No Substitute for the Truth

2 little weeks ago I posted about missing the window to prune my roses, but cutting them back anyway.  Statistics tell us that as parents we have small windows to teach our children certain things, expose them to various experiences and flavors and encourage desired behaviors, and if we miss those windows... well, who knows what will happen to our kids!!

And if we don't prune our roses in the right season, we're doomed!

But just as I know that it's never too late for change, growth and transformation in God's economy, I decided to hack down my roses anyway and to discipline my children with the hopes that God is not bound by a certain window of time and nothing is impossible with Him!

Well, just 2 weeks later, here is that same rose bush!

Only 2 weeks later and there is visible, healthy growth!

As I was looking at this rose bush today, aside from being thrilled that I didn't listen to the gardeners guide to healthy roses!, I was struck with another bit of truth.

We've been suffering from a much publicized drought here in California for quite some time.

We ration our water and only water our gardens on Mondays and Thursdays or else we get fined heavily!  Our plants are limping along just fine, but this past weekend we got some solid rain! And I kid you not, the growth after the rain is undeniable.  Almost the very next day we could see new shoots and buds spring forth on our plants and bushes!  It's unreal.

We never see that obvious growth from the sprinklers or the hose.

But the rain, pure, falling from heaven rain, nourishes like none other and spurs new growth immediately.  There is no substitute for the rain.

Made me think of Truth.

Word of God Truth.

Nothing yields more growth and abundance in our lives than the Truth of God.

So many other substitutes can help us limp along, scrape by and "make it."

But there is no substitute for the absolute Word of God that is pure Truth, falling from heaven, to heal our wounds, bring light into darkness, cleanse our mistakes, remove our scars, and

spring forth new life in dead, hopeless areas.  

It's just unmistakable.

Where do you need new growth in your life?

Are you looking to other things to nourish you and bring about change?

I encourage you to simply read the Bible, surrender to God's Truth and allow His Word to transform you in the healthiest, longest lasting way.

Mama Bear

 Last Summer I received a card in the mail and the writing on the envelope made my heart race.

My name was written so beautifully I had to look closely to see if it were handwritten or printed by a computer!

When I opened the envelope, the card inside had similar writing, telling me my card was handwritten!

Stunning

Amazing

A lovely surprise.

"Mama Bear"

I could hardly wait to open the card and discover who it was from!

And as I read the words, written as a lovely font, tears came to my eyes.

A girls who was a college student when I was a college pastor about 15 years ago had written me this beautiful card!  And immediately the memories flooded back as I would not mistake her writing anywhere.  I always joked that she was a "font," because her printing was unreal.

Now her font-like writing was laying before me like a piece of art and the arrangement of the beautiful lettering read like a poem.

"The Mama Bear Collection is all about encouraging mothers to remember who they are - 

strong, fierce, and enough."

She went on to thank me and encourage me as a Mama Bear.

I really was left speechless.

Today, there is more information swirling around for moms than should be allowed.

It causes us to worry and panic about every tiny decision we make for our children.

It also has had an even more damaging effect as it causes us to judge, give unsolicited advise and shame other moms who aren't doing it like we are.

It's really sad to see.

It's sad to experience.

It's sad to do.

Alisha launched her stationary business last year, Gold Press Paper.

Her motto is, "Words are Powerful - You are Powerful"

So true!

Our words are very powerful.

Words have the power to give life or bring death.

All too often as moms we use our words as weapons.

How amazing would it be if we blessed one another as Mama Bears?

If we fought FOR each other and encouraged each other with our words?

If we affirmed one another's decisions and differences instead of shaming?

We'd be a mighty ferocious pack!

Bless another Mama Bear today with mighty words of encouragement!

***head over to Alisha's site to find some amazing cards to send to someone today!

Gold Press Paper

Is It Too Late?

El Nino El Schmino!

Where is our rain?

So Summer has officially hit Southern California, 90 degrees, one 64 degree day of rain, followed by another 85 degree day!  They lied to us.

In the midst of this Summer heat, I totally forgot to prune back my roses.

Usually I cut them way back to nubs in January, but I kinda forgot that it was winter!

"Shoot, I forgot to cut back the roses last month," I said to my husband.

Walking out and looking at them today I found that they're thin and spindly.  

They have already sprouted some new growth and buds at the end of gangely branches.

They look horrible.

Do I cut them back now?

