.  We’re a work in progress, but by the grace of God, we are much better than we were back then!!  Praise God!!

 

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Let’s Pray:

Lord, I lift to You each person who is reading this today, and maybe struggling with expectations that are too high in their home, or their work environment.  Maybe they are the ones with the high expectations.  Maybe they need to loosen up a bit.  Maybe they need to learn how to use grace in their home or workplace.  Father I ask You to give them wisdom and discernment on how they can show grace to each person in their life, or how they can set the right level of expectations for their home, or workplace.  Lord, forgive us for the times that we have expected way too much from others.  Forgive us for the times that we have tried to force our expectations onto others.  Help us give grace to those who need to learn from us.  In Jesus’ Name, AMEN.

 

Your Assignment:

Tell us about an area of your life where your expectations need adjusting.  How will you go about changing them, and why?

 

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Reminder… on October 1st, we will begin our brand new Online Bible Study, entitled “Winning Him Without Words” by Lynn Donovan and Dineen Miller.  If you are in an unequally spiritual marriage, you won’t want to miss this study!!

To sign up for this study, please send an email to: Womens@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com and we will send you all the details you need to get started!

Now jump on over to our Facebook Group for the daily activity!! If you do not yet belong to this group, and would like to, send us an email at GirlfriendsCoffeeHour@gmail.com with FB GROUP in the subject line, and we’ll be glad to add you!

 

Living Intentionally to Show God’s Grace,

Filed Under: Women's Ministry Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,
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