I know it's been awhile since I've been in touch- I've been a busy girl this summer with organizing our outreach and now with getting our homeschool schedule set for the first half of the year but things should balance out here in the next few days and I might be able to get to that point where I don't feel like I am having to remind myself to breathe! Ever been there?

For some ladies being over busy has just become a way of life, just as today's devotion speaks about. But,is what we're doing in all our busyness having an eternal purpose for others or ourselves? A while back we had a speaker at one of our ladies breakfasts who talked about how as women we have a tendancy to always put ourselves last. We wait until others are served food before we fill our plates, we use gift money intended us for our husbands or kids, we sacrifice our own needs to meet the needs of others and most times we are either the last on our own prayer list,that is if we even include ourselves at all. Any of this sounding familiar?

I don't want to imply that we are to be self absorbed my any means, we are nurturers by creation and God has called all of us to sacrifice in this life for others. But as women I believe we can go so far to the left on this giving of ourselves that we often feel drained of heart and our giving becomes robotic and we lose sight of the importance of our own nurturing, our own spirits being revewed and restored. It is in these times of renewal we are at our very best, yet we put so many other things in front of our own restoration. We spend more time emptying out than we do refilling and just as in our automobiles, if we never stop to fill that tank at some point no matter how hard you push on that pedal, your car just isn't going to go anywhere!

So ladies, it's time to refuel!! The sign up table will soon be going up for new Connect Groups at Compelled Church. The Friendships of Women Groups will be re-organizing and hopfully adding even more groups. If your not in a group or if you think it's time that you might like to join in another group to meet other women, now is the time to sign up!! We currently have evening groups for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and morning groups for Monday,Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday as well as a Sunday afternoon group. Or, if you'd like to host your own group, give me a call!

Ladies, our time learning, connecting, and growing with the Lord is so very important. We put so many things before our own spiritual lives, our husbands, our kids, jobs, dishes, dirty floors, and even laundry many times takes priority over growing close to God and others,and our lives begin to look just like this devotion is speaking about. We might look like it's ll okay on the outside, but inside, we just become a jumbled mess! So get "Compelled" to sign up,and get connected, and grow!

Love you all, Cheryl

The Truth is in the Handbag

25 Aug 2010

Shari Braendel

"Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me." Psalm 31:3 (NIV)

I recently watched as a frazzled shopper fumbled around in her bag trying to find her allusive keys. As she dug through her overstuffed purse, multiple items spilled out, landing on the counter and falling to the floor. Quickly, she began collecting her items.

I thought about her pretty purse, beautiful on the outside but hiding an unruly mess on the inside. And then I started thinking about how alike women and purses can be.

Maybe you're like a small purse that only has the capacity to hold a few things. Yet you try stuffing more into your life than you can hold, only to get frustrated. Perhaps one of those things is God: He's been cramm ed into a tiny space in your world and you don't give Him much room to rule because you feel more comfortable when you are in control.

Perhaps you're like a big purse, carrying all kinds of things. You're involving yourself in so many activities just because you can; with no real purpose to why you're doing it. You end up flustered like the shopper digging for her keys because you haven't spent the time needed to organize your spiritual life.

I know you're not a handbag, but when applying biblical truth and application, what kind of purse are you most like?

It's not God's desire for our inside to be out of sync with our outside. He desires for us to have our hearts turned toward Him and have our very pulse in beat with what He is doing in us.

Where should we start to curb the chaos, release our controlling tendencies and lighten the busyness to fall in step with God?

Start by being still. For some, that will go against every fiber of your being, but try it. Perhaps you abide in chaos because it's masking what is really going on with you, just like your pretty purse hides the unorganized mess within. Sit quietly and pray for God to help you be keenly aware of Him. Nothing that you are going through is a surprise to God.

Next, relax and trust the Lord. Sometimes feeling out of control causes you to hyper-control everything around you. Let go of your fears, doubts and worries and make room for God in your life.

Finally, clear your calendar. We overbook and over-schedule out of habit and now busy feels normal. Is your fast pace driven by fear, or does it define your value or identity? If so, re-evaluate where your time and energy are being spent and why.

Making a change doesn't come easily, but it can be done. Although seeking out time with God, learning to trust Him, and reorganizing your priorities can feel uncomfortable and difficult at first, I know for sure that it's not nearly as hard as living overcommitt ed and out of control.

Together, let's commit to cleaning out our "purses!"

Dear Father, will You please meet me right here, right now and quiet my heart so that I can rest and regroup? Thank You for the comfort of knowing that while I sometimes get waylaid, You never take Your eyes from me. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

I just love the devotions from the ladies at Proverb 31 Ministries!!

