Please be advised: This video is very graphic and intense.
It was a huge wake-up call for me. My hope is that it would provide the same revelation for you, as you girls are so dear to my heart.
I LOVE YOU!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
texting and driving.
Ok girls, here's the truth: many of us are guilty of not keeping our full attention on the road while we drive. But girls, we could not make a more dangerous decision. The video at the link below is a Public Service Announcement created by a school/police department team in Wales, UK.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
relentless.
Lately I've been studying quite a bit in Genesis. I had some preconceived notions about what studying Genesis would produce, and let me just say, I was wrong. I've learned so much more than I had anticipated, and the great news is, I'm only in Genesis 5! That means there's still so much more to gain! I'm SO excited. (In case you couldn't tell.) :)
Anyway, what I want to share with you today is something that the Lord laid on my heart even today during lunch. A friend and I ate lunch outside today and chatted away while the sun did its job of radiating warmth and delight into our lives for a mere hour. Our chat started out lighthearted, but quickly progressed to a more challenging time of deliberation and wrestling. In our wrestling (not physically, only metaphorically; no worries!) through ideas and theologies, I began to piece together ideas and themes from Genesis and this really beautiful truth emerged so clearly to me. Are you ready for this?
Here it is:
God is relentless in His pursuit of His people.
Do you know what that means? Do you know how that affects you? I'm not sure that I can even grasp it completely. But, if you will allow me, I will explain what I've learned about this topic in the following tidbit of type.
Ahhhhemmm...
In Genesis chapter 1, God creates everything. Light. Dark. Night. Day. Water. Earth. Sky. Stars. Sun. Moon. Seed. Plants. Animals. And finally, human. The real kicker is that He creates all of this, all of these physical, tangible substances from nothing that we can understand. Crazy huh? (Check out Hebrews 11:3-6 for more on this.) He gives simple life guidelines to human: Don't eat from the tree in the middle of the garden or else they would die. Well, we all know the story, right? They eat. And then they have to face the consequences.
This is what's so astounding to me though: they disobey God, blatantly, yet He doesn't condemn them; He asks them questions. He pursues them...even after they've offended Him. Beyond that, Adam and Eve make coverings for themselves to cover their sin, which turn out to be displeasing to the Lord. But rather than strike them dead immediately for their severance of His commands, the Lord graciously provides a covering for them, one that He deems worthy and pleasing. He provides atonement for them. Yes, they still suffer consequences. They don't get to live in Eden, they experience pain and toil in labor, and they do experience death in the end. But, God shows mercy to them. He still desires relationship with them.
Then in Genesis 4, when Cain and Abel present their offerings to the Lord, and Cain's is found unfavorable, the Lord goes so far as to offer Cain another chance. Cain doesn't approach the Lord the way that He had established, so his offering doesn't cut it. But rather than punish Cain immediately, God again asks a question (a relational gesture), and offers an opportunity for Cain to correct his deed. God pursues Cain, even when Cain's heart is jealous and caught up in his own affairs. The Lord still desires to be reconciled to him.
Ok, so I know that's a lot of Bible stuff, and maybe I lost you, but don't miss this. Here's the point in all my rambling:
God establishes the way that we must approach Him. He gives guidelines that we are to follow and He doesn't work outside of Himself. He never contradicts Himself, nor does He go back on His word. But so often we get caught up in either the worry of legalism or in creating our own way to God that we miss His way. And we miss the point altogether. God wants us to approach Him. HE WANTS US. And He pursues His people relentlessly. I just think that's overwhelming. And I wanted to share it with you.
Relentless: "Showing or promising no abatement of severity, intensity, strength, or pace (merriam-webster.com)."
What are you pursuing relentlessly? Do you follow and live in the relentless love of your Savior?
May His relentless love be a tangible reality in your life today.
Anyway, what I want to share with you today is something that the Lord laid on my heart even today during lunch. A friend and I ate lunch outside today and chatted away while the sun did its job of radiating warmth and delight into our lives for a mere hour. Our chat started out lighthearted, but quickly progressed to a more challenging time of deliberation and wrestling. In our wrestling (not physically, only metaphorically; no worries!) through ideas and theologies, I began to piece together ideas and themes from Genesis and this really beautiful truth emerged so clearly to me. Are you ready for this?
