Our Amazing Artist!

On of GGF Bible study 9/30, Patti brought over two of her awesome palm frond painted creations, one as a birthday gift to Kim, the other made for Roxanne.  Patti has made over 60 of these now, and they're all incredible.  She is SO talented, and we are all so happy she has found her creative niche.  God has blessed us all with different gifts, and we strive to bring glory to His name through those talents.

Stauros Ladies Retreat

We arrived in Maryland on Friday, September 10th ... 6 Florida ladies ready to renew our minds at a retreat in the mountains ... and what a renewal it was! Peggy picked us up at the airport and the adventure began. We drove to meet Rock & Margie for a delightful dinner at a local cafe. We spent some time reminiscing and getting to know our Northern "ya ya sistas" (and Rock). When we arrived at Margie's beautiful home, it paled in comparisome as her gracious gift of hospitality took over and she made us feel so welcome and comfortable in her home.

After a great night's sleep wrapped up in comforters against the cool night air (somewhere in the low 50's), we lounged around in our pajamas for a while, had breakfast and then walked to the cabin, Elim House, where we had an impromtu time of group prayer as we felt led by the Spirit. Next we took off for a tour of local, historical Harper's Ferry. We shopped (YEAH, LORRAINE), took tons of pictures, ate ice cream (YEAH, PUMPKIN PEGGY), and walked UP alot of hills.

By the time we arrived back at Margie's the other ladies were beginning to arrive. We were joined by the lovely new addition to our group, Maria, and the fun continued. We met so many new friends as the group grew to 22 "ya ya sistas". After a wonderful dinner that included a 50 pound pan of lasagna ;-) , cornbread salad, and every desert you could possibly imaginge, we gathered for the teaching of God's Word. Amy led us in a study titled "It Is An Honor Knowing Christ Through You" which took us on a journey beginning with her old friend "Spurgie" and the cook, incorporating the poor widow and her humble offering, and reminding us how we are constantly influencing the people in our relationships, our friendships, and our children. Amy challenged us as she led us through a thought provoking and very interactive study of the Truth of God's Word and our responsibility to share the Gospel with others; to plant and water the seeds, while being mindful of God's grace in remembering that God alone has the power to change a heart of stone to a heart of flesh. Great job Amy! After the study, we had more desert, coffee and fellowship. After saying goodbyes to the ladies who couldn't stay for the rest of the weekend, we gathered together to watch a Choundra Pierce DVD, then headed off for another night sleeping with a comforter wrapped around us to keep the chill off. Me and Maria and Peggy got to sleep in the cabin, Elim House with our guard dog Jack to keep us safe!

Sunday morning was a little lazy, followed by a Devotion time, Craft time and a wonderful lunch of delicious home made Panini's from "Margie & Amy's Cafe" ;-) Next comes the bittersweet goodbyes as the day came to a close, and it was time to travel back to the airport and back to reality. Special thanks to Margie for her hospitality, Peggy for her transportation, Amy for her wonderful Bible study and to all our Northern Sistas for making our retreat such a fun and inspirational time of renewal and fellowship. Until next year.....God's special blessings to all.

