December 23, 2024

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY Girlfriends Coffee Hour!!!

May 5, 2013 by

GCH_Anniversary

 

Woo Hoo!! Happy Anniversary to GCH!!!

1-year ago today, Girlfriends Coffee Hour published its first LIVE Online Bible Study on this website! We had just a few women sign-up for that study, and we had a blast!

Today, GCH, as we all so fondly call it, is now in 150+ Countries across the globe!! Never in a million years would I have ever dreamed that God could use a simple housewife from Southeast Wisconsin to help spread the Gospel!! Many times, I had to be reminded God’s God This!!  Don’t ever think that God can’t use just ordinary people!!  He can, and He will, if you let Him!!

Today, we have 20 women on our Ministry Leadership Team, who help keep this ministry functioning on a daily basis! Thank God, because there is no way this housewife from Wisconsin could do this on her own! I am so very BLESSED by this amazing Team of women who give so graciously of their time, prayers, support, and LOVE!! Truly without these women …. wow!

God has blessed this ministry in so many ways. Each day we dedicate GCH to Him in our prayers, and we give Him thanks for all that He has done, and continues to do.

The scripture that God gave us for this ministry is Proverbs 27:17 (NLT) “…as iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” In this ministry, we are blessed to sharpen each other. We are blessed to hold each other accountable to building our relationship with our Heavenly Father, and being the Leaders that He has called us all to be! We are blessed to have such a Sisterhood in this ministry, where faith, friends, and fellowship flourish in our Fellowship & Study Groups!

I give God all praise, honor, and glory, for Girlfriends Coffee Hour! I hope you will help us celebrate this week! We will be giving away some amazing prizes this week in honor of our anniversary! Stay tuned … on Monday (tomorrow) we will announce the first prize!! These prizes are going to bless your socks off!!

Be sure to leave a comment below to let us know how GCH has been a blessing in YOUR life! We’d love to hear from you!

Thank You ALL so very much for joining us this last year! We hope to see you around for many more years to come!!

May the Good Lord Bless You,

Christi Wilson
Founder of Girlfriends Coffee Hour

Filed Under: At Home w/ GCH, Women's Ministry Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Life’s Healing Choices: Chapter 3 — Make the Choice

January 24, 2013 by

MAKE THE CHOICE

Choice 3: Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control.

Over the past two weeks we’ve been reading and sharing a lot about the issue of control.  It seems to be a common thread in our lives – control the world around us in our way and hope it all works out as we planned.  But as we’ve seen we don’t have the power to control our lives, despite what we may think.  It is only through surrendering to His control that we truly find life.

As I went back through my book for today’s blog, I was struck again by John Baker’s personal story on page 81.  I  felt as if I was reading my own story.  I was saved at 14, and did all that I thought I was supposed to do – Sunday School, youth groups, retreats, even Christian college.  But something was still missing.  In my youth, I surrendered all I thought I should surrender, but it wasn’t truly ALL of my life.  From college I made wrong choices with relationships, hurt people closest to me, and kept running from the one person who could truly set me free from my fears and worries.  God.  And, just like John Baker, no matter how bad my choices were, God was still waiting for me with outstretched arms.  I can think back to times He was trying to get my attention and pull me back, but I brushed it off and kept going “my way.”

When I ended an engagement at a young age, I heard God questioning my decision.  But He just didn’t understand.  When my husband said we were moving out of state, against my wishes, I heard God telling me to speak up.  But He just didn’t understand.  When I battled infertility, I cried out to God begging to know what I did wrong to deserve this trial.  I didn’t hear Him respond.  When I was starting an affair, God was calling me out.  But He just didn’t understand.  When my marriage fell apart and I was moving the next guy in, God tried to get my attention again.  But He just didn’t understand.  Do you see a pattern here?  Me, a little speck on this earth, telling the God of the Universe that He doesn’t understand!  Wow, talk about pride!

On May 11, 2001 the world came crashing down around me in ways that no one could have ever seen coming.  People I thought were friends left me.  Family no longer supported me because it was too difficult a reminder of what my ex had become.  There was no greater example in my life of how little control I really have over anything than at this time of my life.  But, I also heard God very clearly that night, “Do I have your attention THIS time?”  He wasn’t judging me, or giving me any “I told you so” type lectures.  He greeted me with open arms and the patient love only the Father can give.

