November 5, 2024

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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Resolution for Women: Ok

September 18, 2012 by

“For the law was given through Moses,

grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

John 1:17

 

Some of you know that my oldest son James (who I CANNOT believe will be 21 this month!!!) has Asperger’s Syndrom. One of the characteristics typical to Aspies is that they tend to not show a whole lot of emotional about things and can even have a robotic-type of sound to their voice when they speak.

My Aspie is no different and it used to drive me crazy when I would be really upset with him about something and the only response I would get from him would be “ok.” You see, I am an extremely passionate person… when I am happy, I am super happy. When I am upset, I am super upset. SO, to have someone simply say “ok” in response to one of my epic rants would just drive me insane…… but it always instantly got me to calm down and it diffused the situation.

I know I say this all the time, but it’s true…. EMOTIONS ARE DECEIVING!!!! Ladies, we don’t always HAVE to be right, or get the last word in, or be in the driver’s seat for every conversation. We need to just STOP and simply say…

Okay.

That’s it.

Proverbs 15:1

A gentle answer turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath.

On page 235, Priscilla writes:

“Truly the wise woman doesn’t always seek to be heard or validated but sometimes- in order to protect and preserve relationships, in order to invite peace back into her home- chooses a soft, delicate, gentle response in place of one that’s harsh and explosive, harmful and wounding. She is resolved not to tend the fire of quarrelsome conversations, knowing she’ll only be covered in ashes long after the embers have burned out… she is patient. She brings calm to the storm.”

Choosing to respond in this way, and NOT react makes you wise and graceful… not a pushover or a doormat. I cannot think of a more intentional way to show grace, respect and honor in conversation than to be so careful with your words. God calls us to this, but it is up to us to obey and show this grace.

_________________________________

Let’s Pray:

Lord, help us to temper our tongues and show grace in every conversation today. We need you to work within us from the inside out to get out-of-the-way be graceful in all circumstances. Help us to model this in our homes, in our work places and in our communities. Help us be difference-makers, Father! Give us the courage and wisdom to know when to be silent or only mutter the tiny word “ok.” We thank you for this provision, Lord! In Your Son’s matchless name we pray, amen <3

Your Assignment:

Prayerfully consider how you can apply the message of these verses in your life today:

  • A soothing tongue is a tree of life, but perversion in it crushes the spirit.” (Proverbs 15:4)
  • Patience can persuade a prince, and soft speech can break bones.” (Proverbs 25:15)

Resolve to respond with “ok” as much as you can in the next 48 hours in order to begin to make this a habit. Take note of the impact it makes in your closest relationships <3

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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!

Be a blessing,

Megan 🙂

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Resolution for Women- The Encourager

September 12, 2012 by

1 John 3:18

“We must not love with word or speech, but with truth and action.”

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The Intentional Encourager

 In our chapter, Priscilla was amazed that a very young 22-year-old Solomon – when given the opportunity to gain health, wealth, prosperity, and prestige – asked God simply for WISDOM to lead the people he was made king over.  This amazed me as well.  I have 4 children ranging in age from 17-26 and if given the opportunity to gain health, wealth, and prosperity OR wisdom – my crowd would certainly choose health, wealth, and prosperity. What child this age today wouldn’t?  Once again, like Priscilla, my initial thoughts were the same – King David certainly must have raised his child the right way ~ a way different from what I raised my own.  Do you see the similarities of this situation with times today?  They really aren’t any different.  We all have character defects or deficiencies, we all make errors in judgement and King David did as well.  Priscilla says, ‘He made some colossal mistakes in both his personal life and his parenting’; as we all have done and continue to do.

  ‘My son Solomon – God has chosen him alone – is young and inexperienced. The task is great, because this palatial structure is not for man but for the Lord God.’            Chronicles 29:1-2

Solomon has been instructed to build God’s temple – did you get that?  God’s temple!  That is HUGE! …..and although he recognizes that his son is “young and inexperienced”, he also realizes that he is the chosen one.  That God chose Solomon to be king, to lead his people, to get His temple built.  Now it is his job to support, encourage, and most of all BELIEVE and have faith in his son to accomplish this undertaking. David does just that.

Like most parents, I have high expectations for my son and daughters.  I want them to have wisdom, health, wealth, prestige and all the blessings God promises in His word.  Unfortunately there have been many choices made by my children that were not in their best interest, that go against God’s instruction – that have caused me to lose faith in them, that have caused me to stop believing in them in many areas.  Shame on me.   I certainly was not perfect growing up and only in the last 4-5 years have built a relationship with Jesus Christ that has given me the desire and conviction to make my life’s decisions based on my Heavenly Father’s desires, the desires found in His word.  God didn’t give up on me.  God believed in me.  However, it remains very hard difficult to give my children that same gift (virtually impossible! – although we know with God all things are possible!)

