Karla's Korner

Spa Party Time... Beyond the Book...

In case you're new here... my women's group has been doing a once a
month outreach as part of our "Beyond the Book" Bible Study format. 
Just last Wednesday we went to Open House Ministries to be a blessing
to the women there in a small but significant way... we hosted a Spa
Party just for them!

Before we began to file, soak, shape and color, I shared a devotional based on something that initiated the Spa Party outreach months ago. I thought you might be blessed by it as well...

I love the entire story of Esther in the OT… she’s an incredible woman and I encourage you to read her story sometime… she has a whole book in the OT devoted to her. But one day as I was reading, God really
spoke to my heart about one particular piece of Esther’s story… the part about her beauty treatments.

You see… when the story opens Esther is just an ordinary young Jewish woman… incredibly beautiful the Bible tells us… but still ordinary… just like you and me… until the day the King set out to find a bride and Esther was brought into the king’s court for a season of preparation. Twelve months of spa time… not just manicures and pedicures but facials, body wraps, and every other beauty treatment you can
imagine… all to prepare her to meet the King face to face.

As I read that… I began to think about how one day we will meet our King face to face and what a joyful day that will be.  And the time we have left here on earth is our season of beauty treatments to prepare us to meet our Lord… but as much as we love a being bodily pampered and having a spa night out… God is all about beautifying our hearts… making us ready to meet our King.  Isn’t that an incredible thought.

In His eyes… you are beautiful right now today…just like Esther was beautiful before she began her beauty treatments. But one of the ways God lavishes His love on us is to offer us a lifetime membership into God’s Heavenly Spa Retreat Center!

Because…  just as we use clippers, and files and maybe a pumice stone to mold and shape our nails and soften our soles… God uses the circumstances of our lives… good and bad and even the most painful… to mold our character and soften our hearts to look more and more  like Jesus. And He won’t waste one single beauty treatment if we’re willing to sit in His Spa and let Him do His transforming work in our lives.

So remember... God loves you right where you are… you are beautiful in His eyes no matter if your toenails are painted or not… and just like Esther, you were born for such a time as this so whatever you’re facing in life, God can take what the enemy might intend for evil and turn it around and use it for your good and His glory.

Thanks for letting me share...
and I hope your heart was encouraged!
xoxoxo... karla

Beyond THE BOOK... Part 5

To finish this up... I want to simply offer you a list of ideas and suggestions you might want to consider for your own outreach.  I know this list is very incomplete so... if you would like to leave a comment with your own suggestions or outreaches you've participated in...
I will be tickled pink to add them to my list in the days to come!

Jesus said, "What you do for the least of these, you do for me" and that is so important for us to remember. It is not about us... it's all about Him... allowing His love to flow in us and through us to others... so remember to be praying before you go and then when you get together... either before you start or before you leave. Trust that the Lord will go before you, be present with you as you serve, and the taste of His grace will linger in that place after you leave!

And even though you're going as unto the Lord...
remember what He says in Proverbs 11:25...

You will be blessed by being a blessing!

So including what we've already done... here's my list...
For individuals...
Paint a room for someone in need**
Clean house for someone in need**
Do yard work for someone in need**
For Organizations... however they need you...
A Teen Pregnancy Resource Center
A Homeless Shelter
Nursing Homes
A Home for Teen Moms or Girls who have chosen to keep their babies
Evangelistic Organizations... local or traveling

If going out into the community is not possible...
you can also serve by hosting...
A Coat Drive...
consider collecting good quality coats at yard sales throughout the year
A Baby Shower for Jesus...
and give the gifts to a Pregnancy Resource Center or Teen Mom Home
Making quilts for the Project Linus
Check in with Craft Hope to see what their current craft project

** someone in need could be an elderly person or couple, a single mom, a person with financial or health problems... it might be your neighbor or someone you know or your church may have a list of folks who could use a blessing from the Lord.

***our church has a program called Helping Hands which supplies meals and other services to those with special needs such as recuperating from surgery or having a baby... also they serve at funerals and other functions.



