What a wonderful evening we had watching the second half of the video A Walk to Remember by Renee Swoope.
She talked about how she was a Busy body Christian...always doing, being busy for God. She was saved but not satisfied. Then she felt an uneasieness in her soul which made her stop and it at the feet of Jesus and Listen.
She was ready to say "Yes, I'll be a fool for you, God."
In her life, she was busy with marriage, motherhood, and ministry. She found a book on motherhood that encouraged her to be "Miner for Gold in the lives of her children." She thought about how nice that would be to have in her life and felt God saying to her "I am the goldminer!" God told her that she was the one who was always focused on the negatives, on her mistakes but God wanted to see the good in her. God took her mess and gave her a message.
She brought out a vase which represented our life and how we put things in our lives to fill it, like clothes, children, spouses, friends, houses, food, chocolate but there things never fill all the empty places in our heart. It never satisfies us.
She told a story about Jesus at the well with the Samaritan woman. Jesus offered her living water saying "Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:13-14.
She brought back another vase that was empty and filled it, with no empty spaces with water. If we allow Jesus to be our living water, we will be satisfied, there will be no holes.
She encouraged us to open our heart through reading the Bible and to read books by Christian women who have walked with Christ.
She encouraged us to move from having Christianity be a Sunday experience to having Christianity be a life experience.
She gave us some Faith promises that each women took home with her. One of those faith promises was our theme verse " For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11.
What wonderful comfort to know that God has a plan for each and every one of us.
Next week, we'll do our first Bible Study on Deborah. Please do your homework every day before you come!!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
A Walk to Remember
Tonight we watched a DVD of speaker Renee Swope titled "A Walk to Remember". Renee told us about her life and how she came to know the Lord on a personal level.
She told us how she was living a life that focused on accumulating things, money and working towards success but there was something missing. Those things did not make her feel complete, there was a hole in her heart that was not filled with any of those things.
She wanted to have a life that was a "Walk to Remember", a life that made a difference for Christ.
She committed her life to Christ and learned that the Bible was her "Manna in the Desert."
Next week, we'll finish the DVD with more of Renee talking about her own life and how God called her into ministry.
She told us how she was living a life that focused on accumulating things, money and working towards success but there was something missing. Those things did not make her feel complete, there was a hole in her heart that was not filled with any of those things.
She wanted to have a life that was a "Walk to Remember", a life that made a difference for Christ.
She committed her life to Christ and learned that the Bible was her "Manna in the Desert."
Next week, we'll finish the DVD with more of Renee talking about her own life and how God called her into ministry.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
A New Year...Walking in Obedience
We started our 4th year of Club Mom and Girlfriends today. There is an amazing group of women that come and we want to welcome women of ages in all stages of life to join us and experience all the wonderful fellowship we have.
This year, our theme verse is found in Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."
We talked about how in the Bible, Joshua told the priests who were carrying the ark to step foot in the fast moving, overflowing Jordan River and the waters would not part until they all stepped foot into that river. We talked about how much faith it took to be obedient and take those first few steps.
We talked about how God is calling each one of us to be obedient to His calling . We traced our feet, put our name on one foot and wrote down where we feel God is calling us to be obedient on the other foot. Then we put our feet on the wall with one foot stepping into the river as a reminder that we need to take that first step of obedience before God will hold back the waters in our life.
We put special yellow feet in the rushing water of the river to remind us of Sandi, who is daily walking in obedience to God as she is working to recover from her double lung transplant in North Carolina.
We look forward to an exciting year, leaning on each other, helping each other grow, and watching how our obedience to God will provide blessing beyond our wildest dreams.
See you next week for a DVD of Renee Swope, a speaker for Proverbs 31 Ministries.
This year, our theme verse is found in Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."
We talked about how in the Bible, Joshua told the priests who were carrying the ark to step foot in the fast moving, overflowing Jordan River and the waters would not part until they all stepped foot into that river. We talked about how much faith it took to be obedient and take those first few steps.We talked about how God is calling each one of us to be obedient to His calling . We traced our feet, put our name on one foot and wrote down where we feel God is calling us to be obedient on the other foot. Then we put our feet on the wall with one foot stepping into the river as a reminder that we need to take that first step of obedience before God will hold back the waters in our life.
