PHILIPPIANS!

Good afternoon girls!
Last night I was reading in Philippians and thought that this would be a great book to go through with you girls. My thoughts are that for the next few weeks, we will cover all 4 chapters in Philippians. Lately, my posts have been random and not consistent, but this will be consistent.
If you are struggling with searching for material for a "quiet time," let this be a guide for you, if you choose. I would really encourage you all to make time each day to spend time reading God's word. If you want to hear from God, you have to make time to hear Him speak.
I hope you are excited!!! Philippians is an amazing book that overflows with joy and thanksgiving! So, go grab your bibles out of your rooms, along with a notebook and pen, and open it up to Philippians! (Toward the very end of your Bible, in the New Testament)

Just a little background on Philippians: (I hope you are taking notes!) :)
-Paul wrote this letter from prison in Rome to the church in Philippi to thank them for a gift. Paul is learning to be content in any situation. Wanting the Christians in Philippi to be unified, he challenged them to be servants just as Jesus was when he "made himself nothing" and became a man rather than clinging to the rights of his divine nature.

Chapter 1 of Philippians: Paul is urging the Philippians to stand firm in adversity by looking to joy in the gospel. (Make sure you read through Ch. 1 first, and then come back and read through the summary to make sure you are grasping the meaning.) Today we will focus on Ch. 1:1-11

Ch. 1:1-2 (Greetings from Paul and Timothy) This letter is sent to the Christians (Saints) in Philippi.

v. 3-11 Thanksgiving and Prayer:

1. His thanksgiving for them (3-8)
       a. That every thought, every request in their behalf, is one
          of joy (3-4)
       b. For their fellowship in the gospel from the very first day
          (5)
       c. He is confident that God will complete the work begun in
          them, for they have shared with him in his chains and the
          proclamation of the gospel (6-7)
       d. God is his witness to how much he longs for them with the
          love of Jesus (8)
    2. His prayer for them (9-11)
       a. That their love abounds in knowledge and all discernment (9)
       b. That they approve the things that are excellent (10a)
       c. That they be sincere and without offense till Christ
          returns (10b)
       d. That they be filled with the fruits of righteousness (11)
          1) Made possible by Jesus Christ (11a)
          2) To the glory and praise of God (11b)

How do you apply this:

1) What Godly encouragement can you offer other Christians?
2) What prayer of thanksgiving can you offer for your church today?

Let's share!

Hi girls! I apologize it has been a while since I have posted anything. I was in Chicago visiting some friends, and am now back into the groove of connecting back with you all!
I have been thinking back on the incredible things the Lord has done over the summer, and just recently (and is doing) in the student ministry here at CBC, and in our lives individually. My thoughts and prayers are always that you do not forget the changes you each have chosen to take in your life in order to glorify the Lord more in your lives.
As you think back over New Camp, our service project days, the DC mission trip, and now Summit Lake, I would like for each of you to take a moment and remember what the Lord has taught you over the last few months. If you feel comfortable, let's share memories and life changes the Lord has led you to recently. I would love to hear and I know it would be encouraging for each of you to read from others how God is at work! Remember, all you have to do is click "comment" below. Can't wait to hear from you all! Don't leave me hanging! :)

Keep at it!

Good morning/afternoon/evening girls!!!

Most all of you girls attended "Summit Lake" (Fall Retreat) this past weekend. Our theme was "Awaken," and Lane did a wonderful job speaking about the idols in our lives that we need to get rid of in order to allow Christ to work in our lives.
I am so encouraged by reading all of your "notes" on facebook, seeing pictures from the weekend, and uplifting comments to one another. These very things are called fellowship with other believers! Isn't is wonderful to know you can trust your Christian friends to pray for you, listen, and encourage you?
Something I want to encourage you all in quickly, is not to lose this excitement of what the Lord spoke to you about this past weekend! Many of you were sad the weekend was over because of the amazing things God spoke to you about and how He worked in your lives . . .but see, this is where you put what you learned to action. I know many of you are facing difficult times right now; hard times in school, difficult family situations, acceptance of friends, self-acceptance, and so forth. Take what you learned this weekend, and apply it today! As you walk into the halls of your school, remember how evident the Lord was to you this weekend.
What idols in your life did you do away with? Were you able to recognize them? I want to encourage you today to be the light of Christ to your fellow students at school today who may not know the God we know. I am praying for you each by name.
Here is a scripture passage for you to read: 1 John 1: 5-10
Feel free to leave me a comment!

AWAKEN!

Well, you did it! You made it through your first week of school! Ahhh! You can rest this weekend, and enjoy sleeping in tomorrow morning! :)
I hope all of you girls are signed up for Fall Retreat 2009! It is coming up next weekend, and we have some incredible things planned for you all! Darren and Lane will be doing the speaking, and we have an incredible (so i've heard :)) worship band coming to lead. The theme for the weekend is "Awaken" and the scripture we are focusing on is Ezekiel 36:26. Run!!!...to your rooms that is, grab your bible, and flip to Ezekiel to read what it says!
I want to encourage you all to read the passage, and pray that God will begin to prepare each of your hearts for what He wants to do in your lives next weekend. It'll be a fun time of fellowship with your peers, and also with some incredible leaders!
We also will be dividing into teams labeled by different colors and competing all weekend with games and team yells! Come prepared to sing, dig deep into God's word, laugh, and spend some incredible time away with one another and our Creator!
Look forward to you all being there! If you aren't signed up yet, turn in your blue and white form asap! :)
Leave me a comment on what YOU are looking forward to about Fall Retreat!

It's back to the Old Grindstone!

... That is what my parents used to say to me, and still do! ..."Back to the Old Grindstone!"...which basically means, time to get back to _________! Fill in the blank. For me, it has always meant school, now it means work!
For all of you girls, school starts tomorrow! Some of you are excited, and some of you are not ready for the normal schedule of going to bed early, picking out and ironing your clothes the night before, packing a lunch, rushing to get homework finished so you can get onto the ever-so-addicting FACEBOOK! :)
Once again, I, along with Lane and our incredible Administrator Nicole, have prayed about new things for this ministry, and the Blog was one of the things I felt would be a great way to encourage you through this year in school. I have enjoyed SO MUCH being with all of you this summer; getting to spend some quality time with you all through New Camp, our service projects, our DC Missions Trip, and Sunday mornings! I thought this would be a great way to connect with you all during the school year since we won't be getting to spend as much time together as the summer aloud. There will most likely not be a post every single day, but most. Check the website often! I will eventually post some pictures from the summer, and new pictures from Small Groups and the occasional outings we have to look forward to! (REVOLVE TOUR is coming up in November, stay tuned for more details and sign ups after the return of Summit Lake Fall Retreat, which I hope you are all signed up for!)
As you begin your first day of school tomorrow, I want to encourage each of you to begin your day by prayer and opening your bibles and allowing God to speak to each of you. If you are wondering what to read, here is a verse to encourage you for tomorrow, and the rest of the school year. First of all, I am happy to announce the name of our Girl's Ministry, along with the verse that goes along side of it; and it is..."Illuminate Girl's Ministry!" The verse is Matthew 5:16, which reads: "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
What a GREAT, true scripture that I believe each of you should hold tight to as you begin your first day of school tomorrow!
Feel free to respond to this post! Simply click on "comments" below.
Have a wonderful day tomorrow! I will be praying you each have a smooth, exciting first day back! I look forward to hearing from you girls!
-Staci