Heavenly Father... You've called us to be Your heart and hands to the hurting... to be a light for you in a world that has so much darkness and pain. Stir our hearts to reach out beyond ourselves... to put feet to our faith so that Your Word is more than ink on a page... but instead let it be alive and life changing in us and through us. The world is full of needs Lord... and we were never designed to meet them all.  But Your Word says we are Your workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works that You prepared in advance for us to do... show us what You've prepared for us and then give us the strength and courage to say "here I am Lord... send me" and then go!  Amen.

Beyond THE BOOK... Part 4

Today I want to share about what we've done so far for Outreach Night
and then tomorrow... to keep this from being waayyyy too long... 
I'll offer some other options, ideas and suggestions.

Again... one of the most wonderful aspects of this new format was the desire each woman had to take ownership and that has been most evident in the Outreach. I think that happened for a couple of reasons... one being because when God has given us a heart for a certain cause or area of serving, it's a beautiful blessing to share that joy with others. The other is that sometimes we WANT to step out of our comfort zones to volunteer somewhere or help out in some capacity... but the fear of the unknown keeps us trapped in our homes... but there is strength in numbers so going with the group gives us the courage and this new Bible Study format gives us the reason. Oh yes... and one other... we can accomplish in a group things that we could never accomplish alone as you can see from our first Outreach Night together....

This is sweet Brenda... it was her night and she chose to have us paint
the living room of a single mom... how cool is that? 

This opportunity took the meaning of Outreach to new heights!

We got lots of exercise that night as well as lots of laughter...
and we even had a couple of other gals come join in the fun!

And at the end of the evening... here we are...
a little paint in our hair but a lot of joy in our hearts...
the joy that comes from serving others... and being blessed because of it!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Our second Outreach evening was Deb's and we spent it cleaning
and helping to organize a new facility for Options 360...

What I found amazing about that night was that Caryl Ann (2nd from the right) already knew what she needed done and each job was a perfect fit for the variety of personalities in our group.  It was like God had gone before us and prepared the roster so each woman could operate in her strength... it was sweet. Again... here we are at the end of the evening... weary but full of the joy of serving God by serving others.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Novembers Outreach didn't take us to anywhere local but it did take us around the world to Iraq. Dottie has a heart for those serving in the military and because one of the gals in our group has a son in Iraq... she chose Iraq as the destination.

To make this work, she gave us each lists of items she had found of things our young men and women in the military need as well as things that would bring a smile to their hearts. We agreed on 5 boxes so each woman bought 5 each of several items on the list and... as we did... we emailed everybody else what we got so they wouldn't duplicate. We met at another woman's home to pack the boxes... wrapping most of the items individually so it would be more fun for them to unwrap and the last item in each box was a Christmas card we each signed with blessings... thanking them for their service to us and our country.

We couldn't help smiling when we discovered that together we had the absolute perfect number of items to fill the boxes... not another thing would have fit!!!  Again... a God moment... knowing His blessing was on us and that blessing would travel half way around the world to someone we didn't know who definitely needed and deserved a special touch from the Lord.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

We missed January's because of circumstances beyond our control but I forgot to tell you that the very first night we met and talked about this new format, I shared with them an easy outreach idea I had read somewhere on the internet (and now can't remember where)... but it was called B.A.G.S. which stands for Be A Good Samaritan.  It's simple... you fill a gallon ziplock bag with bottled water, granola bars, cheese crackers, candies, toothbrush, toothpaste, new testament or devotional book, gloves, socks, scarf... all those kind of things.  Carry the bags in your car and when you see those folks on the street corners or others in need... you have something to give them along with your prayers... and make sure you tell them you will be praying for them and then do.

I know I shared a lot for one sitting... but I hope you were encouraged and inspired to reach out Beyond the Book and beyond yourself to give a blessing to someone in need... and it's one thing to think about but it's a whole other thing to put feet to your faith and do it... to be the heart and hands of Jesus in a hurting world! So until tomorrow...

xoxoxo
Karla

Beyond THE BOOK... Part 3

For some reason my TypePad wouldn't work yesterday and I only have a few minutes this morning to share so here's some suggestions for group "Fellowship and Fun" so that we can...


So here's what we have done so far...

Dessert or Potluck Dinner... we did a dessert night in one of the women's home.  She had some questions prepared that were designed to help us know one another better... very fun.