As God’s child,  He was with me every step of the way growing up.  I know this because I should have been a ‘street kid’.  As a teenager my brother and I were being raised by my father.  He left our house to move in with his girlfriend and we had free reign.  Our dad wasn’t there giving us parental guidance, he wasn’t cooking for us or taking care of us.  I remember living in that mobile home (our home), just me and my brother (who was only 18 months younger than me) wanting to take care of him. There was no desire to ‘party’ as many teenagers do today. There was no desire to stay out until all hours or to do drugs or drink. God delivered us from what could have been a disastrous young adulthood.  He gave us wisdom.

The lesson being taught to us today is that we MUST be INTENTIONAL (and we have heard this word throughout many chapters n our study) with our children.  We must INTENTIONALLY encourage them, we must INTENTIONALLY provide them support (and I’m not talking about financial support or treasures), we must INTENTIONALLY believe in them.  We have to trust that our Heavenly Father has them – after all, they are His children.  We are simply here to give them earthly guidance and support until such day that they are reunited with their Father in heaven.  They are on loan to us.  We must never give up providing them with the spiritual food they need to get to know their daddy.  We must believe that they are going to do GREAT things in the course of their lives, that they too will build a relationship with God that will allow them to give their children what David did to Solomon.  This is a hard task ladies – a tough, tough task.  It is for me anyway – maybe it’s easier for you guys.  Perhaps you are in a different place in your life than I am in mine.  However, the lesson remains the same.  BE INTENTIONAL with your children.  As we have read in the past chapters, our jobs as parents don’t end when our children become adults.  Even with our grown children we must be INTENTIONAL in our actions towards them and continue to ‘train them up’ in the ways of the Lord. We must believe in them, encourage them, and support them – Intentionally. What incredible life gifts for them!

Let’s Pray:

Father, work in our lives.   Work in my heart Lord and in the heart of every reader here.  Allow us to become convicted and determined to be INTENTIONAL with our children AND the children of this world – those in our churches, in our communities, in  other cities and countries we visit.  Especially those father that do not have a parental figure in their lives.   You know every situation Father – for every parent and every child.  Provide us with the wisdom, guidance, and gentle nudges OR large pushes necessary to give our children the gift of belief in them, of encouragement, and the desire to continue spiritually feeding them regardless of where they are today in their personal lives.  May we be more like David in our daily walk with our children.

Your Assignment:

List some of the immature actions and temperaments in your children that may discourage you.  Keep this list in a place where you can always be reminded to pray regarding them, and consider who you can enlist to encourage your child in these areas (along side of you).  Carefully consider how you can make the overarching tone of your relationship with your child one of encouragement.  Please comment and let us know how we can pray for you in your walk, attempting to be more like David with Solomon.  or God with us.

[My note:  It is very difficult for me personally, psychologically, to see the roses over the thorns many times with my children.  This prohibits me from giving them the encouragement that I need to.  Especially with my son, who is covered in thorns.  This lesson has challenged me.  I will be praying for each of you in your own lives and request you cover my family in yours. Thank you for this.]__________________

Don’t forget, on October 1st, we will begin our brand new Online Bible Study, right here, 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!!  It is AMAZING! (as a personal note, I have read this book – I have communicated with these authors over the past year and they are amazing.  Their personal stories changed my life.  Their words confirmed what my own pastor said when he counseled me in my own marriage.  I pray that you will join us for this study as well!)

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!

Don’t forget to stop by Craig’s blog to see what the guys are up to with The Resolution for Men.

www.adversusmundi.wordpress.com

Be sure to 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!

 With the greatest love ever and many hugs,

<3 Kelley

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Resolution for Women- The Soul Shaper

September 11, 2012 by

1 John 3:18

“We must not love with word or speech, but with truth and action.”

___________________________

In today’s lesson, Priscilla talks about 3 roles a mother must take on if they are going to love their children well….

The Soul Shaper

The Intentional Encourager

The Discipline Dealer

Mama and dear friend…. I need you to understand right now that YOU are a soul shaper for your children.

It is so vitally important that we pray for our children. These prayers need to start forming in our spirit before we even have them and they must continue to grace our hearts and lips even after they leave our nest and have their own homes and children.

A Soul shaper must….

  • beware that her prayers for her child are significant
  • understand that once her child has received salvation, she is God’s primary tool to work alongside the Holy Spirit to see that the transforming process occurs effectively in her child’s soul.
  • know that she cannot accomplish this without involving her church and relatives to assist in the effort.
  • know along with her spouse that the main responsibility of this soul shaping is theirs.
  • not allow anyone else to take her or her spouse’s place as the primary influencers in the child’s life
  • help the child to become sensitive to God’s conviction
  • teach the child how to recognize God’s way of directing them through their conscience
  • continue to walk this out along with the Holy Spirit as the child grows and matures.
  • continue to seek the Lord for guidance for how she can be used to guide her children in their adult lives.

