The O'Fallon Bright Lights Group

Contentment 1/24/12

2012-01-24T20:38:00.000-08:00

To start the evening, girls were divided into smaller groups and prepared skits together based on Matthew 6:19-21. The skits demonstrated the way a discontent girl with an earthly perspective would respond to a situation vs. the way a content girl with an eternal perspective would respond.

As always, the girls were very creative & the skits were quite humorous. After skits, we sang "Who Will Shine God's Light?" from the Bright Lights CD. I am always so blessed by the girls sweet voices filling our basement!

This evening we had a special treat! One of our older girls, Jessica, taught a special lesson on contentment. She talked about pride, and how it is the main cause of discontentment in our lives. She challenged the girls to put God & serving others first. She did an excellent job, especially since it was her very first time to teach a lesson!

After a time in small groups for discussion & prayer, we ended with tea & dessert.

I look forward to seeing you all for our next meeting on February 14th as we begin Set 5 together! If you're doing 4:12, I'll see you before then on January 31st!

Set 4 Testimonies

2012-01-11T13:17:00.000-08:00

Here are a few of the testimonies girls wrote last semester after we finished Set 4. I hope you'll enjoy reading these & rejoice in what God is doing in our group this year!

"Courage to Stand Alone was my favorite lesson. I learned about this a few years ago, but it's always good to be reminded again because we are humans and slip up. I know for myself, I tend to find myself wanting to "blend in" but instead I need to tell myself that God has called me to a higher purpose and I should be serving my Lord instead of myself." -age 14

"Although the lessons have influenced me in more ways than I can count, the way God has most used Bright Lights in my life is giving me boldness. There have been other factors that have helped me with this issue, but Bright Lights has definitely been one of the most important influences.

About two years ago, I was extremely shy... I avoided praying out loud, I was terrified of what people would think of me, and I didn't want to step out of my comfort zone for anything. Although I wanted to serve others and witness, I was afraid to take the first step to doing so. However, lessons like Presenting the Gospel, Sensitivity and Humility convicted me of my selfishness and pride, and God helped me to begin to change. Being a small group leader literally shoved me out of my comfort zone, but it surprised me how quickly my comfort zone was enlarged, so I started reaching out in other ways. Several important times this year, I've felt God prompting me to do something... when I obeyed, even though I was afraid, God would bless what I was trying to do and although it was usually just as hard as I thought it would be (if not more so), it wasn't impossible... and it was worth it.

I'm still shy. I'm still afraid of what people think of me. I'm still selfish and prideful. And I always will be. But God is changing me. Day by day, He's molding me into the person he wants me to be. It's hard; it's a painful process. But He knows what He's doing, and I wouldn't have it any other way." -age 15

"One decision I have made this semester, after we learned about protecting ourselves from polluting influences, is the commitment to submit to my father's rules while I live in his house. It has made a big difference in my life. I am following his rules better and respecting him more. I have also tried to follow my mom's rules more too. The other lesson that had the most impact on me is the one where we learned that standing alone is going to be hard but rewarding. It impacted me most because I do stand alone sometimes at school. But I know that even the times when I don't have friends I can still believe that God knows what He is doing. The Lord is showing me more on how to pick true friends and how to better obey my parents." -age 10

"This semester in Bright Lights there were a lot of important lessons. All the lessons were very helpful for me but I think the one that helped me the most was the lesson on having the courage to stand alone. I have never actually stood up alone for what I believe in, there have always been other people to stand up with me. But, as it says in the lesson on standing alone, before we can apply the other lessons we learned in this set we have to gain the courage to stand alone. This has opened my eyes to all the chance I have had to stand alone, and I haven't. I have been praying four courage to stand alone with God. And for a chance to stand alone for him. Once we have the courage to stand alone in God, we have the ability to stand up to our friends for what we believe in, to use discernment with our words and to stay away from polluting influences." -age 13

"One Bright Lights meeting, we were talking about friends. Allison mentioned that we should evaluate our friends by how they treat others (especially their siblings). I realized that if people evaluated me that way, they probably would not want to be my friend! That thought has helped me set a goal for myself and it's given me more of a desire to be kind to my brother and sisters." -age 11

"I was always concerned about how I looked. I didn't like my hair style. I thought my clothes looked weird compared to the girls' clothes at school. I also wanted to wear make-up. I also was worried about how I talked. I didn't want to talk about Jesus to other kids at school. I wanted to talk about what they wanted to talk about. I also wanted to act cool. I didn't want to be the odd one out. I wanted to have a friend at school. So, I started to act like the other girls at school. I always wore tight jeans and started to wear lipstick, like the other girls. I also started to use the words they were using and began talking a little too much in class. I also had a different attitude about things.

After discussing the lessons this semester, I started to do things God's way. I started talking about Jesus to other girls at school. I paid more attention to who I was hanging out with. I need to hang out with someone God would approve of. I didn't talk as much in class. I changed myself to be more and more like God. I understood things better about what God looks for in a person.

Now, I realize I don't want to be like the other girls. I want to be like Jesus. I also want to be a Bright Light to others and be noticed as a follower of Christ. This semester has really helped me know who I want to be and what a fully devoted girl for Christ should look like. I want to be able to stand alone." -age 12

"Two chapters from our lessons really meant a lot to me, they are: "Friends" and "Polluting Influences." The "Friends" chapter has made me think more about what kind of friends i choose, and whether or not they are a Godly influence or a bad influence. The chapter on "Polluting Influences" has helped me pay closer attention to what I watch on TV, especially kids' shows that promote boy/girl relationships or anything with bad language. I'm making a commitment to honor God by saying "no" to things that tempt me to think bad thoughts or do bad things." -age 10

"I think Bright Lights impacted my life in the lesson where I had to accept the way God made me. I used to always think that I wasn't beautiful, then I found Psalms 139:14, 'And I praise your for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.' That changed the way I thought about myself. Plus, Genesis says that we are made in God's image! And Bright Lights has really helped me grow on that because I am surrounded by lots of other Christian girls that are friends with me no matter what I look like." -age 11

Q&A Meeting

2012-01-10T21:02:00.000-08:00

This meeting was a little unusual because there wasn't a set lesson topic. Instead, Allison answered various questions girls had submitted at our previous meeting and shared about some new happenings for the semester.

We began the evening with a game called "mingle" where girls got to walk around & then get in groups by certain criteria (same color shirt, same town, etc.). Once divided into groups, they were given a discussion question to answer amongst themselves. Then, that pattern was repeated.

After Allison's time of sharing, the girls signed up for pen pals & then went to their small groups for relationship building, discussion & prayer. We ended with tea & dessert.