And speaking of that... I once heard... a long time ago... that you can't really know a woman until you've been to her home... and I so agree with that.  For instance... when I walked into the home of one of the new women in our group and discovered that she did wood carving it gave me a whole new perspective of who she is. You can tell so much about a woman by the photos or art that she has on her walls, the colors she decorates with, and definitely by any craftiness that might be on display. I know it's not always possible to meet at a woman's home but I think for me... that's at the top of my places to fellowship.

The Theatre... we've been to the theatre... sorry... can't remember the name of the play... but one of the gals in our group is a wonderful actress and is involved in the local theatre so going to the theatre was more than going to a play... it was entering into her life and who she is.


Craft Night... we did the craft night here in December and I taught the women how to make the little paper mache snowman head ornaments and they each got to take one home. Maybe someone in your group does cake decorating, crochet, jewelry making, scrapbooking or art journaling.... the list goes on and on.  Or, if not, you could consider having someone from outside the group... maybe a group members mom or daughter... wouldn't that be fun? Are your creative wheels turning yet?

Dessert or Dinner out... that's what we just did last night...my suggestion would be to go somewhere you wouldn't normally go or someone's favorite or someplace with special meaning.  We went to a little ice cream shoppe owned by a couple of young men in our church... sweet... literally sweet... very sweet!! I would also suggest using conversation cards or questions to help focus your group on getting to know each other better.  I took my camera last night wanting to post FUN pictures this morning but my camera was dead... bummer!  Next time... I promise!!

Other ideas might include some of the following depending on the ages of the women in your group... but there's certainly something for everyone.  I know this list is not exhaustive so please comment with any other suggestions you have... or small group fellowship and fun activities you've been part of! 
Birthday Party
Game Night with Finger Food
Chick Flick and Popcorn Party
Craft Night with everyone bringing wahtever they're working on
Hiking
Shopping somewhere fun
Tea Party
Spa Night - giving each other pedicures, manicures, and/or faciials
Make your own card party and then send to the military, nursing homes, etc
Wii Night
Karoake Party
Music Concert
Easter Pageant or Christmas Event
Girl's Football

Tomorrow will talk about Outreach... stay tuned!
Love you my friends...
Karla

Beyond THE BOOK... Part 2

I loved reading all your comments on Part 1... thank you.  I know this format will not work for every Bible Study group but maybe it will inspire you to try something new... to step out of the box... beyond your or your groups comfort zone... even it's only once a quarter.  It's worth praying about for sure!
Here's a little more about it...

Bible Study
Bible Study is foundational to everything else of course. So again... we meet the 1st and 3rd weeks of the month for Bible Study. You can use this small group format with any Bible study you choose... except, I imagine, with highly structured weekly studies like Precepts or BSF. Our group is doing a verse by verse study of the book of Ephesians and we're loving it. It's giving us the opportunity to dig deep, move at our own speed,
and allows time to pray for each other.

But it's not so much what Bible study format or book you use
as long as you're learning the Word of God...
learning more about who He is and who you are in Him because...

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
Romans 10:7

Fellowship and Fun

I have to admit that I felt like I had to super justify "Fellowship and Fun" when I gave my workshop. How can we can call having fun together spiritual? And is it really that important? The reality is that Love shared, not only warms the heart, but when it's God's love we're sharing, it nourishes the soul
and has the potential to change a life!

The truth is there are a lot of women in the world and in our churches whose lives are filled with fear and anxiety, heartache and loneliness... women who are living in seriously challenging circumstances who have very little to smile about. That has certainly been me at times in my life and maybe that even describes you or someone you know today. Depression and anxiety are at an all time high... even amongst our sisters in Christ. 
Listen to what God says about this...

Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression,
but a good word makes it glad.
Proverbs 12:25

Women need good words... God's good Word through Bible Study for sure... but also the encouraging words of other women... words that build us up not tear us down... words of acceptance, affection, and affirmation... cheerful words that give us a break from the heaviness of the world we live in. In the old days women shared their lives with one another when they gathered for quilting bees or to can their food for winter. We don't have those kind of opportunities...
so we need to create new ones!

By having a "Fellowship and Fun" time together,
we provide an opportunity for women to...
LIVE, LOVE & LAUGH together
beyond the four walls of Bible Study and God knows that...