Here it is:
God is relentless in His pursuit of His people.
Do you know what that means? Do you know how that affects you? I'm not sure that I can even grasp it completely. But, if you will allow me, I will explain what I've learned about this topic in the following tidbit of type.
Ahhhhemmm...
In Genesis chapter 1, God creates everything. Light. Dark. Night. Day. Water. Earth. Sky. Stars. Sun. Moon. Seed. Plants. Animals. And finally, human. The real kicker is that He creates all of this, all of these physical, tangible substances from nothing that we can understand. Crazy huh? (Check out Hebrews 11:3-6 for more on this.) He gives simple life guidelines to human: Don't eat from the tree in the middle of the garden or else they would die. Well, we all know the story, right? They eat. And then they have to face the consequences.
This is what's so astounding to me though: they disobey God, blatantly, yet He doesn't condemn them; He asks them questions. He pursues them...even after they've offended Him. Beyond that, Adam and Eve make coverings for themselves to cover their sin, which turn out to be displeasing to the Lord. But rather than strike them dead immediately for their severance of His commands, the Lord graciously provides a covering for them, one that He deems worthy and pleasing. He provides atonement for them. Yes, they still suffer consequences. They don't get to live in Eden, they experience pain and toil in labor, and they do experience death in the end. But, God shows mercy to them. He still desires relationship with them.
Then in Genesis 4, when Cain and Abel present their offerings to the Lord, and Cain's is found unfavorable, the Lord goes so far as to offer Cain another chance. Cain doesn't approach the Lord the way that He had established, so his offering doesn't cut it. But rather than punish Cain immediately, God again asks a question (a relational gesture), and offers an opportunity for Cain to correct his deed. God pursues Cain, even when Cain's heart is jealous and caught up in his own affairs. The Lord still desires to be reconciled to him.
Ok, so I know that's a lot of Bible stuff, and maybe I lost you, but don't miss this. Here's the point in all my rambling:
God establishes the way that we must approach Him. He gives guidelines that we are to follow and He doesn't work outside of Himself. He never contradicts Himself, nor does He go back on His word. But so often we get caught up in either the worry of legalism or in creating our own way to God that we miss His way. And we miss the point altogether. God wants us to approach Him. HE WANTS US. And He pursues His people relentlessly. I just think that's overwhelming. And I wanted to share it with you.
Relentless: "Showing or promising no abatement of severity, intensity, strength, or pace (merriam-webster.com)."
What are you pursuing relentlessly? Do you follow and live in the relentless love of your Savior?
May His relentless love be a tangible reality in your life today.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
You're invited!
Throw on your tackiest ensemble and join us as we explore how to embrace our own unique styles!
WHAT? A Girls' Night Out for 7th-12th Grade Girls & Their Moms
WHEN?
Friday, April 16th, 7-10pm
WHERE?
Ridgecrest's Fashion Central (the FC)
Tickets are $3 per person and will be sold March 28-April 14 in the FC Foyer.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
on dissecting drama.
I would encourage you to check out the article here, at Lifeway's Girls' Ministry Blog. I'm interested to hear any and all of your feedback!
Here are some of my thoughts:
For me, the greatest insight Pam offers is just the understanding that if we as girls are created to be so relational, then in makes perfect sense that Satan would attack us hardest there. Duh. There goes my search for figuring out why we as girls deal with so much drama. Once we understand the huge threat that strong female relationships present to our enemy, then all of the struggles we encounter in our relationships make perfect sense. The enemy is scared. He doesn't want to lose. But girls, we have to wage war. We have to come to an understanding of what and who were dealing with so that we can properly equip ourselves and our relationships.
So, what do you think? How does Satan try to trip you up the most in your relationships? How do you deal with that? What are you doing to see that the enemy doesn't get a foothold in your relationships?