I look forward to seeing you all again on January 24th!

Christmas Party!

2011-12-20T20:57:00.000-08:00

What a great time of celebration, fellowship & laughter we shared together at our Christmas party this evening! The K. family graciously allowed us to have our party at their restaurant, Dr. Jazz Soda Fountain & Grille.

We began the party with a snack of soda & yummy french fries while teams planned a music presentation. Each group was assigned a style in which they had to present the song "Jingle Bells" in.

These performances were quite entertaining and gained quite a few laughs. :)

After the game, different girls took turns reading portions of the Christmas story to the group.

In between each reading, we sang a selection of Christmas carols.

After that, various girls volunteered to come to the front and share testimonies they had written about this past semester of Bright Lights.

It was wonderful to hear some of the ways the Lord has been working in our group this year and all the commitments that were made.

We ended the party with an hour of ice cream sundaes & fellowship!

It's amazing the silly effect sugar has on young ladies at night. ;-)

It was a great evening of celebrating Christmas together & enjoying spending time with new and old friends. Have a very Merry Christmas! I'll see you all in January!

Standing Alone 12/6/11

2011-12-06T19:29:00.001-08:00

We ended our set on holiness this evening with a lesson on standing alone. I explained to the girls that in order to apply everything we learned in this set, we have to be willing to stand alone, be rejected & viewed as foolish in order to stand with our commitment to Christ and His holiness.

I encouraged the girls to live their lives with courage, seeking to walk in the fear of the Lord rather than the fear of man. I also reminded them that in standing alone we are never really alone, for God has promised to always be with us & never forsake us.

During the lesson, we played a game where various girls acted out a character of the Bible who stood alone while I read a description of that character. After the charade & description was finished, the group tried to guess who it was.

The girls were challenged to learn from the example of these Bible characters as they sought to stand firm for Christ.

After small groups, we ended with tea & fellowship! After a semester of meetings, it's exciting to see the new relationships that are beginning to form as well as old friendships strengthening.

Since our group is so large this year, I have been doing a private tea party with three girls each meeting. This provides an opportunity for me to get to know girls a little better. Instead of a "date" we call this little get together a "fig."

The girls I had a "fig" with this meeting.

We hope to see many of you on December 20th for our Christmas party. Otherwise, we'll see everyone on January 10th for our next meeting!

Father Daughter Meeting on Courtship 11/15/11

2011-11-16T07:47:00.001-08:00

What a great time we had last night as all the fathers joined us for our Bright Lights meeting!

We started the evening with a game. The fathers blindfolded their daughters and then had to use only their voice to direct them through an obstacle course. Dads couldn't touch their daughters or move obstacles out of the way.

As the girls walked through the course, there were various distractions of extra noise & the voices of other fathers. Girls had to discern which voice was her father's so she knew the right way to go.

Besides being a fun game, the goal was to encourage the girls that they can trust their fathers. Sometimes our dads can see obstacles that we are not aware of & it's important that we learn to heed their advice. Just like the dads weren't going to purposefully run their daughters into a wall, our dads have our best interest in mind and we can trust them when we need advice about various situations in our lives.

The topic for the evening was on boy/girl relationships and encouraging young ladies to make commitments in this area now, before temptation comes. I challenged the girls to desire the best marriage, joyfully submit to the protection and guidance of their fathers, save their hearts for marriage & learn to delight fully in the Lord while they are single.

I used an illustration with paper hearts to explain the dangers of dating and giving your heart away to various young men before you're married.

After the lesson, the dads and daughters split up into two groups. My dad led a discussion time with the other fathers about what it looks like to guard your daughter's heart and other related topics. Although I wasn't there to hear the discussion, from what I heard, everything went well and the dads are hoping to plan another time to gather, pray & fellowship.

While the dads had their time of discussion, I talked to the girls about a couple more things and then they broke up into little groups and prayed for each other.

Eventually, everyone came back together and my dad & I encouraged each of the fathers to take their daughters on a special date to discuss what we talked about during the meeting.

We also shared a few of our favorite resources on the topic.

We ended the meeting with a time of fellowship over hot chocolate, apple cider & other yummy snacks.

Thank you to all the fathers who took time out of their evening to come be a part of this special meeting! It was a joy to have you all there with your daughters! I look forward to seeing all the girls for our last meeting of the semester on December 6th!

This was our funny picture of the evening.. haha. Enjoy. ;)

Polluting Influences 11/8/11

2011-11-08T21:05:00.000-08:00

This evening we had yet another blessed Bright Lights meeting! During the lesson I shared about various polluting influences which the enemy uses to trap us and encouraged the girls to search their lives for things that may not honor the Lord.

They were also encouraged to submit to the protection of their parents. We ended the lesson by each girl signing & decorating a special certificate to give to her father.

After the lesson, we did a sword drill with verses related to holiness & our topic for the evening. Girls who looked up verses the fastest, racked up points for their small group & the winning small group (which was the Mary group) got to enjoy M&Ms during their small group time.

After small groups we ended, as usual, with tea & dessert!

We'll see everyone a week from today for our special father/daughter meeting at CBC!

P.S. This shot was too funny not to post. ;)

Friends 10/25/11

2011-10-25T20:23:00.001-07:00

This evening, our lesson was on friends. We started the evening with a fun game to see how well the girls had been making friends in our group.

The girls were split into two teams and each team stood on one side of the quilt.

Each team would choose a teammate to stand in front of the blanket.

On the count of three, the blanket would drop & girls would try to be the first to say the name of the girl on the other side. Whoever said the name first, got to have the other player come to their side of the blanket. Whichever side had the most players at the end of the game won!

Sometimes it was a race to see who could blurt the name out first...

And other times the girls were a bit more puzzled. :)

With 50 girls in our group this year, there are quite a few names to learn!

After this game, everyone went downstairs to celebrate some birthdays & sing! I love hearing the girls' sweet voices fill the room each meeting with lyrics of praise & resolve to serve the Lord!

After singing, I shared the lesson on friends. I encouraged the girls to place the greatest importance on seeking a relationship with Jesus & finding their identity in Him. I also shared with them some practical ways to choose friends wisely & get rid of friends which do not provide true fellowship. I reminded the girls that you will become like who you surround yourself with & it's important to choose companions who are seeking after the same goal you are.

Many times we have difficulty with friendships because we are self-centered and want friends so they can meet our needs. Instead of having the attitude of a "taker" we should have the attitude of a "giver," someone who is always looking for ways to serve, encourage and bless their friends.

