Testimonies

Last night was our final meeting as a group before the end of the year gathering. To conclude our year together, I asked each of the girls to write a testimony of something God had taught them during the year of Bright Lights. Then, we gathered back together & various girls took turns sharing their testimonies. It was a sweet time of rejoicing in what the Lord has done this year. There were several times of laughter but also several tears hanging in the corners of eyes as young ladies shared the stories of God working in their hearts.

Below are a few of the written testimonies girls shared with me:

"After the lesson on giving your heart to your father, I've found out the impact gratefulness can have. I've found it easier to express thankfulness for things my parents do for me. I've also noticed more of the many, many things they do for me on a daily basis."

"This year in Bright Lights, I was probably most affected by the lesson on encouraging your brothers and sisters. It helped me to realize that just having a 'better than average' relationship with my siblings wasn't good enough, and that I needed to be much more intentional about my words and actions. As the oldest, I have an amazing opportunity to impact their lives on a daily basis, and I had no idea how much simple little acts of kindness and encouragement could really brighten up their day. This is definitely something that I'm still working on, but I think that now I can say that I am making a conscious effort to show my love for them everyday instead of just assuming that they know how I feel. Me being more open with my emotions has really made a difference in how we can relate to one another and it has definitely improved our relationship."

"One of the biggest lessons I have learned from Bright Lights this year is diligence. This year has been very challenging for me. I have learned how to balance going to a really difficult school, working, and being a small group co-leader. I've had to learn perseverance and a lot of diligence. While I most definitely don't think I'm perfect, God has used this year to grow me and strengthen me in this area."

"Diligence has been something that I have been learning to have. I knew that I needed to be more diligent with my time and how I use it. I have really been trying to apply this to my life after Allison spoke about it a few weeks ago. I just saw how I was not really giving enough time to the Lord and that I need to spend more time in His word, especially with some difficulties going on in my life lately. This lesson really spoke to me and showed me that I needed to change things."

"One very important thing that I learned was how sinful we are compared to God. Allison talked about this during a lesson and demonstrated it by holding up a gray sheet of paper next to a black sheet of paper. Next to black, the gray sheet looked white. However, when she showed us the gray sheet of paper next to a white sheet of paper, the gray definitely looked gray.

A lot of times, to make myself feel better, I compare myself next to the world. I say, 'I'm so much better than them; I don't steal, cheat or do very bad things and I read my Bible and pray and I try to actually do better. But I have to remind myself that I shouldn't compare myself to the world, instead, I should compare myself to God. After all, by God's standards, I'm as black as could be - I can't do anything to change that. I'm powerless. I really have to rely on Jesus to wash me clean of sin. Allison's demonstration really helps me to do that, because it stuck in my mind."

"The Lord has taught me so many things that it's hard to decide which one. I believe that the Lord has taught me to realize that I am never, ever alone. The Lord loves me as I am. I am just a little speck in this big universe. He could have chosen to ignore me as a wicked, sinful person. Instead, He had His Son Jesus die for my sins. God gave me the Bible full of sweet promises and commands. To me, the Bible is a letter He has written to help me onto the path of life."

"One topic in particular that stood out to me was delighting in God's Word. I was really struggling with doing my daily devotions and this topic really helped me. One thing that stood out to me in the pamphlet was looking for Jesus in every passage. So, I started highlighting one of God's names every time I came across it. That really helped me to focus on what I was reading. I am surprised at how many of God's names are in one page! Additionally, I have really enjoyed being able to fellowship with other girls this past year during Bright Lights."

Making a Wise Comment

On Monday night we gathered for our last Bright Lights meeting of the semester! Our topic was on "making a wise comment." I encouraged the girls that young ladies who choose to use their words wisely will have an incredible testimony for God's kingdom. We discussed 4 aspects of making a wise comment: being concise, worthwhile, relevant & appropriate.

I encouraged the girls that our goal in speaking to others is not to draw attention to ourselves but rather, to benefit and encourage the listener. It shows great wisdom when we can discern when to speak, what to say and how to say it.

After the lesson, we spent time in groups of 2 or 3 practicing using our words wisely by writing letters of testimony & encouragement to others.

We ended, as always, with small group discussion & then tea!

I look forward to seeing most of you next week for our Christmas party!

