October Lunch Bunch

Craft and Chat: Picture Plaques

PTL - September 26th

Fall Bible Study Begins TONIGHT!

We cannot tell you how excited we are to get this Bible Study going!!!  There's something very special about getting together as sisters in Christ & digging into God's Word.  Just wanted to remind you of a couple of things . . .

1)  If you ordered your book from Kristi, you will get it tonight.

2)  We will meet upstairs in the Grapple room (that's the 5th/6th grade class).  Park on the Ridgeview side of the church (north parking lot) & go up those stairs on the west side of the building.  The room will be the second door on your left. 

3)  Bring your Bible & a pen/pencil & your workbook (if you purchased it yourself).  There are places to take notes in the workbook.

4)  Childcare is available, but I will need to know on a weekly basis who is needing childcare so we can be sure to have enough help.  Even if it's a last-minute thing, let us know.  You can reply to the weekly reminder emails, call/text Kristi, or leave a comment here.  The kids will meet just down the hall in the Lil' K room (that's upstairs on the children's wing of the building). 

Any other questions??? Ask away in the comment section below. :)

SO looking forward to it!  Praying for each and every one of you!

2012-2013 Info and Events

Here is our Women's Ministry Brochure for the 2012-2013 ministry year. You can click on each page to enlarge the picture and learn more about each opportunity that is available for you. If you have any questions, you can either leave a comment here or contact the church office at 972-712-4000.

***updates: October PTL is on the 31st; March PTL is on the 27th; April PTL is on the 24th.

Choosing Gratitude: 30 Day Challenge: Every Day!

A Grateful Prayer

I am so glad that you've joined me in this journey toward a lifestyle of gratitude--a lifestyle I pray you'll practice for the rest of your life, as you prepare to spend eternity giving thanks!  In closing our time together, I'd like to lift a prayer to the Lord, asking Him to bless us in the continued pursuit of this calling to be thankful people.

Father, we are astounded at the depths to which You have reached down to redeem us.  We don't have language to describe the amazing grace You continue to lavish upon us with the dawn of each new day.  And now, at the first light of what we pray will be a new day in our relationship with You and others, we ask Your favor and blessing in the living of it.  We need Your help, for apart from the redeeming, sanctifying work of Christ for us and in us, we cannot begin to please you or to live in accord with Your Word.

I pray for myself and for my dear friends who have walked with me through these pages.  We have heard Your Spirit calling us to reject the bitter clutches of ingratitude and to embrace the manifold joys of thanksgiving. May Your call continue to resonate in our hearts.  May the multitude of Your blessings never be lost on us but rather reflected back as praises, poured like fuel onto our worship.

When the Enemy comes against us, when emotions of life experiences insist that joyful gratitude isn't possible, may You visit us with the life-giving strength of Your presence.  When others misunderstand us or tell us we're living in denial, may we find sweet justification for our joy in the precepts of Your Word.

Father, we embark on this new chapter with great anticipation, sure of many lives that You intend to touch through our obedience, and also sure of many trials that You will transform into opportunities to bless us.  Our desire is to reflect Your faithfulness, goodness, and grace through our grateful hearts and words.  May You be glorified in us, in our gratitude.

We pray in the blessed name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, to whom we owe everything.

And one more thing--now and forever:  Thank You, Lord.

Choosing Gratitude: 30 Day Challenge: Day 30

Day 30: Pressing on in Gratitude
Scripture Reading: Galatians 5:16-24

As we begin to launch out on a new lifestyle of gratitude, let's use today to set some goals for what we want God to accomplish in our hearts, being specific about the ways we intend to practice ongoing thankfulness.

For example, if you want to become more deliberate about writing thank-you notes, how many would you like to send in a typical week or month?  What Scriptures do you plan to memorize and meditate on in relation to thankfulness?  Whom will you ask to hold you accountable for specific areas where you need to grow in the grace of gratitude?

Remember, these are not added burdens tacked on to further complicate your day and put a drain on your time.  As believers, we've been released from the oppressive demands of the law.  As those who are in Christ, we are free to pursue godly living as our glad response to grace received.  And we are enabled by the power of His Spirit to obey His will from our hearts.  Resist every attempt of the Enemy to enslave you, even to good habits and activities.

As you grow in gratitude, you will be so blessed by its reward and spiritual significance that you won't feel as though it's an effort to accomplish it.  Whatever mechanics it requires to get it up and running will soon fall away to the freedom of pursuing it with passion.

Are you ready to experience the life-changing power of Christian gratitude?  Then let the Lord help you decide what your next steps should be.

