Fireflies - God Knows Me

Happy Saturday!
Today is the Fireflies monthly meeting. For those who don't know what Fireflies is: "A group of wonderfully made 3rd-5th graders looking to shine our light. The Firefly girl knows that beauty radiates from the inside out, and that real beauty comes from serving others." I have the wonderful privelege of teaching them through God's Word. Here is the lesson from September's meeting.

God Made Me!

Has anyyone here ever completed a puzzle?
• When you look at one piece it doesn’t really make any sense.
• But what happens when one piece connects with another? (You begin to see a picture)
• When all the pieces are connected the puzzle is complete and there is a beautiful masterpiece.
• Definition of a Masterpiece: The greatest work, as of an artist.

From pieces to Masterpiece

You and I are like puzzle pieces in the hand of God. He selected each piece of our body to create a beautiful masterpiece. That’s right, You are His greatest work!

Remember what I shared with you last time we were together: God knows You. And He knows everything about you because He made You. Today we’re going to learn about your creation by looking at God’s work and His thoughts for you.


Psalm 139:13
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.

From the top of your head, to the tip of your toes was created by God. He selected the perfect combination to make You. Here is a list that sets you apart:
• Your Hair – the color, the texture, and type
• Your Eyes – the shape, the color, the eyelashes, and eyebrows
• Your Nose – where it ends, how high, how low
• Your Lips – the shape, the length, the fullness, and the shade
• Your Skin – the perfect color you have is like no other! And some of you have beauty marks and freckles, or how I like to call them: God’s extra touch!

God not only created your unique features, but He designed you with purpose:
• Your neck – connects your beautiful face and intelligent brain to your body
• Your Arms – they help you work, eat, play, hug, worship and serve God
• Your Legs – they help you walk, run, climb, ride bicycle, and DANCE!
• Your Mouth – to eat, to speak, to laugh, and to sing
• Your eyes – to see, to read, to
• Your Bones – each shaped for their own function
• Your Muscles – which obey your bones and brains
• Your Heart - pumps the blood which is your lifeline
• Your Lungs – they breathe the right amount life giving oxygen
• Other Organs – work to sustain your life

These are all the pieces that make up you’re unique physical features. And He made all of this is your Mother’s womb. But there is more to you than just your appearance and function. He created you with a unique and awesome personality. I love that you are all so different. Each one of you represents a piece of God. Together we all reflect the beauty and glory of God.

Psalm 139:14
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.

You are wonderfully made. Everything about your creation is wonderful because our wonderful God made you. How should we respond to this great truth that God made us? By praising God!

Psalm 139:15-16
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out (The days fashioned for me) before a single day had passed.

We read that your life was recorded in God’s book. Another way of reading this verse says that God fashioned the days for you. What does this mean?

• Think of it like this: Tonight you will choose what you will wear tomorrow. You choose which pants to wear with what shirt and you leave it ready for the next day. So it is with you and God, He has already chosen for you what your purpose in life will be. And God’s plans are always the best plan. If you follow Him and obey, He will lead you to His life for you, the best life.

Psalm 139:17-18
How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!

These two verses fill me with joy! God thinks about you. His thoughts aren’t bad, they aren’t sad, or mean. His thoughts are precious because you are worthy and of great value in His sight.

Let’s take a look into one of these precious thoughts of God about you:

Ephesians 2:10: For YOU ARE God’s masterpiece. He has created YOU anew in Christ Jesus, so YOU can do the good things He planned for us long ago.

This is wonderful news!

God made YOU

God knows YOU

And precious are His thoughts about YOU



Love this pic of the girls laughing and listening to the bible study.
As you can tell, I can be a "entertaining" while I teach.



This is Miss Sahrae, the wonderful master mind behind The Fireflies



The girls made these flowers
for the Residents of a local Nursing Home



Fireflies - God Knows Me!

Hi Lovlies!
A week ago a good friend of mine took a step of faith and began a ministry called Fireflies. Here is a brief description:

"A group of wonderfully made 3rd-5th graders looking to shine our light. The Firefly girl knows that beauty radiates from the inside out, and that real beauty comes from serving others."

How could I not accept the invitation to be a part of this group!?
The Fireflies gather together the first Saturday of every month to do a craft, play a game, work on an outreach project, and (my favorite part) learn about God. My lovely friend hosted the meeting and deligated each portion of the meeting to another lady invited. I had the awesome privilege of teaching God's word to the beautiful fireflies. I was asked to teach from Psalm 139 (YES!!!). These are my notes:

God Knows ME!