God reminded me that He had been with me all the way, through every poor decision, every time I pushed Him aside because He didn’t understand my plans and way of doing life.  He also reminded me of one precious gift He had given to me, a little ray of sunshine I called my daughter.  She was the inspiration I needed to get out of bed and keep moving until I could think clearly during these rough days.  She had no one but me, so I had to keep going.  I realized that while He didn’t bring the chaos and pain to my life, He allowed it to happen for my good.    We are reminded of this in Romans 8:28: “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (NLT)

Two years later, I heard a song on the radio that brought instant tears to my eyes … another God-message for me.  Martina McBride released a song called “In My Daughter’s Eyes” and sings, “She was sent to rescue me”.  (http://youtu.be/eLS0Y40WwlA)   I truly believe that God sent my daughter to rescue me, and to return me to His fold.  You see, by medical standards she should not be here.  Doctors cannot explain how I was able to get pregnant and managed to carry a child to term with the health issues I experienced.  Seven years of infertility and suddenly, this miracle.  The last time my doctor said this to me was after my hysterectomy in 2010.  We were discussing the pathology report and his surgical findings, and he said, “I just don’t know how your daughter is here.”  I just smiled and said, “That’s because you didn’t create her.”  I knew she was fully and entirely God’s plan for my life.   But through her life, God gave me the wake-up call I needed to throw up my hands in surrender, and return to His open arms.

PRAY –

This week, we focused on committing ALL of our lives to Christ, not just the areas we think He should have, but ALL areas.  As I read Chapter 3, I was reminded of a song from my early church days, “I Surrender All.”  This clip is one of my favorite versions by Jaden Lavik.

http://youtu.be/uaTXNxUXcn4

Now is the time to ask Christ in to your heart if you have not already done so.  Admit you are powerless without Him, acknowledge His death on the cross for your sins, and the power of His resurrection for your eternal salvation.  Are you ready to make this decision for Christ?

If you are part of this study and do know Christ, use this time to rededicate your whole life to Him, asking Him to take full care and control over the areas of your life you’ve previously guarded.  As the song says, “All to Jesus I surrender, all to Him I freely give.”  He won’t bully His way in and take over.  It’s a choice you must make to freely turn over your life.

WRITE –

1 Corinthians 5:17 tells us “this means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

What does this verse mean to you?

Go back to your notes from Chapter 1, how do you feel today compared to when you first made those notes?

What are you having a difficult time surrendering to God?

What are some things you will ask God to do in your “new life”?

 

SHARE –

 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Making a decision to commit your life to Christ is the most important decision you will make in your life.  Yes, more important than your choice of spouse, career, or home.  This decision remains with you for eternity, and what an awesome promise that is for us!

Take time this week to let others know about the reason for the changes in your life.  Share with them about the freedom, joy and hope you are learning to experience.  Encourage them to surrender to His care and control and allow Him to change their lives, too.

 ___________________

Power Verses:

Ephesians 1:13 NIV

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.

Acts 16:31 NLT

Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.

2 Timothy 3:16 NLT

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.

 Phil 4:13 CEV

Christ gives me the strength to face anything.

 

Lord, what a precious gift You have offered to each of us!  You said in Your Holy Word, Romans 10:9 that if we confess the Lord our God and believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, we shall be saved.  We admit that our choices haven’t followed Your plans for us, but we seek to follow You more closely.  We surrender our lives to You, placing ourselves fully in Your care and control.  We know that You desire the best for us, and we need to learn to trust this truth on a daily basis.  Thank You for Your awesome gift and the blessings You have given to each of us.  Amen.

___________________

If you would like to send a private email to Amy in regards to this blog, please email her at:

Amy@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com

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Crazy Love – Week 2 / Chapter 2: “You Might Not Finish This Chapter” pgs. 39-40

January 14, 2013 by

James 4 13-14

Do you live each day as if your life could go on forever… or like you could die at any moment?

