December 23, 2024

GCH:decaf – Letting God Into Our Study

January 14, 2013 by

Hello there everyone!  

I know that we have been doing interviews and that is probably what you are expecting from me today.  I know you are probably wanting to get to know another friend that will be doing this study with you, but truth be told I was unable to interview someone this week.  I was nervous about what I was going to do, kind of feeling like a failure.  I was praying about it a lot and then God gave me an idea.  One thing I have learned in my life is that no matter what – God always comes through.  When I think there is no solution, the Lord opens my eyes to HIS solution!  Just when I was worried about my blog this week, God came through with the most perfect idea for a blog post for you.  I may not have a decaf friend to introduce to you this week, but I have another friend who I would like to share with you this week, Jesus!

I am wondering how many of you have done a Bible study before.  My first study was in 6th grade.  We did a study on Job at church.  I still remember things from that study.  One thing I really liked about the study was that we prayed before we discussed the study.  The leader would welcome God to our study that day.  Being eleven years old, I was kind of confused as to how God can be in our study with us.  I believed that God was there, but I could not see Him so if it were not for that prayer, I would have completely forgotten that God was really there with us doing the study with us.  He was the most important part of our study.

Let God In

God is the most important part of GCH: decaf.  God has placed each and every one of you here for a reason.  God desires to be apart of not only this study, but our lives too.  Without God, there is really no point in doing a Bible study.  As we start our new study, Not A Fan, let’s think about what God wants this study to be.  What do you think He wants you to learn?  What do you think He wants to you say?  There is something for each and every one of you that God has prepared for you in this study.

I have done this study years ago.  When I did this study, my take away moment was learning to picture myself following God everywhere I go.  This has made my relationship with God even closer.  It has helped me remember that even though I cannot see God, He is there, desiring to have me make Him the most important part of every aspect of my life.

I want to dedicate this blog to honoring God for bringing us together and giving us this opportunity to make new friends and grow closer to Him.  I want to invite God into every aspect of our group!  Giving God control of this study can only guarantee one thing: It will be better than anything we can picture or imagine!  Letting God into our study, we let Him transform this study into something HUGE, something better than we could ever do on our own!  I do not know about you, but I am really excited to grow closer to God with all of you.  Would you like to get to know God more and more?  I hope you see Him as your friend, comforter, and Savior.

For me, God is where my heart is.  God is the reason why I am here.  I love God so much.  I look to Him as my Father, and Protector.  He is the most important thing in my life.  Let’s share today who God is to us.  I thank God so much for being exactly what we need!  I thank Him for being a part of this group!  I thank Him for loving us!

Love and Prayers,

Diane

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If you are interested in sending a private email to Diane, you may email her at:  Diane@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

 

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GCH:decaf — Meet Channa

January 11, 2013 by

I have enjoyed reading about all of the young ladies in the Decaf group. We have such a wide range of ages, that it is great to read what makes each one of you unique. After all, isn’t that what God intended? He has gifted each of us with talents and gifts that are still being discovered. Let me introduce you to Channa.

Channa

Channa is a lively and beautiful young woman who is currently attending Bethel University on a Choral Scholarship. She has been gifted with a wonderful voice that she aspires to use in ministry once she has finished her college career. Channa is the middle child of three siblings. Her youngest sister is attending high school back home in Rockvale. Channa, when home, is surrounded with a lot of family members. They each vie for her time and attention that does a girl good.

Channa’s favorite group is Sixteen Cities and her favorite song to sing of the group is You Are Someone’s Work of Art. I asked her if she was someone’s work of art and she said no, that she was a work on progress. Aren’t we all, I laughed. Then I asked her what her favorite worship song is and she said Our God by Chris Tomlin.

I asked Channa what stood out to her while reading ‘A Daughter’s Worth’ last year and she said the part about dating and holding yourself pure, keeping to your standards. When she went through the checklist she saw that she had all of the qualities but the young man did not. So that got her to thinking about whether she wanted in that relationship or not. So when she got back to college she made the break and is not looking back.