Psalm 139:1-4
O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.

Here we read that God sees you. Our GREAT and BIG God sees the whole world, including you. He is with you sleeping.

He is with you awake.
He is with you when you sit down.
He is with you when you stand up.
He is with you when you walk.
He is with you when you run.
He is with you when you play.
He is with you when you sing.
He is with you when you read.
He is with you when you are alone.
He is with you when you are with your family.
He is with you at school.
He is with you everywhere you go.
He knows your thoughts.
He knows when you are afraid.
He knows when you are sad.
He knows when you are happy.
He knows what makes you happy.
He knows your heart.
He knows you, everything about you.

Psalm 139:5
You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. He is all around you on every side protecting you.

Not only does God know everything about you, He also promises to bless you and protect you. Nothing about your day catches God by surprise.

For example, He knows if you have to go to the doctor’s office, He knows if you have to take a test in school; he knows if you have a sports activity to go to. He knew along time ago that you would be in this room today. He knew about Fireflies.

Day and night God is aware of everything that happens to you. Day and night He protects us from harm. He protected all of us on our way here. He protects you and your family and your friends because He knows them too.

Psalm 139:6
Such knowledge is too amazing for me,
Too great for me to understand!

It is difficult for me to understand God’s mind. When doubt fills my mind I have to remember that I won’t always understand all of God or why He does so many amazing things for me, a sinner. The little knowledge that I know about God is enough to quiet my doubts. Here are four great truths that are amazing:

God knows you.
God loves you.
God blesses you.
God protects you.

Psalm 139:9-12
If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night— but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are the same to you

Two things we see here that are so good for us.
One) No matter where you are, or how far you are, God will be with you to guide you. God is strong and will help you with every problem. He will help you and support you.
Two) Darkness and Light are the same to God. Have you ever been in the dark? It’s scary!!! When you are in the dark, you can’t see anything, but God can see everything in the dark. He can see you and be with you. God isn’t afraid of the dark. Remember, you are never alone.

Have you ever been lost in the day time or in a store? That too can be scary, even though it isn’t darkness. God still sees you and is with you. He isn’t afraid of anything. No matter where we are at, near, far, or lost, God can see us and is with us.

Next time we meet I will share with you more about God’s love for you and how much He knows about you. There is so much God wants us to know about Him. He has given to us His own words to know Him by. It’s called the Bible. It tells us EVERYTHING we need to know about our awesome God. All the pages speak of His greatness. They give us knowledge and make us more like God. I would like for all of you to read your Bible and learn more about the God who knows everything about you!

After the Bible study we split into small groups. These were my sweet, spunky, and gusty gals:

Lyrical Friday - Crags and Clay

Happy Friday! 
I am so excited to announce a new Heal group. This is the first adult Heal group that I do. It is  definitely way different that leading a youth only group. It was a very sweet time. So what more appropriate song than Crags and Clay by Gungor. 
-
You are wonderfully made.
You are wholly and dearly loved by God. 
-
Crags and Clay, Gungor 

-
Standing up from crags and clay
The peaks of earth
In full display
They break the lines
That break the sky
That's full of life
Full of life

The chaos of creation's dance
A tapestry, a symphony
Of life himself
Of love herself
It's written in our very skin

All praises to the one who made it all
Who made it all
All praises to the one who made it all
And finds it beautiful

Soil is spilling life to life
Stars are born
To fill the night
The ocean's score
The majesty
Of sculpted shore
Mystery

All praises...
Fearfully and wonderfully and beautifully made

a story worth hearing

Happy Wednesday!
I just watched this video and it brought tears to my eyes. I pray that this video may encourage you in a special way today.




If you want to know this God, my God, email me.
If you need a Bible, email me as well.

Heavenly Perfection: Why our Desire for Perfect is Okay

We are girls who long for perfect.


The perfect look.
The perfect body.
The perfect life.
Perfect love.

In my own strivings and temptations to create a pretty little life, I am discovering that our craving for perfect is God-given; that our yearning for perfection is not bad - it's [gasp] perfectly okay.

I believe our insatiable hunger for perfect exists because God has set eternity in our hearts. Our weary souls ache for a place even more lovely and beautiful that our eyes have seen. A place where our hearts are whole and fully alive and will never be broken; a place free from the pains and pressures of our earthly life.