A little light discussion for today, right? I know, I know….. you’re thinking:

“But Megan….. it’s MONDAY!!!!!!” Yes, it is… and what if it was your LAST?

If you’re anything like me, on any given day you are spread in any number of directions. You are top chef, home manager, taxi driver, appointment setter, taker and reminder. You take care of everyone in your life…. and pray you maybe have some time in your day to care about YOUR hopes, wants, dreams ands needs in there, too.

Mr. Chan brings to our attention in our reading today that “on the average day, we live caught up in ourselves.” Ouch. I hate to admit this as much as you do, but he’s right….. isn’t he? Today needs to be the day that you look at every day forward (including today) differently.

Just stop for a second and catalog what all had to happen in order for you to even be reading this blog….. What does that REALLY look like? It doesn’t just happen, you know?  I’m not even going to get unto how you actually got to the place where you are reading this blog because I could write for days just on that idea alone……. but simply for your computer to be able to function in such a way as to bring these simple words and images on a screen for your eyes to feast on….. THAT is amazing. I realize that this blog is probably not a life-saving thing for you and you would certainly survive if, for some reason, technology wasn’t being your friend today and you were unable to read these fine words……

….but how AWESOME is it that it DOES work? Each little megabyte and gigabyte…. they all work together for the glory of God to give you some food for thought as you prepare your day. That is pretty neat… and it is certainly bigger than you or me.

We always act like we have more time… That we will just do “it” tomorrow or that “it” can wait. What if there is no tomorrow? Y0u certainly would have missed this message if you didn’t read it today and I can’t help but then think that maybe lives would miss out on your perspective about it as a comment that you didn’t post as a comment for the world to see all because you missed the message.

AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Goodness gracious…. please leave a comment today because it certainly is not guaranteed that you will be able to do it tomorrow 🙂

I think that NOW is a good time to pray <3

Dear Lord, thank You for this revelation as we begin our second week of this study. Help us today to begin anew living in the moment and not caught up in the past or the future…. but letting YOU lead and guide our steps in the now to be able to live abundantly in Your presence daily. Thank you, Lord, for this provision! Help us to live with a new sense of urgency with Your plan in the forefront of our hearts and minds. We love You Lord and we thank You for this guidance. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen <3

Your Assignment…..

How DO you live each day??? Do you live each day as if your life could go on forever… or like you could die at any moment? What do you need to change TODAY to begin to live with the urgency that God wants of you? Please leave me a comment below and let’s get this conversation started without delay!

Blessings,

Megan 🙂

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If you are interested in joining this amazing online Bible study for Crazy Love, click HERE to sign up. Once you are registered, you will receive an email with further details.

If you would like to email a private message to Megan in regards to this blog, please email her at: megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

 

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

A Lady In Waiting: A Reflection

December 14, 2012 by

Here is a little fun fact about me…up until two years ago I have NEVER finished reading a book.  Sometimes I would only get two chapters in, other times I got to almost the end but never made it to the last page of the book.  The first book I have ever finished reading completely was A Lady In Waiting! I remember thinking to myself this must have been a really good book because I actually read the entire thing!  That thought was confirmed when I decided to read it a second time with all of you ladies!  One thing that foolishly kept me reading, the first time around, was thinking if I made it to the last page once I flipped it over I would be guaranteed a husband.  In a way that was such a false thought, but in another way I found out what this book did guarantee for me and it proved to be way better than a husband!

For a girl who really struggled with everything that goes along with men, this book was just what I needed-a Godsend if you will.  When I read the title alone I knew I needed it.  I felt God saying to me, buy this book now!  So I did, and from that moment on I went on a journey with God.  One in which He showed me that my love story is not about just any man I may meet one day, it is about ME and GOD.

The first night I started reading the book I could not stop reading.  I highlighted so many words and sentences, I took notes feverishly; you would have thought someone would be quizzing me the next day on what I was reading.  I honestly could not get enough of GOD’S truth that I was reading on each page.  God used this book to draw me closer to Him.  It was through this book that I learned being single is not about me finding my husband, it is about me finding my God.  After the first night I started reading I decided to really find out all I possibly could about who God was to me.