Dear friends, I hope with all my heart that you see what an intentionally BOLD role you play as your child’s soul shaper! You cannot be lazy about it or turn a blind eye. You must intentionally, every single day make this deliberate choice to invite the Holy Spirit to help you in your actions and speech in order to mold your child’s soul. What an honor and privilege!!!

Please…. if you haven’t already been walking out this bold task, start today. Don’t look back but look straight ahead at what the Lord is asking of you on behalf of His children that He has entrusted you with on this earth. HE deserves no less and neither do they. You will not be perfect… I hope you know that and are okay with that. Being human, we are flawed…. but what is so important is that you believe with your whole heart that your parenting is KINGDOM BUSINESS!!!!

You also must come at this call from a proactive stance and not one of defense. Don’t wait until your child is in trouble to cover them in scripture… we must each live each day being creative and consistent in how we clothe our children in the Word of God. What does this look like?

  • diligently and deliberately read the Bible to your kids
  • post scripture throughout the house
  • play worship music
  • be in fellowship with other believers
  • write scripture on the napkin in their lunch for school
  • send them scriptures in txt messages and emails
  • do devotional together as a family
  • ___________________________. (you fill in the blank)

we all know that if WE as women and mothers love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, that we can only then be able to fill this role to its potential and be our best for our children. If you are not regularly in the Word and being fed spiritually…. make it happen today. If you’re not going to church regularly, start this weekend. Your children, wether unborn, non-biological or adult NEED you to! As Priscilla so eloquently puts it….

“A transformed child start with a transformed mom”

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Let’s Pray:

Lord, we ask that you give us bold revelation into this area of our lives today. We don’t want to be the same, Father…. we yearn to be THIS deliberate for our children, who are your’s first. Renew our hearts, minds and spirits to be able to give each of them all we have everyday to work alongside the Holy Spirit in shaping their souls. Thank you for this provision, Lord, and we thank you in advance for all you will do. Amen <3

Your Assignment:

Please leave a comment below telling us how you can creatively live your Christian life openly before your children… in REAL LIFE…. be realistic here, friends and tell us what you are already doing or what you are going to do. If you don;t have children of your own, tell us how you can do this with other children in your life. If your kids are grown, how can you begin to think outside the box to do this? If your children are very young, how can you creatively do this now?

___________________

Don’t forget, on October 1st, we will begin our brand new Online Bible Study, right here, 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!!  It is AMAZING!

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!

Don’t forget to stop by Craig’s blog to see what the guys are up to with The Resolution for Men.

www.adversusmundi.wordpress.com

Be sure to 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!

 Be a Blessing today and everyday,

Megan 🙂

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Resolution for Women – Chapter 11 – Loving My Children

September 9, 2012 by

“We must not love with word or speech,

but with truth and action.”

1 John 3:18

 

____________________________________________________

This week we dive into Chapter 11 full force and learn how to resolve to train our kids in righteousness.  How to demonstrate to our children how to really love God with all their hearts, minds, and strength, and to train them to respect authority and live responsibly.  This is going to be yet another amazing Chapter!!

Your Reading Assignment for this Week:

Monday:  Read pages 206 thru 210:  True Love

Tuesday: Read pages 211 thru 216: The Soul Shaper

Wednesday: Read pages 217 thru 221: The Intentional Encourager

Thursday:  Read pages 222 thru 226: The Discipline Dealer

Friday: Come back here for our Weekly Overview

Be sure to come back here each day of this week to read our blog posts about this awesome chapter from The Resolution for Women by Priscilla Shirer.  We have just 2 more sections to complete before we end this current bible study!  Wow! Where did the time go!!

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I would like to take this opportunity to ask for your prayers for my family.  We lost a very dear loved one this weekend, to cancer.  He was my step-father for many years.  He and my mother were divorced many years ago, but he always remained my step-father in my heart; and always remained the PawPaw to my children, and their children.

Delvis Glenn Chandler

you will be missed by many.

We love you!

Rest In Peace

________________________________

On October 1st, right here on the Featured section of our blog, we will begin this 13-week bible study

“Winning Him Without Words…

10 Keys to Thriving in your Spiritually Mismatched Marriage”

by Lynn Donovan and Dineen Miller.

We will cover topics such as: Staying Connected to Your Man, Discovering the Essentials to Love; Trading perfection for authenticity; Cherishing each new season, and so much more!!   This book is amazing ladies, and I can’t wait to get started studying it with you!!  You will need to purchase this book for this study.  This book, a journal, and your bible is all you will need to participate.

If you haven’t already signed up for this particular study, please email us at

Womens@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com

and we will send you all the details you need to get signed up!!

Enjoy the rest of your Weekend!

In His Love,

 

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Resolution for Women: Marriage Proposal

September 4, 2012 by

I was so excited when I logged on to Facebook this morning to see that a very good friend of mine got engaged over the holiday weekend. HOW EXCITING…. right?!?!??!