When I started asking her about whether she was a fan or a follower, she said she was a fan for right now and that she wanted to change that. She wants to get back to attending church while at college and surrounding herself with people that will encourage her in her walk with Christ. Channa wants to make a difference and needs help along the way, just like all of us. She loves making goofy faces and making people laugh. This year she is going to be more intentional with her studies while at Bethel and focus on her school work.

 

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Let’s pray:

Father, I thank You for each and every young woman in this Bible study. I ask that You will use this and other blogs to create a passion to serve You. Help us to see others as You see them and to prepare our hearts and minds to do Your work. We love You God and thank You for allowing us to use this media to further Your kingdom.  In Jesus’ precious name, Amen!

 

If you are interested in joining our online Bible study group, click HERE. Once we receive your registration, we will email you further details.

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

 

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GCH:decaf — Meet Robin!

January 10, 2013 by

Hello Decaf!!!

I am so LOVING getting to know all of you! Amazing…this week, we have had the opportunity to meet Amber and Diamond, Michaela, so far, and now I have the privilege and honor of introducing to you all a very awesome young lady ; ) My kiddos and I enjoyed meeting and having lunch with her last month. She was with her mom and dad, and the young ladies (their parents) that she enjoys playing soccer with, in the tournaments that she competes in all over the U.S.! Is that amazing or what?!!! I think she has the coolest Mom ever 😉 She is pretty cool herself!! Have you guessed who my person is yet????

The young lady that I have the honor of introducing to you is none other than….Robin Bolme!

Robin is 17 years old and she lives in Smyrna, Tennessee…I’m going to get to visit there one day really soon.  😉

Robin in the sun

Robin’s favorite musician is Matt Redman and 10,000 Reasons is her favorite song. I am going to have to check him out for myself! Courageous is her favorite movie of all time! Castle is her favorite TV show and ANY sport on ESPN is what she loves to watch. On Saturday mornings, she also loves playing soccer, soccer, soccer…did I say soccer?!!! My kids and I tried to catch her in action at one of her tournaments, here in Memphis, but it was raining so hard on that day, that we decided to wait until the next time to go see her!

Robin’s favorite style to wear is Jeans, T-shirts, and flip flops (Toms occasionally). She likes to EAT and be active! The eating part reminds me of her visit here to Memphis! We met her parents, her and her teammates and their families at Hueys restaurant! We had never been there before, but I will tell you that everyone had a GREAT time!!! Adults and all!! When you are finished eating, you can take your toothpicks that they place in your sandwiches and you can place the toothpick in your straw and you can blow them up out of the straw at the ceiling. The ceiling is made of this special material that will hold the toothpicks, and I was told by Mama T that at the end of the year, they have a contest to see who can guess how many toothpicks are there and whoever guesses the closest, wins; and the money raised is then given to the charity that was chosen earlier that year. How amazing is that?!! Can I say that Robin was the Queen for that day!!! My Justin tried to keep up, but he was no competition for Robin…he came close….NOT!!! LOL!! Just by spending that time with her, I could tell that she LOVES a good competition  : )

Sole Mio, an Authentic Italian restaurant, is her favorite place to eat. I will have to say that I will have to find that restaurant as well, and check it out. We definitely have that in common…just love me some Italian food!!!! Yum, Yum, Yum!!!

Robin stated that the one thing that changed her life was “God blessing her with the ability to play soccer well. (I have to agree) She said that it has shaped what her life looks like and who she is.”

I have to share something with you girls about Robin that I found out through the grapevine ; ) Robin has the wonderful opportunity to play soccer on a US National team in Austria this summer!! How AWESOME is that!! This kid Rocks!!! A small select number of students are chosen each year to play, and Robin was chosen to be the Goalie!!!! She loves to travel, but she is a little nervous about traveling abroad, and not knowing anyone. I could understand that. Let’s send up prayers for Robin, that she goes and meets lots and lots of new friends!!! What an AWESOME opportunity that God has Blessed her with!!!

Congrats Robin from ALL of us here at GCH: Decaf!!! May God continue to take you higher and higher, in the name of Jesus!

 

Tonya

If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please email GCH_Decaf@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.