Reliability of Scripture

Here are a few pictures from our meeting last week. Our topic was the "Reliability of God's Word" and we talked about how we can trust the Bible to be a strong, faultless, foundation for our lives.

We look forward to seeing everyone again in just one week!

Being Wiser Than Your Enemies

On Tuesday, we met & I shared with the girls the secret to being wiser than your enemies - Scripture memorization & meditation! We talked about the benefits, practicals & I encouraged each of them to set a Scripture memorization goal that night when they got home. (Have you set your goal yet?)

"Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me." Psalm 119:97-98

Delighting in God's Word

At the beginning of each meeting we spend some time singing together. In the past we have always just used a CD. However, this year, Katie has blessed us by accompanying our singing on the piano. It has added so much more to our singing times & I continue to enjoy the sweet voices as they fill our home!

Before the lesson, we played a rather rowdy treasure hunt type game. It involved searching the house for plastic coins, pieces of paper & Allison, all while attempting to do it quickly & fill out a worksheet with your team. Needless to say, there was a lot of pounding & shouts as girls ran up & down the stairs and encouraged their teammates. The game is a bit too complicated to attempt explaining here, so you'll have to ask someone who was there.

By the end of the game, each team had compiled a list of benefits that can be gained from spending time in Scripture.

Rather than eagerly searching for little plastic coins or pieces of paper, God has given us even greater treasures that can be found in His word! During the lesson I encouraged the girls to delight in God's Word by making the decision to spend time with Him daily.

"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby." 1Peter 2:2

See you all again in a couple weeks! Until then, enjoy the privilege of delighting in God's Word!

Receiving Rebuke

Tonight the house was bustling yet again, with a large group of energetic young ladies! To begin our meeting, the girls broke up into groups and prepared "Proverbs" to present to the rest of the group.

These presentations, which were rather amusing at times, were on topics including correct table manners & interacting with siblings.

Towards the beginning of the lesson, we had a rather abrupt & rude interruption by some pretty strange looking characters. ;)

They seemed to think they had the liberty to be in our meeting room doing whatever they pleased & got pretty offended when I told them they were wrong.

Our lesson for the evening was on receiving rebuke. Rebuke is whenever someone tells you that you are wrong. The Lord uses rebuke in our lives to help us grow to be more like Him. A young lady who is seeking to apply wisdom in her life will respond to rebuke with humility while a young lady who is walking the way of folly will reject rebuke.

Once the lesson was completed, the girls split up for small group discussion, prayer & fellowship. Finally we ended with tea & fellowship!

We'll see you all for our next meeting on October 29th!

Wisdom

Tonight we finally had our first meeting! It was exciting to see the group God has brought together! We started the evening, in the lovely weather outside, with our traditional "first meeting game." The girls rotated partners, answering various get to know you questions in 30 seconds or less. It was a fun way for the girls to briefly get acquainted with a bunch of girls in the group.

Our topic for the evening was an introduction to the set we will be covering this semester on Wisdom. Proverbs 8:11 says, "For wisdom is better than jewels; And all desirable things cannot compare with her." Wisdom is a valuable treasure that is worth seeking after! As Scripture states, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Therefore, if we want to gain wisdom we should start with a proper relationship with the Lord.

One aspect of wisdom is learning to see things from God's perspective rather than our own, earthly view. To illustrate this point, the girls were split up into teams & given a pile of puzzle pieces. The teams raced against each other to see who could complete their puzzle the fastest.

The girls all agreed that if I had shown them the picture of what the puzzle was supposed to look like it would have been much easier to put the puzzle together. Similarly, our life is filled with lots of challenges and circumstances that often don't make sense. However, God sees the big picture and knows how all those pieces are one day going to work together for good. (Romans 8:28)

Another aspect of pursuing wisdom is choosing wise companions. The people we spend the majority of our time with will have tremendous influence on our lives.

Finally, we must realize that often God's thinking is opposite the way of the world. It takes wisdom to know what God's way is.

"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." James 1:5

After the lesson, the girls broke up into their small groups. Throughout the year the girls will do accountability, prayer & discussion in these groups.

Overall it was a great beginning to what is looking like a blessed year of Bright Lights! I look forward to seeing everyone at our next meeting on October 2nd!