Is it too late?

Did I miss the window?

I don't know, but I knew I couldn't leave them growing as they are.

They look horrible!

As I stood in the hot sun, hacking at the rose bushes, wondering if they'll come back full and nice, I thought about parenting.

We are flooded with statistics these days like, "a child has fully formed their personality by age 3." AKA, if you're kid isn't super polite and kind and compassionate by 3, you're screwed!

Or "the brain has fully formed by age 5," so if you're kid isn't reading Shakespeare, speaking 2 languages and mastering 3 instruments by 5, most likely they won't be going to college.

(these aren't actual statistics, but you know what I mean!)

Or any of the other things they tell us to make us think that we've missed the window and it's too late as parents!

I've been feeling this way a little bit lately as some ugly behavior that was never fully extinguished is now growing in a spindly, hollow, ugly way.

Is it too late?

Should I have cut that off a few years ago?

Did I miss the window as a parent to form polite, gracious children?

 As I chopped the roses, getting stuck with thorns and burned by the sun I again thought of parenting.

It is never fun to discipline a child.

It is painful and we can easily get burned.

Isn't it easier to just stay inside where it's cool and avoid the hard work?

It's too late any way, they are who they are.

But like the roses, I can't just leave them that way.

Growing wildly without boundaries or attention.

It's so unattractive.

And even if there are a few great moments of politeness, like new buds on the ends of ugly branches, they still aren't appealing.

I really believe that it's never too late to correct a child.

Discipline is done out of great, deep love.  And we all know it's never too late to love someone!

No matter how out of control we feel or overwhelmed, it's never too late.

And just like I'm confident that my hearty, stubborn roses will come back beautifully, I know that children can be trained and transformed, even past 5 years old!

So, regardless of what the books say, I'm pruning roses and kids!

Because no matter what the season is, they both need it!

(I'll post pictures in a few months to see the new, beautiful, healthy growth!)

Pure Heart

"Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God."

After taking a holiday break, The God's Girls gathered again to kick off our new series, "Body Parts."

We will be going through various body parts and discussing what the Bible has to say about them and how we, as girls who belong to God, are to use our mouths, eyes, hands, feet... to please God.

We kicked off with the heart, it being Valentine's week and all!

The heart is talked about so much in the Bible.

It is the place where we invite Jesus to come in and take over our life.

Why not the brain?

The brain seems to be mission control for the body, the hub of all communication.  

Why don't we ask Jesus into our brains to take over our life?

In Matthew 15 Jesus tells us that out of the heart comes our words and our thoughts.

What?  Doesn't our mouth speak and our minds think?

There is something about the heart that is the center of all of us.

The heart directly influences the mouth.

The heart guides the mind.

What we value most is where we place our hearts.

The heart determines how we live.

And Jesus told us that those who have a pure heart, will see God!

I want to see God!

 If your heart is clean, pure, then everything else in you will be pure too.

Your thoughts, your words, your actions, your desires.

They all come out of your heart.

When our thoughts are coming from a pure heart,

 they are not distracted and they are focused on God and we see Him all around us.

When our words are coming from a pure heart, 

they are not harsh or rude, but a blessing and a gift that allow others to see God.

When our actions are coming from a pure heart, 

we are not acting for our own fame and glory, 

but for the benefit of others and the glory of God and we see Him.

And when our desires are coming from a pure heart,

 we are selfless and seek to please God through doing His will, 

which is always where we see Him.

The God's Girls made bookmarks.

Using pencil erasers dipped in paint to decorate them.

At the bottom of the bookmark we punched a small heart out.

When I laminated the bookmarks, the heart hole was covered by the plastic,

 making a window of a pure heart.

Truly our heart is a window into who we are.

If our heart is cluttered, dirty, or covered up, no one really sees us.

But when our heart is pure, people can clearly see into who we are,

and because we are all made in the image of God,

they will see God.

Search me God and know my heart.

Investigate my life, find out everything about me;

Cross-examine and test me,

get a clear picture of what I'm about;

see for your self whether I've done anything wrong - 

then guide me on the road of eternal life.

Ps. 139 MSG

Macky Bear 7

From the moment you were born little baby boy, I knew something was different.

You stole my heart like non other and I just couldn't keep my lips off your cheeks!

 You are such a special boy Mack.

You're heart is tender and sensitive.