We put special yellow feet in the rushing water of the river to remind us of Sandi, who is daily walking in obedience to God as she is working to recover from her double lung transplant in North Carolina.We look forward to an exciting year, leaning on each other, helping each other grow, and watching how our obedience to God will provide blessing beyond our wildest dreams.
See you next week for a DVD of Renee Swope, a speaker for Proverbs 31 Ministries.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Ready for the New Year
Summer is almost over...although, some days this summer I wondered if summer ever came!
We'll be jumping right back into the Club Mom and Girlfriends schedule on Sept. 16 and you DON'T want to miss it!! This is going to be an incredible year! We have some incredible speakers lined up, some fun activities and service projects. I can't wait to get back together with all you ladies and hear about your summers!!
This year, our theme verse is found in Jeremiah 29:11 and it says "'For I know the plans I have for you,' delcares the Lord, 'Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"
This verse always gives me such peace as I think about my future and what it holds. God knows the plans for ME! He doesn't want me to be harmed but he wants to prosper.
A definition of prosper: to be successful or fortunate, esp. in financial respects; thrive; flourish.
God's definition of prosper might be very different. Have you ever thought about the fact that if God gave you success in financial respects, you may think you have everything under control and think you don't need God anymore. Or, if you are flourishing, that it's by your doing and that you don't need to rely daily on our Lord and Savior.
Just because our society says that "success" is having money and a flourishing career, that doesn't mean God defines it that way.
The Hebrew word for prosper in this verse is "Shalom". We may associate this word with peace but it also means “Completeness, wholeness, harmony, fulfillment. . . . Unimpaired relationships with others and with God.”
So the emphasis of the word is not on economic prosperity, but more on the positive relationship with God and others.
God wants a relationship with me...He's waiting for me to initiate it...waiting for me to come into his waiting arms...waiting for me to ask Him what His plans are for my future and boldly walking in faith that God plans will "prosper (me) and not harm (me), giving (me) a hope and a future."
Join us this year as we walk together on a journey of obedience to God in our daily lives.
We'll be jumping right back into the Club Mom and Girlfriends schedule on Sept. 16 and you DON'T want to miss it!! This is going to be an incredible year! We have some incredible speakers lined up, some fun activities and service projects. I can't wait to get back together with all you ladies and hear about your summers!!
This year, our theme verse is found in Jeremiah 29:11 and it says "'For I know the plans I have for you,' delcares the Lord, 'Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"
This verse always gives me such peace as I think about my future and what it holds. God knows the plans for ME! He doesn't want me to be harmed but he wants to prosper.
A definition of prosper: to be successful or fortunate, esp. in financial respects; thrive; flourish.
God's definition of prosper might be very different. Have you ever thought about the fact that if God gave you success in financial respects, you may think you have everything under control and think you don't need God anymore. Or, if you are flourishing, that it's by your doing and that you don't need to rely daily on our Lord and Savior.
Just because our society says that "success" is having money and a flourishing career, that doesn't mean God defines it that way.
The Hebrew word for prosper in this verse is "Shalom". We may associate this word with peace but it also means “Completeness, wholeness, harmony, fulfillment. . . . Unimpaired relationships with others and with God.”
So the emphasis of the word is not on economic prosperity, but more on the positive relationship with God and others.
God wants a relationship with me...He's waiting for me to initiate it...waiting for me to come into his waiting arms...waiting for me to ask Him what His plans are for my future and boldly walking in faith that God plans will "prosper (me) and not harm (me), giving (me) a hope and a future."
Join us this year as we walk together on a journey of obedience to God in our daily lives.
Monday, May 4, 2009
It's almost here...Real Beauty Weekend!
I'm so excited! The speaker, Shari Braendel is coming on Friday to talk to us all about "What Not to Wear"! She is so fun and full of energy and I promise you will laugh and learn a lot about yourself and what does and doesn't look good on you!
Join us by e-mailing us for tickets at realbeautyweekend@gmail.com.
See below for all the details!