GRATITUDE IN ACTION

1. Be bold and exercise faith, but don't be afraid to take short strides as you make this your manner of living.  Do try, though, to be as specific as you can in plotting your gratitude plan.
2. Write a simple prayer, expressing to the Lord your desire to develop a radically grateful lifestyle.  Thank Him for His supernatural grace that will enable you to "abound in thanksgiving."

Choosing Gratitude: 30 Day Challenge: Day 29

Day 29: Growing Grateful Children
Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 6:1-12

Like anything that God is growing in us, His intention in helping us become more like Christ is not merely to benefit ourselves but to help us inspire the same in others, to show them the blessings inherent in trusting the Lord.

If you have been blessed with children, you know that gratitude--like most every other character trait--doesn't come naturally for them.  But few things are more remarkable (and unusual) in children today than when they're known for their thankful, contented spirit.  It is a quality worth every once of effort we make to instill it in them.

And while teaching and instruction have their place in growing gratitude in our kids, the best teacher of all (of course) is our example.  Do your children hear you thank your husband when he tackles a home repair job or gets the car lubed?  Do they hear you express gratitude to the Lord and to others for both little and big things throughout the day?  Do you tell them how grateful you are for their dad, for your church and your pastor, for their teachers, for the house the Lord has provided for your family, for good health, and for God's abundant blessings to your family?  Conversely, do they hear you grumble when your husband delays dinner by needing to see one extra client or when you get a flat tire or the sun doesn't come out for a week?

Gratitude joins many other important virtues that are more effectively caught than taught.  How contagious  are you, especially at home?

GRATITUDE IN ACTION

1. Sit down and talk with your children about the high value God places on gratitude.  Tell them how they're going to start seeing some "gratitudinal" changes in you.
2. You may not have children of your own.  Who has God placed in your sphere of influence?  What are you teaching them about gratitude by your lifestyle?

Choosing Gratitude: 30 Day Challenge: Day 28

Day 28: Gratitude Accounts
Scripture Reading: Philippians 1:3-11

I have found that anything I fail to plan into my day usually doesn't get done.  If I don't start the morning realizing that some particular thing is a priority, my mind isn't likely to remember it once the everyday pressures start squeezing everything else out of their way.

If expressing gratitude is to become a way of life for us, we can't treat it as an optional exercise.  If it never gets beyond our wish list, if it nestles down with all the other nice things we hope to get around to someday, the "someday" of gratitude will never roll around on our calendars.  It will remain a sweet intention, but not a consistent practice.

So I want to encourage you to think of gratitude as being a debt you owe, the same way you're called upon to pay your monthly bills.  I'd like to see you open a section in your journal that's designated for "Gratitude Accounts," specific listings of individuals to whom you owe a debt of thanks.

By doing this, you can make it a point today to make a phone call just to thank a friend for the way she's shown her concern for you during a difficult time.  You'll be reminded that when you see a certain person at the gym this afternoon, you need to be sure to thank her for helping you stay true to your fitness goals.  When the Lord opens a window of opportunity for you to jot a quick thank-you note this evening, you'll have a ready-made list of people to choose from.

We all have gratitude accounts.  There just aren't many of us who keep them paid up.  Make sure you're becoming the type of person who stays current on your bill.

GRATITUDE IN ACTION
Who needs to be added to your Gratitude Account?  What gratitude debt do you need to pay today?

Choosing Gratitude: 30 Day Challenge: Day 27

Day 27: Progress Report
Scripture Reading: 1 Timothy 4:11-16

We're nearing the end of our month-long journey into gratitude.  To help you measure what kind of effect this experience is having on your life, take a little quiz today to see where you're growing and where you still need work.  Try answering these questions candidly in your journal--not just yes or no, but with supporting details that come to mind:

1. Do I often complain about my circumstances, feeling like I deserve better?
2. Do others hear me voice more complaints and negative comments than words of gratitude about the typical events of daily life?
3. Would others describe me as a thankful person?
4. What evidence is there that I have a grateful or an ungrateful spirit?
5. How often do I begin statements with these words: "I am so thankful that..."?
6. Do I more frequently display a pessimistic, negative outlook or a positive, grateful perspective?
7. Am I reserved or eager when it comes to expressing appreciation to others?
8. My most recent expression of gratitude was...

GRATITUDE IN ACTION
As I have shared, through the course of writing this book, God has done a fresh work in my own heart in the area of gratitude.  But I had to be willing to humble myself, confess my need, and ask for prayer, help, and accountability from those close to me.  Remember, our hearts cannot change apart from His grace giving us the desire and the power to please Him.  And God pours out His grace on the humble.

If you haven't done so already, consider taking this gratitude challenge into an accountability setting, letting others help you stay true to your commitment, while being there to offer your support to them as well.