When I first read this book, I was just fine waiting on my husband.  In fact, I still had such a sour taste in my mouth about all men; I was perfectly fine waiting forever.  The second time around that was not the case.  Two years later I found myself completely healed from past hurts with men (thank you Jesus).  Honestly, my heart was ready for a relationship and simply got tired of waiting.  This book has helped me learn what I am supposed to be doing while I wait.  Patience is not all about waiting; it is about our attitude as we wait.  Are we sulking in self-pity because we are alone or are we enjoying and making the most of the time we have alone with God?  This book is filled with the joys of singleness-having time with God.  I have found that when serving God that is when I am closest to Him.  I have decided to serve Him every chance I get and not missing out on those chances because of feeling like I am missing out on my husband.

A Lady In Waiting is overflowing with Godly advice on waiting for a relationship, being in a relationship, and the man you will be in that relationship with.  That is the main reason why I sort of kind of believed that I would finally have a ring on my finger after reading.  The fact of the matter is this book is not our life story.  It does not even come close.  God has written a perfectly thought out and breath-taking story for each and every one of us!  He knows our hearts, thoughts, souls, and desires.  He knows what is best for us and wants us to feel His love every moment of every day.  Singleness may be just a season for some and it may be a lifetime here on Earth for some; but thankfully a relationship with God is not just a season and it lasts longer than a lifetime here on Earth.  Our relationship with God takes us into eternity to be with our Bridegroom in Heaven forever and always!  That is where our joy is found, in a right relationship with God.

Being single does not accurately define us ladies in waiting.  In fact we are not single at all we are in a relationship with God.  With that truth shining so bright I am almost embarrassed of what a worldly demand I had when I first sat down to read this book-to have a ring on my finger afterwards.  What a unfulfilling desire to work towards.  The second time I read A Lady In Waiting with all of you I think I finally got “it”.  This book was not created to guarantee a ring on our finger after completion of the last word on the last page of the book.  Quite the contrary, this book was created to guarantee a stronger, closer, more personal relationship with our God!  It is not about the accessory of a shiny ring, it is about the accessory of the love of Jesus.  Rings will not last forever but HIS love will! 

I pray that after completion of this book, you accept and show off the most beautiful part of your story, JESUS’ LOVE.  I pray this book has guaranteed the same for you as it has for me, a closer more personal relationship with the complete love of your soul: Jesus Christ!

Let’s Pray: 

Lord, thank you for the study of A Lady In Waiting that you have brought into each of our lives.  I pray that each woman in this study leaves this study with a closer, stronger relationship with you.  I thank you for your many blessings you pour out on us daily.  Help us to remember the beautiful accessory you are in our lives each and every day.  Thank you for the story you have created for us and we trust you to write every page just the way you want!  We love you so incredibly much, Amen.

Your Assignment: 

Spend time reflecting on this study.  Has this study brought you closer to God?  Do you find fulfillment in the accessory of Jesus’ love or are you still waiting for that ring?  Let us know how we can be praying for you!

Our Next Single Women’s Online Bible Study

“Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul”

by John & Stasi Eldredge

Begins January 6, 2013

Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul

Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul

To sign up for this Online Bible Study, click HERE and follow the instructions. You will also be given a link to where you can purchase this bible study. We’re looking forward to studying “Captivating” with you!!

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Lady in Waiting: Motive Check

November 15, 2012 by

“The less I give, the more I get back.” Anyone ever heard the song Poison and Wine by The Civil Wars? The male and female vocalists express their misinterpretations of the others’ love. In this line the male slyly remarks on how his lack of giving actually causes the woman to give more. Ever felt that way? At times I feel that I give my whole heart, energy, and attention to the men in my life and receive little in return. Even worse, I have come to expect that I will not receive back what I put into relationships with men. Before this begins to target men as the issue and we all get up in arms about how rude they are to act that way, let’s look at the words that I used here. First of all I used ‘men”, and not ‘a man’ – I have put my time and energy into men who I am not invested in a serious relationship with, hoping that they would give me something in return. Secondly, I used ‘men’, and not ‘my friends.’ If my purpose in helping, giving, and supporting is to get the attention of men and get something in return, then I am doing it with the wrong motives.

