does Jesus have your life?

Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.

Take my moments and my days, let them flow in ceaseless praise.


Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of Thy love
Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice and let me sing always, only for my King

Take my lips and let them be filled with messages from Thee

Take my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold
Take my intellect and use every power as You choose.

Take my will and make it Thine, it shall be no longer mine

Take my heart, it is Thine own, it shall be Thy royal throne
Take my love, my Lord I pour at Your feet, it's treasure store

Take myself and I will be ever, only, all for Thee.

Here am I, all of me, take my life, it's all for Thee!

~based on the hymn by Francis Ridley Havergal

October notes - you are God's fine china plate!

2 Timothy 2:20-22
~In a wealthy home there are dishes made of gold and silver as well as some made from wood and clay. The expensive dishes are used for guests, and the cheap ones are used in the kitchen or to put garbage in. If you stay away from sin you will be like one of these dishes made of purest gold - the very best in the house - so that Christ Himself can use you for His highest purposes. Run from anything that gives you the evil thoughts... but stay close to anything that makes you want to do right. Have faith and love, and enjoy the companionship of those who love the Lord and have pure hearts.


keeping sparkle in my life

To the degree that we try to partake of the world, we diminish our brightness.

Just as God separated the light from the darkness on the first day of Creation, so He wants to separate the children of light from the children of darkness. God identifies all people as members of one of two categories:
children of light
or
children of darkness.

I Thessalonians 5:5, For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.
Colossians 1:13, He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.
Ephesians 5:2, 8, And walk in love, ...for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.
In I Corinthians 5, Paul explains that we will have interaction with unbelievers, however, we're not to become like them, but we are to be light to them! Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord.

A “dim” believer has too much light to be welcomed by the children of darkness and not enough brightness to be comfortable with the children of light!
Is the brightness of your witness being dimmed by the influences of the world? If so, ask God for wisdom today to “come out and be separate.”

1 John 1:7, If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His son cleanseth us from all sin.

being set apart for God’s purposes

Instead of seeing how close you can get to the line between right and wrong, create a large gap! Only with a pure heart can we grasp and express God’s love. Seek God wholeheartedly! Use God’s Word to purify your heart (praying Scripture to Him). “the enemy doesn’t have to destroy us, just distract us. Little distractions tolerated over a long period result in big disasters” - Daniel Henderson

You've been set apart - just like a fine china plate. You are more valuable than you can ever imagine. You are a special gift from God. The plate is a reminder of how God sees you- in Christ you have a new nature (2 Peter 1:4); you are beautiful, lovely, costly, perfect, pure. It's a privilege to be set apart. God wants to use you for His highest purposes. Be clean and ready so He can use you to serve others. You are God's fine china plate - to be used for His perfect purposes. Be set apart for God.
You may be the only Bible that people ever read... so what are they reading? Col.2:6 - as you have been taught, so walk in Him!

We read a short story called, The Secret of the Fine China Plate, from Robin Jones Gunn's book Gentle Passages.


You will be known by: what you flee from, what you follow after, what you fight for, and WHO you put your faith in (1 Timothy 6:11-12). Always remember how precious you are to God! Read Psalm 139 and write down how much you mean to the Lord.

How to be an Energy-Giver

An energy-giver is someone who loves God with all of his heart, and therefore turns to love his neighbor as he loves himself.

As he focuses on loving and serving God, he invests his life in meeting the needs of those around him, freely giving of himself, his time, his talents, and his resources to make others successful, cared for, and appreciated. His heart is so full of the grace and love of God that he can’t help but share God’s love with others.

• He seeks after God’s face by spending time in Bible study and prayer, and he shares the insights he finds with others.
• He offers a ready smile and has a rebounding source of enthusiasm.
• Always looking for ways to serve those around him, he puts his heart into the tasks at hand and is diligent in simple and complex tasks.
• He does more than is required of him.
• He looks for the good in others and is quick to praise what he sees.
• He remembers those who have invested in his life and he is grateful for them.
• He enjoys good humor, but turns away from foolishness that hurts and harms others.
• He lives frugally so that he can give to others.
• He is quick to forgive his offenders and offer restoration.
• He seeks for the truth and applies it to his life; he is obedient to God’s words.
• He prays for others.