We’ll be starting our next online Bible study soon! So be sure to keep checking back for sign-up details to be posted soon!

If you are interested in sending Tonya a private message in regards to this blog, please email her at: TonyaElliott@girlfriendscoffeehour.com.

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GCH:decaf – Meet Miss Michaela!

January 9, 2013 by

Michaela Woolridge is 18 years old, which means she can vote! She lives in Smyrna, Tennessee.

Her favorite music artists are Casting Crowns, Chris Tomlin (he is a lyrical GENIUS… AMAZED by the Church’s response to his songs), and Unhindered. I’ve never listened to Unhindered, but will have to check them out since they’re her favorite!

Her favorite movie of ALL time is Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast”.  I LOVE this movie, and all Disney princess movies, for that matter. Her favorite TV show is “Once Upon A Time”. This show is all about the storybook characters, and Belle from “Beauty and the Beast” is one of them! She loves to watch this show with her family, and they watch episodes over and over. “Once Upon A Time” is one of those shows that I could watch a million times and never get tired of! Maybe one day we can all have a marathon.

Her style is business casual. Her favorite accessories are soft colored earrings; the perfect touch to a cute outfit! She loves stylish heels, and she is ALL for some natural beauty. Amen to that!

Michaela

Her exact words, when asked what her favorite foods were, “Bread, bread, and more bread. But since the Bible says she can’t live on bread alone, she likes chicken and cheesecake.” That answer definitely made me laugh out loud.

Michaela had a life-changing revelation the day she realized that her Heavenly Father wasn’t like her earthly father. Her Heavenly Father is FAITHFUL, GRACIOUS, and LOVES to spend time with her. She just got back from Passion Conference, and the Lord spoke to her about communicating with Him. She said, “I realized He wants me to talk to Him.”

What an awesome girl Michaela is! I was so excited when she answered these questions for me, and it was so fun getting to know a little bit about her, even if it was through Facebook messenger! I will be praying for you, Michaela, as you seek the Lord and His plan for your life. Bless you, sweet girl!

~Jordan

If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please email GCH_Decaf@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.

We’ll be starting our next online Bible study soon! So be sure to keep checking back for sign-up details to be posted soon!

If you are interested in sending Jordan a private message in regards to this blog, please email her at: Jordan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com.

 

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GCH:decaf – Meet Diamond

January 8, 2013 by

Meet my beautiful

   3890_319652114807404_1329040343_n

DIAMOND

 

I have been a fan of this young lady for several months now.  I have been watching her…  not in a creepy way (I hope), but really watching to see what she is made of.  We began this online teen ministry and this girl named Diamond signed up.  She was very quiet, at first.  Then one day out of the blue (to me anyway) Diamond posted the most mature, profound question and response I think I have ever seen.  While we were studying “A Daughter’s Worth” we were talking about dating and how that fits into our lives.  One day this awesome girl posted a statement that blew me away with her insight and maturity.  After I did this interview I realized that Diamond was 12 when she got this revelation from God to her heart.  I was immediately drawn to her.  I can’t wait for you to “meet” my friend Diamond.

This sparkly beauty is 15 years old and lives in Lexington, South Carolina.  I have family in South Carolina so I can’t wait to go for a visit and see Diamond on the way.  Look out girl!

We talked a little about music and she brought up this band that I keep hearing about:  One Direction…or something like that.  I have seen the pictures of these guys and they are rather unfortunate looking.  I really hope they can sing.  LOL  There are several girls in our group that like these boys!!!!  Hmmmm  I may need to check them out a little better.

NOW, when we got to Christian artists, Diamond and I think a lot alike.  She loves  tobymac and so do I.  I have seen him in concert several times and I plan to see him again in February when he is in Nashville.  Diamond has pretty good taste in her tunes!!!

We talked about TV and movies a little.  She loves, loves, LOVES the movie Grease (I’m sure the original one with John Travolta and Olivia Newton John) and she goes “old school” Will Smith with the Fresh Prince of Bel Air for her favorite TV show.  I have to admit that I have seen Grease more times than I probably should and I have seen ALL of Fresh Prince (even when it was new, LOL).  Those kids sure did get into some crazy trouble.