We ended the meeting with small group discussion & tea!

I look forward to seeing you all again on November 8th!

If You're Up for a Challenge

2011-10-11T20:10:00.000-07:00

Sarah Mally is issuing a challenge to do a speed read of the Bible from now until the end of December. If you're looking for a new challenge & are wanting to get a good overall picture of God's word, I'd encourage you to join in! More details on the challenge can be found here.

Our Words 10/11/11

2011-10-11T20:01:00.000-07:00

This evening started out with dividing into groups and planning some short skits to perform. Each of the skits demonstrated how to & not to do something.

Some of the skit topics included.. how to/not to give a compliment, respond when your parents ask you to do something, ask your little brother to do something, start a conversation with a neighbor about an annoying dog, etc.

Many of the girls exaggerated the scenarios, added funny voices or were super dramatic which resulted in plenty of laughter from the audience.

The skits were used as silly illustrations of common circumstances where we must use discernment in how we will use our words.

During the lesson I shared with the girls that the tongue, although small, is one of the hardest things to control and, with the tongue, is the power of life and death.

Then, I explained the 5 types of words we shouldn't use:

1. Bad Words

2. Harmful Words

3. False Words

4. Proud Words

5. Inappropriate or Unnecessary Words

I also talked about the 3 ways we should use our words (found in Psalm 100:4):

1. Praise

2. Thanksgiving

3. Blessing

The girls were encouraged to look for ways to give rather than get every time they entered a conversation with someone.

I also shared that even if we are saying something that is good, if we don't say it with the right attitude, people will not think we're genuine. We played a silly game to illustrate this point.

There were lots of eager volunteers. :)

Girls volunteered to come up front and draw a phrase card & an attitude card. They then had to say the phrase they drew in the the attitude their card indicated.

The rest of the girls tried to guess what attitude they were saying the phrase in. It was pretty funny to see the girls say, "Jesus Loves You" mysteriously or, "Thank you for helping me clean my room" as if they were sad.

We ended the lesson with some personal time to evaluate their past conversations and their motives in those conversations. Then, everyone split up into small groups for a short time of discussion and prayer before ending with tea.

We had a great time & I'm really looking forward to our next meeting on October 25th! See you in two weeks!

Discernment 9/27/11

2011-09-27T20:27:00.000-07:00

We had a blessed evening of fellowship and a lesson on discernment. Discernment is a skill in separating the good from the evil and understanding the bigger picture.

We began the lesson with a fruit tasting activity. One girl from each small group was blindfolded and asked to identify 7 different fruit samples. These girls had to discern what fruit they were tasting. It was a fun and silly activity to illustrate what discernment is.

The three main ways we can use discernment in our lives is:
1. Knowing truth so we can discern false teaching.
2. Discerning between influences which honor the Lord and those that dishonor.
3. Handling people with discernment, knowing how to best show love rather than a critical attitude.

We must know the truth in order to discern what is not honoring to the Lord. Because of this, I challenged the girls to establish a discipline of Scripture in their lives by reading their Bibles everyday until our next Bright Lights meeting. I'm looking forward to seeing who sticks with the challenge.

After the lesson, the girls divided up into small groups for discussion, prayer and accountability. We ended, as always, with tea and dessert.

It was such a joy to see everyone again! I'm looking forward to our next meeting on October 11th. Until then, pursue holiness & shine BRIGHT!

Holiness 9/13/11

2011-09-13T20:40:00.000-07:00

Today was our first official Bright Lights meeting of the semester! We had a great time together as we adjusted to the group's doubled size.

Eagerly awaiting everyone's arrival.

The pile of shoes by our front door.

This evening we started outside with a game of "speed friending." Each pair of girls had about 30 seconds to discuss their answers to a get to know you question before everyone had to switch to the next person in the circle.

It was a fun and quick way to learn a little something about half the girls in the group.

Our lesson for the evening was on holiness. I shared with the girls what holiness is and why we, as believers are called to be holy. I also challenged the girls to examine their lives & consider whether or not they make decisions based on what is common to society or based on what God says about it.

During the lesson, some of the girls acted out the story of King Asa found in 2 Chronicles 14-16.

King Zerah of Ethiopia attacks King Asa.

King Asa is a good king.

Being attacked by the Ethiopians

Seeking the Lord.


Being attacked by King Basha of Israel.

The story of King Asa was used as both a good example and a bad example. When the Ethiopians attacked, King Asa trusted the Lord rather than worldly wisdom. However, when he was attacked by King Basha, he turned to man's wisdom and died.

After the lesson, we broke up into our new small groups. Finally, we ended with tea & dessert.

Overall, tonight was a wonderful start to a busy year! After months of prayer & preparation, it was so exciting to see everything come together. I look forward to seeing everyone again on September 27th!

Leadership Retreat

2011-09-10T16:49:00.000-07:00

This morning, a group of enthusiastic young ladies gathered together to spend a day training & preparing for serving as small group leaders in our Bright Lights group this year.

We were graciously hosted by Jessica & Jenna's family. They did so much to make the day go smoothly and I really appreciate their hospitality!

We started the morning with prayer, singing & Scripture sharing.

Each of the leaders took a lot of notes as they prepared for the year ahead.

Twice during the day, the girls met privately with the girls they are co-leading with and prayed for their small groups, planned discussions & brainstormed ideas to make their small group meetings special.

We also took some time for some games, fellowship & lots of laughter! :)

The girls watched two leadership training DVD's by Sarah Mally on discipleship & being a servant.

We also enjoyed a delicious breakfast & lunch together.

It was such a joy to spend the day with such a wonderful group of young ladies! I am so privileged & blessed to have them serving alongside me this year. I believe I speak for everyone when I say the day made us all very excited in anticipation for what the Lord is going to do in the year ahead!

New Members Meeting 8/23/11

2011-08-23T20:17:00.000-07:00

This evening we had 21 girls, who will be joining our Bright Lights group, come for a review of the Set One lessons. It was exciting to spend time with all these new young ladies. I'm so glad they'll be joining us this year, we have a group of great girls!

Here are some pictures from our evening..

I am really looking forward to our first official meeting of the year on September 13th! See you all then!

July & August Summer Activities

2011-08-11T07:23:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is, the end of the summer. Everyone is beginning school, our group has had two wonderful summer events & I have very few pictures, if any, to show for it. I apologize for our lack of documentation. I suppose we were having too much fun to remember to snap a couple shots. :)

Both our July picnic & August birthday party were lots of fun, I'm looking forward to getting the school year started & seeing everyone soon!