You probably have seen or at least heard of the tv show on TLC called “What Not to Wear.” On this popular show Clinton and Stacey help those who are fashion challenged make over their wardrobe by throwing out the old wardrobe and replacing it with the right clothing that accentuates and enhances your body.
You are invited to a Christian version of “What Not to Wear” on May 8 & 9 with nationally known speaker, fashion consultant, and author Shari Braendel at Grand Ledge Baptist Church. Shari (www.sharibraendel.com) firmly believes that “good girls don’t have to dress bad” and will be sharing her tried and true tips of how to dress so that the clothing highlights the entire being rather than just a few suggestive regions. She offers practical image and style advice for all shapes and sizes.
Friday evening ($10 for adults, $5 for girls 18 and under) will be a night devoted just for girls (ages 8 & up) and their moms. Every girl loves a fashion show! What better way to raise awareness of the impact of how we dress can have on every one. What Not to Wear- Teen Edition is an exciting event packed with music, videos, and fun. Shari involves every girl as they discover how to be fashionable and feel wonderful about who they are. She will be sharing age appropriate style and fashion tips, the truth about real beauty, and the value of raising the bar on modesty and purity. The girls will leave having experienced the joy of loving themselves exactly as they are and exactly as God intended.
Saturday ($20, 2 tickets for $30 with lunch) is a day devoted just for women. What Not to Wear- A Girlfriends Guide to Glamour will be a day of opportunity for women to hear a Christian perspective on Fashion and Beauty. Women everywhere ask the same question, “How does this make me look?” Women will learn how to become the whole package as Shari details professional and practical tips to accentuate your God-given natural assets while unveiling your true, inner beauty.
She will share how to do the following:
· determine your real body type and clothing styles that suit you best,
· the truth about color (including individualized color analysis)
· share fashion tips that make you slimmer, more confident and inspire you
· tips to accessorize with confidence
· tips for buying jeans that fit
· why God thinks you are beautiful.
All events will take place at Grand Ledge Baptist Church on May 8 & 9. Friday evening is from 7-10pm with doors opening at 6 pm. Friday tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for girls 18 and under. Saturday is from 10 am to 3 pm with doors opening and individual color analysis available at 9 am. Saturday Tickets are $20 or 2 for $30 which includes lunch. Tickets can be purchased at either Grand Ledge Baptist Church office or Immanuel Community Reformed Church office. Or can be requested by e-mail at realbeautyweekend@gmail.com (you will receive directions for payment with a return e-mail.)
Join us by e-mailing us for tickets at realbeautyweekend@gmail.com.
See below for all the details!
You probably have seen or at least heard of the tv show on TLC called “What Not to Wear.” On this popular show Clinton and Stacey help those who are fashion challenged make over their wardrobe by throwing out the old wardrobe and replacing it with the right clothing that accentuates and enhances your body.
You are invited to a Christian version of “What Not to Wear” on May 8 & 9 with nationally known speaker, fashion consultant, and author Shari Braendel at Grand Ledge Baptist Church. Shari (www.sharibraendel.com) firmly believes that “good girls don’t have to dress bad” and will be sharing her tried and true tips of how to dress so that the clothing highlights the entire being rather than just a few suggestive regions. She offers practical image and style advice for all shapes and sizes.
Friday evening ($10 for adults, $5 for girls 18 and under) will be a night devoted just for girls (ages 8 & up) and their moms. Every girl loves a fashion show! What better way to raise awareness of the impact of how we dress can have on every one. What Not to Wear- Teen Edition is an exciting event packed with music, videos, and fun. Shari involves every girl as they discover how to be fashionable and feel wonderful about who they are. She will be sharing age appropriate style and fashion tips, the truth about real beauty, and the value of raising the bar on modesty and purity. The girls will leave having experienced the joy of loving themselves exactly as they are and exactly as God intended.
Saturday ($20, 2 tickets for $30 with lunch) is a day devoted just for women. What Not to Wear- A Girlfriends Guide to Glamour will be a day of opportunity for women to hear a Christian perspective on Fashion and Beauty. Women everywhere ask the same question, “How does this make me look?” Women will learn how to become the whole package as Shari details professional and practical tips to accentuate your God-given natural assets while unveiling your true, inner beauty.