Diamond’s favorite thing to do with friends is just to spend time.  I love that.  Time is monetarily free, but is priceless.  It doesn’t have to cost you money to have friends.  They want your time and attention, so just hang out.

On this next topic of food, I must say Diamond surprised me.  I know she is from South Carolina and I know my family in South Carolina can COOK.  I love South Carolina Barbeque (especially the mustard sauce) and macaroni cheese pie.  When I asked Diamond what was her favorite food she said…  Chinese (and more specifically at China House restaurant).

So then I got this funny picture in my head of Diamond at China House in NERDY glasses listening to tobymac and I just had to laugh.

Our pastor shared a scripture with us and I thought about Diamond again.

It was 2 Peter 1:5-9, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.  For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  But if anyone does not have them, he is NEARSIGHTED and BLIND, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.”

Then that brings us to the Bonus Question:  “What is one thing that changed your life?”

To that Diamond answered a very mature “The one thing that changed my life is when I realized that dating isn’t everything. God showed me this 3 years ago.”  That is what Diamond shared with the GCH: Decaf group back in the beginning of our first Bible study together.  This one statement told me that Diamond was listening to what God had to say to her about her life.  She took it to heart and applied that truth to her relationships.  Diamond doesn’t need a boy to make her feel complete, she has her relationship with God in first place.  Not only did she hear what God said, she was willing to share that knowledge with the other girls in the study group.  I love that!  Every experience is useful if we share it with others and help lead them to the truth of Jesus.

Thank you Diamond for being a light in our last study!!!  You are one very special young lady.  I can’t wait to see how God uses you in our “not a fan” study that begins in February.  I can already tell that you are not a fan.  Keep on teaching us how to be committed followers of Jesus.  Love you girl!!!

Mama T

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We begin our next study on the book by Kyle Idleman, “not a fan”.  We will be working from the red, Teen Edition book and the Follower’s Journal.  Get your books now and be ready to start the study on February 4th.

If you are interested in more information about GCH:decaf, email us at: GCH_Decaf@girlfriendscoffeehour.com.

If you would like to send a personal message to Teresa, you may email her at: Teresa@girlfriendscoffeehour.com.

 

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God and Life Balance… with Megan Smidt

January 6, 2013 by

phil 413

 

You all know I have 5 kids, right?

My oldest is 21 and my youngest (sweet Vicky) is 14…. and the one thing they have all struggled with is balancing their life with their relationship with God.

Yesterday, my dear friend Coleen Hayden shared with you a glimpse into what it looks like to seek the Lord as she will be blogging about this for you the next 4 weeks. I hope you had a chance to read it! If not, you can see her post here.

I will be doing a very similar thing over the next 4 weeks, but I will be discussing with you what it really and truly looks like to be able to balance having a wonderfully intimate relationship with God and also still have time for all of your important activities.

Being a teen, you are BUSY… I know! If you’re like my teens, you might have a few things on your plate like…..

  • church
  • family (maybe even in 2 houses…)
  • school
  • a job
  • sports
  • work
  • serving
  • hobbies
  • friends
  • boyfriend
  • ____________________

 

SO……. How DO you balance your relationship with God and other things in your life????

Well, you MUST be spending time with the Lord every single day! I am talking real, quality, in-the-Word time with God. Hopefully, you have a parent or other family member at home who has modeled this for you. If not, it’s okay….. Coleen will be going over this with you on her blog for the next 4 Saturdays. You can also be talking about this in our secret Facebook GCH:decaf fellowship group!!!

What else do you need to get and maintain this balance? Here are a few things we will be discussing over the next 4 weeks….

  • Take God with you throughout your day
  • Give your schedule to God
  • Accountability
  • Values vs. priorities

I do hope that you will take this journey with me over the next 4 weeks! I would love for you to be able to not only protect your time with God but also be able to feel confident about all of the other aspects of your life that are important to you. If you can learn this now, you will be amazed at how much easier life will be as more and more responsibilities get put on you as you continue to get older. This will be instrumental in helping you to not just be a FAN of Jesus…. but be one AMAZING FOLLOWER!!!!