In any service, one’s entire focus ought to be to bless the other person without the expectation of receiving anything back. This goes for relationships with men and women alike. Now if all you are looking for in helping that male friend clean up his house, do his laundry, or pick out something to wear to an interview is a date request, a snuggle session, or a kiss goodnight, check your motives. This is especially difficult for me because ‘acts of service’ is most certainly my love language. I enjoy nothing more than helping out a friend in need, but I must always ask myself why I desire to help this person out.

I love the idea of taking care of a man. I want to be a wife to, to comfort, to encourage, to support a man. Even though I am single, I still have this desire, so when a male friend that I care about is hurting, is in need, is frustrated, or needs my help, I want to jump in and take care of him right away. I do not think that this is a necessary evil. I think that there are very healthy ways to exercise our sexuality outside of marriage, and figuring out what that means for you is important. However, I do think we need to check our hearts and our motives in making these choices. If you are ignoring and denying friends help who have “nothing to offer” in the way of a romantic relationship, but pouring out tons of love and attention on the men in your life who may be possibilities, this ought to be a red flag.

Our good deeds, our help, our love and attention, should not be done in order to receive something back or with selfish motives. All kinds of caring should be for the benefit of the other person, not your own benefit. Don’t let yourself become a person who gives with selfish motives and then pitches a fit when all you get is a sweet ‘thank you’ or a hug in return. Many men will most certainly appreciate your generosity, but any act of service is much more appreciated without strings and ties attached. If you are unsure of your motives, ask yourself the last time you went that far out of your way to help out a girlfriend in need. Ask yourself the last time you turned down the opportunity to help out a guy, in order to instead help out your sister.

Now, with your heart in check, go, do good deeds, love on everyone who crosses your path, and don’t plot out how you can win a man’s heart by giving him all of yours before he has even earned it.

_____________________

Let’s Pray:

Heavenly Father, thank you for creating us with a desire to give, to help, and to love. Thank you for giving us relationships with men and women who we can bless with those gifts! Give us the wisdom to check our motives, analyze our intentions, and act in an upright way. Teach us to be servants to all people in our lives, without expecting anything in return. Teach us to love others the way you love them.

_____________________

Your Assignment:

What are ways that you have blessed someone by helping them out this week? Can you say that your motives were pure? Tell us ways that you have helped out your friends. Compassion? Patience? A listening ear? Help with a move? Find a way to bless a sister in Christ, or a brother that you have no intentions of having a relationship with. No strings attached. Report back when you do!!

_____________________

For the “Lady in Waiting” Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. You can order the book right through our website by clicking the “sign-up here” button at the top of our webpage; which is also where you can sign up to participate in this awesome bible study!

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Resolution for Women: Choose Wisely

September 24, 2012 by

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

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

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

Proverbs 13:22

A good (woman) leaves an inheritance.

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

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

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

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

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

Let’s pray:

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

____________________________________________

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- The Encourager

September 12, 2012 by

1 John 3:18

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

_____________________________________

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”

________________________

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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The Resolution for Women: Structural Soundness

August 21, 2012 by

“Blessed are those whose way is blameless”

Psalm 119:1

____________________________

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!

__________________

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

__________________

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….

________________

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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The Resolution for Women: All Clear

August 15, 2012 by

Jeremiah 31: 34

“I will forgive their wrongdoing and never again remember their sin.”

___________________________

Don’t you wish  forgiveness was as easy as Priscilla describes in today’s chapter, using the “Delete” button?  I mean look at the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s!  Perhaps if only one of them had used the ‘Delete’ button years and years ago, the incredible family feud that has gone on for so many years, taking many lives, would have been long over – instead they have made history over a lifetime of unforgiveness.  In scripture it tells us the following ~

 “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you”      Ephesians 4:32

Being around someone you don’t like and being kind is one thing; however,  forgiveness has to be the hardest pill for us to swallow.  “Excuse me Lord, you want me to forgive Her“?  [emphasis]  How many of us have asked that question over and over with various people in our lives.  It’s so much easier for us to just ignore people – stop associating with them – or chalking them off in our lives rather than doing as Jesus would and forgiving them.   It’s built into our flesh – it’s human – there is no “delete” button.