You have a deep desire for everyone to know Jesus and you pray earnestly for your friends.

You are kind and compassionate.

 "I want to make my own Valentine's for my class Mommy.  

And I'm going to make Natalia's the most special because she has cancer."

You have a deep understanding of God and His grace and mercy.

You are quick to say you're sorry and quick to forgive.

As I sat at the computer one evening, long after you were asleep, 

I heard someone come in behind me.  You were crying.

"What's the matter buddy?"

"Mommy, remember when Georgia was at swim practice last year and you brought me goldfish for a snack?  You asked me if you could have some and I didn't share.

I'm so sorry Mommy."

As you lay in bed at night, you contemplate your days and the regrets that are brought to mind hit your little heart and you go to make things right.

Macky, you have a sensitive heart that desires purity and God will use you in mighty ways.

You make me laugh all the time.

You are so quick witted and funny!

Your confidence is a gift that allows you the freedom to be who God has made you to be.

Your sissys love you soooo much, sometimes perhaps a little too much!

But the day is quickly approaching when you will tower over them and take great care of them!

"Macky, do you want an ice cream sandwich?"

"YES!  But let's wait until sissys get home so they can have one too."

You are selfless and have always wanted to include your sisters in all the joys of life.

You're 7 today!

A new year is before you.

I pray that God protects your tender heart and continues to draw you closer to Himself.

I pray that your compassion for others deepens as you grow up in a world that desperately needs to know God's love.

I pray that your sense of humor brightens up the days of all you come in contact with.

I pray that you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are loved and that 

God has great plans for you.

Happy Birthday Mack!

Starving

First of all, I must say that I had some of the best food of my life in Austin Texas!

Little food truck named,

"Shut Up and Eat"

or

"Are You Gonna Eat or What?"

I don't know, but they gave me the sandwich of a lifetime!

Mesquite smoked turkey, shellacked in jalapeno jelly, fried green tomato, chipotle aiole.
 House made chips.

COME ON PEOPLE!

I died.

Second Bar Restaurant, best gnocchi of my life!

I might have licked the bowl when no one was looking.

Coopers BBQ

Brisket, beans, white bread, macaroni and cheese (which the Texas native with me said was one of the best!) pickles and peacan cobbler!

WHAT??

Not pictured was the fried chicken eggs bennedict I had on the way to the airport!
I must go back to Austin just to eat more!

In Austin, I attended the IF Gathering.
A Gathering of 2000 women in Austin, hundreds of thousands of women live streaming all over the world, to come together to be equipped in the name of Jesus and be unleashed out into our communities to make a difference.  We explored the question, "What IF we lived like Jesus?"
In the past few days since being home, I have tried to start unpacking the experience of
the IF Gathering and I've realized a few things.
First of all, I didn't know I was starving going into the Gathering.
Looking at all these pictures of food, I kinda think, "how did I eat all that?"
But an empty belly can hold much.
Just as an empty soul can hold much.
With all of the rich truth that was poured out at the Gathering, I never seemed to be uncomfortably full, like Thanksgiving full.  Instead I just received all that was offered, realizing that my soul has been starving for solid, rich truth for a long time.
My appetite for solid food was awaken as I realized that I've been drinking Spiritual milk for far too long.  I don't know how my faith in Jesus has been subtly watered down over the past few years, still growing and being nourished, but not in a way to produce an abundance!
Just in a way to produce enough to look "productive."
But devouring meal after meal after meal of God's unmistakable truth, spoken from a place of deep conviction and passion did not leave me uncomfortably full, but quite the opposite.
It left me awake, alive and longing for more.

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.
I often think of Lent as being a season of fasting.
A season of identifying with the suffering of Christ by depriving ourselves of something we enjoy.
I'm not giving up anything today.
Instead, I'm indulging.
For the Lenten season, I'm going to feast on the rich Word of God more than I have before.
I'm going to identify with Him through knowing Him more,
spending time listening, reading and praying.
I'm going to indulge in His rich, delicious truth that not only gives life, but gives life to the full!

Sometimes we don't even know we're starving until we have a meal that awakens all of our appetite.

Unpacking

I just got back from 4 days in Austin Texas at the IF: Gathering.

It was a women's conference and going into it, that was about all I knew.

We had many questions, 

"What are we going to?  What is this thing?  Who will be there?  Who is speaking?  

Is there a theme?"