Let’s Pray…

Dear Lord, thank You for giving each of us such big hearts for You. Help us as we begin to intentionally make time to deepen our relationship with You every day. Give us all that time back in our day for Your glory, Lord. Help us balance all of the demands of our time and begin helping us to discern what activities or demands on our time might not be what You have for us in this season. We love You and thank You for this, God! Amen.

Blessings to you all,

Megan 🙂

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If you are interested in more information about GCH:decaf, email us at: GCH_Decaf@girlfriendscoffeehour.com.

If you would like to send a personal message to Megan, you may email her at: Megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

 

 

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Seeking Him by Coleen Hayden

January 5, 2013 by

Jeremiah 29:13

 

All this week, we have been ‘listening’ to interviews between our bloggers and some of our girls. I have loved it…haven’t you? It has helped me to learn a little bit more about Vicky, Tristan, Rebekkah, Rachel and Zinni…as well as about Mama Teresa, Jordan, Miss Tonya, Miss Diane, and Miss Edwina, too! We have heard them talk about music, clothes, movies, and food amongst other things. And we were privileged to hear each of them share about a special life-changing thing that has occurred in their lives.

They learned about each other through relationship. In order to have and maintain a relationship two people need to spend time together (yes, online DOES count!)…they need to speak AND listen…they need to consider what the other has said.

All of this has caused me to think about our exciting new study looming on the horizon…and about being a follower of our Lord Jesus, NOT a fan! Through the Bible, I can learn so much about just WHO my Lord is…and WHAT He has accomplished. AND I can learn even more about my Lord through my relationship with Him! We need a relationship with Him! We need to speak to Him AND to listen to Him. We need to consider, to ponder, to meditate on His words. One way I know to do this is to spend time with my Lord. In ‘Christian-ese’ some folks call this a ‘quiet time’ or ‘devotions.’

So, inspired by the interviews we’ve heard about this week, I asked to ‘interview’ some of the ladies here at GCH:decaf. I offered 3 questions about their own quiet time/devotional time. May I share their responses with you? (Prepare to be blown away…I’m just sayin’!)

Question 1: Would you please tell me a little about YOUR quiet time?

  • I shut off all my phones and the TV.
  • It’s pretty much only in the morning that I do.
  • I found that if I read or listened to the chapters before I got out of bed in the morning…it set the tone for my day.
  • I try to have some sort of quiet time all day long with God. I try to be in communication with Him always.
  • Sometimes I will just start to sing…other days I start by listening to praise music.
  • I turn on some praise music…nice and low at first. I begin by singing…my own song…my own words…never the same.
  • I like to listen to Christian music…it helps to focus my thoughts and I have worship time then as well.

Question 2: Do you have a favorite devotional (printed, digital) that you enjoy?

  • I have a digital devotional on my phone that I read…from Rick Warren, and Joyce Meyer (*a few ladies read devotionals on their phones).
  • I’ve never really done any devotionals by myself really.
  • My favorite devotional is which ever Bible study we are working on at that time.
  • I tend to favor writings by pastors like Max Lucado, David Jeremiah, Charles Stanley and now Kyle Idleman.

Question 3: How does this time each day help you to remain a follower…not a fan?

  • Usually helps me to remember who He is, how powerful He is, how loving He is, and how blessed I am that I am His!!
  • It keeps me from being a person who SAYS she’s a Christian when her life doesn’t show it. I want my works to prove that I am…while also knowing & keeping in mind that works don’t save me.
  • The time I spend reading the Word, listening to music, listening for the voice of God in my life teaches me about the character of God and who He is. I not only know about Him, I KNOW Him.
  • Basically God is always there and being in communication with him all day long reminds me of that. Then, when I get my alone quiet time with Him in the Bible that is when He really speaks to me and teaches me new things through His word.

As you can easily see, by the examples of these ladies, having a daily quiet time is oh-so-important! If you already faithfully do this, I venture to say you can hardly imagine a day without it. If you have enjoyed a quiet time as part of your daily routine in the past…and would like to resume it…jump back in; you KNOW you want to! If you have been considering beginning the discipline of having a quiet time, try it with us for the next month.

