Testimonies

Monday 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:

"The lesson on encouraging my siblings spoke to me because I fell like my relationship with them isn't what I'd like it to be. I pray that God will move through me and give me wisdom for how to handle my friendship with my sisters in a loving and friendly way. I can only do all things through Jesus who strengthens me."

"I learned things from the lesson on encouraging my siblings. I have two younger sisters and they can get annoying. But I learned to stay focused on what's important and NOT teasing or yelling at my siblings (older and younger)."

"God has shown me that by being diligent in His Word you will be rewarded. When Allison talked about diligence I realized I had been slacking on my Bible reading/prayer. I made a commitment to read & study the Bible everyday. Even though I might skip one day sometimes, God has been faithful. He has shown me many new things about Him through my reading. I've been reminded to seek Him first & everything will be added (Matt. 6:33)."

"One of the biggest things that stuck out to me and that I'll always remember is the lesson about fathers. My dad works hard to support me, get me what I need and take care of me. It was nice to write him the letter & see his reaction. I don't say much to him but it was great to remind him that I love him."

"I think the one thing I really learned in Bright Lights is the importance of being nice to your dad & thanking him for protecting us & being there for us. Also, when we wrote the letters to our dads, I gave it to him and I can really tell he loved it. That is my favorite lesson this year."

"This year in Bright Lights I have learned a lot. One of the lessons that helped me was how to receive a rebuke. This lesson helped me realize how much my reactions & responses to different situations are. It also helped me realize that my reactions were not a good Christian example to others. I don't like to accept corrections and I argue with people who give me them. I defend myself and try to blame others.

Now I'm trying to do better with dealing with rebukes. I'm trying to change my worldly responses, like defending myself and blaming others, into God-like responses such as thanking the person and praying to God about it. I'm not perfect about receiving rebukes, but I'm getting better about it & working hard to fix the problem."

"Orderliness is the lesson that really stood out to me. Before this lesson, I would leave my school all over the place. My mom & dad would always have to get on to me about leaving all my books spread over their room. They still have to tell me to put away my books, but it's not as much as before."

"The lesson on diligence really stood out to me because I am eager to earn my "Mrs." more than any other degree & I thought I was prepared. I was wrong. I realized how often I let things go and don't do things that need to be done because 'I'm too tired.'

I also underwent a trial by fire the Friday after the lesson, as my mom had a surgery that limited her ability to walk long & take care of the house. I think that studying diligence the Monday before I had to help by stepping up, really opened my eyes to how much being a mom requires and how truly under-prepared I was."

"The lesson that has had the most impact on me is Diligence. At times, when school gets really hard, I tend to set school aside and do something that seems more pleasant to me. I recognized that if I'm diligent in my schoolwork, I can get better grades and finish sooner and have more time afterwards to do other things."

"One way that Bright Lights has impacted me is reminding me about turning (and keeping) my heart to my father. Over the years, I have tried to obey my father with a cheerful heart (which is hard to do sometimes) and have usually failed. On the outside I would respect him but on the inside, be fuming.

The biggest issue recently has been over relationships and boys. We had many 'discussions' and arguments (usually with tears). I was disrespectful and refused to listen. I had hardened my heart. I was convinced that I was right and he was wrong. But, I soon learned that my father was right about every relationship I ever had and, now, I appreciate his guidance.

Most of this happened before Bright Lights but the lesson on giving your heart to your father stuck with me. However, until we discussed this lesson, I never thought about praying for him and communicating with him. Also, the biggest thing I learned was to trust God to work through him."

Orderliness

Monday we discussed a topic that may not seem that important, yet without it, we become much less effective in fulfilling the tasks God places before us. This topic is orderliness! During the lesson, we discussed the importance of orderliness in our homes with our possessions, in our time, in our thoughts & in our appearance.

For the activity, the girls divided into groups & discussed the solution to a typical organization problem. Then, each group prepared a presentation of their solution in either a news broadcast, infomercial or documentary format.

After their presentations, girls went to small groups where they discussed the practical ways to apply orderliness to their lives.

We ended with tea & dessert. This week, in addition to the other desserts, we had a special, decorated cookie cake that the B family provided!

See you for our next meeting in a couple of weeks!

Deeper Retreat

Check out this post, sharing some testimonies from the recent retreat several of the older girls in our group attended!

Preparing to be a Wife & Mother

Monday was our first meeting back together after our break over the holidays. What a joy it was to see everyone again & get started for the semester! We began our new set of lessons with the topic of "Preparing to be a Wife & Mother."

I shared the vision for our God-given role as women and the exciting potential we have to impact many for the kingdom of God when we choose to embrace the jobs God has chosen for us. We also talked about the importance of beginning to prepare for these jobs now while we're young so that by the time God brings along our husband & family we will be able to serve well.

During the lesson, I had the girls throw out various skills that would be important as a wife & mother. Then, I had them share important character traits for a wife & mother to possess while I recorded them onto the dry erase board.

After making our lists, we used them to discuss how many areas we have to grow in as we prepare. We should have not problem keeping busy between now & then! ;)

At the end of the lesson, I encouraged the girls to be aware of the independent mindset that the world promotes for us as young women. I encouraged to truly seek the Lord about their future & pursue His heart for their seasons of preparation between now and the day they are married.

Once the lesson ended, the girls broke up into teams and worked together to create a skit. Each team chose one of the character qualities from the board to base their skit on. The skits had to demonstrate a situation in which a wife/mother would need to demonstrate that character quality & also show what would happen if she had not developed that quality in her life. ;)

As ususal with skits, there was much laughter as the girls acted out the various scenarios.

We ended the meeting with small groups followed by tea time!

We will see you all again for our next meeting on February 4th!

Christmas Party!

Last week, we gathered at Dr. Jazz Soda Fountain & Grille for a few games, Christmas carols & fellowship! Here are a few pictures from our annual Christmas party!

Thanks for the lovely evening, ladies! See you next year! ;)

Making a Wise Comment

 On Monday night we gathered for our last Bright Lights meeting of the semester! Our topic was on "making a wise comment." I encouraged the girls that young ladies who choose to use their words wisely will have an incredible testimony for God's kingdom. We discussed 4 aspects of making a wise comment: being concise, worthwhile, relevant & appropriate.

I encouraged the girls that our goal in speaking to others is not to draw attention to ourselves but rather, to benefit and encourage the listener. It shows great wisdom when we can discern when to speak, what to say and how to say it.

After the lesson, we spent time in groups of 3, practicing using our words wisely by writing letters of testimony & encouragement to others.

I look forward to seeing most of you next week for our Christmas party!

Reliability of Scripture

Here are a few pictures from our meeting last week. Our topic was the "Reliability of God's Word" and we talked about how we can trust the Bible to be a strong, faultless, foundation for our lives.

We look forward to seeing everyone again in just one week!