Notes from our September gathering

Psalm 133:1, Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
1 John 4:8, He who does not love has not become acquainted with God (does not and never did know Him), for God is love.

At this meeting, we had three scenarios that the girls read and discussed. We then talked about them as a group, and here are our notes:
Problem #1
I am never happy!
Nothing ever goes my way! I never get the things that I really want in life! I guess I’ll never be satisfied and happy until I am married and running my own home. Oh, when will that day come?!

Your character will be formed by the time you are twenty, so stop and think about how you act at home right now. Your choices today are forming habits- good or bad- that you will take into your future. Every action has results.
Seek to be an energy-giver to your family. Realize that an unsatisfied heart is a stronghold waiting to happen. Ask Jesus to satisfy you. Comparison destroys contentment.
O satisfy us with Your mercy and lovingkindness in the morning (now, before we are older), that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. ~Psalm 90:14

And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint. ~Galatians 6:9

Problem #2
My brother is so irritating! You would not believe how much he talks... he is constantly teasing me... he fidgets all the time and can never sit still... his room is so messy... what a cluttered person!... we seem to get in trouble a lot and my parents always tell me that I provoked him... don’t they know how big of a bother he is to me???! No one understands.
I try to act differently and want to love him, but he just never changes.

Start praying blessings on your brother - ask God to bless him with the qualities that he is lacking. Realize that you can never change another person; you can only change yourself and your perspective on the situation. Don’t try to make up your own love; cry out for the real thing: His love. Learn to yield your rights. All anger can be traced to unyielded rights. Strive to be a cheerleader for your sibling, and not their second mother.
Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. ~Philippians 2:3-8

He who covers and forgives an offense seeks love, but he who repeats or harps on a matter separates even close friends. ~Proverbs 17:9

Problem #3
My parents are always telling me what to do. I never get a moment’s rest! I have so many responsibilities - my school work, helping out with chores, music practice... and sometimes I even have to make dinner! Everything needs to be perfect, but it’s just too much. Oh no, here comes my mom again - what is she going to ask me to do now??? Life sure is hard.

Your parents are not perfect, but you can be assured that God is and what He allows is for your good. God is big enough to change your parents heart if that is needed. Ask God to show you if you are being stubborn, rebellious or disrespectful in any way. Ask the Lord to clothe you in His humility and grace; to help you to submit & obey cheerfully and to respond respectfully. Submission places you under the protection of God. Trust in God’s sovereign plan. Appeal if necessary. Rebellion opens you up to the attack of the enemy.
But He gives us more grace. That is what Scripture says: God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. ~James 4:6

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is just and right. Honor (esteem and value as precious) your father and your mother- this is the first commandment with a promise. That all my be well with you and that you may live long on the earth. ~Ephesians 6:1-2

Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily (from the soul), as something done for the Lord and not for men. ~Colossians 3:23

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. ~1 Samuel 15:23

God commands us to love each other. Love is not an emotion, but an action. Love is the things we do, and hold back from doing. Love is an act of the will. It is His fruit of the Spirit- His love. So what are you connected to? What are you rooted and grounded in? Is your root system healthy? To thrive and grow and show love - you must have a relationship with Jesus Christ! HE IS LOVE.

Summer gathering of Girls Really Living

Questions to consider:
Who are my friends?
Do they fully love God?
Do I feel they draw me closer to God or do they make me focus more on the world?
Am I influencing my friends, or do my friends influence me? (for good?)
Do I have friends that my parents disapprove of?
What action do I need to take?
Purpose to experience God’s best in your friendships!

first impressions
you only have ONE opportunity to make a first impression on another! “For if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?” Matthew 5:47. We "salute" by sending out a first impression, signaling our acceptance of them as they are, with the desire to bless them with what they could be. -overlook outward distractions -picture their potential in Christ -don't forget to entertain strangers -give a warm smile -use their name -don’t prejudge! -be careful at how you LOOK at others (giving a message of rejection)

making friends or making disciples?
The KEY to keeping standards is making disciples because they will hold you accountable... teaching others the commands of Christ. Have genuine love for others - John 13:35. Surrender your life to do it.