Ending with our final, joking question, 

"What the if?"

Since we were traveling from California, you'd think we would have sought some of these answers prior to purchasing airline tickets!  But no.  

We just knew we needed to be "there," whatever "there" was.

Holy smokes!

4 days later and I have a lot of unpacking to do!

It was like going to an all you can eat buffet, where after 20 minutes of eating ridiculously rich food, your stomach aches, yet you cannot stop eating because the delicacies around you are far too valuable to leave without sampling.  So you start stuffing food in your pockets, your purse, your pant legs and even your ears so you don't miss a single morsel.

I felt as though I was in the current Hall of Faith with some of today's greats.

There was not one keynote speaker.  There were about 30!!!

Yea, just about 30 different people sharing golden morsels of truth 

in the short span of about 14 hours!

Well now I'm stuffed to the gills and have a lot of unpacking to do.

A lot of processing.

A lot of going through notes, praying, journaling, praying and then some more digesting to really understand what I just encountered.

I'm excited to share with you what God spoke through His servants at the IF:Gathering.

But I'd love for you to hear some of it for yourself!

Today only you can watch the live stream for free!

So, grab a pen and paper, a glass of water and your baggy pants because you will be filled to the gills!

Go to 

ifgathering.com

register to watch the live stream

at the top menu bar, click on "archives" to start at session 1

My favorites were:

Jo Saxton Session 1, 54 minutes in   time marker - 54:00
Beautiful Indian woman Session 2, 3 hours into the session    time marker - 30:33

Eugene Cho Session 3, 2 hours into the session   time marker - 2:00

David Plat Session 4, almost 2 hours into the session    time marker - 1:54

to name just a few!!!

Excuses Excuses

Excuses

Excuses

Lately I've had some ideas and dreams that I'd like to make happen.

I dream and jot down thoughts and get really excited.

Only to loose steam a few days later when the reality of
"I have no idea how to make that happen" darkens all hope.

I wouldn't know where to start

I wouldn't know who to ask

I'll just go back to doing the dishes and laundry!

There is so much practical knowledge that I'd need to make some of my dreams come true.  Practical knowledge that I don't have and don't know where to get it!
Everyone seems to want to throw out advise and suggestions, at which I politely nod and smile.

All the while I'm thinking,

"It sounds like you're speaking German to me because I haven't a clue what you're saying."

You know, the suggestions that others think are so obvious and simple, 

but to me it's a foreign language.

So I let the ideas fade away with my legitimate excuse of "I just wouldn't even know where to begin."

Well, I read a great word from Rick Warren the other day that totally smacked me in the face!  He was talking about Noah building the ark.

"There were problems that could have caused Noah to doubt.  First, Noah had never seen rain, because prior to the Flood, God irrigated the earth from the ground up. Second, Noah lived hundreds of miles from the nearest ocean.  Even if he could learn to build a ship, how would he get it to water?  Third, there was the problem of rounding up all the animals and then caring for them.

 But Noah didn't complain or make excuses.  

He trusted God completely, and that made God smile."

First of all can I just say that my seminary educated self didn't know that 

prior to the Flood there was no rain!  

What the what?

But seriously, there were so many legitimate excuses Noah could have thrown down because truly he had no idea where to begin with what God told him to do.  It was all like a foreign language.

Rain?  What's that?

Giant ship?  Never seen one.

It's supposed to float?  But where's the water?

Herd and care for all the animals ever created?  Not qualified.

But he didn't make excuses.

He trusted God to provide the plan and He did.

Thanks Noah.

I needed to be challenged to stop making excuses of all that I don't know, 

and just trust God to give directions to make these dreams of mine come true!

I heart Noah.

Simplicity of Childlike Snow

Everyone has been posting these beautiful pictures of snow all over the country 

and it's made me a bit jealous!

I grew up snow skiing in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Northern California and this year especially, I've been a little sad that I'm not giving my children that same experience.

My son is about to turn 7 and he's never seen "real" snow before!

Something had to be done about that!

So with a random day off school this week, we took the kids to the snow!

Because this is supposed to be an El Nino year for us Californians, there actually is a bit of snow on our mountains, even in Southern California.

So we drove through absolute desert, like sand, cactus legit desert, and the mountains that rose behind the desert were covered in snow!  As we headed up the incline, anxious to step out into the frothy fluff, my husband and I looked at each other with a bit of a grimace, thinking, "um, is this it?"

