Go Nowers

Hello Ladies,

Please be praying for two of our sisters who are still serving this summer on missions. Desi in Houston and Stephanie in Venezuela. I know that they really appreciate your support. Also, we recently welcomed home Kimberly from Asia. Please continue to pray over the work that the Lord has done, as well as all that he continues to do through the hands and feet of our sweet friends and the long term missionaries who are currently serving where they have been sent!!

The Ultimate Make-Over: The Benefits of Concealer

At our last captivate meeting I was trying to take some pictures for our new blog. In doing so, one girl responded as we all often do, "I don't have any makeup on." Several other girls began to comment and discuss that they too were in a similar situation. However, then one bold young woman chimed in and began to share her testimony with us about her recent commitment to abstain from the use of makeup. She went on to explain that she posses the head knowledge that the Lord has decreed her beauty but desires to establish that as heart knowledge. 


 All it took was one woman sharing her brokenness to unveil a room full of beautiful women who are constantly trying to cover up their imperfections out of insecurity.

One of the ways we try and make ourselves feel better is by saying, " I only use concealer and mascara." All the while meditating on the fact that we wouldn't be nearly as confident outside of our homes without those two things.

 According to Webster, the definition of concealer is as follows:


        1. One that conceals 


        2. A cosmetic used to conceal blemishes or discoloration under the eyes 

 Webster has it spot on. The makeup is a cover up (no pun intended). Out of insecurity our solution is to conceal the truth of how we have been created in order to fit into the standards of the society we live in. I recognize this is not always true daily, but maybe it is.

Although on the surface at our meeting we discussed body image there is more to it than just that. This goes deeper into the constructs of our souls. 


We come together and play the part, some days it's just easier than being transparent. However, it is harmful to our spirit to contain our sin and behave as though we are not who we truly are.

How beautiful it is to share the burdens of the darling spiritual siblings around you. Our heavenly father desires for us to not conceal the truth of our identiy but rather to share our shortcomings in order to elevate him higher. So in a spiritual sense, what are the benefits of concealer? 

What fears keep you from sharing your life open and honestly with those around you? Is there something that you are concealing?

Erasing Hell: The Beginning

Have you ever said that you just couldn't believe something about God?
I just can't believe God lets bad things happen to good people.
I just CAN'T believe an all-loving God would send people to hell.


I know I have. Sometimes the things I "can't" believe about God are so stressful to me I just brush them under the rug and try not to think about them.
Like hell.


But according to Francis Chan, its not really that we "can't" believe these things about our God, its that we just dont want to.


This past Monday, our women's bible study met  and discussed the first chapter of Chan's book, Erasing Hell. Our goal is to find out, as the book describes, what God had to say about eternity, and what we as Christians, nonbelievers, sinners and desperate people, have made up.
    
We shared that as we've grown older and matured, so has our view of what hell is. From a literal lake of fire to the sheer emptiness of a place that is void of God. Although we are still unsure and have much to learn, here is what we have discovered so far:


     1. There are no second chances after death.
     2. God gets what God wants: But, just because it is in God's moral will for everyone to be saved, it  may not      necessarily be in His decreed will. This is where our free will comes into play.
     3. God is God. His ways are higher, and He knows more than we do. God has the right to do WHATEVER He pleases.
    4. Not everyone will go to heaven.
And last, but not least
     5. We can not afford to be wrong.


People are at stake and even though it is a scary subject, we are determined to understand as best as we can. Chan's introduction afforded us a beautiful prayer that we have decided will be our compass for the next few weeks:

God, I want to know what is true.

I know I have cravings that sway and distort my abilty to reason.

You promise that Your Holy Spirit will guide me into all truth.

I pray that He will now.

I don't want to be wrong.

I don't want to be deceived by others or myself.

You alone possess all truth, and I want to be on Your side.

Give me eyes to see and ears to hear.

Give me courage to live and speak what is right no matter the cost.

I don't want to believe anything about You that is not true.

Amen.

"Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field'."

Matthew 9:37-38

<3 Kp

P.S Check out what Chan had to say as he began writing this book, just follow the link and click "watch video". Its worth it I promise!



http://francischan.org/#/erasing-hell