Clothing Drive for Vision Ministries

Hey Ladies,
I have sent a note out to all our Friendships of Women Leaders about the clothing drive for Vision Ministries. Every third Thursday of the month Vision Ministries has a community wide clothing give-away. They are in desperate need of spring/summer clothing for all ages. If you have items you would like to donate I will need to have them by April 9th. Please do not drop off at the church unless you make arrangements with me in advance. Also, please only donate usable clothing, no clothing with stains, rips or heavily worn out.
You can deliver your donated items to your group leader or contact me 734-856-4397 to arrange a drop-off time with me. And, if you would be interested in volunteering to help sort the clothing and prepare it for distribution let me know by April 10th.
Thanks Ladies,
Love you all,

Balance

First I want to share a visual I received that I believe to have been given to me by the Holy Spirit, then I'll share my thoughts:

I see a woman standing before a mirror fixing herself as if she was preparing to go out. She seems to be pleased with everything but is taking extra time to make sure her hair is just perfect. When you look close you can see a small blemish or wound on her arm, but she pays no attention to it and continues to make her hair look beautiful. She takes great strides to ensure her hair remains healthy by using the finest of hair products and giving it the attention it needs.
As time goes by you can see her hair looking so lovely but you can see that the blemish is becoming bigger and somewhat inflamed. Yet she gives it little thought even though it is causing her a some discomfort. More time passes and one day when she comes to the mirror to brush her beautiful hair, large masses of her hair have fallen out and she has this terrible ache within her body. The blemish has grown into a huge sore that is now infecting her entire body.

I have thought about how we can be this same way in many areas of our lives. Lets face it, none of us really like to look at/or deal with our weaknesses. But without close observation of our entire lives we can so easily look right past an area in our lives that could become just like this seeping wound. For instance as moms we can sometimes be so focused on being a good mom that we can kinda stink at being a good wife. Or as moms we can sometimes try so hard to be our childs friend that we risk falling short at being their parent. How about those who have floors you could literally eat a meal off of yet the relationships surrounding her life are falling apart.
There are many areas we can look at in our lives and find ourselves out of balance, including our relationship with God. We can be diligent at making sure we attend every single church function, yet very rarely go to the Lord in prayer. How about knowing the word of God inside, outside and everyway in between, your the first to speak out when someone questions the location of a verse, then we turn around and speak unfavorably about a neighbor or friend.
Being well rounded in our walk with Christ is key to living a well round or balanced life in all areas of our human existence. For many christians it can be all about squeaking through those gates into heaven once we leave this earth and that can become our goal, all the while forgetting about what we are here to do for the glory of God. We forget about the life we're living and who we are living it for even while we're living it. It all starts to be about how good it all looks, life in the physical; and do we look like we're doing well to others? 1 Corintians 15: 44b-49 " If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So, also it is written, "The first man Adam, became a living soul." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, earthly; the second man is from heaven. As is the earthly, so also are those who are earthly; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. Just as we have borne the image of the earthly, we will also bear the image of the heavenly." Paul goes on to tell us that in 1 Corinthians "flesh and blood will not inherit the kingdom of God"
Balance. The flesh and the spirit functioning as One. Having a watchful eye, a willingness to look and see and acknowledge then surrender those areas to God. Staying in constant connection with Him while we listen for His voice to help strengthen us in these areas we can very often find ourselves wanting to ignore. But if we do, they will have a devastatingly painful effect on our lives, physically and spiritually
Believe me I do not want to even in the slightest sense give the impression that I even think I've got it all together in this area of balance, but I'm working on it and this is what I have discovered so far; Jesus needs to be my number One in EVERY area of this life He has given me. It's hard to face our weaknesses but with Jesus it can be so much easier to face those weaknesses. We can face these areas in our lives before they destroy and we can face them without shame. Jesus took the shame when He took the nails upon the Cross at Calvary.
Jesus loves us so much, He wants to hold us as we face these ugly sores in our lives, He will show His strength in our weakness and He will bring us through that He may bring healing.
So, lets go to Him today:
Father we praise You, for You are worthy to be praised, and we thank you for this day and the very breathe You have given us. Father, it can be so hard to be in balance with our lives and it is so painful to look at our weaknesses, but You Lord have promised us in Your word, to give us strength when we call upon You, surrendering every area of our lives to You. Lord, show Your glory through our weaknesses, that the world may see Your might. Let our hearts feel warmth in Your presence, that Your love will saturate every part of our being all the while, teach us to balance our lives in a way that is pleasing to You, we love You Lord, in Jesus Name, Amen