The kids were about to jump out of their seats, "CAN WE GET OUT NOW??"

But no, we kept driving, looking for the "prefect" spot to stop and play.

We assured them that we were not going home until we got to play in the snow, but we were just looking for a good spot to sled.

After pulling over to survey several spots, only to return to the car and move onto somewhere else, we finally found a decent area to play and allowed the kids to get out of the car.

The same grimace came over our faces as we stepped out, almost slipping flat on our backs on the hard, icy, snow.  As the kids ran ahead of us, my husband and I began picking apart this experience, "this snow is terrible, it's so hard and icy, we're all going to break our necks!  it's freezing out here, I have a headache already, this is miserable!" 

 Just then a kiddo ran back to us, "Come on!  This is amazing!  Hurry and grab the sleds!"

They were beaming from ear to ear.

They couldn't be more ecstatic with this "snow."

I looked at my husband and said, "Let's not say anything.  They're totally happy.  They've never been to the snow before, they have no idea that this sucks!  Let's not ruin it for them."

So we kept quiet, walked extremely gingerly so as not to fall and break anything, 

and let them have the time of their life!

 

On the ice, amongst the dirt, rocks and branches, they slipped and sledded down some hills and couldn't stop laughing and smiling.  It was a solid 35 degrees and I was grateful for all the snow clothes our neighbors lent us, even the pink boots for my little dude!  

(that's how much he loved the snow - he didn't even care that he was wearing pink girl boots!)

Such a great life lesson was once again learned!

Kids don't have a huge file of previous life experiences.  They aren't constantly comparing.  

They are totally present in the moment, loving every bit of it!

Every moment is a gift, even if it looks different than previous moments!

There is a new gift in every experience.

Look for it!

Find it!

Then ride it like you've never done it before!

Happy Friday

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

My little girl is a ferocious reader!

She devour books in no time and quickly is onto the next.

She recently finished, "Absolutely Truly," by Heather Vogel Frederick.

At the end of the book, which takes place in Pumpkin Falls, 

there is a recipe for Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, 

and she has been begging me to make them since she turned the last page!

and they were delicious!

Aunt True's Mini Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Cookies:

1/2 c. butter, softened

1 1/4 c. sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten

1 c. pumpkin

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 T. molasses

2 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. ground cardamom

1/4 tsp. salt (only if using unsalted butter)

Filling

4 oz. cream cheese softened

6 T. butter, softened

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

For cookies:

cream butter and sugar together in a large bowl.  Add eggs and beat well.  Add pumpkin, vanilla, and molasses; beat until smooth.  In a separate bowl. whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices.  Add to pumpkin mixture and stir well.  Using a teaspoon-size cookie scoop, drop onto greased cookie sheets.

Bake for about 10-12 minutes, until the cookie springs back to the touch.  Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the filling:

Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until fluffy.  Gradually mix in powdered sugar and beat until light and fluffy.  Generously frost the flat side of one cookie and top with another flat side of a cookie to make a sandwich!  Enjoy!

You Are Loved

In this day

whatever you face

whomever you meet

know that 

You Are Loved

Let it sink down deep.

You are the beloved of God.

Beloved

Be loved

Receive it today.

Unconditional

Unstoppable

Unending

LOVE

We Are Not Troubled Guests

Wednesday night I went to a performance of sorts.

An honest, vulnerable, hilarious, storytelling by Scott Erickson.

I met Scott many years ago when I lived in Seattle and Scott is someone who always puts a smile on your face!  Whether he's showing up at your door with a "welcome basket" filled with random items like a can of soup and stuffed animal, 

or going out karaoke in a powder blue, polyester tux fully equipped with ruffles!

Oh, and did I mention he's a painter?

Oh yea, and that he loves Jesus!

And that he's married to a beautiful woman that I'm currently obsessed with 

(that's for another post! but check out The Modern Proper in the mean time!!!).

Anyhooch, Scott is currently doing a one man show called,

It's a mulitmedia presentation of his difficult conversation with God that came out of a dark time in his life, and lest you think it's moody and depressing, think again - there is a moment when he busts out with a little karaoke of Queen! 

 I'll leave it at that!