Each Saturday for the next four weeks, we will look in-depth at a few of the important aspects of having a dedicated, purposeful quiet time. Gathering from the experiences our friends have shared, there seem to be a few basics which include:

  • Bible reading
  • Prayer
  • Praise Songs
  • Meditation
  • Seeking the Lord

Praying for each of you!  I know that the Lord will answer your heart’s cry as you seek Him with all your heart!

<3  coleen

If you are interested in more information about GCH:decaf, email us at: GCH_Decaf@girlfriendscoffeehour.com.

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

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GCH: Decaf — Meet My Friend Rebekkah!

January 3, 2013 by

Happy New Year my wonderful girls!!!  I have missed you all : ) I do hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas! I hope that you all know that this year God is going to do some wonderful things for you and your families.

I was so excited when Mama T told us that we would be getting to know more of you better during this particular study : ) I am exciting about the wonderful things that we are all going to find out about each one of you! Each one of you is unique and wonderful in God’s sight and ours! Well, let me introduce to you the fabulous young lady that I know through her lovely Mom, Mama T!

I have the wonderful opportunity of introducing to you: Rebekkah!

Rebekkah

Rebekkah

Rebekkah is 16 years old and she lives in Smyrna, TN. She is one of the beautiful 8 daughters of Mama T : ) Her favorite musician is non other than Cody Simpson, and her favorite Christian Artist is Toby Mac!!! Whenever I hear Toby Mac’s name, I think of the song that he sang with Kirk Franklin, “Be Still and Know that I Am God”. I love that song!! “Can I get up now?” Toby Mac is a fantastic artist! Rebekkah, I can see why you like him!

I truly believe that laughter is definitely good for the soul. I believe that Rebekkah thinks so too; her all time favorite movie, when asked, is “Madea’s Witness Protection Program”. If you want a good laugh, that movie will definitely have you in tears! LOL! Emily Owens M.D. is her favorite TV show.

We definitely have the same style of dress. Rebekkah likes to dress casual and comfy. What a great combination! You can’t go wrong with that : ) She likes to go shopping and watch movies when she is with her friends.

She loves to eat bacon and her favorite place to eat is Famous Dave’s. I have to try Famous Dave’s! Can you believe that I have never been there to eat? I guess I have to put that on my list of places to go and try.

When asked what was the one thing that changed her life, she said that it would have to be her realizing that the relationship that she was in was not bringing her closer to God. WOW!! I am so amazed with this young lady, that even at her age, she was able to see and recognize that in her relationship! Rebekkah, I am so very proud of you! It can be so easy to fall out of the will of God when we are going after what we want in a relationship and that person is not directing us down the right path, that God desires for us to go down. Hats off to you Rebekkah <3

If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please email GCH_Decaf@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information. We’ll be starting our next online Bible study soon! So be sure to keep checking back for sign-up details to be posted!

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FAN OR FOLLOWER? and MEET MISS RACHEL!