August 23rd from 6:00-8:30 is our new members meeting. Please send me an RSVP soon if your daughter will be joining us.

Our first meeting for the school year will be September 13th from 6:15-8:15pm.

Blessings!

Siblings & Snacks Movie Night!

2011-06-18T14:08:00.000-07:00

Last night was our group's first summer activity, a movie night! Girls brought their siblings, some yummy snacks & their favorite movie blanket as we gathered for fellowship and a movie: The Runner from Ravenshead.

We had a great evening with lots of giggles, munching and fuzzy pajama pants. :) There were some new families that joined us so it was nice to meet them. Thanks for joining us! I'm looking forward to our picnic in July! See you then!

End of the Year Meeting 5/24/11

2011-06-15T22:49:00.000-07:00

We didn't get many photos from our end of the year meeting & ice cream party and I suppose that's why these are so late. :)

Each of the girls had a paper on her back & throughout the evening the girls would write notes of encouragement for each other.

We also had our very last small group meetings of the year...

The evening also included testimony writing & sharing, a slideshow/video recap of the year, awards & an ice cream sundae bar. Lots of smiles & hugs were shared as girls remembered everything the Lord had done in the group over the past year.

It has been a true joy for me to see sweet friendships, a passion for the Lord and an excitement for serving Jesus grow in our group this year. Ladies, thank you for your enthusiasm and kindness! Keep seeking the Lord with your whole hearts!

Summer Activities 2011

2011-05-16T20:41:00.000-07:00

Stay connected with your Bright Lights friends this summer by joining us for one of our summer fellowship activities! We also welcome other young ladies who may be interested in Bright Lights to join us, please invite your friends! Contact Allison Whisler to RSVP for each of these activities.

Siblings & Snacks Movie Night
Friday June 17th 7:00-9:30pm, The Whisler’s Home
We’re inviting you to bring your siblings and cozy blankets along for a movie night full of laughter, snacks & fun! We’ll be using a projector & big screen to project a movie in our living room.

The featured entertainment will be San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival award-winner: The Runner From Ravenshead. This excellent movie, created by a homeschooling family, combines Little Rascals style escapades with Pilgrim’s Progress style allegories, creating a hilariously encouraging movie. The all-children cast and clean, Christian themes are sure to be a hit with you & your siblings.

Young ladies are encouraged to invite their older or younger siblings to attend this event with them. However, any attending younger siblings must be able to sit through the full-length feature film. Each family will be asked to bring a snack item which will be assigned when you RSVP. Please RSVP to Allison by June 15th.

Family Picnic
July 16th 11:30am-1:00pm, Hesse Park in O’Fallon
Bring your family, a picnic lunch & a couple folding chairs for a time of fellowship and games with other Bright Lights families. We will be renting a pavilion at the park for the picnic and will also provide a large cooler of drinking water. This park offers open play fields, baseball diamonds, basketball courts, playgrounds, and restrooms. We hope this event will be an informal time to fellowship and play together. Please feel free to bring balls, jump ropes, frisbees, outdoor games, etc. Please RSVP to Allison by July 13th.

Birthday Bash
August 9th 1:30-3:30pm, The Whisler’s Home
Join us as we celebrate a year of doing Bright Lights & all the summer birthdays of the girls in our group. We’ll be decorating cupcakes to eat and playing some of our favorite Bright Lights games (yes, there will be skits!). Moms are invited to join us from 3:00-3:30 as we talk about our plans for the next year of Bright Lights & provide an opportunity for everyone to sign up for the exciting year ahead. Please RSVP to Allison by August 6th.

Self Control 5/10/11

2011-05-10T21:40:00.000-07:00

This evening we finished our last Bright Lights lesson for the year by finishing set three. To begin the evening, several of the girls had prepared music or scripture memorization to share with us. Thank you ladies for taking the time to share with us, it was a blessing! Unfortunately, we only got a picture of one of the performances.

Sara playing the clarinet

Our ongoing activity for the evening was a game that made everyone aware of how hard it is to control the tongue. Each girl was given two stickers & told not to say "I" at all during the evening. If anyone heard you saying the forbidden word they could take one of your stickers and put it on themselves. Whoever had the most stickers by the end of the night won. In the end, Heather was the winner. :)

Once the game was over, Sarah decided to collect the stickers on her face. ;)

We were able to take group pictures at this meeting and pretty much everyone was there so they turned out really well.

Silly Picture...

We also got a group picture with each of the small groups.

The Rebekah group, led by Karen & Haleigh...

The Mary group, led by Sylvia & Rachel...

The Esther group, led by Katelyn, Jessica & Jenny

It's been a great year, I look forward to seeing you all with your moms for our last meeting on May 24th at CBC!

At this meeting we celebrated the birthdays of Jenna, McKenzie & Kalei

Humility 4/26/11

2011-04-26T20:58:00.000-07:00

This evening our meeting was on humility. The opposite of humility is pride. We show pride in our lives when we exaggerate, brag about accomplishments, condemn others, demonstrating stubbornness or rebellion, and many other ways. The world encourages us to stand up for ourselves and fight but Jesus tells us the opposite - we are to show humility and learn to put other before ourselves.

One area where we can show humility is in our relationships with our families. We must learn to have humility in order to quench quarrels and seek forgiveness.

The best way to gain an attitude of humility is to realize how sinful and small we are compared to our all-powerful, almighty God. A full understanding of His majesty should cause us to humble ourselves even more so that He might be made known through us.

We took some time to study some great men of the Bible and their various responses of humility when they were in the presence of the Lord.

After the lesson, we all gathered in the living room and I explained the instructions for our next activity - the humility test.

The girls worked in groups to complete a VERY tricky humility test. All of the answers to the test came from the Bible but the girls were not allowed to use their Bibles to complete this test.

The Bible verses they needed to answer the questions on the test were found on index cards. The only "problem" was, there was only one copy of each verse.

So, the teams had to trade cards in order to get all the necessary information to complete their tests. You had to be careful who you traded with because there were penalty cards that would delay your team or put you at a disadvantage.

I forgot to announce the winner at the end of our meeting so I'll post it here. It ended up being very close. Each team finished as follows:
1st place: Haleigh's team with 19 points
2nd place: Karen's team with 16 points
3rd place: Jessica's team with 15 points
4th place: Katelyn's team with 12 points
5th place: Sylvia's team with 9 points

Amber with the Rebekah group's beloved monkey. :)

After small groups, we took some group photos. Since we had quite a few girls missing this week, we're going to take them again at our next meeting. Whichever picture has the most girls present will be the winner. :)

Click on the photo to see it larger.