She will share how to do the following:
· determine your real body type and clothing styles that suit you best,
· the truth about color (including individualized color analysis)
· share fashion tips that make you slimmer, more confident and inspire you
· tips to accessorize with confidence
· tips for buying jeans that fit
· why God thinks you are beautiful.
All events will take place at Grand Ledge Baptist Church on May 8 & 9. Friday evening is from 7-10pm with doors opening at 6 pm. Friday tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for girls 18 and under. Saturday is from 10 am to 3 pm with doors opening and individual color analysis available at 9 am. Saturday Tickets are $20 or 2 for $30 which includes lunch. Tickets can be purchased at either Grand Ledge Baptist Church office or Immanuel Community Reformed Church office. Or can be requested by e-mail at realbeautyweekend@gmail.com (you will receive directions for payment with a return e-mail.)
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
End of our 3rd year
A Barbie cake $10
A few more snacks $20
A few more snacks $20
The group of women at Club Mom and Girlfriends $$PRICELESS$$
We took our flowers off the wall tonight...the flowers that we worked on the first week of Club Mom and Girlfriends! We each had 6 petals and on each petal, we wrote down what we wanted to work on throughout the year. The 6 petals were: YOURSELF, EXTENDED FAMILY, CHILDREN, YOUR MARRIAGE, YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST, and FRIENDSHIPS.
Some of us looked back on what we wrote and were surprised that we actually did work on what we had written down. Others saw that they still needed to work on these petals of our lives. We learned a lot this year, we laughed, we cried and most of all, we grew closer in our relationship to our Lord and Savior and to each other.
I thank God for each and every woman who stepped foot in the door of Club Mom and Girlfriends and I pray we touched their life in a way they will never forget.
We look forward to seeing you all back next year!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Friendships of Women
Tonight our speaker was Heather Vanderlaan! She gave a great talk on how important friendships are.
Friends can be helpers, protectors, and an emotional support. Heather told us it's normal to have friends that are annual friends and friends that are perrenial friends. Annual friends are ones that are in your life for a season and you may help them or they may help you and then they are gone from your life and that's O.K. Perrenial friends are friends that will always be there for you. You may not see them everyday but you know they will always be there for you when you need them.
Heather told us "Relationships are more important then accomplishments."
She told us the story in Mark 4 about the paralytic man whose friends brought him to Jesus and when they saw the crowd and saw that there was no way to get through the crowd, they went through the roof instead! What incredible friend and what incredible faith they had, so much faith that Jesus told the man that his sins were forgiven and he was healed because of the faith of his friends.
From this story, we learned the we should persue friends like the paralytic man's friends persued him. We learned that we should serve one another, being the hands and feet of Jesus-like the man's friends were his hands and feet that got him to Jesus. We learned that we should believe for each other, Jesus healed the man because of the faith of his friends.
Thank you Heather for reminding us that we need to make friendships a priority.
See you next week for our end of the year celebration.
Friends can be helpers, protectors, and an emotional support. Heather told us it's normal to have friends that are annual friends and friends that are perrenial friends. Annual friends are ones that are in your life for a season and you may help them or they may help you and then they are gone from your life and that's O.K. Perrenial friends are friends that will always be there for you. You may not see them everyday but you know they will always be there for you when you need them.
Heather told us "Relationships are more important then accomplishments."
She told us the story in Mark 4 about the paralytic man whose friends brought him to Jesus and when they saw the crowd and saw that there was no way to get through the crowd, they went through the roof instead! What incredible friend and what incredible faith they had, so much faith that Jesus told the man that his sins were forgiven and he was healed because of the faith of his friends.
From this story, we learned the we should persue friends like the paralytic man's friends persued him. We learned that we should serve one another, being the hands and feet of Jesus-like the man's friends were his hands and feet that got him to Jesus. We learned that we should believe for each other, Jesus healed the man because of the faith of his friends.
Thank you Heather for reminding us that we need to make friendships a priority.
See you next week for our end of the year celebration.
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