{"id":12859,"date":"2013-07-08T01:00:22","date_gmt":"2013-07-08T05:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/?p=12859"},"modified":"2013-07-07T20:56:47","modified_gmt":"2013-07-08T00:56:47","slug":"i-am-chapter-1-day-1-introductions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/2013\/07\/08\/i-am-chapter-1-day-1-introductions\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cI AM\u201d Chapter 1 \u2013 Day 1:  Introductions"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHi, my name is Teresa and <strong>I AM<\/strong> <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">____hmmmmm<\/span>_____.\u201d\u00a0 <strong>I AM<\/strong> one of those people who would rather not be in the spotlight.\u00a0 It makes me uncomfortable.\u00a0 I look at those people who can talk to strangers, speak in public, and smile during awkward moments&#8212;and <strong>I AM<\/strong> in awe.\u00a0 Literally.<\/p>\n<p>To me, those people are butterflies.\u00a0 I am a moth.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>They are comfortable.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<strong>I AM<\/strong> self-conscious.<\/li>\n<li>They are graceful.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<strong>I AM<\/strong> clumsy.<\/li>\n<li>They are special.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<strong>I AM<\/strong>\u2026me.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>THEY are butterflies; <strong>I AM<\/strong> a moth.<\/p>\n<p>And then\u2026God showed me something very special.\u00a0 He created the butterfly and the moth with care.\u00a0 Neither winged creature is lacking anything for its existence.\u00a0 Did you notice this?\u00a0 Did you also notice that there are MANY more moths than butterflies?\u00a0 Somehow that fact made me feel better.\u00a0 Maybe I notice those butterflies because there are fewer of them, not because they are better or more needed than me.\u00a0 After all, God did create more moths than butterflies.\u00a0 Didn&#8217;t He?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>\u201cOur differences make us beautiful and unique.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>We have the same Creator God who wants to show us who He is.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>I was envious of those butterflies until I saw myself the way Jesus did.\u00a0 This Bible we have and the world we live in are God\u2019s introduction to us.\u00a0 He invites us to get to know Him.\u00a0 He is God, <strong><span style=\"color: #800080;\">\u201cThe Great I AM.\u201d\u00a0<\/span> <\/strong>The identity of God in the Scriptures is truth.\u00a0 Any question or doubt I have can be answered in the Word.\u00a0 When I doubt my purpose or position in this world, all I have to do is look to Him.<\/p>\n<p>He is the True Light that draws this moth to Him.\u00a0 Butterflies flit around in the day being all graceful and pretty.\u00a0 The sun is their friend.\u00a0 We could stop and watch them for hours.\u00a0 Moths are also visible in the day, but are most noticeable at night when they are seeking a light source.\u00a0 We all <em>need<\/em> the Light source.<\/p>\n<p>Both creatures crave the light.\u00a0 One is not better than the other.\u00a0 Butterflies make me think of sunshine while moths make me think of electric bug zappers.\u00a0 You know bug zappers, don&#8217;t you?\u00a0 In the southern U.S. they are very common.\u00a0 <em>(Electric bug zappers control flying pests by drawing them to the light and then frying them.)<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0 As I expressed this thought to a friend, she reminded me of a very important truth.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cBug zappers are FALSE light\u2026you, my moth-y friend, are drawn to the TRUE Light.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>I AM<\/strong> a moth with a purpose.\u00a0 I want to be known for seeking the Light.\u00a0 Recently one of my friends shared a picture of a moth she found in her garage.\u00a0 I saw myself in that moth.\u00a0 Look at it and see if you see yourself in it, too.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_12860\" style=\"width: 188px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/1011886_10200719970015823_1441694276_n.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12860\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12860\" alt=\"Clymene Moth compliments of Jane Dixon, Photographer\" src=\"http:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/1011886_10200719970015823_1441694276_n.jpg\" width=\"178\" height=\"243\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-12860\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Clymene Moth<br \/>compliments of Jane Dixon, Photographer<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>We bear the mark of the One we serve.\u00a0 Who has placed their mark on you?\u00a0 Do you know the <strong>\u201cI AM?\u201d\u00a0<\/strong> Come with us as we seek the TRUE LIGHT together.\u00a0 This journey is for moths and butterflies alike.\u00a0 Our world would not be the same without either of these winged creatures and it will not be the same without you and me.\u00a0 Let&#8217;s discover <strong><em>who<\/em><\/strong> we are and <strong><em>Who<\/em><\/strong> we belong to.<\/p>\n<p>We all have a purpose in the Kingdom of God.<em>\u00a0<\/em><strong> I AM <\/strong>honored to walk this path with you.\u00a0 As God began to reveal the truth to me about Who <strong>I AM<\/strong>, I realized a few things.<\/p>\n<p><strong>I AM\u2026\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A moth<\/p>\n<p>A mother<\/p>\n<p>A child<\/p>\n<p>A child of God<\/p>\n<p>A dearly loved child of God<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Hi, my name is Teresa and <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">I AM<\/span> <span style=\"color: #800080;\">Beloved<\/span> by God!!!<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Jason Gray - Remind Me Who I Am (Official Music Video)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QSIVjjY8Ou8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>PRAY:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Father God,<\/p>\n<p>I thank You for these friends You have given me to walk this path with.\u00a0 Thank You for revealing Yourself to us so we may know You.\u00a0 You are our TRUE LIGHT and we seek You only.<\/p>\n<p>Thank You for Your love and for the purpose You have placed in our lives.\u00a0 We want to seek the TRUE light and live.\u00a0 Keep us away from the false light of the worldly \u201czappers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Be with us as we learn about Your character as You reveal Yourself through Scripture.\u00a0 Tell us once again <em>who we are to You<\/em>.\u00a0 We <strong>belong to You<\/strong>.\u00a0 We love You.<\/p>\n<p>AMEN<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; \u201cHi, my name is Teresa and I AM ____hmmmmm_____.\u201d\u00a0 I AM one of those people who would rather not be in the spotlight.\u00a0 It makes me uncomfortable.\u00a0 I look at those people who can talk to strangers, speak in public, and smile during awkward moments&#8212;and I AM in awe.\u00a0 Literally. To me, those people [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":12860,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[8],"tags":[144,2828,218,2832,425,436,2808,2831,2829,724,1052,2830,1135],"class_list":["post-12859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-womens","tag-bible","tag-butterflies","tag-christianity","tag-clymene-moth","tag-girlfriends-coffee-hour","tag-god","tag-i-am","tag-jason-gray","tag-moths","tag-online-bible-study","tag-teresa-bolme","tag-who-i-am","tag-womens-bible-studies","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/1011886_10200719970015823_1441694276_n.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p39pHp-3lp","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12859"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12859\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13018,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12859\/revisions\/13018"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12860"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}