Our innate longing for perfect is why we're helplessly enamored by magazine images, spend hours on fashion and design blogs, and shop for pretty stuff we want and don't need.

We fail to acknowledge that our pursuit for worldly perfection flows from a sanctified spiritual hunger that will never be satisfied by all the beauty, clothes, guys and fine accessories our hearts could desire.

Our collective pursuit of worldly perfection has come with a costly price. Too many of us are living shallow, fruitless, inward-focused lives while the world around us cries out for our authentic beauty.

We are made for so much more.

True perfection awaits in our heavenly home, but how do you think we can keep from getting caught up in finding it here?

Posted by Allie Marie Smith
For more from Wonderfully Made, click here.

10:10 made for more

Welcome Back!

Yesterday, we dug deep into John 10:10 (The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly). We looked at both the thief and the giver of life. Today we will focus on what the abundant life doesn't look like and what it does look like through the life of two women in the Bible.

As a child I wanted to be so much: Nurse, Actress, Singer, Fashion Designer, Defender and Redeemer of homeless people, Teacher, Wife, Mother, Rich, Important and well known, I wanted to be BIG.

As a teenager: Beautiful, Loved, Romanced, Desired, Cherished, Popular. People and Boys were my fuel.

As an adult: Possessions, Power, Fullfillment in relationship, Purpose.

However, in all these things there remained a void, an emptiness. And whether I accomplished one or accoplished none, one question echoed in each time: Is there more to life than this?

I grew up not in a Christian home per say. I did know who God was, and when I say I did know God, I mean I had an understanding of his existance but I didn't know God and knew nothing of him. Allow me to explain: It's like the earthquake that hit Haiti exactly a year from today. We knew of it, there was a head knowledge that we knew there was an earthquake, it was a tradegy, lives were lost, people were suffering. We knew that. Again, there was knowledge of it. Yet because we weren't there, we were unable to experience it. We have knowledge of it but because we weren't there our entire being knows nothing of it. Same goes with God. I knew God but there was no experiencing of God. There was no relationship, no evidence of an intimate walk with him.

In my teens I gave my life to Jesus. The emptiness of my soul was filled. Yet even in knowing God personally, in being a "Christian", a certain void remained- a lack of living you could say. Was there more to life for me? Was I created only to breath, blink, eat and sleep?
___________________________________________________________

A car is created to be driven.

A shirt is created to be worn.
A Pizza is created to be eaten.
A song is created to be heard.
A book is created to be read.
A life is created to be lived!

Each thing is created with a unique purpose.
Life has a purpose (to be enjoyed to the full, to the max, to overflow). Than there must be a Creator!

----> Psalm 139 (click HERE to read) is a beautiful description of Creator God and us His Creation!
> we are wonderfully made. YOU ARE WONDERFULLY MADE!!!
> We have a maker. YOU HAVE A MAKER WHO: loves you! has amazing plans for you. longs to reveal to you, your worth and value as His precious child.
> God took His time creating you
> He labored over your design and formed you uniquely out of divine love for you
> V16 says, "The days fashioned for me before there were none of them: God's plans include you and me! We were created with a purpose!

 ---->Isaiah 62:3 says, "For you shall be a crown of glory in the hand of your God, and a royal diadem in the hand of your Lord.
>When I think of royalty certain words come to mind: prestige, glory, worth, importance, purpose, meaning, position, divine calling.
>If we place our lives in the hand of God He will begin to shower the abundant blessings in our life!

 Let's take a closer look at two women, who were both given the opportunity to live an abundant life.

The remainder of this post we will be looking at the book of Esther, click HERE for it or open your Bible!  

