Friends 10/25/11

This evening, our lesson was on friends. We started the evening with a fun game to see how well the girls had been making friends in our group.

The girls were split into two teams and each team stood on one side of the quilt.

Each team would choose a teammate to stand in front of the blanket.

On the count of three, the blanket would drop & girls would try to be the first to say the name of the girl on the other side. Whoever said the name first, got to have the other player come to their side of the blanket. Whichever side had the most players at the end of the game won!

Sometimes it was a race to see who could blurt the name out first...

And other times the girls were a bit more puzzled. :)

With 50 girls in our group this year, there are quite a few names to learn!

After this game, everyone went downstairs to celebrate some birthdays & sing! I love hearing the girls' sweet voices fill the room each meeting with lyrics of praise & resolve to serve the Lord!

After singing, I shared the lesson on friends. I encouraged the girls to place the greatest importance on seeking a relationship with Jesus & finding their identity in Him. I also shared with them some practical ways to choose friends wisely & get rid of friends which do not provide true fellowship. I reminded the girls that you will become like who you surround yourself with & it's important to choose companions who are seeking after the same goal you are.

Many times we have difficulty with friendships because we are self-centered and want friends so they can meet our needs. Instead of having the attitude of a "taker" we should have the attitude of a "giver," someone who is always looking for ways to serve, encourage and bless their friends.

We ended the meeting with small group discussion & tea!

I look forward to seeing you all again on November 8th!

If You're Up for a Challenge

Sarah Mally is issuing a challenge to do a speed read of the Bible from now until the end of December. If you're looking for a new challenge & are wanting to get a good overall picture of God's word, I'd encourage you to join in! More details on the challenge can be found here.

Our Words 10/11/11

This evening started out with dividing into groups and planning some short skits to perform. Each of the skits demonstrated how to & not to do something.

Some of the skit topics included.. how to/not to give a compliment, respond when your parents ask you to do something, ask your little brother to do something, start a conversation with a neighbor about an annoying dog, etc.

Many of the girls exaggerated the scenarios, added funny voices or were super dramatic which resulted in plenty of laughter from the audience.

The skits were used as silly illustrations of common circumstances where we must use discernment in how we will use our words.

During the lesson I shared with the girls that the tongue, although small, is one of the hardest things to control and, with the tongue, is the power of life and death.

Then, I explained the 5 types of words we shouldn't use:

1. Bad Words

2. Harmful Words

3. False Words

4. Proud Words

5. Inappropriate or Unnecessary Words

I also talked about the 3 ways we should use our words (found in Psalm 100:4):

1. Praise

2. Thanksgiving

3. Blessing

The girls were encouraged to look for ways to give rather than get every time they entered a conversation with someone.

I also shared that even if we are saying something that is good, if we don't say it with the right attitude, people will not think we're genuine. We played a silly game to illustrate this point.

There were lots of eager volunteers. :)

Girls volunteered to come up front and draw a phrase card & an attitude card. They then had to say the phrase they drew in the the attitude their card indicated.

The rest of the girls tried to guess what attitude they were saying the phrase in. It was pretty funny to see the girls say, "Jesus Loves You" mysteriously or, "Thank you for helping me clean my room" as if they were sad.

We ended the lesson with some personal time to evaluate their past conversations and their motives in those conversations. Then, everyone split up into small groups for a short time of discussion and prayer before ending with tea.

We had a great time & I'm really looking forward to our next meeting on October 25th! See you in two weeks!

Discernment 9/27/11

We had a blessed evening of fellowship and a lesson on discernment. Discernment is a skill in separating the good from the evil and understanding the bigger picture.

We began the lesson with a fruit tasting activity. One girl from each small group was blindfolded and asked to identify 7 different fruit samples. These girls had to discern what fruit they were tasting. It was a fun and silly activity to illustrate what discernment is.

The three main ways we can use discernment in our lives is:
1. Knowing truth so we can discern false teaching.
2. Discerning between influences which honor the Lord and those that dishonor.
3. Handling people with discernment, knowing how to best show love rather than a critical attitude.

We must know the truth in order to discern what is not honoring to the Lord. Because of this, I challenged the girls to establish a discipline of Scripture in their lives by reading their Bibles everyday until our next Bright Lights meeting. I'm looking forward to seeing who sticks with the challenge.

After the lesson, the girls divided up into small groups for discussion, prayer and accountability. We ended, as always, with tea and dessert.

It was such a joy to see everyone again! I'm looking forward to our next meeting on October 11th. Until then, pursue holiness & shine BRIGHT!

Holiness 9/13/11

Today was our first official Bright Lights meeting of the semester! We had a great time together as we adjusted to the group's doubled size.

Eagerly awaiting everyone's arrival.

The pile of shoes by our front door.

This evening we started outside with a game of "speed friending." Each pair of girls had about 30 seconds to discuss their answers to a get to know you question before everyone had to switch to the next person in the circle.

It was a fun and quick way to learn a little something about half the girls in the group.

Our lesson for the evening was on holiness. I shared with the girls what holiness is and why we, as believers are called to be holy. I also challenged the girls to examine their lives & consider whether or not they make decisions based on what is common to society or based on what God says about it.

During the lesson, some of the girls acted out the story of King Asa found in 2 Chronicles 14-16.

King Zerah of Ethiopia attacks King Asa.

King Asa is a good king.

Being attacked by the Ethiopians

Seeking the Lord.

Being attacked by King Basha of Israel.

The story of King Asa was used as both a good example and a bad example. When the Ethiopians attacked, King Asa trusted the Lord rather than worldly wisdom. However, when he was attacked by King Basha, he turned to man's wisdom and died.

After the lesson, we broke up into our new small groups. Finally, we ended with tea & dessert.

Overall, tonight was a wonderful start to a busy year! After months of prayer & preparation, it was so exciting to see everything come together. I look forward to seeing everyone again on September 27th!

Leadership Retreat

This morning, a group of enthusiastic young ladies gathered together to spend a day training & preparing for serving as small group leaders in our Bright Lights group this year.

We were graciously hosted by Jessica & Jenna's family. They did so much to make the day go smoothly and I really appreciate their hospitality!

We started the morning with prayer, singing & Scripture sharing.

Each of the leaders took a lot of notes as they prepared for the year ahead.

Twice during the day, the girls met privately with the girls they are co-leading with and prayed for their small groups, planned discussions & brainstormed ideas to make their small group meetings special.

We also took some time for some games, fellowship & lots of laughter! :)

The girls watched two leadership training DVD's by Sarah Mally on discipleship & being a servant.

 We also enjoyed a delicious breakfast & lunch together.

It was such a joy to spend the day with such a wonderful group of young ladies! I am so privileged & blessed to have them serving alongside me this year. I believe I speak for everyone when I say the day made us all very excited in anticipation for what the Lord is going to do in the year ahead!