How many of you have someone in your life that you need to forgive?  How many have a dark cloud hanging over your head because this issue is not resolved? Doesn’t it truly keep cropping up? Perhaps you miss a family function because of this or you actually find yourself missing this person you’ve chosen not to forgive~ both situations very irritating, keeps the wound festering even long after the event.  Unfortunately, we cannot seem to hit that “delete button” to free them and to free us.

Well, it’s time to hit the “delete” button.  Scripture makes it clear.  Jesus has made it clear.  Do not let one more day go by without reaching way deep down inside of your heart to forgive to, lift the burden this carries on your life.  Not only will you feel better yourself mentally and physically, but you will be following the desires of God’s heart.  THIS is worth it all by itself!

So,  if forgiving others is tough, what about the need to forgive yourself?  Well, that’s a whole different story, huh!?

The following story is true and it breaks my heart to tell it; however, it’s a story that truly screams out forgiveness in every sense of the word so I need to share it.

I have a friend and  when he was away one day, his oldest son was riding his bike outside and fell; his mother ran out the door to rescue him.  Unfortunately, while mom was outside with her injured son, his 2-year-old brother went through an opened sliding glass door and into the pool drowning.  Horrifying, right?  RIGHT!  Can  you absolutely imagine the pain of this mother?  Do you think she has forgiven herself today?   The true answer is, I honestly do not know for sure.  Her mistake cost her son’s life ~ that is a level of forgiveness I cannot even imagine having in this situation.

And, what about this little guy’s father?  This baby boy was the apple of his eye, his heart – and now he was gone due to an accident caused by a simple mistake.  An open door.  And he wasn’t there to protect him.  He couldn’t save him. Outside of not being able to forgive himself, what about forgiveness for his wife?  The wife who left the door open that his baby went through The turmoil that must have (and likely still does) cause him agony. How does one dig that deep?

Here’s the GREAT part.  Here’s the part we need to get and understand…..Priscilla says, “No human forgiveness is strong enough, not even your own, to ever free you from the torturous remainder of your offense and the cloak of guilt in it lays on your shoulders”  – did you hear that  NO HUMAN FORGIVENESS IS ENOUGH .  There is only one way to lift that black cloud, to free yourself from the bondage and years of suffering and that is to accept the gift that Jesus Christ has given us – the gift of freedom – freedom from our sins.  He forgives US – we in turn need to forgive others.

Priscilla says it best when she says, ‘He felt the crown of thorns pressed onto His head.  He took the beating……..He hung on Golgotha’s tree.  That’s when you received all the forgiveness you’ll ever need.  When he cried, ‘It is finished!’.  It was done.”   – The ‘DELETE’ button pressed.  For us.  For each and every one of us.

Do not let another day go by without forgiving yourself or someone else.  Press your Delete button today. Jesus did.

———————————————————————————————————————

Your Assignment:

  • Describe in your own words the differences and connections between forgiving yourself and receiving God’s forgiveness.
  • Choose one past action that you’ve held against yourself, and then prayerfully (INTENTIONALLY)  consider the Lord’s payment for this sin. Choose to receive it for yourself.
    ______________________
    Let’s Pray:
    Father God, thank you for the gift of forgiveness.  For dying on that cross for us and freeing us from all of our sins.  It is my prayer Father that whatever burdens we carry internally or those that we carry for others be removed as we remember that day on Calvary.  May we intentionally work in the name of forgiveness.  We ask these things in your humble name. We love you Father, Amen.

Now it’s time to go back to your Facebook Online Bible Study Group to see what your Daily Activity is!!  I’m guessing it’s going to be a fun one!!  If you are not currently in one our FB OBS Groups, and would like to be, please send an email to:  GirlfriendsCoffeeHour@gmail.com, and we’ll be glad to add you!!

Love,

Kelley <3<3

Read all about Craig’s Resolution for Men Journey here: www.adversusmundi.wordpress.com

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