Proverbs 31 for today - this spoke VOLUMES to me

Beauty Wounds 11 Aug 2010 Shari Braendel "God heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds." Psalm 147:3 (NIV) A few girlfriends recently confided to me about past wounds that still hurt. One sweet friend shared how she has worked for over 20 years to heal from the wounds inflicted by harsh words. "My mother always thought I was too heavy and called me her elephant. She was constantly making comparisons between my much smaller sister and me. She even went so far as to accuse me of being bulimic, which was a crushing blow to a 13-year old girl." My other friend confided, "My mom's friend asked me what it was like to have a sister who was so pretty and then said how difficult it must be growing up with her, so beautiful and tiny, and me not being that way. I wa sn't fat; it's just we are built completely different. I remember being surprised that someone would actually say that to me and wondered WHY she would say it. That one comment defined me for many years and still hurts when I think about it today." Beauty wounds. Every single one of us has them. Some inflict deep pain and others prove to be a little nasty pinch that bothers us from time to time; regardless, all of them hurt. There are many things that need to take place in order to heal our innermost being and assure we don't get caught in the habit of repeating this behavior with those we love or even those we don't know well. It is important to extend grace and forgiveness to those who have wounded us. I know this can be easier said than done, but through Christ it is possible. Often the one who brought us pain has no idea the heartache they have caused. I often wonder whom I could have hurt without meaning to, and I hope and pray they forgive me for my thou ghtless actions. The Bible tells us words are powerful, but so are our thoughts. We often give too much value to the destructive dialogue that runs in our head from past wounds. We listen to the hurtful thoughts that play over and over like a broken record. The moment these thoughts pop up, we need to put an end to them by taking them captive. We need to immediately replace the wounded thinking with something more powerful and loving. One thing that has helped me is to have scripture verses ready in my mind to shut down those damaging head games. For instance, when a critical thought about my beauty or my weight comes into my mind, I try to realize it and immediately say, "The king is enthralled by [my] beauty" (Psalm 45:11,NIV). I want to encourage you to not allow your heart to dwell on ugly thoughts. God is a big God and He's crazy about you. You are a treasure to Him. He did not make a mistake when He created you! I pray you will believe and stand on that tru th my friend. For if I know one thing for sure, it is that Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted and bind up every one of our wounds, including our beauty wounds. Dear God, I know You see the deepest places of my heart and know the lies and words that continue to haunt me and hurt me. Will You take that hurt away, please? Heal me and help me to accept and understand that You didn't make a mistake with me. You made me perfectly wonderful. In Jesus' Name, Amen. Related Resources: Enter a national makeover contest with Shari Braendel! Multiple winners will be chosen for additional give-aways including a $500 Visa gift card, a Skype fashion session with Shari, a webcam and more! Find out more at www.fashionmeetsfaith.com/contest . Good Girls Don't Have to Dress Bad by Shari Braendel Visit Shari's blog for more encouragement and some fun fashion tips. Do you know the One who calls you Beautiful? Applicati on Steps: 1. Print out Psalm 139:13-14 and post it on your mirror. Let it be a daily reminder that you belong to God. Read it every day until that is what you hear inside your heart and mind. 2. Pray and ask God to help you forgive those who have inflicted pain upon you. 3. Choose this day to begin the healing process. Reflections: Would you want to be granted the forgiveness that another may need from you if you were in the same situation? Is there a time you can remember being forgiven whether you deserved it or not? There is freedom in forgiveness that touches all parties involved. Power Verses: Genesis 1:27, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (NIV) 2 Corinthians 3:9, "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters," says the Lord Almighty." (NIV) Psalm 13 9:13-14, "For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well." (NASB) © 2010 by Shari Braendel. All rights reserved. You have signed up to receive this daily devotional email. You are subscribed as: pamelatyre@att.net To immediately stop receiving these emails, click here Proverbs 31 Ministries 616-G Matthews-Mint Hill Road, Matthews, NC 28105 877-P31-HOME (877-731-4663)

Words - A poem from Kim

A careless word may kindle strife;
A cruel word may wreck a life.
A bitter word may hate instill;
A brutal work may smith and kill.
A gracious word may smooth the way;
A joyous word may light the day.
A timely word may lessen stress;
A loving word may heal and bless.

centerpiece

The beautiful table

Lunch and Bible Study at Roxanne's 7.30.10

What a beautiful luncheon we had today at Roxanne's :-)  She set the bar very high with a gorgeous table including a centerpiece figurine of Christ carrying the cross, and linen napkins (this is over the top for our group!).  Her promised fried chicken lived up to it's heard about reputation, with delicious side dishes, and fresh watermelon for dessert (courtesy of Kim).  Dutch was such a sweetheart, taking care of all the clean-up (now maybe there was a small ulterior motive of stashing away the left-over chicken, but he's still one good man to wash up all those dirty dishes!).  Afterwards, Kim led the Bible study called "Be careful little tongue what you say",  based on James 3:1-12.  It was a great lesson on how powerful our words can be, both good and bad, and how we can't control it without God's help.  There are many, many references to the tongue in the Bible, like Matt. 12:14, where Jesus says "For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks".  We discussed gossip, harsh criticism, name calling and brow beating as ways we've experienced the power of words in our lives and in the lives of others.  Jean offered up a good guideline for discernment in our words.  Ask these questions BEFORE you speak:  Is it true?  Is it necessary?  Is it kind?  Good advice for keeping our tongues tamed!  It was a great time, and we all can't get over how much we love our friendships...God has blessed us all, even in the midst of difficulties and trials.