December 31, 2012 by

acceptJesus_NewHey ALL! It feels so good to blog again for my sweet friends at GCH: decaf!! I have been going through withdrawal! I hope everyone has had a beautiful Christmas and I pray everyone has a safe and happy evening ringing in the new YEAR! I am so pumped to start the not a fan study! I am even more pumped to introduce to you one of our very own Online Bible Study participants and my new friend, Rachel! If you are wondering what not a fan is all about and if you are just as excited as I was to get to know Rachel a little more then read on dear readers…
“not a fan”…those words bring back some really great memories for me! I did the not a fan study with my small group a while back. It was brought into my life at just the right time-thank you Jesus. It makes me laugh because as we were doing this study and even after it was over you could constantly hear me say to just about everyone I encountered that this study changed my life! Some friends constantly teased me that I was being so dramatic. However, what those friends seemed to not realize is saying that this study changed my life was an understatement. You see, during this study, I learned to let God into this study with me. I let God change me! People can think what they want, dramatic or not, when God changes you there is this huge desire you get to let everyone know what it is God has done in your life, right?
There were so many burdens in my life that I was carrying on my cross when I did this study. I wanted so desperately to be free from these burdens, but they were so much a part of me I did not know how to break free. Then, I did it. I followed God into therapy. I gave Him EVERYTHING even the parts of me I had been holding onto for so long for fear that if I gave them up I wouldn’t be “me” anymore. The best thing happened, I put everything that belonged on His cross there and I finally became the “me” I was so scared of becoming…the “me” that God created me to be. That same day I vowed to take up my cross each day and follow Jesus just like it says in the Bible in Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.
This verse is mentioned a lot in the not a fan study. It is one of those verses that make you stop what you are doing and think to yourself, “am I a follower of Jesus? To be a follower we must turn from the things in our life that are keeping us from God, we must give up our entire life for God as He did for us on HIS cross that dreary day, and follow His desires and plans for our lives, follow His truth that is shared with us in His Living Word. Rachel explains this perfectly when I asked her what her thoughts were, so read on!
I can confidently tell you (without an ounce of convincing) that I am a follower of Jesus. Pre-study, I would not have been able to say that with confidence—can you see why I was so excited to share what God changed me to be through this study; one of his followers? Now, your turn, can you say with confidence and without an ounce of convincing that you surely are a follower of Jesus? Whatever your answer may be, I am excited to start this journey with you. A journey in which we give up our lives to receive God’s strength, healing, and freedom through what Jesus has done for us on HIS CROSS.
One of the girls going on this journey with us would be Miss. Rachel. I had so much fun talking back and forth with this amazing GOD GIRL earlier today. She inspires me. She is only 15 and ¾ (even though she told me 15 1/2) and she really gets God. She knows the importance of having a relationship with God and embraces that. I am so glad to have “met her” even though we have never really met! I had some very important questions to ask Miss. Rachel and it just so happens that through her answers I learned we have a lot in common (especially our frustration with prematurely hitting enter while sending a facebook message, they really need to change that)! Any time I meet a sister in Christ I can be guaranteed that we will have one thing in common: our love for Christ and that is just the best thing to have in common! Here is how our conversation went. Enjoy getting to know Rachel, she is one fascinating young lady! Thank you Jesus for bringing her to GCH: decaf!
ME: What city and state do you live in?
RACHEL: Murfreesboro, TN
ME: Who is your favorite Christian artist?
RACHEL: Flyleaf
ME: What is your favorite movie of all time?
RACHEL: Meet the Robinsons
ME: What is your favorite style of clothes, accessories, shoes, etc?
RACHEL: Sophisticated stuff medium length flowy dresses
ME: What is your favorite thing to do with friends?
RACHEL: Sleepovers and mainly just talking—-this is Diane speaking: oh ya, girl after my own heart!!
Ok this is the question that Rachel answered which made my heart smile HUGELY
ME: What is one thing that changed your life?
RACHEL: One thing… well I started going to World Outreach Church last May. At first I wasn’t excited, but I think it’s helped in my relationship with God, with me going there and stuff I hope that’s good!
Good?? Rachel, that is amazing!
Here are Rachel’s wise thoughts on what it means to be a follower of Jesus and what it means to be a fan of Jesus…We would love to hear what your thoughts are, share in the comment section below or in our group…can’t wait to hear from you!
A follower? Well we just talked about that last month at church. For me, I guess, a follower of Christ would be choosing to be like Him. Of course, perfection is out of the question but that doesn’t mean you can’t strive to make yourself better, with God’s help. A fan is “an enthusiastic admirer.” They aren’t willing to give EVERYTHING up for Him.
I do not think I could say it any more perfectly Rachel!! Thanks for sharing with us!! I had so much fun talking with Rachel. As we prepare our hearts for this study, I am excited to continue to get to know each and every one of you!