"A merry heart does good like a medicine"
Proverbs 17:22

The scientific community has discovered what God has known all along...
laughing out loud is good for our physical, mental, emotional,
and spiritual well-being!!  We need to laugh more!

I thought about what James says in Chapter 2... verses 14-26... where he's talking about faith and deeds. He says in v.15-17... "Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."  I thought what if we replaced "clothes and food" with loneliness?  You see a sister in Christ who is lonely with no friends and is having a hard time connecting in the church and do nothing about... what good is it? 
The "Fellowship and Fun" time is a way to put feet to our faith
by giving an opportunity for women to experience
the friendship of Christ through fellowship.

Okay... sorry I was so wordy!  I think I justified "Fellowship and Fun" quite enough... what do you think?  Tomorrow I shall give you my list of "Fellowship and Fun" suggestions which is by no means exhaustive... and I'll share with you what we've done so far this year... and I'll look forward to adding your suggestions to mine!!

xoxoxo
Karla

Heavenly Father... Thank You that You don't call us to do anything that You won't enable us to do. If you are stirring the heart of woman who is reading this to reach out in or for fellowship, but she's wondering how she could ever make it happen... would You assure her that as she seeks You, You will show her how and that You will prepare her way. And Jesus,there may be a woman reading this right now who is lonely and in need of fellowship and some "merry heart" time with Sisters in Christ... would You comfort and encourage her right now as only You can... remind her, that first and foremost, that You are her very best friend of all... but I also pray that You would begin to open doors and lead her to have the kind of girlfriends/Sisters in Christ you desire for her... and if it means her having to step out of her comfort zone Lord... give her the heart to do it... in Your love and for Your glory! Amen

Beyond THE BOOK... Part 1

I shared a few days ago that I was preparing a workshop presentation called "Beyond the Book... A New Approach to Bible Study" and a few of you were interested to know more... so while it's fresh on my mind... I want to do that.  But really... when I stopped to think about it... it's not so much a new approach to Bible Study itself as it is a fresh approach to the small group format. 

Mid-summer I was talking to God about my own women's Bible Study group and to be honest, I love my gals but I was tired and wanted out.  I was telling the Lord I needed something new... something different.  What I thought I wanted was to simply sit in on someone's else's group for a while instead of leading one but... as I sought the Lord... instead of a new group... I began to picture this new format... a way of giving us opportunity to put feet to our faith... to be doers of the Word and not hearers only! It was like a breath of fresh air.

The concept is not profound... it's really quite simple. Typically, we've all done Bible Study one day or evening a week every week. With this new format, we now get together to study the Bible the 1st and 3rd weeks of the month, the second week is for fellowship and fun, and the 4th week is for serving and outreach. It has infused our group with new life and the women love it. We have taken the commands to love one another... and serve those in need... off the pages and into real life!


(our group after an evening of painting a living room for a single mom)

One of the things that excited me most, was when I thought about the women in my existing group and their personalities, I realized that I have some very relational women, some zealous do-gooders, and some serious Bible studiers... myself included in the latter which I'm sure you would have never guessed!  But what excited me was to see how this new format ministered to each woman's personality... affirming how God made her, meeting her needs in a new way, and stretching the others of us in the process.

I knew that it was going to be a stretch for me because even though I love my friends... I am by nature a loner, a mouse in the corner kind of girl... not naturally relational and being social has never come easy so I knew the intentional fellowship and fun night was going to be a challenge. And although I love outreach, I'm not highly administrative except when I have to be, so organizing any kind of outreach would not my strength.

As I prayed about it, I knew I couldn't do it by myself... it would have to be a team effort so I called up two gals in my group... one highly relational to head up the fellowship and fun and another who has a huge heart for outreach to head that up and they both said yes. But... what was awesome... was when we had our first group meeting... it became obvious that the "team" the Lord had in mind was the entire group!  They all got so excited about the concept and format and each woman wanted ownership!!!  I knew God had to be smiling... I sure was!

I love God! I wanted a new group and He gave me a new way of doing group!
His ways are so much higher than our ways!

I want to share more with you about how our group is working and offer some of the suggestions for fellowship and outreach that I shared at my workshop.  I'll do that tomorrow.

Until then... Lord bless you and keep you...
In His love and for His glory... xoxoxo
Karla