Esther 1:1-2:4
> King was hosting a banquet and showing off all his great possessions, his greatness, power and wealth
> Fine linens, gold, silver, turquoise, marble and alabaster are among the valuables
> The king however wanted to display the most valued of all the his possessions: Queen Vashti
> *** The king was not a godly man, and this feast was a scare tactic that he was using to manupulate fear unto his guest. And might I add that He was drunk.
> Commenators disagree on their veiws of Queen Vashti's response to the King. But one thing we do read in the scripture: she was summoned but she did not go. (Matthew Henry & Warren Wiersbe are great commentators on Esther)
> A new queen needed to take her place

Esther 2:5-8
> Esther was a young jewish orphan being raised by her older cousin Mordecai
> She's taken to the the court of the king with other women
> The year beautification process consisted of being cleansed, washed, anointed with oils and

Esther 2:16-17
>Esther is chosen

 We now have two Queens to contrast and compare

***reminder, the King is not a godly man, or a spiritual leader BUT I want to bring our focus now to our perfect King: God.
>He desires to bring us out before the world and display us as his prized possession (remember we have been bought), to present us as His daughter, His princess, His Queen, His bride.
> He looks to us and says, "Though I created the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, the air that you breath, the rain that waters the crops you eat, though I have created this earth for your enjoyement You have been created in my image. I died for you and defeated death so that you can have the abundant life here and eternal life thereafter. You are the crown of my creation and I want to present you to the World.

 1. Queen Vashti had an opportunity to be displayed (in a proper setting) as the most precious being in King Xerxes' kingdom yet she refused to be displayed. She was robbed of the abundant life, her hopes were killed and her position destroyed.

>And so it is with us. God has created us for more. We have been created to live a life of purpose and meaning. Today, He desires to use your life to display and refect His glory, His salvation, His mercy, His grace and truth to a dying world.

2. Quen Esther is now chosen by the King, and though we do not read that King Xerxes summons her to display her beauty, God makes sure to display her for His.

As you continue to read the story and I highly encourage you too, we read about an evil man named Haman and his horrible plot to rob the jews of their possessions, to kill them and destroy their God. Mordecai is a wonderful picture of those godly leaders that God places in our lives to give us sound wisdom.  

Let's pick up in Esther 4:13-16

>I love how Mordecai reminds Esther, as if almost painting a picture of Queen Vashti, that if she chooses to not do this, God will send deliverance through another way.
>God doesn't lose when we disobey, we are the ones that lose.
>God desires to use our lives this specific time to accomplish a specific purpose to bring about the savation of one person or of many that He may be glorified!
>He longs to achieve His purposes through us, and not because He needs us but because He has chosen to use us.

That is the abundant life, a life with purpose.
I challenge you: Would you allow God to use you in the circle of people that you find yourself in, for such a time as this? Would you be a crown of glory in His hand? Allie Marie Smith writes in her book: The Heal Journey, "Just as you'll never discover your life's purpose apart frm God, you'll never experience an abundant life apart from Him, either.

 Queen Vashti was robbed of the abundant life because she placed the focus on herself.

 Queen Esther was able to experience the abundant life because she made God and others her focus.

The only thing we can take to heaven, is people.

 Matthew 20:28: just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.

 The abundant life is a life of purpose, a life of service, a life of sacrafice, a life centered on God and others, not centered on ourselves. We have been made free from the thief and made for more!!!

 2 Timothy 2:20-22 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Ephesians 2:20 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

heal journey, group two

Hey!
This weekend was a bittersweet one. An AMAZING group of girls finished the HEAL Journey. This is the second group that I host and lead... and definitely not my last! It's incredible how unique each group has been. This group responded completely different than the first, but none the less, each group walked away fully clothed in the splendor and glory of God.

As for me, the Heal Journey was, is and continues to be a faithful companion that leads me to the one who created me so wonderfully. This year would have been a disaster had the Lord not crossed my path with the girls at Wonderfully Made . My first time doing the study, I for the the first time understood and accepted God's grace for me. I am more in love with my Savior since rediscovering the wonders of His grace. This time around, He revealed to me how deeply rooted fear is in my heart. I am amazed at how faithful God is in my weakness. He doesn't despise me, nor does He leave me to fend for myself- He delivers my soul from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies (Psalm 103:4). I'll write more about this Psalm 139:23-24 revelation at another post.

Here is a shameless plug: This study is more than just a self-help/self-discovery/recovery book; this study is Jesus holding you by the hand and saying to you, "My beloved, let's sit under the shade of this tree and allow me to reveal to you your value and worth in me, through my word." If your desire is to draw near to God than I encourage you to order yourself a copy... buy one for you and a friend and do the study together! Or start a Heal group yourself. Get the creative juices going. For a copy click HERE .

This will be the last small group I lead this year. But come January, myself and another youth leader will be sharing the HEAL Journey with more wonderfully made girls. That's two small groups in our church. The Lord has given me vision for more. Be in prayer for this. I leave you today with a quote from Lesson 6. Ciao for now friends. 

