Chivalry.

"Chivalry is dead." 

How many times have you heard this phrase? 

As a woman growing up in a feministic society, I've heard it plenty of times. In fact, it's been engrained in my brain. That simple phrase slips out of my mouth when a guy fails to open the car door for me or takes the recliner during movie night while I am stuck on the floor. This seemingly harmless phrase has been bouncing around in my head over the summer as I have dug deeper into the meaning of being a true woman of Christ. 

The Christian side of us begs for a man who is going to open the car door and let us have the recliner. We recognize that we are daughters of the King and deserve to be treated with respect. However, society's fascination with feminism has wrecked our view of chivalry. We are now annoyed when he opens the car door for us because "does he really think I can't do that myself?", and we begin to confuse attempted chivalry with the implications that we are incapable of completing such tasks ourselves. 

Instead of accepting chivalry as it is, we twist it into something it's not and then project it's negativity back on the guy. We demand chivalry and then express our annoyance at it when it is displayed because we insist on being strong, self-sufficient women. If someone you love is constantly getting annoyed or frustrated by something you do, don't you eventually stop doing it? Chivalry isn't dead; it's simply hidden in the hearts of men who have been consistently rejected by "independent" women. 

Ladies, letting him open the car door for you isn't going to take away your independence or identity. It's simply a small way for him to show you he cares. If you want a man who is chasing after the heart of God, he will be respectful and chivalrous because it's a desire of his heart. Don't take that away from him.

Men, don't be afraid to show us you care. When you find the right girl, she won't be scared away by acts of chivalry, but will cherish them instead. Look for a woman of Christ who is humble enough to not only accept your acts of chivalry, but thank you for them. 

Victim.

Girls like to be the victim.

Before you go all Beyonce on me and start preaching about feminism and equality, let me explain. 

She said this.

She called me this.

She did this.

She she she. 

Placing the blame on others, even in small situations, often times (sometimes unintentionally) makes us the victim. We don't want to take ownership of our side of the story, because that makes us look like the bad person, so we put the blame on the other girl. This not only gives us a false sense of righteousness, but it also unfairly puts the other girl in the wrong. We take on the crown of victory by playing the victim. People will take your side if that's the only side they know. 

Instead of being victims of our circumstances and our situations, why don't we see ourselves as victims of grace? Think about it. Victims don't deserve what happens to them. They are helpless and they have no say in their circumstances. As Christians, we are victims of grace. We are sinners who do not deserve the grace of Jesus Christ. Instead of placing the blame on other girls and not extending grace to them, why don't we look at the "blame" placed on our lives by our sin, and then see the INSANE amount of grace given to us by Christ. 

As girls, we know how hard it is to be a girl. So why do we make life hard for other girls? Instead of placing blame and playing the victim, let's set aside the drama and the gossip. Let's join together as sisters in Christ and extend grace to each other in the same way that Christ has extended it to us. 

If you're interested in diving in to solid spiritual community with other girls, check out the info below. 

GIRL'S COMMUNITY GROUPS

Light Love Hope: Geared towards 7th, 8th, & 9th grade girls, LLH meets at Simply Yo on Campbell     every Sunday night from 6-7:30pm. 

Moore Mondays with Beth: Tailored to 10th, 11th, & 12th grade ladies, this Beth Moore based study meets on the first Monday of every month at Karla Thrasher's house and starts at 6pm. 

Braums Bible Study: This is for Nixa High School girls, and meets every Monday before school at Braums in Nixa. 

We're Back!

Hello lovelies!

Nothing says "time off" like a year-long blogging hiatus, right? Well, rbcgirls is back in action! We are so excited about the things happening at Ridgecrest, especially in the student ministry. The presence of God is so evident and powerful and we are just waiting to see what He does next!

Today I want to talk about the goodness of God. Not the kind of goodness where, because you prayed before dinner, He gives you a puppy and a lollipop. The kind of goodness where, in a world overrun with evil and deceit, we know that there is a greater reasoning and purpose for us as believers.

This type of goodness is sometimes hard to swallow. Not just on a large scale, where there are children dying and countries at war, but on a scale that directly affects your day-to-day life. When life seems to fall apart and it gets overwhelming, we can often question the goodness of God.

Of course, we would never say outwardly that we don't think God is good. As believers, we are taught from a young age that God is good and loving and patient. While all these are true, we often forget that perhaps God's definition of these words does not match our definition. Maybe what I want isn't what the Lord wants. And if I truly believe that He is good, isn't that ok?