I noticed yesterday that she had started pinning things like bouquet designs and wedding dresses on Pinterest… so I did have a hunch, but seeing it on my Facebook homepage made it real. She is about to live a wonderful season of planning and prepping…. designing her special day that she has dreamed of since she was a young girl. As I read today’s chapter, I wondered if anyone would be having the real-deal conversation with her like Priscilla’s friend had with her so many years ago.

“Are you sure this is what you want to do?”

Believe me, ladies….. when I was a little girl twirling in my bedroom fantasizing about my wedding day, I never dreamed of having 5 kids at the altar along with my 2nd husband! YIKES!!! Not what dreams are made of, right? Well, before Craig and I even said “I do” we had gone through more in the year and a half we dated than most couples go through in their whole lifetime of marriage! In fact, to this day, I have friends who come to be at the blossoming of a new, blended family relationship for advice because they saw what we lives for so many years and how hard it was and want me to answer for them “So…… has it been worth it?”

Wether you are in your first marriage, second, third or fourth……. your spouse must come first and they must intentionally get your very best or it will just not work. You can not give your kids, family or friends that top spot under God Almighty! Once Craig and I understood this balance and started living our life this way, everything in our relationship came into focus and our entire household was positively effected.

No matter what stage of life, or marriage, we are in, we all want to be fulfilled. We all want our deepest needs to be met and our husband wants this same thing. As Priscilla points out, “He may not be fulfilling his side of the bargain at the moment. But remember, this book is not about him. The reality is, you cannot change him. But you can pinpoint some changes in yourself, and then you can bring that new resolve to your marriage. You can be faithful. That much you can do.”

You may not WANT to do it, but you really need to do it anyway. God calls you to do it. You answer to Him above all else… and He calls us to act and live above our wants as we are not of this world.

I have a story to share that is not a-typical for second marriages, especially when there are children involved.

After the first few years of our marriage, Craig and I were not doing well as we let our house and our lives be led by fear. Craig was not putting me first (after God) because he was scared of his ex-wife and what she might do if he ever stood up to her or “rocked the boat.” This was killing our marriage because not only was I the primary caregiver for all the kids, but I had no voice and no rights. He would give-in to her requests even when it was not in the kids’ or our family’s best interests just to avoid her anger or her wrath. Slowly, it made me retreat and was killing me on the inside because I felt like I didn’t matter and I was scared that it could all be taken from me at any moment. I had given my heart away to these kids and my heart got trampled on every time I turned around. I did not feel safe and I did not feel valued.

Craig finally realized what he was doing and saved our marriage and our family by putting us all in our proper place. It took only saying to his ex a few times “I’ll talk to Megan about it and get back to you” before she got the drill and soon started to say to him “I know you need to run this by Megan but…” VICTORY!!!! He showed me that I came first which also showed the kids how to value their spouse.

I need to do the same.

I cannot have the kids or work or other people taking my top spot. Craig has to come first, or we are out of balance again. What we have found is that once we have our marital balance in place, everything else falls into line and we have a much happier home. It takes a lot of work and intentional actions, but it is so worth it to be able to model this to our kids and show each other how much we value our God and our family by having our spouse in their proper priority.

As you begin this journey this week, list some of your husband’s characteristics that you wish would change but likely will not. Then, record the way YOU can change to adapt to your husband’s characteristics if these attributes are never altered. We’ll look at this later in the week.

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Let’s Pray

Dear Heavenly Father….. no matter what marital season we are in, we need to check our priorities to Your Word. Help us today to begin to “do it anyway” to fulfill our husband’s needs for Your to get all the glory! Lord, show us today how we can make the most immediate impact and help us to lift each other up in prayer to be our best in our marriages. Lord, for those of us who are not in a marriage currently, speak to our hearts about how to best prepare to be able to give our best to our mates. We love you, Lord, and we thank you for showing us all we need to be our best for Your glory! In Jesus’ mighty name we pray, amen <3

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Your Assignment:

In the comment section below, tell us what you might say if you were counseling young woman on the eve of her wedding day. Do you feel that you have accepted the responsibilities marriage has required or have you resisted them?

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After you have commented below, go back to our Online Bible Study Group on Facebook to see what our Daily FUN Activity is. If you do not yet belong to our OBS Facebook group, and would like to, please send an email to:

GirlfriendsCoffeeHour@gmail.com

We’ll send you the details needed to get you into this group!

Don’t forget to stop by Craig’s blog to see what the guys are up to with The Resolution for Men.

www.adversusmundi.wordpress.com

Many blessings,

Megan 🙂

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The Resolution for Women – How do you Heal an Unbroken Heart

August 29, 2012 by

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom Shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I, Send me!