2 ISSUES we struggle with: either wanting to be like those friends who have rebelled and gone a different direction - peer pressure, wanting acceptance OR you look down on those who’ve gone astray, despising them, not having anything to do with them, not speaking to them, etc.
Don’t have contempt- like Jonah and the Pharisees. Don’t lose sight of other’s value. You don’t dislike them; you dislike the sin. Pray for the love of Christ.
The reason why you do or don’t do certain things should be from your love for Jesus Christ and out of your love for others (not wanting them to stumble or be offended).
“Inasmuch as ye have done it to the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto Me “- Matthew 25:40b

Unity
it comes from the Holy Spirit. God doesn’t want us to all be uniform (look alike, dress alike, sound alike - all pressure from without), but humble (Phil 2, lowliness of mind/focus on inward).

How to be a Godly friend -Encourage (pouring courage into another’s life). Pray for them. Share Scripture with them. Notes. Phone calls. Emails. Birthday remembrances.
Have standards that will protect you. Yield your whole life to Christ (mind, emotions, will, body)! Having a dating spirit - singling out someone for special attention without intending to pursue marriage and without going through proper authorities. Flee from secret relationships. Honor your parents and things will go well with you! 1 Thess. 5:23 Guarding your heart, Proverbs 4:23, involves removing anything will hinder you from obeying the first and greatest commandment (Mark 12:30). It brings an unimaginable future - 1 Cor. 2:9b.

Witnessing to Unsaved Friends
1. a silent witness, how you live your life - dress, obedience, character, words
2. verbal witness, sharing and explaining why you do what you do



When thinking about friendship, remember that Jesus is your best and dearest friend! He loves you more than anyone else ever could. He will never leave you.

May Meeting on.... Modesty!

OK, be honest! What do think about when you hear the word modesty?
-out of style, dumpy, nerdy, unattractive, old-fashioned, boring, legalistic, ugly, baggy clothing, long skirts? Maybe modesty is a word you don’t really want to think about. It may not have occurred to you that God has something to say about the clothes you wear! 

1 Timothy 2:9, adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control
1 Peter 3:3-4, addresses how external looks are not as important as internal character
1 Corinthians 10:31, addresses how, for the Christian, whatever we do is to be done for God’s glory. 
Your clothing and appearance reveal a lot about your values, character, and beliefs.

1 Timothy 2:3-6 tell us God desires all to be saved - this is mentioned before v.9. The gospel message is the motivation for modest dress. If we love Jesus, we wouldn’t want to distract from or reflect poorly upon the gospel. Let there be no contradiction between the gospel message and the clothes you wear!

Modesty is humility expressed in dress, a desire to serve others, neither promoting nor provoking sensuality or lust. Modesty, quite simply, is daring to live a life submitted to God. It is choosing to live outside of the norm. Modesty--“Propriety: The avoidance of clothing and adornment that is extravagant, showy, and sexually enticing.”
~you’ve given your life to Jesus! Be thankful He’s made you a woman and look like one!~
A girl can be covered from head to toe and still be dressed immodestly. Realize that there's a difference between dressing attractively and dressing to attract. Let’s walk among guys in a manner that seeks to protect them from temptation. Let’s serve our brothers through modest clothing.

What needs to change in MY wardrobe to reflect humility and self-control, so that I can better reflect the transforming power of Christ? Seek to shop for the glory of God!

Important thoughts: it's easy to turn a tool like this into a list of rules or to sinfully judge others who don’t agree, but we are not to impose personal preferences on others. Even if they aren’t like you, you should still be kind and genuinely interested in others. Make everyone feel welcome! Recognize everyone. Care about your heart.