…I want to live in a nice house with a jacuzzi tub…and if not, He is good.
…I want to find someone who will love me well and love Christ more…and if not, He is good.
…I want to be successful in my career field…and if not, He is good.

You see, it's not the things that are bad, it's our reaction when we don't get them. Do we base our perception of the goodness of God off of getting what we want?

Check out what these verses say about goodness:

-Romans 8:28
-Psalm 23:6
-Psalm 107:1
-James 1:17

Ladies, as emotional beings (just being honest here), we like to throw fits and stomp our feet and cry all of our mascara off. The world tells us that this is a normal, expected response when things don't go our way. However, we are not normal, we are called to be set apart for Christ. This means in all circumstances, good and bad, we are glorifying Christ and His goodness.

Remember this school year, as you deal with teachers who don't like you, classmates who are mean, and bad hair days (the worst!), that God is God and He is good.

Love you all!

Emilee

CAMP is coming! - A note from Emilee Garrison

As girls it’s very easy to be sucked into the world. Social media, friendships, relationships, etc. all consume our lives on a day-to-day basis. We wake up in the morning and look at our phones, hoping for that sweet good morning text or seeing what’s new on Twitter. Then we spend a good amount of time showering, fixing our hair, doing our makeup, and picking out the perfect outfit. After we have made sure that we look our best, we rush off to school or work or to hang out with our friends. Where in our day have we set aside time for our Creator? Maybe you sneak in a few minutes of Bible reading or prayer before practice or before you fall asleep, but do you purposefully and consistently set aside time to be with the Lord? Well, for five days that time is built into your daily schedule for you. I think you know what I’m talking about: CAMP! This is a time that allows you to put down the flat iron and the cell phone and pick up the Word. CAMP is a great time to detox from the stresses of the world and just BE with Jesus. We take five days to step back from life and experience God. Windermere provides a gorgeous backdrop for quiet time, rec, and boating. Sam Bhatt will be bringing the message each night and Tyler Batten and his band will lead us in worship. CAMP is an incredibly awesome time to continue growing in your faith, or maybe rediscover the God you used to know. I promise that if you are willing to take a break from the world for five days, God will show you some incredible things.

-written by Emilee Garrison

Boyz II Men

Written by Emilee Garrison

Believe it or not, there is a big difference between Christian boys and men of God. Christian boys will sit next to you at church, while men of God will read their Bible before they send you that cute good morning text. Christian boys will say they love you, while men of God will actively show their love for you in a way that is glorifying to God.

Growing up in the Church I was always told to find a “good Christian boy”. However, when I found a good Christian boy, I was frustrated with the fact that he was not engaged in an active relationship with Christ and he wasn’t challenging me in my walk with the Lord. That’s because I was searching for a BOY, not someone who was spiritually mature. If you want to be told you’re beautiful and pretty and go on fun dates, then date a Christian boy. If you want all of that along with being stretched and grown in your faith, shown an unconditional Christ-like love, and pursued in a respectful and intentional manner, then wait to date a man of God.

“An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.” –Proverbs 31:10

In that respect, we should strive constantly to be the type of woman that a man of God would want to pursue. Obsessing over our hair and clothes or being consistently overdramatic is not exhibiting an attitude that a man of God would want or need to be interested in. Our hearts should be so captured by the Lord and our love for him that it radiates from our being and that will draw the attention of that man of God. You don’t want the attention of a guy who isn’t attracted by your love of the Lord.  We should be just as focused on becoming a woman of God as we are on finding a man of God.

Girls Bible Study: May 13

Hello Ladies!!

GBS will be happening ONE WEEK from today! We hope you can make it... because it's going to be awesome!

We'll be meeting at RBC on the grass outside the FC...
Wait, what? On the grass? YES!
... Because we'll be have a tie-dye night!! Bring something you want to tie-dye with you... and a friend!

Next GBS Night...

Alright Ladies... we've got a couple week with no GBS.
I know... super sad, right?

The next Girls Bible Study will be on Monday, April 15th at the Thrasher Residence.
We'll have directions on the kiosk the Wednesday and Sunday leading up to it.

We hope all of you can make it out to GBS.
Don't forget to bring your boards from last time (I'll bring a working pen to engrave your quotes!)

Also, you can still buy a book if you need to.  I'll have them there that night for $10.

Love you all!!

Xoxo,
Kate