I want to hear your thoughts. Please, share away. :)
Here are some of my thoughts:
For me, the greatest insight Pam offers is just the understanding that if we as girls are created to be so relational, then in makes perfect sense that Satan would attack us hardest there. Duh. There goes my search for figuring out why we as girls deal with so much drama. Once we understand the huge threat that strong female relationships present to our enemy, then all of the struggles we encounter in our relationships make perfect sense. The enemy is scared. He doesn't want to lose. But girls, we have to wage war. We have to come to an understanding of what and who were dealing with so that we can properly equip ourselves and our relationships.
So, what do you think? How does Satan try to trip you up the most in your relationships? How do you deal with that? What are you doing to see that the enemy doesn't get a foothold in your relationships?
I want to hear your thoughts. Please, share away. :)
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
DIRECTIONS FOR GNO
-Turn RIGHT on Republic Road.
-Follow Republic Road to Kansas AVENUE (NOT Expressway).
-Turn LEFT on Kansas Avenue.
-Follow Kansas Avenue to Village Lane.
-Turn LEFT on Village Lane.
-My parents' house is the first house on the RIGHT.
1637 W. Village Lane, Springfield, MO 65807
Mary Stone's cell: 417.861.8443
My cell: 417.861.8143
I'm excited to see you all on Thursday evening! Don't forget about Bible study classes (6-6:45pm) and 651 (6:51-7:45) on Wednesday night!
Monday, February 1, 2010
gno|chocolate fest
Our first GIRLS' NIGHT OUT of 2010 is here!
Thursday, February 11th from 6:30-8:30pm will be GNO|Chocolate Fest. Because, seriously, what girl can resist the goodness of cocoa?
All you need to do is bring your favorite chocolate creation to share and come prepared for some serious girl time. (For any of you that don't like chocolate, just bring another sweet treat to share and come anyway!)
Directions will be sent out via facebook, photocopied maps, and here at rbcgirls.blogspot.com the week of the event!
Questions? Email/call me!
jstone@ridgecrestbaptist.org or 885.5232
What are you going to bring?
I'm planning a chocolate fountain and some chocolate truffles....mmm...
Thursday, February 11th from 6:30-8:30pm will be GNO|Chocolate Fest. Because, seriously, what girl can resist the goodness of cocoa?
All you need to do is bring your favorite chocolate creation to share and come prepared for some serious girl time. (For any of you that don't like chocolate, just bring another sweet treat to share and come anyway!)
Directions will be sent out via facebook, photocopied maps, and here at rbcgirls.blogspot.com the week of the event!
Questions? Email/call me!
jstone@ridgecrestbaptist.org or 885.5232
What are you going to bring?
I'm planning a chocolate fountain and some chocolate truffles....mmm...
Thursday, January 21, 2010
adjusting awkward.
Do you ever have a day that you just feel awkward? Like you're completely uncomfortable and out of place in your own skin? That has definitely been me today. I've just felt a little off.
Just about the time I was beginning to really chew and start sulking in my self-proclaimed awkwardness, a friend stopped by my office and chatted for a few minutes. In the midst of sharing his heart, he shared something that mine needed to hear.
"You are the light of the world," he said, quoting Matthew 5:14. "When the light shines, you can't hide."
Something about that struck me. And it struck me hard. No matter how much I want to just be swallowed up into my own awkward little (or big) hole, I still have a job to do. No matter how invisible I wish to be, I still shine because of Christ in me. Regardless of my lack of affections for myself, God still considers me worthy to be used. Wow. And when I'm plugged into the Source of that light, really, nothing else matters. No one cares about--or even notices for that matter--my awkwardness or inabilities or inadequacies. Nope. Light shines. And that's what matters.
So, for now, I'm forgetting awkward and donning some sunscreen.
Care to join me?
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden." Matthew 5:14
Just about the time I was beginning to really chew and start sulking in my self-proclaimed awkwardness, a friend stopped by my office and chatted for a few minutes. In the midst of sharing his heart, he shared something that mine needed to hear.
"You are the light of the world," he said, quoting Matthew 5:14. "When the light shines, you can't hide."
So, for now, I'm forgetting awkward and donning some sunscreen.
Care to join me?
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden." Matthew 5:14
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