Do all to the glory of God, for God, out of your love for God!

Romans 12:1-2, I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].

A Way to Spend an Hour with God

(note: spending an hour in prayer with God doesn't make you some great, wonderful Christian! If you don't pray for an hour at a time, it doesn't mean you don't love Jesus. It is simply a way of knowing God's heart, of communing with Him, of delighting Him. Remember that you can come to God anytime. Talk to God all throughout your day!)

Confession
Sin is the greatest roadblock to prayer; early in your prayer time, confess- agree with God about your sin. (Psalm 139:23-24, 51:10-11, I John 1:9)
Praise
Dwell on God’s attributes. He is an awesome God! (Psalm 34:1-3, 63:3)
Waiting
Quiet your mind and heart before God; focus on Him, being quiet in His presence. (Psalm 37:7, Isaiah 40:31)
Scripture
As you open your Bible, ask God to bless you with concentration and understanding as you read His Word. (2 Timothy 3:16, Psalm 19:7-8)
Intercession
Develop a list of names of others to uphold in prayer. (1 Timothy 2:1-2, Psalm 2:8)
Petition
Make a list of your own personal needs, and check them off as God answers prayer. (Matthew 7:7, James 4:2)
Thanksgiving
Thank God for what He has done. We have so much to be grateful for! (Philippians 4:6, Psalm 100:4)
Singing
Sing Scripture back to the Lord, or use your favorite hymnal or worship CD. (Psalm 100:2, Ephesians 5:19)
Meditation
Actively ponder and digest a passage of Scripture or a character trait of God. (Joshua 1:8, Psalm 1:1-2)
Listening
Ask God for specific direction concerning the day’s activities. (1 Kings 19:11-12, Psalm 46:10)
Psalms
Read a psalm, and pray back portions to the Lord. (Psalm 95:2, 147:1)
Praise
You began your time with praise. What better way to end it? (Psalm 50:23, 150:1-2)

notes from our April meeting!

Prayer: The first step is coming to HIM. Read Matthew 11:28-30. It's not reading the latest bestseller book or attending a dynamic seminar! Don't search for satisfaction outside of God's plan. Jesus says, Come to ME.

Mark 8:34, Amplified version - If any one intends to come after Me, let him deny himself [forget, ignore, disown, and lose sight of himself and his own interests] and take up his cross, and [joining Me as a disciple and siding with My party] follow with Me [continually, cleaving steadfastly to Me]. - if "any one" would come after Me... He's looking for one. He's looking for you. He's looking for me. He loves me!

Matthew 6:6, But when you pray, go into your [most] private room, and, closing the door, pray to your Father, Who is in secret; and your Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you in the open. Enter in and shut the door. The door is important- it shuts out and shuts in. Get alone. You don't need to perform. Talk out loud to Christ. Push the pause button on all the noise and distractions around you. You may have a quiet time, a quiet spot, but you also need a quiet heart. Create space in your life for God. Invite God in. Don't ignore Him! Prayer is celebrating and entertaining God. It's a delight to His heart (the prayer of the upright is His delight). So close the door, take a walk, go outside by yourself, and start speaking to God!

The enemy doesn't have to destroy us, just distract us. Little distractions tolerated over a long period of time result in big disasters! (James 4:8) We are being bombarded with messages every day - radio, email, music, web sites, text messaging, TV, magazines, books, movies, billboards, mail. We need to stop mindlessly absorbing any and every message that comes our way. Whether it's noise from outside, or noise just in our own head, we need to silence it so we can notice Christ and hear Him. We need to look at the ONE and ONLY source of TRUTH. Truth is Jesus Christ and His Word.

It's easy for us to become obsessed with vain imaginations or fantasies (things that aren't even true or real). 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 talks about high places- anything that grows bigger in my head than God. What is blocking your view of God? What do you think about constantly? Take it captive! Talk to God about it... confess, turn away. We're hungry, we're longing for things, we're thirsty. What are we drinking to quench our thirst? God is the only One Who can satisfy (Psalm 63). Have a heart satisfied by Jesus! Feed what you want to live and starve what you want to die.