Isaiah 6:8

Wow, what a week to have me blog for this chapter!  I just came back from a life changing trip to Nicaragua.  This wasn’t my first mission trip though, in fact, last year I went to Guatemala with all intentions of going back. God started working on me way before we left on August 11.  I signed up to go to Guatemala then a Proverbs 31 She Speaks conference was scheduled in the same month – due to financial reasons I had to choose one or the other.  I chose Proverbs 31 as I felt like God was working on me to expand my personal ministry and begin writing or speaking.  So….I registered for the conference.  A few weeks later at church I see where my own church is taking their first independent mission trip to Nicaragua! Immediately God let me know that I was supposed to be on that team  – so I cancelled the conference registration and joined the missionary team.   My wonderful husband had given me the conference money which I now needed for the mission trip and I was able to raise the rest without issue. Yes, God was at work.  When I almost raised all the money needed, the people at work asked me how much more I needed, I told them $125 – they raised $82 for me.  I talked to our pastor taking us, his records had me only owing $80 and I had just received $82!  I preface this story telling you this so you understand how from the very beginning, when I was asking God to show me what ministry activity I was supposed to participate in – He was there – setting me up the entire time.

With that resolved, Like Priscilla in our story today, I now prayed for a broken heart – for the biggest, cracked, shattered, brokest broken heart because you just can’t heal one that is unbroken.  I truly wanted to FEEL the pain, I wanted to understand, I didn’t just want to go through the motions.  I needed to be broke.  Does that make sense?

The first 5 days of our mission trip were spent in a village called Salinas Grande.  It is on the ocean and is built around a salt mine. It was about 8 miles of dirt roads, Many houses were lean-to’s wrapped in black plastic, some were block but were open to weather.  People rode horses and yes, we saw many horses with make-shift wagons (piece of flat plywood) that they would ride multiple people or things on.  Most had electricity with mostly 1 lightbulb hanging for light. However running water was not an everyday gift in most houses.  People went with buckets and containers to get their water; sometimes on bikes, sometimes on horses, sometimes walking.   Oh yes, the heart was breaking already.  Thank you Jesus.  How can we have so much and they have so little?  Why God?

We met a 90-year-old beautiful, precious woman at one of the feeding programs.  She was manually hoisting the water from a very deep well with a bucket and pulley.  Our guys tried to lift the water to see how she managed, they could not lift it far!  God, she’s 90 and happy, I said.  This is life for her; but why? We all have clean running water into our homes – and this elderly sweet lady had to drop a bucket into a well for hers?  More heart break….I gave this woman the biggest hug I could possibly give.  There is no language barrier with a hug!  And the GREATest news…..We had a person on our team who dealt with water pumps at work and we were able to give this her running water at the flip of a switch.  No more pulling her water up with a 10 gallon bucket!

The children were beautiful.   They would come to the feeding programs at lunch time and get a nice hot lunch. These are funded by missionary teams through Open Eyes Ministries. They would come up on bikes or walking with their empty bowls and spoons and for some, this might be the only full meal a day they get.   Can you feel my heart shattering…..being totally broken.  And I prayed for this! I needed this!  The ladies would cook over their fires, no stoves for them, preparing a big bowl of rice, a big bowl of beans, and a big bowl of some kind of meat and vegetables and we would serve these beautiful little people.  We’d play with them – they loved to play ‘football’ (soccer), we had some doing the hokey pokey with us and a translator – All God’s people, but living a different kind of life.

We went into a pastor’s home for a sewing ministry – the young girls were learning how to sew and were making school uniforms to help furnish uniforms to the children at schools that didn’t have the money for them.  Someone in ministry had gotten them Brother Sewing Machines to work with – they looked so out-of-place in this pastors open house with chickens and little biddies running through it – they even had a couple of green parakeets  running around – but they were happy.  It was HOT and there wasn’t much air running through the house, but here these girls sat learning a trade  because someone cared.  Amazing Grace! God is so good! The navy blue skirts they made had perfect pleats.  I stood in awe.  I had to donate to this ministry.  They were working so hard to give back and they didn’t have enough themselves.  —-crash, shatter—-bang…

I know this is getting long-winded, but I have to tell you about the final straw!  We went into the schools to teach lessons to the children. We taught Honesty, Optimism, Integrity, and on the last day we took them the gospel.  I had the opportunity for the first time to stand up in front of this class and teach them about taking Jesus into their hearts, asking for forgiveness of their sins, teaching them that their slate would wash clean, and they would be new.  In my class, I had 22 students and a teacher pray the prayer of salvation!  Oh be still my heart!  Further shatter…..completely broken – emotionally exhausted.  We had 94 total give their hearts in the school that day!