Women In Friendship

Hey Ladies,
I have been so blessed by this, I just wanted to share it! It was at a Proverbs 31 Conference when God stirred my heart and began creating the vision for the Friendships of Women. A dear friend that I met there forwarded this to me and I am so moved and in awe of my Father God. His timing is perfect! After reading this blog and joining in the group I took some time to read through some of the other ladies status's to find that God is moving His ladies all over this country, and more than likely all over the world. I so believe God is stirring our hearts, drawing us away from the way we've been doing friendship and relationship, calling us all to let go of judgements and seperation, and instead to friendships full of grace, understanding and love.
Enjoy and be blessed!
The Friendship Project
5 Jan 2010Whitney Capps
"But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, 'And who is my neighbor?' Luke:10:29 (NIV)It was a room full of nearly strangers, barely friends-until that day. I asked the ladies to stand as I read from a list of life experiences. If they had lived through one of the descriptions they stood up. One by one, sobbing women rose to their feet as I read the list. They were family in name only - a family of believers from the same church gathered together for a women's retreat where I was the guest speaker.Twelve women stood together when I asked if anyone had had a miscarriage. One woman had buried a spouse. Five came from unbelieving homes. One had lived through marital infidelity. Three had escaped relationships where they had faced verbal, p hysical or sexual abuse. Three ladies had struggled with depression. The list went on and on. By the time I had finished, every woman in the room was standing.We were knee-deep in one another's junk, and yet I had never felt closer to a group of women. As we closed the session I asked them to share more about their stories at their individual tables. As I surveyed the room, women who had been strangers only minutes before were huddled around one another, embracing, sharing and weeping. God was knitting hearts together. It was a moment I'll never forget.I am realizing that women of all walks of life crave friendships. And yet so many of us feel that we are lacking meaningful, authentic relationships. How is it that a church full of women with a common thread of faith are not friends? Worse yet, if we aren't friends, can we hope to offer authentic relationships to those who enter the doors of our churches every week?I fear the answer is "no, we can't" unless we change and make a few necessary sacrifices.Recently I've gleaned some life lessons from the story of the Good Samaritan. In Luke 10:30, Jesus paints a not-so-favorable picture of the religious and respectable. I wonder if He would have the same indictment of our churches today? The priest was seemingly too busy to befriend the one in need.Can I be honest? I am regularly guilty of this sin. Before and after church my husband and I busy ourselves with the work of tending to our children, and doing the business of church. I move past people who are hurting, but I don't stop with my busyness to see their needs. I rarely get off my horse. I am the priest.The Levite rode past the hurting man too. Perhaps he felt he was too clean to get dirty in the messy business of grace and mercy. Helping the man in need would have made the Levite ceremonially unclean. He wanted to preserve his position and place.Let me do a little more truth-telling. I don't usually want to get knee-deep in other people's junk. If I don't get into messy relationships I avoid having to deal not only with my own junk, but other's as well. So I don't get off my horse. I am the Levite.Here is the problem. Real relationships require time and transparency. If we want to move from being casual acquaintances to genuine friends you and I will have to share pain and joy in an authentic, sacrificial way. I believe this, but for right now it's just theory.I'm curious. What would happen if we covenanted together to get off our high horses and got into one another's junk? I wonder if our churches would explode. I wonder if lives would be forever changed. I wonder if the Church would shed a little bit of its reputation of hypocrisy.Want to see what would happen? It's not too late to add a New Year's resolution. Let's resolve to change lives through friendship. Let's slow down. Let's share our stories. Let's get knee-deep.Dear Lord, give me eye s to see those in need around me, and give me the courage to respond. Father, I want to be a part of life-changing friendships by offering grace and mercy. You call us to love others as ourselves. Help me obey this all-consuming command. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Blessing to Mercy House

On the 23rd of January at 10 AM, every lady who has registered to be part of a Friendships of Women Connect Group will be coming to the church for our Kick-Off. During this time all the ladies will meet the leader and/or host of their group and the others that will be in their group. We will be viewing two DVD teachings from Dee Brestin that go along with the Bible Study, and having some fun and fellowship as well.
It has been the heart of Bedford Christian Community Church to have everything we do be in some way missional, and this ministry will be no different. We never want to have the mind or heart to get together only to get filled up and fat for ourselves, but to always be giving back. We'd like to use this opportunity to give back to The Mercy House in Ida, Michigan by asking every lady who is attending the Kick-Off, if they would bring a pack of diapers that we could bless them and help them out with all the wonderful things they are doing through their ministry.
Hope to see you there!
Blessings,

Nuturing Relationship

We have 18 days until the Kick-Off for the Friendships of Women Connect Groups. We now have 10 groups forming with the possibility of more in the week to come. So if you haven't got your registration in yet, now is the time. I am really excited to witness all God has in store for everyone of these groups! You can find registration forms at the Welcome Center. I am praying God will reach hearts to grow deeper in relationship with Him and with each other, and that we will unite in strength to serve those around us and in our communities with our hearts being as one with Jesus!