And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you (John 14:16-17, ESV). We have a Helper! He will give us the help that we cannot give ourselves. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Eph 3:20-21, ESV). The Holy Spirit’s power at work within you; the same power that raised Christ from the dead (Romans 8:11), is able to do for you supernaturally what you could not do naturally: live for Jesus!

notes from our March gathering

Love the Lord!
Matthew 22:37-38, Jesus said to him, You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. A relationship needs to be cultivated, invested in, an actual part of your life. Do you have a relationship with God?

Deut. 4:24 describes the heart of God on fire. God's love became the color of blood. Desire the consuming fire of God to overtake you!

Ex. 20:5, I the Lord your God am a jealous God. God will not share space with anything else in your life! Anything else that is bigger than God is spiritual adultery. He wants be my One and Only! If we don't love Him first, we'll love anything. Sin is when something is more wonderful to you than Christ. It blinds you, and in the darkness you cannot see the beauty of Christ.

questions to ask yourself: Are there things in my life that are competing with my love for God? Is my love for God revealed in my love for others? Have I asked God to reveal sins in my life? Am I meditating on God's Word? Do I have any friendship with the world that is keeping me from loving God with my whole heart? How has God tested my love for Him?

So, how can you love the Lord practically? how can you know Him better?
- Bible reading
It is His love letter to us... like a real love letter, we would read it, we would really want to know what He's saying, we might even want to memorize it, or special parts of it. Think of God's Word that way.
- Quiet Time - it's by yourself, solitude, silence, listening, reading, journaling (write down what you read, truths God spoke to you, cross-references, paraphrase it, pray it), meditating, memorizing, prayer. Ask for a RHEMA (a word that He has for you, something that speaks to you, it stands out).

Verses to look up: Exodus 34:14, John 14:15, John 14:21, 1 John 5:3, Deuteronomy 10:12-13, 1 John 4:19, Proverbs 8:17, Deuteronomy 4:29, Psalm 27:4

Develop the habit of praying. What is the best time for you to spend time in the Word? Pick a time of day, have a plan on what to read! Have a place for meeting with God away from others. It's a quiet-time! The devil's after the good, not the bad, to keep you from what is best. Abraham - Genesis 19:27 (Abraham got up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the Lord); David - Psalm 5:3 (My voice shall You hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto You, and will look up), Psalm 63:1 (O God, You are my God, early will I seek You...); Jesus - Mark 1:35 (and in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.).

It's setting your face-your focus-on God. Acknowledging His presence in your life and your need for Him.

    the girls

making journals to use in our quiet times

The Story Behind Girls Really Living

There is a pressing need in our current generation of Christian young people. They are raised in Godly homes, their parents love them and want God's best for them, they attend church, they may have even accepted Jesus to be their Savior. And yet when they reach a certain age, meet new friends with different convictions, graduate, attend college... they are faced with a decision. Will they accept their parents' convictions and make those beliefs their own? Will they make sure Jesus Christ has their hearts, their soul, their body, and will they stand firm, maybe even alone, for what is pleasing to God? OR will they drift away, desire to only please their friends, wanting to look, act and talk like everyone else, giving their mind, will and emotions and sometimes their body to sin and darkness?

They need to know that there are others out there who want to live for Jesus Christ and who truly love Him! There is a need for inspiration to pursue a higher purpose in life. It is our passion to see girls in love with Christ and pursuing a personal relationship with Him. 

Our desire is to simply encourage girls to love Jesus with ALL their heart and we desire them to love God's Word - hiding it in their heart and spending one on one time with God. The girls of today need inspiration to live radically different than the dark world by which they are surrounded. Jesus Christ wants to be their LIFE, their joy and peace and reason for living. He desires them to rise above and, even as youth, "be an example to the believers."

Girls Really Living meets together once a month for encouragement, prayer, Bible study, and activities geared towards girls. It is geared for ages 12 and older~ for girls who have a desire to love God with all their heart.