Silly photo! Click on the photo to see it larger.

During tea time the girls surprised me with some flowers, singing the birthday song, cards & two lovely posters for my birthday. I was very surprised and blessed by their thoughtfulness! Thank you ladies, you are a blessing!!!

A few more pictures of tea time...

Amber, Melissa, Martha & Abby

Sylvia, the Black's friend (sorry I forgot your name!), Sarah & McKenzie

Brooke & Katie

I will look forward to seeing everyone again on May 10th! Don't forget your Bible memory sheets!

April Discipleship

2011-04-18T07:06:00.000-07:00

Taylor, Rachel & Haleigh

On Saturday some of the older girls gathered for our second discipleship meeting. This time we were hosted by the Peterson family for a lovely Victorian themed tea party. Mr. Peterson dressed up in a tuxedo with tails (unfortunately we didn't get a picture) and served us as the "butler," taught us proper tea etiquette, & performed songs for our live entertainment.

Kalei & Sara

Before splitting up into our discipleship partners, I led a brief discussion, continuing from what we discussed at our last meeting, on leadership and the importance of being a good influence to those around you by developing a character of integrity.

Allison, Gretchen, Jessica, Jenna, Kalei & Sara

We gathered back together after the discipleship time and briefly closed by discussing some things we had gleaned from the Bible study. We closed in prayer & fellowship.

Rachel & Kalei

Meekness 4/12/11

2011-04-12T20:57:00.000-07:00

This evening our lesson topic was meekness. Meekness is like gentleness and requires humility and self control.

Consider a horse - it has large muscles and is capable of running wild and being very powerful. However, it allows itself to be submitted to the will of its master and becomes gentle. Even though it seems subdued, it is still just as powerful as before. The difference is that the power is now controlled by a master.

In the same way, we are very powerful and are capable of many strong emotions. However, when we allow our wills and emotional power to be submitted to the Lord's control we become gentle. We haven't lost the power, we simply are allowing God to use that power the way He wishes.

Anger is the opposite of meekness and we will either yield to one or the other, but we can't have both. Many feelings of anger are often caused by "rights" that we feel have been violated. If we are willing to surrender those areas to the Lord, it will become easier for us to respond with meekness when we are tempted to retaliate in anger.

After the lesson, the girls got by themselves & did an activity of surrendering their rights to the Lord and asking Him to give them grace to respond with meekness the next time they are tempted to lash out in anger.

Abby

Martha

Karen

Cecily

Taylor, Heather & Brooke

Our group has been enjoying being pen pals with girls from a Bright Lights group in Texas. Each meeting they are eager to write letters and see if they have any mail. :)

The girls broke up into small groups and then we had tea and fellowship time to close. Bunny ears/moose ears were quite a popular picture theme this evening. :)

Gretchen & Jenna

Back Row: Taylor, Haleigh, Karen, Melissa

Front: Amber, Sophie, Cecily, Gretchen, Heather

Cecily & Sophie


Sweet Sisters, McKenzie & BrookeAshley

Katie

Sara, Taylor, Sarah, Haleigh, Kalei & Sylvia (behind Haleigh)

Smiling Sarah

"Ninja" is a very popular game of choice at the end of each meeting.

Jenna :)

Melissa :)

Amber & Abby

Karen, Jenna & Gretchen

Jenna, Shelby & Martha

I look forward to seeing you all again on April 26th!

Sensitivity 3/22/11

2011-03-22T19:58:00.000-07:00

Today our topic was on learning to be sensitive to the needs of others and demonstrating Christ's love to those people.

One of our first activities involved a whole lot of coins, blindfolds & gloves/mittens. Different girls volunteered to try to collect as many coins as they could in one minute while blindfolded & wearing some sort of gloves. Everyone else enjoyed the amusement as they tried to pick up the coins & find the cup to put them in.

Heather & Gretchen with work gloves on...

Cecily, wearing snow gloves, trying to find her cup.

Melissa helping Audri get her snow mittens on...

Sophie helps lead Jenna to the starting place..

After this activity we talked about "spiritual gloves" that we wear that prevent us from being sensitive to the needs of others. Just like it would have been easier for the girls to collect the coins without any gloves on, it's much easier for us to be sensitive to others when our pride or selfishness is not keeping us from recognizing those needs.

After the lesson, we made an "encouragement web" with yarn. Everyone stood in a circle and each girl would take a ball of yarn, hold part of it & throw it to someone. The girl who threw the yarn would give an encouragement for the person she threw the yarn to. We threw the yarn back & forth, always holding on to it until everyone had been encouraged & it created a big web.

It was really sweet to see the girls encourage each other.

Once the encouragement web was over, everyone split up into small groups to discuss the lesson and pray. I don't typically get pictures of the small groups so I tried to get at least one shot of each group this evening.

The Rebekah Group...

The Mary Group...

The Esther Group...

Finally, we ended with tea & fellowship. This week, because of our lesson, I encouraged the girls to sit with someone they didn't know very well during tea time. It was fun to see everyone all mixed up & enjoying each others company. :)

Sarah, Brooke, Katie & Cecily...

Haleigh, Karen, Audri & Jenna...

Kalei, Martha, Rachel, Sydney & Jessica...

Katelyn & Jenna...

In our group, if you sit near Shelby & Sophie, this is what happens to those who refuse to pose for pictures... ;)

Gretchen & Sophie..

Shelby & Sarah...

Impromptu movie production?

Allison, Jenny & Rachel...

Sarah & Taylor...

Once again, I really enjoyed my time with you ladies this evening. I'm looking forward to our next meeting on April 12th! See you soon!

March Discipleship

2011-03-19T21:38:00.000-07:00

For the next three months, a group of older girls from our Bright Lights group will be meeting together for fellowship & one-on-one discipleship. The hope is to encourage and disciple our upcoming leaders while fostering closer friendships. Today was our first discipleship meeting and we were graciously hosted by the June's for a spaghetti lunch.

After some fellowship, a delicious meal and a brief lesson on leadership, the girls broke up into partners. Each little group is comprised of a "big sister" and a "little sister." Together they completed a Bible study sheet, encouraged each other in their struggles and prayed together.

Gretchen & Jenny...

Brooke & Sylvia...

Rachel & Sarah...

Karen & Jenna...

Taylor & Haleigh...

Sara & Katelyn...

Kalei & Jessica...

Judging from all the smiles when we gathered back together, everyone enjoyed and benefited from the 45 minutes of discipleship time. We ended with a brief group discussion and prayer time.

