Attention Mothers of Daughters - cradle to college:

Pick up a copy of Vicki Courtney's latest, "Five Conversations You Must Have With Your Daughter", and join her online book club beginning Monday, January 5. I saw three copies in BooksAMillion just last week, and some other local retailers may have it in stock (esp. Wings of Joy), or you can order it online (best price I've seen is amazon). Visit Vicki's blog http://www.virtuealert.com/ and click the book cover for complete details.



Vicki will also be talking about this new release on "Living the Life" this Monday, December 29th. It airs at 9:30am ET on ABC Family. She recently blogged about the taping - click here and scroll down to the December 17th entry. Don't forget to tune in!

Women's Bible Study - Three-week session scheduled for December

"But Christmas is coming! I'm a busy mom and things are starting to spin out of control! I'm running out of time! I can't afford to spend two precious hours a week at Bible study this month!"


If this sounds like you, let me encourage you to take a break and invest some time in yourself this season by joining us Wednesday mornings at Christ Church, where we will be discovering just what Jesus Christ had in mind when he promised us an "abundant life." We'll do so using Vicki Courtney's "Get a Life: Debunking Six Myths in the Quest for Contentment".


For details, click here then follow Bible study links.

Going to the Movies? Here's one worth both your time and money!

I've been eagerly awaiting the movie Fireproof, from the creators of Facing the Giants, and this Friday it will finally be here!

Check this out:



Don't think it's just a chick flick (Facing the Giants certainly wasn't!) - apparently there's plenty of action and adventure, along with the writers' trademark elements of humor. I hope movie-goers will turn out in droves this weekend, assuring this venture of its rightful place in theatre lineups.

Just as exciting as their movies is Sherwood Pictures' history - check out each movie site for the captivating behind-the-scenes stories of abundant blessing and against-all-odds miracles which surround this incredible movie-making ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, GA.

My friend saw a "Fireproof" trailer at a marriage conference just this week, and she was bawling at the brief clip. She advises, "Bring a hanky." My guess is your husband will need one, too, but don't tell him that ahead of time - just bring an extra!

And please check back here after you see it and post your comments. I'd love to have your feedback.

Time for R.E.C.E.S.S.

Moms of young children, come take a break this Tuesday morning at Christ Church. Our new RECESS Bible study program starts at 9:15 and will offer time away from the kids and a chance to have some grown-up conversation and discussion about subjects dear to our hearts. RECESS stands for Renewal, Encouragement, Comfort, Empowerment and Spiritual Stimulation - sounds good, doesn't it?

The R initially stood for "refreshment", but I was afraid that would be misconstrued as "breakfast buffet" (LOL), so in order to avoid the stress of someone having to bring food all the time, I changed it to "renewal"! The point is that you'll leave RECESS feeling better than when you came. You'll at least learn you're not alone on your journey of child-raising, and I pray you'll find RECESS to be a place where you can be yourself, share your experiences, and receive loving guidance from other moms and from God's Word. Visit the GottaWearShades website for more info.

This week's inaugural meeting will be hosted by Sally Spires and Langie Mannion, and they'll be leading a segment from Lifeway's "Mom to Mom: Growing Together" program - a Bible study curriculum that combines video lessons with group discussion. And just in case someone arrives hungry, not just for fellowship but for food, Sally promised to bring some snacks until we get this whole "refreshment" thing cleared up. So this Tuesday the "C" in RECESS just may stand for "cereal bar"! ;-)

Show & Tell

One of the most valuable aspects of this moms' ministry is resource sharing. As both a striving mother and an avid reader, I am constantly on the lookout for "tools of the trade" - anything which may provide sound advice, instruction and encouragement to help me fulfill my responsibility of raising my children in a manner pleasing to God. The Bible studies we do are such resources in themselves. But I also love passing along books and videos and podcasts which have been helpful to me, as well as gleaning other sources from our participants.

This past Thursday we had plenty of impromptu sharing at Women's Bible Study. Leah Sams started us off by bringing in a few items that have helped her recently. We had fun passing around the "No More Whining" watch and the "Wise Words from Mom" chart - both from Ginger Plowman of Preparing the Way Ministries. Leah also had a copy of Ginger's "Don't Make Me Count to Three" - just the title alone makes me want to read it! Melanie recommended the book "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers - romance fiction that modernizes a biblical account. I love novels that help me understand the Bible. That reminded me of an author I discovered over the summer - Melody Carlson. I heard this author on "Family Life Today" this summer, and she writes for women, teens, and children (I thought that she wrote one of Genny's and my favorite little girl's book, I Like Me, but now I find that was Nancy Carlson - lol). I enjoyed Melody's novel "On This Day," a light read that gently interweaves biblical truth, and I really liked "Three Days: A Mother's Story," a fictionalized account as told by Mary as she reflects on Jesus' life while reeling from his crucifixion. I'm happy to report that the Main Library has quite a few of these books on its shelves - well, not so much now that I borrowed a whole stack of them on Friday! In addition to the authors above, I also picked up a couple books by Shaunti Feldhahn, whose "For Women Only" Bible study we did last spring. She mentioned in her videos that her research was inspired by her experience while writing "The Lights of Tenth Street," so I grabbed that one at the library along with her "The Veritas Conflict." My nightstand is overloaded!

