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."

Deeper Retreat

This past weekend a group of the older girls from both this group and the other group I lead in Belleville, gathered for a time of seeking the Lord, encouraging one another & growing intentional relationships with one another. Unfortunately, we were so busy enjoying our time with the Lord & each other that we forgot to take very many pictures! However, I've asked the girls to share a few testimonies about what God did or taught them through the retreat.

"I had such a blast at the Bright Lights retreat! Not only did it give me the opportunity to dig deeper into the relationship I have with my Lord and Savior but also with the girls around me. It was such an encouragement to spend time with other believers and learn that I'm not the only one who struggles with spending as much time with God as I should. I was challenged as we spent time learning new ways to spend time with God." - 17 year old

"I was so encouraged by the videos, encouragement groups and prayer time. I loved spending time getting to know the other girls, just knowing that we are all struggling and that we can all help each other is cool. I loved being able to spend a whole weekend in prayer and talking with or about the Lord, and also finding new ways to have a deeper relationship with Him. I was really convicted by the fact that I need to surrender my entire life to Him and let Him write my story. Also, that I need to be spending more scheduled times in prayer. I really appreciated all the times we spent in prayer in our encouragement groups. It was really cool to share different thoughts, stories, verses and struggles. I know the Lord was working in each of us, and I'm so thankful for this opportunity." - 15 year old

"I had one of the most amazing times at the Deeper Retreat. At first, I didn't want to go because I didn't feel 'good enough.' However, I grew so much closer to the girls and realized they struggle with the same problems I do (even Allison! Shocking, I know! ;), which means we can pray all the more sincerely for each other. The Holy Spirit convicted me of many things - like how I wasn't surrendering my whole life to Jesus - and the retreat pushed me to answer those questions which sit in the back of your mind that you don't want to deal with. After the retreat, I felt so refreshed, encouraged and close to my Lord." - 16 year old

"God further instilled in me a fervor to fear Him and obey His calling no matter what other people think or say. To possess Chazak and Amats! RAK CHAZAK  people of God!!" - 18 year old

Memories Video 2012

I just thought I'd share the memories video/slideshow we showed at our banquet earlier this month for those who were unable to attend or want to enjoy it again! :)

Gratefulness Banquet

Last night we ended the year with a banquet for the families in our Bright Lights group. It was a blessed time of celebrating what the Lord had done in our group over the past year.

We started out with eating supper together..

The mothers taking care of the yummy food. :)

Then the girls sang & presented Scripture they had memorized with their small groups.

And after a video of gratefulness to the parents, a slideshow & awards.. everyone enjoyed fellowship together.

Future Bright Lights! :)

It was a wonderful evening & a great opportunity to celebrate all God has done in our group this year! I'm already looking forward to next fall and all He has in store for us in the future!

Last 4:12 Meeting

Tonight we wrapped up the 4:12 one-on-one discipleship several of the girls in our group have been doing together this semester. These discipleship times have been a wonderful opportunity to spend intentional time in prayer, accountability & Bible study together! Here are a few pictures from the weeks (more pictures in this post)...

This evening each of the girls shared something she appreciated about her partner and something the Lord had taught her through 4:12. It was encouraging to hear young ladies share about a renewed hunger for God's word, a greater desire to honor parents & improved sibling relationships! I encouraged each of these girls to continue intentional relationships with each other, to remain consistent accountability and prayer for each other throughout the summer!

I praise the Lord for all He has done in these young ladies this semester & look forward to hearing of the continued fruit in each of their lives!

Set 4 Testimonies

Here are a few of the testimonies girls wrote last semester after we finished Set 4. I hope you'll enjoy reading these & rejoice in what God is doing in our group this year!

"Courage to Stand Alone was my favorite lesson. I learned about this a few years ago, but it's always good to be reminded again because we are humans and slip up. I know for myself, I tend to find myself wanting to "blend in" but instead I need to tell myself that God has called me to a higher purpose and I should be serving my Lord instead of myself." -age 14

"Although the lessons have influenced me in more ways than I can count, the way God has most used Bright Lights in my life is giving me boldness. There have been other factors that have helped me with this issue, but Bright Lights has definitely been one of the most important influences.