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

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GET READY!!!!! 2013 is Almost Here

December 27, 2012 by

Welcome Back, EVERYONE!!!  2013 is almost here and we are READY to get started in a BIG way.  We just completed our very first online Bible study of “A Daughter’s Worth” by Ava Sturgeon.  We had approximately 30 girls and lots of women participating in our ministry in 2012.  As our study came to a close, we were looking forward to Christmas and then the New Year.  We had time off from school for winter break in the United States and summer break in South Africa.  Is that not a wild concept???  Christmas is still Christmas, but it’s winter on one side of the world and summer on the other!  We have gone from a brand new online ministry to a ministry that is being read and has participants in over 100 countries across the globe.  God is SOOOOO good!

Do you think that when Jesus told the disciples to “Go and Tell the World” he would know that we would have the internet and Facebook and friends all over the world that are as close as our keyboards and phones?  The original disciples and followers of Jesus walked from city to city.  They floated a boat from coast to coast.  It wasn’t as easy to tell the world about Jesus as it is today, BUT THEY DID IT!!!  You know how I know they did it?  Because if they hadn’t, you and I would not know the name JESUS.  We would not be here, in this place, in this time if the followers of Jesus had not GONE and TOLD about the Savior of the World.

Over the next few weeks, the month of January, we are going to get to know each other.  We are going to see just how much we have in common, no matter where we live.  The central, most important thing we have in common is JESUS.  I want to “hear” you guys talking and getting to know one another.  I have had the chance to “meet” some wonderful friends here at Girlfriends Coffee Hour and my teen friends here at GCH:decaf are THE BEST!  I have even gotten to meet some of the girls and ladies face-to-face.  That has been so much fun.  Megan, Tina and I are going to start meeting with girls in our area to help the friendships grow.  I want you guys to form your own groups and send us pictures, videos and stories of how you are sharing GCH:decaf and Jesus with your friends and your community.  Jesus said, “Go and Tell the Good News”.  Let’s DO IT!!!

We are going to be studying the teen book “not a fan” by Kyle Idleman and working through the teen edition Follower’s Journal.  You will need both books to keep up and get the most out of our study.  We are going to look at our relationship with Jesus and see what our relationship status is.  The book starts out telling us that believers fall into TWO (2) categories:

1.  The “I Like Jesus on Facebook” group, and

2.  The “Why does Facebook even ask about religion?” group.

I liked this book from the start.  No nonsense, no church-y words, just real life.  We are going to learn a new term:  D.T.R.  (Define The Relationship).  Every girl knows that when you have a crush you want to know if that special someone likes you too.  It doesn’t take very long before you want to define the relationship (know where you stand).  We are going to do that with our relationship with Jesus, too.  He already knows how HE feels about us.  He loved us so much that he came to earth as a baby (Christmas) and died (Easter) for our sins so that we can live with Him forever.  While He was here, he taught average, normal, lost people about himself and His Father in Heaven.  Then He told them to spread the word.  The story of Jesus started with 12 disciples who followed Him and has grown to believers that cover the globe.

As we finished the study of “A Daughter’s Worth” by Ava Sturgeon, we hope that you have a better understanding of who you are to God and why Jesus came to save you.  Some of you shared how your lives were being changed and we are very thankful for that feedback and for the difference Jesus makes in your life.  The leaders were definitely changed and grew closer to the Lord and each other through this study.  We ask you to go a little deeper and define your relationship with Jesus.  Find out just how deep your crush on Him goes.

In addition, we are going to have TWO (2) age groups in GCH: decaf.  The older group will have ladies from 18-24 years old and we call them VENTI.  The younger group is for young ladies 12-18 years old and is called GRANDE.  We want you all to feel comfortable talking about relevant life issues in an age appropriate way.  The fellowship group is open to all ages, so we will get to “see” all our friends and chat and giggle with each other.  Tell all your friends.  There will be a contest coming in January and the student with the most referrals gets cool prizes.  The leaders are already recruiting and want to compete too (SMH, smh).

I cannot tell you all just how excited we are to be offering “not a fan” beginning Monday, February 4th, 2013!!!!!  My relationship with JESUS is the most important one in my life.  I hope you D.T.R. and see that it is the most important in yours as well.  Get your books.  Begin READING the RED book and we will begin the Follower’s Journal on February 4th.  Same great bloggers, same great schedule.

Let the NEW YEAR begin………………………………………….

Much LOVE to you ALL,

Mama T

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

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