Karen & Sarah posing with the fruit arrangement Taylor brought. :)

I'm very excited to see how the Lord uses this time to strengthen each young lady in their walk with Him. We've got a wonderful group of girls & it's exciting to see them growing!

Contentment 3/8/11

2011-03-08T20:00:00.000-08:00

Tonight we started Set 3 with the topic of contentment. Throughout this set we will be looking at different character traits of godliness. I shared about the Israelites and how God had blessed them so much with many miracles yet they chose to complain rather than acknowledge the blessings. In the same way, we often choose to be discontent with what we don't have rather that thanking God for what He has given us.

During we talked about Fanny Crosby and how even though she was blind, she chose to be content with the way God had made her and thankful for the blessings she had. I had the girls put bags on their heads to simulate blindness and they had to complete different tasks.

Mass Chaos :)

Trying to form a circle

These make for funny pictures. :)

After the girls wore the bags on their heads we talked about how many blessings, such as our eyesight, we take for granted.

We also discussed how the enemy likes to use different tactics to make us become discontent with what we have. One of those tactics is through advertising. At the beginning of the meeting the girls competed to come up with a list of company slogans. There is a reason why McDonald's says "I'm Loving it" not "I'm Hating it."

Later on, the girls broke up into groups and created television commercials for wacky items. The goal was to get them to think about some of the things advertisers do to make you discontent with what you already have.

Taylor, Katie, Sara & Sophia with the "Moldy Ham Sandwich."

Jenna & Jessica in their "Your Face Could be on the Statue of Liberty" commercial.

Rachel, Kalei, Cecily & BrookeAshley in the "Empty Tube of Toothpaste" commercial.

Karen in the "Chicken Hat" commercial..

Jenna & Karen. :)

Katelyn putting the chicken hat on to cover up her "bad hair day & pimples."

After the lesson and small groups we closed with tea and some delicious desserts!

Karen & Haleigh...

Sarah, McKenzie & BrookeAshley..

Taylor, Heather & Sara...

More Karen & Haleigh antics.

Sylvia (hiding), Kalei, Karen & Haleigh still being silly..

FYI - These girls aren't very shy. :)

I am SO incredibly blessed to have such a wonderful group of girls to spend every other Tuesday evening with!! Girls, thank you for sharing your infectious joy with me every week! I look forward to seeing everyone very soon.

Don't Miss Our Next Meeting...

2011-03-02T19:41:00.000-08:00

...on March 8th from 6:15 - 8:15pm. We'll be diving into Set 3 which discusses "reflecting Christ in every response." Don't forget to work on your ministry goals & be prepared to share with your small group (and maybe the big group) how it went.

I can't wait to see you all soon!

How to Develop a Ministry 2/22/11

2011-02-22T19:58:00.000-08:00

Today we discussed ministry & how each one of us is called to be a ministry to others. Lots of ideas were shared for ways to live your life to serve, bless and encourage other people and the girls were challenged to dedicate their whole lives to honoring Christ in everything they do.

Each of the girls came up with a "ministry goal" that they are going to work on for the next two weeks until our next meeting. Sample goals included spending time with your brother, writing a note of encouragement to a little girl at church, helping your mom out with more chores or praying for a certain friend.

At our next meeting we will be checking everyone's progress to see if they worked on their goal.

Our game for the evening was a combination of "Mingle" and "Ministry Ideas Scattegories" (Yes, I did make those games up). Basically, after a drawn out process of mingling and answering silly questions, the girls got into groups of 4 or 5 and had 5 minutes to write a list of as many ministry ideas as possible. Then, each group went around and read their list... if your group had something from another group's list you both had to cross the idea out. Whichever team had the most ideas at the end won.

Sylvia, reading her team's list....

After our lesson and game everyone split up into small groups for discussion and prayer.

The Rebekah group has a "discussion monkey" (or something like that) to pass around & whoever holds the monkey gets to talk. :)

Heather & Cecily...

The Mary group...

We ended with tea & some yummy desserts provided by Rachel & Abby. Don't forget to work on your ministry goal, I'll look forward to seeing how you did at our next meeting on March 8th!

Mercy 2/8/11

2011-02-08T21:11:00.000-08:00

This evening our topic was Mercy: replacing punishment with kindness or when someone else gets me out of trouble at his own expense. In relation to the Gospel, truth condemns and mercy frees. We also discussed how we can apply mercy with our brothers & sisters and with how we should show mercy to those who are annoying to us.

During the evening, the girls were split up into five groups and given a parable from the Bible illustrating God's mercy to transform into a skit.

To make it more hilarious, each of the teams were given a bag of random costumes they had to wear & use in their skit.

Abby & Katelyn planning their skit...

Haleigh & Sarah cracking up during skit rehersal...

Karen goofing off while Taylor & Jessica busily plan...

Rehearsing the parable of the Unmerciful Servant..

In a big group, there are lots of ideas to discuss..

Jenna, Martha, Sylvia & Katie performing...

Katie as the prodigal son...

Shelby performing as a Pharisee...

McKenzie as the humble tax collector and Rachel as the narrator...

The parable of the lost sheep...

Heather & Kalei...

The journeyman who was attacked by robbers (aka.. Sarah)

The Pharisee passing on the other side of the road (Kalei)...

The Good Samaritan (Brooke)...

Taylor & Karen...

Jessica (the king) and Jenna (the servant)...

"Please have mercy on me!"

Jenna & Cecily

You may be able to tell from the pictures, we enjoyed lots of giggles and fun with these skits. There are quite a few actresses in our group! We got lots of great pictures of the skits & none of everything else. The meeting ended with small groups & tea.

Our next meeting will be on February 22nd. See you soon!

Set One Testimonies...

2011-01-27T09:27:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to post some of the testimonies from Bright Lights for a while but hadn't actually done it yet. By reading through these excerpts from their testimonies I hope you will be encouraged by what God is doing in our group. By request of the girls, no identities have been attached to the testimonies.


The posters we used during Bright Lights to illustrate the differences between a "Bright Light" and "Typical Teenager" (Click on the photo to see a larger version)

"Bright Lights has been a great blessing to me for many reasons. It has forced me to step outside my comfort zone and be a leader, it has convicted me in several areas of my life that I needed to grow in, it has encouraged me to stand strong for the Lord in my youth, and most importantly, it has strengthened my walk with God."

"In Bright Lights I learned how to develop a disciplined walk with the LORD and I am working hard on sticking with it. In Bright Lights I committed to being respectful and obeying my parents. I am still working on it and I am getting better."

"This semester in Bright Lights I learned many things, but the most important thing I think I learned about was obeying my parents. I have found and my parents have told me that I'm doing a lot better obeying them quicker and with a grateful heart."