About two years ago, I was extremely shy... I avoided praying out loud, I was terrified of what people would think of me, and I didn't want to step out of my comfort zone for anything. Although I wanted to serve others and witness, I was afraid to take the first step to doing so. However, lessons like Presenting the Gospel, Sensitivity and Humility convicted me of my selfishness and pride, and God helped me to begin to change. Being a small group leader literally shoved me out of my comfort zone, but it surprised me how quickly my comfort zone was enlarged, so I started reaching out in other ways. Several important times this year, I've felt God prompting me to do something... when I obeyed, even though I was afraid, God would bless what I was trying to do and although it was usually just as hard as I thought it would be (if not more so), it wasn't impossible... and it was worth it.

I'm still shy. I'm still afraid of what people think of me. I'm still selfish and prideful. And I always will be. But God is changing me. Day by day, He's molding me into the person he wants me to be. It's hard; it's a painful process. But He knows what He's doing, and I wouldn't have it any other way." -age 15

"One decision I have made this semester, after we learned about protecting ourselves from polluting influences, is the commitment to submit to my father's rules while I live in his house. It has made a big difference in my life. I am following his rules better and respecting him more. I have also tried to follow my mom's rules more too. The other lesson that had the most impact on me is the one where we learned that standing alone is going to be hard but rewarding. It impacted me most because I do stand alone sometimes at school. But I know that even the times when I don't have friends I can still believe that God knows what He is doing. The Lord is showing me more on how to pick true friends and how to better obey my parents." -age 10

"This semester in Bright Lights there were a lot of important lessons. All the lessons were very helpful for me but I think the one that helped me the most was the lesson on having the courage to stand alone. I have never actually stood up alone for what I believe in, there have always been other people to stand up with me. But, as it says in the lesson on standing alone, before we can apply the other lessons we learned in this set we have to gain the courage to stand alone. This has opened my eyes to all the chance I have had to stand alone, and I haven't. I have been praying four courage to stand alone with God. And for a chance to stand alone for him. Once we have the courage to stand alone in God, we have the ability to stand up to our friends for what we believe in, to use discernment with our words and to stay away from polluting influences." -age 13

"One Bright Lights meeting, we were talking about friends. Allison mentioned that we should evaluate our friends by how they treat others (especially their siblings). I realized that if people evaluated me that way, they probably would not want to be my friend! That thought has helped me set a goal for myself and it's given me more of a desire to be kind to my brother and sisters." -age 11

"I was always concerned about how I looked. I didn't like my hair style. I thought my clothes looked weird compared to the girls' clothes at school. I also wanted to wear make-up. I also was worried about how I talked. I didn't want to talk about Jesus to other kids at school. I wanted to talk about what they wanted to talk about. I also wanted to act cool. I didn't want to be the odd one out. I wanted to have a friend at school. So, I started to act like the other girls at school. I always wore tight jeans and started to wear lipstick, like the other girls. I also started to use the words they were using and began talking a little too much in class. I also had a different attitude about things.

After discussing the lessons this semester, I started to do things God's way. I started talking about Jesus to other girls at school. I paid more attention to who I was hanging out with. I need to hang out with someone God would approve of. I didn't talk as much in class. I changed myself to be more and more like God. I understood things better about what God looks for in a person.

Now, I realize I don't want to be like the other girls. I want to be like Jesus. I also want to be a Bright Light to others and be noticed as a follower of Christ. This semester has really helped me know who I want to be and what a fully devoted girl for Christ should look like. I want to be able to stand alone." -age 12

"Two chapters from our lessons really meant a lot to me, they are: "Friends" and "Polluting Influences." The "Friends" chapter has made me think more about what kind of friends i choose, and whether or not they are a Godly influence or a bad influence. The chapter on "Polluting Influences" has helped me pay closer attention to what I watch on TV, especially kids' shows that promote boy/girl relationships or anything with bad language. I'm making a commitment to honor God by saying "no" to things that tempt me to think bad thoughts or do bad things." -age 10

"I think Bright Lights impacted my life in the lesson where I had to accept the way God made me. I used to always think that I wasn't beautiful, then I found Psalms 139:14, 'And I praise your for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.' That changed the way I thought about myself. Plus, Genesis says that we are made in God's image! And Bright Lights has really helped me grow on that because I am surrounded by lots of other Christian girls that are friends with me no matter what I look like." -age 11

Christmas Party!