I will end by telling you that I left Nicaragua with a shattered, broken, destroyed heart.  God made sure that it would never be the same again.  Even as it healed, the remnants of the cracks would remain.   I now know that my heart is in ministry for the lost.  For those that do not know Jesus Christ.  I am on a life mission to be part of the groups that change things in the world for those are less fortunate, and many times lost.   I won’t ever be the same person after this trip.  God used it to change me so I in turn could change the lives of others.  I’m thankful to Jesus for shattering my heart. For showing me the way.  I pray that if you have never had your heart spiritually broken, you pray for it.  Pray that God takes it and shatters in it pieces. The beauty of what you feel afterwards will change your life as it did mine.

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Let’s Pray

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for breaking my heart.  Thank you for allowing me to share my broken heart with others; allowing me to be a vessel for you.  Bless each one that reads this blog today and each one that doesn’t.  I pray that you will work in our lives, in our hearts, and mold us and shape us to be missionaries to the world – starting right here in our own towns and cities.  Thank you for the running water, the electricity, the way of life we have here in the USA.  Work with us so that we can take some of our wealth, spiritually and otherwise, to other places in the world, blessing your children there as we are blessed.  We ask these things in your name, Amen.

Your Assignment:

Perhaps you’ve been burned when trying to reach out too drastically, people have taken advantage of you or misunderstood your motives; but when you to go minister Christ’s love to another person, what is your real reason for going?  What’s a better way to evaluate your success than with measurable, feel-good results alone?

After you have commented below, go back to our Online Bible Study Group on Facebook to see what our Daily FUN Activity is. If you do not yet belong to our OBS Facebook group, and would like to, please send an email to:

GirlfriendsCoffeeHour@gmail.com

We’ll send you the details needed to get you into this group!

Don’t forget to stop by Craig’s blog to see what the guys are up to with The Resolution for Men.

www.adversusmundi.wordpress.com

With Big Hugs and a Big Heart, 

<3 Kelley

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Resolution for Women- Look Again

August 28, 2012 by

I feel so ill-equipped to write the blog post for today’s lesson. I pray you will bear with me as the Lord leads my fingers as they dance across the keyboard…..

Have you ever found yourself in a similar circumstance to the one that Priscilla describes in today’s lesson? Maybe it was at your church or a conference or even watching the news on television….. but have you ever been bombarded with image after image of horrible, unspeakable travesty that make you want to run from it and hide you face?

I have.

For me, it happened a month or two ago when I was catching up one afternoon on Facebook……

I’m “friends” with many of the teens I work with at church Thursday nights and, as you can imagine, I like to encourage them in their walk with the Lord in social media channels like Facebook. On this day, I was at a loss for what to say.

This BEAUTIFUL daughter of the King who I met through my own children at church had started dating a Muslim boy, had renounced her Christian faith, and was excited to show off her new look wearing her burqa veil. I didn’t know what to do. I could not click “like” but I also didn’t want to make her feel like she isn’t beautiful to me…… I wanted to reach through my laptop screen, scoop her into my arms, and help encourage her right back towards her Heavenly Father…… but I didn’t know how to do that in the constraints of reality… so I prayed.

I prayed a lot.

I started reading more and more about the Muslim faith and a woman’s place within that religion/ culture. I kept praying and learning and I found out that many members of my church family had been praying too.

THIS MORNING I popped on Facebook to post today’s FUN in our Resolution Group and I saw this gorgeous face staring back at me once again and my heart sank. Yes, I have been fervently praying for this precious soul, but I still have not acted on encouraging her or speaking into her life in any way…… and then God nudged me….

He reminded me that she sees every single word I post on my own Facebook page every day. She has not unfriended me so I get to assume that she has at least read one or two encouraging things I have posted! However, I know that God is calling me to be more bold than this with her heart…. and I know He will equip me with all I need to do His work in speaking into her heart…. or any other dear heart that He might show me that is in need of His pure, unconditional love.

My town has been in the national news over the recent past about many of our residents not being happy about a Muslim Training Center that is enlarging its current structure here and I am sad to say that I do not feel that some of my brothers and sisters in Christ here have handled their disapproval of this in the most constructive or Godly manner…. I don’t want to fall into that category…. but I also want to respond in a way that glorifies our Father and shows love for all people. I know he will give me the words to share with any young woman He puts in my path and I know He will also equip YOU to represent His Kingdom in a mighty way for whatever cause He places so intentionally on your dear heart.

Habakkuk 1:3

3 Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?

Priscilla reminds us that God puts these images and circumstances in front of us for a reason….. it is simply up to us whether we choose to do something about it or not. I know it is hard not to look away or just pray that SOMEONE ELSE will make a difference with it… but why not allow yourself to be that instrument, that willing vessel for God’s work to be done in this earth? Certain injustices will stir your heart in ways it wouldn’t the heart of another. God has divinely designed YOU to specifically impact that injustice in a unique way that only YOU can, dear sister. I know you don’t feel ready, or able, or prepared…. that’s what God is for!