I had no idea what to expect, although I know Scott is highly talented and a person that I've always loved time with, I figured the show might me a bit too artsy for me and go over my head because I'm not really that "deep."  But oh no!  I was on the edge of my seat the whole show, laughing, borderline crying, but smiling for sure as he time and again revealed simple yet profound truths that stirred up all sorts of questions in me.

One thing he said that stuck with me was that people spend a lot of time in their lives trying to fit in and avoiding situations where we feel like we won't.  We want to belong.  This might cause us to be something other than who God has created us to be, 

someone who will fit in with society's norms and meet the world's demands.  

But if we are not true to ourselves, we are not living into who God has created us to be and fully reflecting His light to all around us, the light He put in us.

However, we are not troubled guests in this world.  

We belong. 

 Just as we are. 

 Just as God created us.

Go be who God made you to be today.

Nothing more.

Nothing less.

And if ever you hear of We Are Not Troubled Guests playing somewhere within a 5 hour drive of you, do yourself a favor, get in the car and drive!

Happy Friday.

***

Go to Scott's site for all sorts of rad art and videos of what he does!

Scott Erickson Art . com

Some of Scott's Rad Art!

What Would You Do If You Won?

The question has been swirling around the water cooler this week:

"What would you do if you won $1.5 Billion?"

We pulled into a gas station on Sunday and I couldn't resist, I just had to be part of the hype!

So I ran in and purchased 3 tickets.

You've gotta play to win!!

***

I had coffee with some friends yesterday and we discussed the possibilities of $1.5 billion!

My girlfriend said it feels like a mental vacation just to ponder the possibilities!

Isn't that true?

"Immediate purchase, impulse, you just won, what are you immediately going to buy?"

Whereas we all agreed that we'd settle down and wait awhile before doing anything major,

 we still all had that one thing we'd purchase right away.

Mine was a Hawaiian vacation that we've been dreaming about for a few years, but just can't pull it off.  I wouldn't think twice, I'd pick up the phone and book the trip without hesitation or regret.

"I'd buy my mom a house."

"I'd buy a new wardrobe."

My husband said he'd go buy the new Corvette!

I just can't imagine getting to completely buy whatever I want!

In some ways it would bring great peace to be financially set for life.

My girlfriend said not having to worry about money or anything again, to be secure, 

would be the best part of winning. 

It was ironic because just that morning I had read,

"The most common myth about money is that having more will make me more secure.  It won't.  Wealth can be lost instantly through a variety of uncontrollable factors.  Real security can only be found in that which can never be taken from you - your relationship with God."

-Rick Warren from The Purpose Driven Life

No words could be more true as we did lose our wealth instantly through an uncontrollable factor - 

I lost 2 of the lottery tickets!

Yep.

Somehow one is still in my purse and the others are not!

So tonight as those balls swirl around and land at random (or fate) at the winning numbers,

and you just so happen to be holding a ticket you "found,"

and all of your numbers line up...

after you wake up from passing out, please go book yourself a trip to Hawaii in honor of the one who purchased that ticket for you!  While you're there, I hope you meet Jesus who will give you life long security, come what may!

(and honey, I'm sorry.  I'll buy you a Corvette one day!)

The Recipe For A God's Girl

What are the ingredients that make up a Girl who belongs to God?

I spent the past 4 months discussing this question with my group of 4th grade girls - The God's Girls.

We gather a few times a month to challenge and equip these little girls to be who God has created them to be and to live differently as they step out bearing the title "God's Girl."

This past session was all about recipes - 

we discussed how recipes are guides that give directions to obtain a desired result,

we talked about the ingredients we must acquire to make us into girls more like Jesus,

and we made a few recipes in the kitchen for fun!

We started this series by decorating our own recipe boxes that would hold our prayer requests, notes, memory verses, and actual recipes that we would make during our time together.

The girls were over the moon!

I loved seeing their creativity and the sweet things they wanted written on their boxes.

***

This gathering of little girls has been a huge challenge and blessing in my life.

I know how much I greatly benefited from discipleship groups 

when I was in jr. high and high school.

But why wait until the girls are teenagers?

Why not start them early growing in their faith, relationships and accountability with other girls?

Female relationships are a treasure that the enemy is threatened by because he knows there is power when women, both young and old, come together in Jesus' name!

An area that God is calling me to be Brave in 2016 is with this ministry.

I'm scared.

I'm not sure how exactly to move forward with what God has put on my heart.

But I'm going to be Brave!

I hope to have more posts about God's Girls throughout this year!