Before we ever got to our discussion of homework, we also talked about the upcoming September 26 opening of the movie "Fireproof" from the makers of "Facing the Giants," one of my all time favorite movies (I'll part with it for a short time if you would like to borrow it - let me know!). I'm happy to report that, though "Giants" only made it as far as Melbourne theaters, "Fireproof" will be at the Indian River Mall AMC on opening day. If you're not yet familiar with these movies, they are must-sees - "Facing the Giants" changed my life. It's especially neat to see "Giants" or their first movie, "Flywheel," on DVD so you can watch the "Making of..." special features. These projects are absolutely fascinating and truly inspiring.

During our Bible study, I was also reminded of the movie "The Nativity Story," which came out a couple years ago - it really brought Jesus' birth to life for me. And let's not forget "The Passion of the Christ"...

You can see that if you're missing Bible study, you're missing more than Bible study! Much as I want to share resources, I can't guarantee recap postings like this every week. So join us on Tuesdays (RECESS) or Thursdays (Women's Bible Study), and feel free to bring in a "show and tell".

Reminder - Women's Bible Study starts tomorrow - I hope...

For those of you interested in joining us for an in-depth, 11-week study, we'll begin Beth Moore's "Jesus The One and Only" tomorrow morning at 9:15 in the coffee bar area at Christ Church. I'm praying that Hurricane Hanna won't spoil our plans, but if school is cancelled, we'll start next week instead. Workbooks are $15 - I'll bring them to the meeting. If you can't make the first session, let me know and I'll get you a book ASAP so you can get that homework done! ;) Later today I hope to post the complete 11-week schedule on the website, so you can keep track of where we are if you have to miss a meeting. Looking forward to getting started - please be in prayer that the Lord will gather those he wants to do this study and that He will bless us, grow us and strengthen us throughout the weeks ahead.

Want to join Bible study but not ready for the 3-month commitment and homework? Then join us for RECESS (Refreshment, Encouragement, Comfort, Empowerment & Spritual Stimulation) beginning Tuesday, September 16. I'll be providing more info on this program at the MOPS meeting on Sept. 9, or you can visit the website to learn more and register for childcare.

Blessings to you!
Eleanor

Visit the GWS Registration Page...

...to sign up for Women's Bible Study on Thursdays, to request nursery care for the RECESS program on Tuesdays, or to gain access to our prayer forum on the website. Click here.

In addition, you can subscribe to the prayer list here or to GWS updates and announcements here.

Bible studies for moms will start next month at Christ Church

GottaWearShades will offer two different Bible study programs for moms beginning in September. Both will meet at Christ Church Vero Beach.

GWS Women's Bible Study, formerly Mothers' Small Group at Trinity Church, will resume on Thursday, September 4 at 9:15. Our first study will be Beth Moore's Jesus The One & Only, an 11-week in-depth study of the life of Jesus based on the book of Luke. Workbooks will be available for purchase at our first meeting. This group will meet weekly on Thursday mornings from 9:15 to 11:15. Registration is recommended. Childcare is available and requires advance registration.

A new program, R.E.C.E.S.S. for Moms, will meet on alternate Tuesdays beginning September 16. Intended to complement the popular MOPS program, we will meet from 9:15 to 11:15 for fellowship and single-session Bible studies, focusing on topics pertinent to mothers and families. Childcare will be provided, and registration is recommended but not required.

Choose the group that fits your needs and schedule, and join us as we seek God's will and blessing for our lives as multi-tasking women!

A different sort of "drug problem"

Thanks to Sally for forwarding this clipping to me. Things like this always affirm my role as a parent, reminding me that I have God-given authority and responsibility over my children. It's not my job to make them "happy" and keep them perpetually entertained, it's my job to raise them in accordance with God's commands. Last year I read the book "Six Secrets to a Powerful Quiet Time: Discovering Radical Intimacy with God" (Catherine Martin, Harvest House). During this "30-day journey", I was challenged to articulate a life verse and a life goal. I had long ago adopted Romans 12:2 as my life verse: "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is; His good, pleasing and perfect will." From this verse came my life goal: "To be swept along in the will of God, rather than being swept away by culture and circumstances." Oh, but it is so easy to be swept along, isn't it? But I am always encouraged by items like the one above, which remind me to look further ahead than the moment or the hour or the day. To draw my confidence from the Lord and His plan for me and my children. To seek first His kingdom and not worry so much about earthly things.

"Lord, love my children through me. Guide me and strengthen me to be the mother you intend for my children. Let me surrender to your will day by day and hour by hour, for I know full well that your with you I can do all things. Not by might or human power, nor by yelling or muttering or playing a martyr, but by Thy Spirit, Lord. Let me not become critical, but rather discerning. Let me not attempt to control my children, but rather entrust them to you and teach them your truth. Protect them, Lord, and do mighty works through them. Amen."