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Let’s Pray

Dear Heavenly Father….. please please please break our hearts for what breaks your’s!!! Then, we ask that you give us the courage that only can come from You to act in such a bold way as to make a difference for Your Kingdom. We no longer want to stay idle….. we know that You have been preparing us to take action in this season and may You get all the glory, Lord! Give us your eyes, give us your heart, give us your love and give us your strength for we know we could never do this in our own power. Help us to lift one another up as we search our hearts, Lord, and may our relationships be ever strengthened for this stand we will take. In Your Son’s name we pray, amen <3

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Your Assignment:

In the comment section below, tell us about what global or local devastations are you currently seeing that stir compassion in your heart? What has kept you from doing something to help? What is one thing you can do and would be willing to make time to do?

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After you have commented below, go back to our Online Bible Study Group on Facebook to see what our Daily FUN Activity is. If you do not yet belong to our OBS Facebook group, and would like to, please send an email to:

GirlfriendsCoffeeHour@gmail.com

We’ll send you the details needed to get you into this group!

Don’t forget to stop by Craig’s blog to see what the guys are up to with The Resolution for Men.

www.adversusmundi.wordpress.com

Many blessings,

Megan 🙂

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Resolution for Women – Chapter 9, My Heart – PLUS … BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!

August 26, 2012 by

“He has showed you, O man, what is good.

And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy and

to walk humbly with your God.”

Micah 6:8

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This week we deal with the heart.  What does God want from our heart?  This scripture above gives us a clue:  He requires us to pursue justice; love mercy; and walk humbly with Him.   He wants our hearts to break for what breaks His heart.   He wants us to have a revelation of what His will is.  He wants us to respond to what God has called us to.  He wants us to have His heart.

This week, we are going to see the heart of God and what He wants our heart to look like!  It reminds me of a song that I will post below…..  READ the lyrics and let them sink deep into your heart.  Pray these lyrics as a prayer to our Lord & Savior!

What stirs compassion in your heart?

What tugs at your heart?

Your Reading Assignment for this week:

  • Come to our blog on Monday, where Christi will do a preview of this weeks topic “My Heart”
  • Come to our blog on Tuesday, where Megan will be discussing pages 164-168 “Look Again.”
  • Come to our blog on Wednesday, where Kelley will be discussing pages 169-173
  • “How Do You Heal an Unbroken Heart”
  • Come to our blog on Thursday, where Beverly will be discussing pages 174-179, “Mercy Me”.
  • Come back on Friday, where we will do an overview of the week, AND sign this weeks resolution!

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Now for our BIG ANNOUNCEMENT….

 Our Next Women’s Bible Study

Girlfriends Coffee Hour is so excited to announce the next brand new Online Bible Studies that will begin October 1st!

If you are struggling with being in an unequally yoked marriage, this study is for YOU!!

“Winning Him Without Words –

10 Keys to Thriving in Your Spiritually Mismatched Marriage”. 

To join this study, please send an email to GirlfriendsCoffeeHour@gmail.com with “Winning Him” in the subject line.  We’ll send you all the details you need to get signed up!

This book is based on the scripture from 1 Peter 3:1 “…they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives.”   This Online Bible Study will be led by Christi Wilson, Founder of Girlfriends Coffee Hour.  Beverly McCormick and Donna Day will help with the blogging for this study.  You won’t want to miss this study!! It is AMAZING!!!

If your husband does not share your faith, you may feel like you are walking a tightrope of spiritual survival – guarding the flame of your belief in Christ, yet unable to share it with the person you love most in the world.  But your spiritually mismatched marriage can be a vibrant, blessed relationship where you’re free to grow in love with God and your man! 

Winning Him With Words, written by Lynn Donovan and Dineen Miller, both Christian women married to unbelieving husbands, is your invitation to thrive instead of survive!  This study begins October 1st right here on our website:  GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com.

PLUS, YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS OUR OCTOBER CONFERENCE CALL!!!

Mark your calendars also for October 2nd when Lynn Donovan,

one of the authors of this book, “Winning Him Without Words”

joins us for our monthly Conference call!!  More details to be given soon!! 

If you’ve made it this far, GREAT!  Because I am actually giving away a FREE copy of  “Winning Him Without Words” to ONE person.  This person will be randomly chosen.

All you have to do is:

1.  Comment below WHY you want to win a copy of “Winning Him” 

and

2.  Comment on our FACEBOOK Community Page why you love Girlfriends Coffee Hour! (Click HERE)

You MUST do BOTH in order to be entered into this drawing!

We will announce the winner on our FB Community Page Monday Morning!!!

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Be sure to check out our Teens & Singles blogs, also, for details on their next study, as well!   Go back to our front page … CLICK HERE …  and you will see the Teens & Singles blogs under the Featured blog.  This is going to be an amazing time with GCH!!