"One of the things I like about Bright Lights is that it keeps me thinking about the commitments I've made and following through on those commitments. I want my life to be all God's."

"Because of Bright Lights I have made a commitment to read my Bible everyday and to honor my parents more."

"Bright Lights has shown me that I'm not alone in striving to be a godly young lady. It is great accountability."

"The first time I came to Bright Lights I thought it was going to be a normal Bible study and also boring, but it turned out to be pretty fun. I have learned that studying the Bible can be fun."

"The lesson of fearing God and not people was effective for me because I was struggling with that. Because I wanted to make friends, I started thinking a lot about how I dressed. I love how Bright Lights challenges me in my faith."

"I am learning and have learned about how much God loves me. I have also made commitments that I thought I would never make. I have always been shy, and I never wanted to pray aloud except at home. Now, I am not shy about talking to people & praying with them."

"A lesson I really love is the one about fearing the Lord. It has helped me honor the Lord more in what I do and not be worried about what others think."

God is definitely working in my life and in the lives of the young ladies in our group. Thank you for allowing me the honor of spending time with your daughters each month. Each girl is a joy and blessing to me and I am humbled to have the responsibility of setting an example for them. I hope you'll join me in thanking the Lord for what he has done so far and asking Him to continue working in our group!

More Photos...

2011-01-26T11:07:00.000-08:00

Sylvia's been posting lots of great photos from our meetings on her family's blog. I don't know about you but I think the more photos the better... ;)

You can check out Sylvia's Bright Lights posts here.

Presenting the Gospel 1/25/11

2011-01-26T06:47:00.000-08:00

Last night we enjoyed lots of giggles and good fellowship as we discussed practical ways to share the Gospel. I shared the 3 main points that are important to share when presenting the Gospel to someone:

1. Their Sin, Their Need
2. The Savior, Jesus Christ
3. Their Response

I shared with the girls practical ways to prepare for opportunities to share your faith & ideas for creative ways to share the Gospel.

Martha, Sophie & Cecily...

We finished the lesson by going through a tract with diagrams that are helpful to use when sharing the Gospel.

After the lesson, the girls split up into partners & practiced sharing the Gospel with each other using the tracts we had just discussed.

Karen shares the Gospel with Amber...

Sophie explains the Gospel to Cecily...

Kalei going through the tract with Elsah...

Then, I asked for three volunteers who wanted to try a challenge. On their turn, I would give each girl a random object & 2 minutes to explain the Gospel. After each of the girls did their presentation, everyone voted on which presentation helped them understand the message clearly.

Sarah started with a glass of water & talked about being clean & pure like that glass of water. (Unfortunately we didn't get any pictures of her)

Next, Elsah used a watch to talk about eternity, a place where their is no time.

Finally, Shelby used an eraser to talk about how Jesus erases our sins.

It was a very expressive, passionate group so there was lots of laughter throughout. ;)

This was our last meeting with Elsah & Myra who are headed to another assignment with the military. We will miss you girls a lot - thank you for sharing your joy, enthusiasm & friendship with our group. You will be missed by everyone & we look forward to hearing from you soon! :)

We ended the meeting with small groups & tea time.

Our next meeting will be on February 8th, 2011 from 6:15-8:15pm. We will be starting at 6:15 with a game so please make every effort to be there on time or a little early. All pen pal forms & cards need to be turned in by this meeting.

See you soon!

Being Valiant for the Truth 1/11/11

2011-01-11T20:16:00.000-08:00

Despite the snow and bitterly cold temperatures we had a good group show up this evening as we began the semester with Set 2.

During our lesson we discussed being valiant for the truth by avoiding all forms of deceitfulness in our lives, being firmly grounded in God's word so we can combat the lies of the enemy and proclaiming the truth to others so that they might be set free.

The girls were challenged to have a quiet time every single day from tomorrow until the day of our next Bright Lights meeting. I gave each of them a sheet with ideas for this time with the Lord and a checklist for each day until our meeting on the 25th.

I'm not sure what point I was making in this picture, but it must not have been a very good one. :)

After the lesson everyone split into two groups to play a game. I would give a lie from the enemy. Each group was assigned to either come up with reasons why I should believe the lie or why, based on Scripture, I shouldn't believe it. After the teams had 5 minutes to prepare we had a little "debate" between the groups.

It was a helpful reminder of the importance of having a strong foundation in Scripture so we can easily combat the lies of Satan.

Group "Our last names begin with A-K"

Group "Our last names begin with L-Z"

In their small groups the girls got a chance to play the game "two truths & a lie," discuss the lesson together & share prayer requests.

We ended with tea, dessert & fellowship.

Cecily looking over the new lesson booklet...

Rachel, Jessica, Karen & Sylvia chatting over their tea..

Thank you all for braving the cold & coming this evening. I enjoyed seeing everyone again & I look forward to hearing how your quiet times go in the next two weeks. Our next meeting will be on January 25, 2011 from 6:15 - 8:15pm. See you soon!

A New Semester!

2011-01-09T11:22:00.001-08:00

I'm looking forward to starting up Set 2 on Tuesday with everyone! See you this Tuesday, January 11th, 2011 from 6:15-8:15pm! Don't forget your Bible and Bright Lights notebook.

Christmas Party

2010-12-30T12:17:00.000-08:00

Last Tuesday our group got together for a Christmas tea party that was full of sugar, singing, laughter, and games. Unfortunately, we were having a little too much fun together & forgot to take many pictures. Here are a few we managed to take.

One of the tables...

The other table...

One of our games was a silly "Following Directions" quiz that ended with a discussion of ways we can be a Bright Light during Christmastime. Here are a few photos of the girls taking the quiz...

Other activities included singing Christmas carols, putting on a Christmas "pageant" complete with wacky costumes and a gift exchange. I believe the fellowship & laughter was enjoyed by all.

Jessica...

Jenna & Gretchen...

I look forward to seeing everyone for our first meeting of 2011 on January 11th! We'll be diving into Set 2 on Having Your Pitcher Full of Living Water. If you have friends who are planning on joining us for the second semester, please have them contact me ASAP so I can get the right amount of materials ordered.

12/7/10 Being Fully Dedicated to God

2010-12-08T14:32:00.000-08:00

Last night we had our last Bright Lights meeting for the semester as we finished Set 1 by talking about being Fully Dedicated to God. We also looked back at all the things we had learned and spent some time making commitments and writing testimonies.

Unfortunately, I didn't get as many pictures as I had hoped but here are a few.