A friend sent me a copy of a blog she recieved and the message I thought is fitting as we head into beginning our groups. Our hearts must first and foremost, nuture our relationship with God, it is through this time we will grow to have the heart to reach out and love and nuture the relationships God places within our lives. I have cut and pasted the blog in it's entirety here for you to read, and feel free to check out some of her other blog posts.
Blessings to all, I pray you all have a great day!


Just Breathe
Posted: 03 Jan 2010 10:03 PM PST
Someone shared with me once that she does not have time to nurture friendships. Because she does not see that as a priority, I don't really have much interaction with her.I know another lady who is a "self proclaimed" loner! The times that I have spent with her she has mentioned to me several times that she doesn't really need friends. Because of the way that both of these women view friendships, our relationship does not go very deep.I have another friend who is very busy home schooling 4 children and is busy with activities and church-but she is a wonderful example of what it means to nurture friendships. I can remember one day she called me on her cell phone while she was standing in line at a department store, just to see how I was and to let me know she was thinking of me. We didn't talk for long. Neither of us really had the time. But she was just touching base...she was nurturing.Relationships need to be nurtured.I have heard people say, and I have probably said it myself, that I "just don't have time" to have a "quiet time". When we say that, we are saying that we don't have time to nurture our relationship with God. In the back of our minds we know that God will always be there if we have a need. We talk ABOUT Him. We may "wave hello" occasionally. But how much do we do to NURTURE our relationship with Him? Nurturing our relationship with God should not be reduced to something we do for 15 minutes each day, and check off our list. (I don't know of many friendships that would grow deeper if they were approached that way!) It should be a part of who we are!When I think about walking with God, I think about how our relationship with God can become as natural as breathing! This is how I picture walking....breathing...with God. Nurturing our relationship. (It is what I STRIVE TO DO. It is not something I have mastered!)BREATHE IN...I wake up. I say, "good morning, Lord." I thank Him for a good nights rest. I sit up and prop myself up on my pillows, and open my Bible. I read and pray through whatever I am reading. I get up and check my e-mail. Any prayer requests? I pray. I help get breakfast, we thank the Lord for the food. I get on the treadmill or walk outside. I pray through my prayer list or for whatever comes to mind. I listen to praise and worship music. I lift it up to the Lord, and worship Him.BREATHE OUT...I take a shower and get dressed. When I look in the mirror I ask, "Lord, is this outfit okay? Does it honor You? Is it modest?" I straighten up the house, and do my chores. While doing whatever I do in the morning, I have a conversation with God...I pray...I help my kids with school, or through whatever is bothering them...I pray for wisdom. I thank Him. I decide to not eat lunch....I decide to fast...in order to pray that I would "hunger for God"....to focus on Him.BREATHE IN...In the afternoon if I am running errands and I turn on some worshipful music. I listen for a God's message in the music. I sing really loud, and worship God. I pray for those I come in contact with. I pray that God would open my eyes to needs. If someone comes over and we are talking or I am able to serve, I try to remember that I am serving God...not the person..."as much as you have done unto the least of these..you've done it unto me!!!BREATHE OUT...I make meals for my family and whoever happens to be at my house. I pray to be flexible, to be aware of God's schedule and not mine! I ask God to make me sensitive to His voice that I would speak when I should speak and know when not to speak! I ask for Him to give me the words to say to whoever I am with. I listen...I serve. I hug. I seek to encourage. I laugh. I ask for forgiveness when I ignore His prompting! I thank Him for guiding me!BREATHE IN...We sit down to relax for the evening. Me. My family. Whoever is here...and God! I turn to God and ask, "Is this TV show okay?" "Should we do something else with our time?" I go to the computer and I ask, "What do you want me to write on my blog, Lord?" I thank Him.BREATHE OUT...I get ready for bed. I thank the Lord for another day. I crawl under the covers. I pick up whatever book I'm reading, or the Bible, I seek the Lord. I learn. I pray. I say goodnight to my family. I thank the Lord for them. I turn out the lights.This is what I want my day to look like! A day of breathing and walking with God. Of nurturing our relationship. Of making time."Father, Please cause me to LOOK FOR all the ways I can breathe with YOU, and never be too busy to nurture the most important relationship in MY life!" (Gina has begun writing again after taking a few months off. She has some fresh, new perspective after going through some very dark times. She would love it if you stopped by for a chat and some coffee! You can find her at her personal blog: Chats With An Old Lady.)