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If you haven’t signed up for our Online Study Groups on Facebook, and you want to be a part of this amazing trend, send us an email at GirlfriendsCoffeeHour@gmail.com, and we’ll email you the details that you will need to get added to these groups!  You will have a blast with women all across the world who loves the Lord, and enjoys studying His word!

Wow! I’m tired just from typing all this!  We have some AMAZING things happening here at Girlfriends Coffee Hour, and we hope you are enjoying the ride, as well!  Stay tuned for more announcements this week!

Living Intentionally to Be My Very BEST for Him,

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The Resolution for Women: Structural Soundness

August 21, 2012 by

“Blessed are those whose way is blameless”

Psalm 119:1

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It just would not be right if I typed one more word without quoting Mrs. Shirer from page 147…

“No doubt, this point of resolution calls for an intimate, personal, introspective look at what’s going on in our hearts and homes. It touches on some of those allowances we make behind closed doors, in the quiet of our dens and living rooms, where laziness and leniency have been known to hang around after dinner and stay up into the wee hours. That’s why, honestly, it often requires a resolution like this before we recognize that these things we’ve been sanctioning with our time and attention are a glaring contradiction of who we are and what we say we believe.”

It is all about compromise, ladies….. and with God, THERE IS NO COMPROMISE!

These compromises can come in many shapes and forms and you can probably easily justify them…..

  • watching a movie or television show you shouldn’t watch
  • listening to music you shouldn’t fill your ears with
  • flirting with an old flame online
  • reading a book you shouldn’t be reading
  • eating food in amounts you shouldn’t be eating or to fill a void
  • ________________________________.

I am not interested in telling you what parameters you should have in place for this, because that is not my place 🙂 BUT…. I really would like you to take a good hard, honest look at what you are spending your time on and filling your precious senses with and decide whether you are compromising purity and virtue for the sake of entertainment.

O U C H….. yes, this hurts…. but it is more than necessary that we rip this band aid off in one clean yank rather than continue to live this charade.

We cannot continue to discourage one thing in public and then derive pleasure from it behind closed doors. The world, and God, needs us to stop being one thing on the outside and something entirely different on the inside. He NEEDS this from us in order to fulfill His purposes AND for us to be living in the fullness of what He has for our lives.

THIS is integrity.

Structural Integrity is when something doesn’t just look good, it also has strong functionality. What is the use of a house that looks nice if it will fall apart at the sign of any storm? You wouldn’t want to be seen in a gorgeous new dress if you knew that if you bent down, it would rip at the seams from weak construction. We cannot continue living day-to-day in the hypocrisy of our own actions.

Priscilla shared something with us in this chapter that MUST be shared here. John Wesley (an evangelist) received these words from his mother:

“Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes off the relish of spiritual things- in short, whatever increases the strength and authority of your body over your mind- that thing is sin to you, however innocent it may be in itself.”

Yikes!!!! So dear sisters, which do WE want more…. God’s best, or your personal favorites?

Psalm 101:2-3 (NLT)

2 I will be careful to live a blameless life— when will you come to help me?

I will lead a life of integrity in my own home.

3 I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar. I hate all who deal crookedly; I will have nothing to do with them.

The verse gives us some guidelines that we would do well to live by:

  1. Have no tolerance for evil.
  2. Closely monitor the type of people you allow to influence you
  3. Recognize your need for divine help

So….. the big question to ask ourselves here today is: “Are you who you claim to be?”

Understand that God’s goal for you through your integrity isn’t to take away all of your fun, like it might look on the surface. He wants so much more for you than that, dear one! His goal is to “position you as a clean, pure, available recipient of His best, most fulfilling blessings.” He needs you to leave all of these compromising distractions behind so that He can fill you with His best!

That’s what I want and I hope you want it, too! Let;s dig deep today, my dear friends, so that we can once and for all be a complete open, pure vessel ready for God’s best!

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Let’s Pray:

Dear Lord, You know how hard it is for us to let go of these worldly pleasures so I ask You to please kelp give each and every one of us the strength and courage we need today to stand for YOU and Your best for us! Impress upon our minds, hearts and soul what You need us to stop compromising in and help us to kick it all to the curb! We want to begin living the same life in private that we profess to live in public. We want YOur best, Lord, and although it won;t be easy, we know it will be worth it! In Your Son’s pure name we pray, amen <3

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Your Assignment:

What do you participate in right now that weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, and/ or takes the relish off spiritual things? Please share with us in a comment below….

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After you complete this assignment, then go back to your Facebook Group and see what Megan has for us for our daily activity.  I’m sure it is going to be interesting!!  If you do not belong to one of our FB Groups, and you wish to be added, please send us an email to: GirlfriendsCoffeeHour@gmail.com, and we’ll be happy to add you!!

Join us back here tomorrow where we will discuss the next chapter of this section:  The Three Percent DIfference.

Be a blessing,

Megan <3

…don’t forget to read what the men are up to over on Craig’s blog…

www.adversusmundi.wordpress.com

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