"As we lose ourselves in Christ and take delight in his love, his living water overtakes our souls. We slowly lose our thirst for things the world claims to offer, and we begin to thirst for a deeper relationship with Him."

Wonderfully Made film

Hi Friends.
I pray this post finds you rejoicing in the strength and mighty power of the Lord. A verse that has been resonating in my heart this week is Psalm 138:8- The LORD will perfect that which concerns me. May you find joy and peace in this amazing verse. I would like to share this short film with you:




Wonderfully Made from Wonderfully Made on Vimeo.


For more from Wonderfully Made, click HERE. I absolutely love these girls and the vision the Lord has given them. God bless YOU.

Lyrical Fridays- True Things

Hi Friends. I am very excited about today's Lyrical Friday post. True Things by JJ Heller is one of those songs that brings a smile to my face. When I need cheering up, this song does it. It reminds me that who I am is God's beloved daughter- loved & set free! I am not bound to the things of this world. This song helps me love me.
=
God works ALL things out for our good. When you have a chance go to the Wonderfully Made blogsite to read the complete post. Here is a portion from that blog that ties in so beautifully to this song:
- 
When faced with the temptation to give into that which will keep you in bondage (whether it's overeat, not eat, etc.):

· “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1

-

When you find your thoughts consumed by worries about what you did or didn’t eat or your body size:

· "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?” Matthew 6:25

-

In the face of self-destructive behavior:

· "Everything is permissible for me"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"—but I will not be mastered by anything. 1 Corinthians 6:12

-

When tempted by gluttony or laziness:

· “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:10-12

-

When you’re struggling with negative thoughts about your body or physical appearance:

· “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful Lord, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:14

· You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, "He did not make me"? Can the pot say of the potter, "He knows nothing"? Isaiah 29:16

-

True Things, JJ Heller

- 

I’m not the clothes I’m wearing
I’m not a photograph
I’m not the car I drive

I’m not the money I make
I’m not the things I lack
I’m not the songs that I write

-

I am … who I am
I am who I am

-

There are true things inside of me
I have been afraid to see
I believe, help my unbelief
Would you say again what you said to me
I am loved and I am free
I believe, help my unbelief

-

I’m not the house I live in
I’m not the man I love
I’m not the mistakes that I carry

I’m not the food that I don’t eat
I’m not what I’m above
I’m not my scars and my history-

--

To your love I’m waking up

In your love I’m waking up

painting.... eggs!

Hi my lovely Readers.

Last night I was blessed to have been invited to my first egg painting party. I'll be honest with you, I thought it was kinda dorky. Being Hispanic, egg painting is not something we do period, especially for fun. That would be deserving of a chancleta* slap followed by a, "Se ve que no tienen nada mejor que hacer." Translation: Obviously, you have nothing better to do. But because it was my awesome church family that was going to get together, I put my preconceived notions aside and went. I had a blast! I never knew that egg painting could be so much fun. Yes, I just said that. It was a great time of fellowship and sweet laughter as I painted eggs with my church folks.

So Raquel, why blog about this? Not gonna lie, I wanted to share my Ninja egg with you (the one on the right). But God, He gave me a wonderful picture of Psalm 139, Ephesians 2:10, Isaiah 62:3 and Isaiah 61:10 last night.

~ Even there Your hand shall lead me,

and Your right hand shall hold me.

~For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus...

~You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD...

 ~...For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness...

Just as I held each egg in my hand: I took my time in creating each detail, I specifically chose which color each egg would be, not one egg was the same, and when done painting eggs I looked at each one with a smile on my face (even the funny looking ones). I even showed off my eggs. It didn't hit me till later that we like those eggs are also being held in the hands of God, He fashions and forms us, He clothes us, He takes His time with us, we are not like anyone else, we are wonderfully made, a one of a kind piece of God.

I am guilty, in the past, of complaining and questioning God as to why I have go through certain trials.  My Ninja egg was left in the blue color tub for a long time in order to get that color, yet had it not been for my egg spending a good 20+ minutes (that is a long time in egg time) in the tub it would not have that beautiful blue color that everyone praised... I am reminded of Romans 8:28 and 2 Corinthians 3:18: God works all things for out for our good and transforms us from glory to glory into His perfect image. God desires to show off the work of His hands to the world, in other words, He wants to do a new work in you and display you for all to see what He can do with a life fully surrendered to His hands. Even the trials, the valleys and the ugly truth of our past can be used.