Friendships of Women

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls. the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.

I have always really liked these verses spoken in Gods word about the importance of having a friend. After reading this the other day I wondered about the frequency of the mentioning of friendship in the Bible. So I started to look into all the scriptures that mention friendship and found that "friend" or "friendship" is mentioned over 172 times throughout the Old and New Testament.
In Exodus 33:11, it says that God spoke with Moses "as a man speaks to a friend".
Even though this is one sentence, I believe it speaks multitudes about what a God centered friendship should look like. God spoke with Moses directly, intimately with campassion and love, "face to face".

Also in Job 42 we see Gods mercy upon the "friends" of Job, because of the prayers of Job. These "friends" had not given the best counsel to Job. In verse 7 it says," My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is right , as My servant Job has". God tells Eliphaz to take burnt offering to Job and Job will pray for them , so the Lord will not do "according to your folly". Wow! What a powerful picture of the importance of friendship. God spared Jobs friends because of Jobs relationship with God! These friends were not the greatest of support for Job as he went through this trial. Yet God saw that Job loved them and He spared them what they deserved, all because of Job!
With as many times as the Bible speaks about friendship, we can't read the Word and come away with anything other than the importance God has placed upon frienship. One of the greatest things that stands out to me as I read over some of these friendships, is the fact that they were all "involved" in each others lives. From Job and his friends, Jonathon and David, to Ruth and Naomi, just to mention a few, we see each one was involved in the day to day goings on in each others lives. We can really learn a lot by these examples in comparison to modern day friendship. Now, obviously there are exceptions but since the beginning of this journey in the "Friendships of Women", I have spoke to so many women who say they have friendships yet they feel so alone and isolated. I believe this stems from the extreme change in our culture of the definition and meaning of friendship.
It is becoming a rarity to see friendships that are more than the occasional meeting to "go" do something together or to just seeing each other at group gatherings. Or friendships that stand the tests of time. And even these seem to be relationships that have stood the time only because they have lacked real day to day involvement, and seem to be defined as long lasting only due to the length of time since their meeting. Many women have told me either they are just too busy or those they desire to become close to are just too busy. Too busy to invest time in anothers life just doesn't sound like the examples I find in Gods word. In our modern times of finding ways to cram as much into one day as humanly possible, we seem to be weeding out there very things God has told us are essential to living a Godly life. Connection with others. Others outside our family walls! We have become so wrapped up in ourselves, our homes, our children, our sports, our entertainment, our hobbies that we slowly, or maybe not so slowly have wandered away from real connection in others lives. This brings back to mind the popular saying several years back that is wasn't the quantity of time you spent with others that mattered most it was the quality of the time spent! I don't see this to be a true statement according to these examples of friendship given us in scripture though.

I do believe throughout life God brings many kinds of friendships. Some can be just for a season of time, others can be in our lives for much longer periods of time. The most important thing we can gain from reading through the friendships given to us as examples in the Bible, I believe is the depth of friendship. Everyone of the frienships we see in Gods word were friendships deep into each others lives. One supporting the other in hard times through prayer and in tangible ways of provision.
The vision for the "Friendships of Women" groups now forming at BCC is Connections with depth! When one falls, the other is there to lift up! Using Gods word and wisdom as our anchor in building of friendships with other women. That every woman who desires connection has a safe place to go , a "warm" place to connect with other women, and to build relationships that will be there to pray and share in hard times and to rejoice and praise with you in the good times, "face to face". So that we can be about the Fathers business in strength and boldness and in unity with each other, following through with the last commission of Jesus to "go" out and preach the good news to the far ends of the earth.
If you haven't signed up yet to be in one of the "Friendships of Women" groups, I encourage you to do so soon. Come be a part and get connected! Our kick-off is scheduled for January 23rd at the church, from 10:00 to 12:30. There are registration forms at the information desk and on the counter in the foyer. You can leave them at the information desk after you fill them out and they will get to me, and if you have any questions please feel free to call me 734-856-4397.

If your new to BCC, what a great way to meet new friends! And even if you've been a part of the body at BCC for many years, there's lots of new people to meet, so come on and get signed up and get connected!