What a great time of celebration, fellowship & laughter we shared together at our Christmas party this evening! The K. family graciously allowed us to have our party at their restaurant, Dr. Jazz Soda Fountain & Grille.

We began the party with a snack of soda & yummy french fries while teams planned a music presentation. Each group was assigned a style in which they had to present the song "Jingle Bells" in.

These performances were quite entertaining and gained quite a few laughs. :)

After the game, different girls took turns reading portions of the Christmas story to the group.

In between each reading, we sang a selection of Christmas carols.

After that, various girls volunteered to come to the front and share testimonies they had written about this past semester of Bright Lights.

It was wonderful to hear some of the ways the Lord has been working in our group this year and all the commitments that were made.

We ended the party with an hour of ice cream sundaes & fellowship!

It's amazing the silly effect sugar has on young ladies at night. ;-)

It was a great evening of celebrating Christmas together & enjoying spending time with new and old friends. Have a very Merry Christmas! I'll see you all in January!

Set One Testimonies...

I've been meaning to post some of the testimonies from Bright Lights for a while but hadn't actually done it yet. By reading through these excerpts from their testimonies I hope you will be encouraged by what God is doing in our group. By request of the girls, no identities have been attached to the testimonies.

The posters we used during Bright Lights to illustrate the differences between a "Bright Light" and "Typical Teenager" (Click on the photo to see a larger version)

"Bright Lights has been a great blessing to me for many reasons. It has forced me to step outside my comfort zone and be a leader, it has convicted me in several areas of my life that I needed to grow in, it has encouraged me to stand strong for the Lord in my youth, and most importantly, it has strengthened my walk with God."

"In Bright Lights I learned how to develop a disciplined walk with the LORD and I am working hard on sticking with it. In Bright Lights I committed to being respectful and obeying my parents. I am still working on it and I am getting better."

"This semester in Bright Lights I learned many things, but the most important thing I think I learned about was obeying my parents. I have found and my parents have told me that I'm doing a lot better obeying them quicker and with a grateful heart."

"One of the things I like about Bright Lights is that it keeps me thinking about the commitments I've made and following through on those commitments. I want my life to be all God's."

"Because of Bright Lights I have made a commitment to read my Bible everyday and to honor my parents more."


"Bright Lights has shown me that I'm not alone in striving to be a godly young lady. It is great accountability."


"The first time I came to Bright Lights I thought it was going to be a normal Bible study and also boring, but it turned out to be pretty fun. I have learned that studying the Bible can be fun."


"The lesson of fearing God and not people was effective for me because I was struggling with that. Because I wanted to make friends, I started thinking a lot about how I dressed. I love how Bright Lights challenges me in my faith."

"I am learning and have learned about how much God loves me. I have also made commitments that I thought I would never make. I have always been shy, and I never wanted to pray aloud except at home. Now, I am not shy about talking to people & praying with them."


"A lesson I really love is the one about fearing the Lord. It has helped me honor the Lord more in what I do and not be worried about what others think."

God is definitely working in my life and in the lives of the young ladies in our group. Thank you for allowing me the honor of spending time with your daughters each month. Each girl is a joy and blessing to me and I am humbled to have the responsibility of setting an example for them. I hope you'll join me in thanking the Lord for what he has done so far and asking Him to continue working in our group!

12/7/10 Being Fully Dedicated to God

Last night we had our last Bright Lights meeting for the semester as we finished Set 1 by talking about being Fully Dedicated to God. We also looked back at all the things we had learned and spent some time making commitments and writing testimonies.

Unfortunately, I didn't get as many pictures as I had hoped but here are a few.

These pictures are from the time when the girls split up by themselves & worked on doing a commitment worksheet & writing a testimony.

McKenzie...
Myra...
Sara...
We ended the evening with going around the circle & each person sharing a testimony from Bright Lights this semester. Then we got started on a trivia game before ending with tea and dessert.

I'm looking forward to seeing many of you on December 21st for our Bright Lights Christmas tea. Please watch your email inbox for more details on that!