Never, in a million years would I have thought that painting eggs was both fun and insightful! I only wish I would have taken a picture of all the eggs once they were finished. All diverse in their design but each was a reflection of their creator, wonderfully made. We are all diverse in our make up, personalitlies and talents yet we each, when living life for Jesus, reflect our Creator. You are wonderfully made!

HEAL Journey- lesson one

Time sure flies. Yesterday I met with the Youth Discipleship for our HEAL Journey study. We finished Lesson One: You Are Wonderfully Made. Personally, the study was challenging, convicting and liberating. Here is a glimpse:

“Being wonderfully made means that you have a Maker- a Maker who made you and made you beautifully; a Maker who loves you and knows you, has amazing doe you, and longs to reveal to you your value and worth as His daughter.”
“We are God’s little miracles… his children… wholly and dearly loved.”

“As daughters of God we are made to live in the light, but too often we opt for the darkness either because it’s familiar and safe or because we’re ashamed of our secrets. When it comes to interactions with food, many of us are experts at hiding things. But the reality is, while we might be able to hide our secrets from the people in our lives, we can’t hide from God.”

Last quote… “We live in a world that threatens our relationship with God. We are surrounded by counterfeits that claim to be the answer to what our hearts are seeking. But He is the only One who can truly satisfy our hungry hearts.”

Good stuff, huh?!

Going back to the group, we had an awesome time. We were extremely blessed with an incredibly delicious breakfast provided by one of the Moms. Our guest speaker was none other than my best friend Andrea aka Nana (you can read our story here). She shared her “wonderfully made” story with the girls and encouraged them with two great verses: Ephesians 2:10* and 2 Corinthians 12:9*. I asked each guest speaker to prepare an activity and Nana taught the girls how to prepare their own homemade facial/body scrubs. The girls enjoyed that so much. We then dived into our group study. I am in awe of God’s goodness and faithfulness towards us as I read Psalm 139*. Each girl shared what being wonderfully made means to them. It was a time of both boldness and healing as we each shared our weaknesses. It was also a time of refreshing as God’s precious Spirit filled us afresh and anew with the promises found in His word.

Goodie Bags!
Gift giving is definitely my love language, so naturally I prepared them another goodie bag. This bag included two items:

1. Play-Doh: to paint the picture that God holds us in His hands, molding us to be all that He created us to be.

2. Gel Eye Mask: (double meaning for this one) A. Incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit is produced resting and waiting on the Lord. B. These eye masks can be used either hot to help relax or cold to help refresh but left to be used lukewarm would do absolutely nothing, therefore the application is to be either hot or cold but not lukewarm.

Keep praying for these wonderfully made youth girls as they embark on lesson two of their HEAL Journey. Have a beautiful week. Enjoy your life, the abundant life found in Jesus Christ.

* Click here for Ephesians 2:10, 2 Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 139

Wonderfully Made Campaign

Hi All!!!

Inspired by Alexie from Cupcake Sniper and challenged by the Ladies at Wonderfully Made my random act of kindness is to share with any woman that I, that You, that We are all fearfully and wonderfully made. I started by purchasing a cutsie postee pad and purposing to post them in random places (like a bathroom stall which I did today) so that a random woman or multiple women will be encouraged with this awesome scripture. Pretty much the Wonderfully Made Campaign as said best by them is: a creative movement led by every day girls to help young women know their true beauty and worth.

Tonight after our youth group service 9 AMAZING girls joined me to decorated mini posters with this verse. Some of the girls took their poster home as a reminder while some of them gave theirs away to spread the word. (pictures below)  

Here's How It Works:

Choice 1:
1) Take a picture of yourself or your friends with a verse or statement about your true beauty and worth as a daughter of God.
2) Make it your profile picture for FB/Twitter
3) Email it to us and we'll add it to our wmCampaign album!

Choice 2:
1) Leave anonymous notes for girls and women to find telling them about how beautiful and dearly loved they are by God.
2) Leave them in fun places such as the inside pages of a magazine, bathroom mirror, dressing room, etc!

*Email info@wonderfullymade.org with your pictures
*If you'd like to you can write our web address (wonderfullymade.org) on the bottom so other women can find their site and learn about the wmCampaign!