These pictures are from the time when the girls split up by themselves & worked on doing a commitment worksheet & writing a testimony.

McKenzie...
Myra...
Sara...
We ended the evening with going around the circle & each person sharing a testimony from Bright Lights this semester. Then we got started on a trivia game before ending with tea and dessert.

I'm looking forward to seeing many of you on December 21st for our Bright Lights Christmas tea. Please watch your email inbox for more details on that!

Accepting the Way God Created You 11/23/10

2010-11-24T18:17:00.001-08:00

Last night the topic for our meeting was accepting the way God created you. Each of the girls were challenged to accept God's plan for their lives & find security in Him. I encouraged the girls to remember how each detail of their lives was planned by God & that as His creation, He sees them as beautiful. When we decide to be discontent with some physical feature, its like telling God He didn't do a good job when He created us. Instead, we should learn to accept these "unchangeables" and live our lives with purpose.

Each of the girls made a "paper doll" which they customized to look like themselves. Then they glued it to a piece of paper & added a Bible verse which says: "I praise you because I, (insert name here), am fearfully and wonderfully made. I know that full well." Psalm 139:14 They were all encouraged to put these up somewhere in their room as a reminder of how beautifully God has created them.

Projects in the works...

Kendra & McKenzie with their completed look-alikes...

Sisters, Kalei & Shelby with their paper doll twins...

Sophie & Cecily with their projects...
Another activity of the night was a brief lesson on modesty & then a clothing exchange. Each girl brought some items she wished to get rid of & the girls "bought" clothes from each other with little plastic coins.

Each girl made a sign with the name of her store to display with her wares...

Karen, looking at shirts...
Some of the older girls taking some time to visit...
Brooke looking through some clothes...
Amber & Arianna inspecting some items...
Martha picking out a shirt...
Everyone seemed to have a wonderful time & came away with a few treasures. Our last meeting for the semester will be on December 7th. For those who will still be in town, we will also have a Christmas tea on the 21st. Happy Thanksgiving!

Meeting on Tuesday

2010-11-20T19:56:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder that we will be meeting this Tuesday, November 23rd from 6:15-8:15pm. One of our activities during this meeting will be a clothing exchange. Please remember to bring some items so you can participate! Feel free to email if you have any questions or concerns about this.

See you soon!

11/9/10 Understanding the Fear of the Lord

2010-11-09T20:01:00.000-08:00

Tuesday we had a great Bright Lights meeting! Our topic for the evening was "Understanding the Fear of the Lord." I challenged each of the girls to consider whether they were finding their identity in other people (the fear of man) or if they were seeking validation from the Lord (fear of the Lord). They were all sent on a mission to start befriending someone at church, homeschool group or other activities who seemed to be an outcast.

After the lesson we played an attentiveness game, illustrating the point that we need to be attentive to what the Lord wants us to do, even if it makes us look foolish in the eyes of men.

To play the game, we sent one person out of the room & then the rest of the group decided on a leader. The leader would start a motion & everyone had to copy that motion. At any time the leader could change the motion & everyone had to follow. The person who left the room had to come stand in the middle of the circle & figure out who the leader was.

It ended up being a very fun activity & there were lots of giggles as the girls tricked the person in the middle.

After the game, the girls split up into small groups to exchange prayer requests & talk about the lesson. Then everyone went outside to our back deck that had been lit up with Christmas lights and we sang various hymns & Bright Lights songs together.

Shelby, Arianna & Taylor..

Katelyn, Rachel & Myra...

Silly faces & off guard smiles..

We ended our meeting with tea & special fall themed sugar cookies Brooke & McKenzie brought.

Jessica & Taylor...

Sweet Shelby..

Brooke & Kaleigh..

Sarah, Taylor & Abby..

Thank you all for sharing your joy with us, I'm looking forward to our next meeting in a couple weeks!

10/26/10 Developing a Disciplined Walk With God

2010-10-26T19:29:00.001-07:00

This week we had a great meeting as we discussed developing a disciplined walk with God.

As always, we started our meeting with singing...

This week we sang "I Will Live for You" and "Who Will Shine God's Light?"
During the lesson I challenged to girls to make spiritual disciplines a regular part of their day so that they can grow in their relationship with the Lord.

After the lesson, I announced the new small groups the girls will be in for the rest of the school year. The purpose of these groups will be to foster closer relationships & provide a place for discussion of each lesson. Each group is named after a woman of the Bible.

The Mary Group...

The Rebekah Group...

During their small group time, each young lady decorated a small notebook which she will be using to record her Bible reading for the next two weeks.

After small group meetings, we had a Bible sword drill competition between the groups. Each of the verses related to one of the suggested spiritual disciplines from the lesson. In the end, the Esther group won the contest.

Brooke..

Karen..

Today was a special day because it was Amber's birthday. Her mom came in with a cookie cake at the end of our meeting & we all sang to her.

The new 11 year old!!
We ended the meeting with tea, dessert & fellowship.

Abby..

Jessica, Jenny & Katelyn

Jenna & Gretchen..

Brooke, Camryn, Sylvia & McKenzie
I look forward to seeing everyone at our next Bright Lights meeting on November 9th!

10/12/10 Gaining a Clear Conscience

2010-10-12T19:38:00.000-07:00

This week we reached our group's lowest attendance record with 20 girls present! It's exciting that our group is so big that when only 20 girls show up it seems like a small crowd. ;)

I have been amazed to see how God has brought 28 young ladies into our group, somehow we all squeeze into our basement & find space for all our activities.

Each week we set out 26 tea cups, 4 water glasses & make 3 pots of tea...

This evening we talked about gaining a clear conscience. We discussed the three types of consciences: dead, guilty & clear, the importance of clearing our conscience & how to clear our conscience. Each of the girls were given some time to evaluate their hearts & seek out unforgiven sins. Then we split up into prayer partners.

After the lesson and prayer time we played a game of "Bright Lights Pictionary" with words from Bright Lights & the various lessons we've had so far. I discovered we have a pretty competitive group.

Jessica drawing forgiveness....

Melissa drawing tea...

Shelby drawing notebook....

We finished our meeting with tea & fellowship.

Jessica, Jenna, Kalei & Cecily (in the background)

Pouring tea for Gretchen...
I appreciate everyone's enthusiasm & the joy you shared tonight. Spending time with you all is one of my favorite things, thank you for radiating the joy of the Lord! :)

9/28/10 Developting a Relationship With Your Parents

2010-09-28T20:01:00.000-07:00

This evening we all met together for our second Bright Lights meeting as we discussed developing a relationship with your parents! It's exciting to see how God is building relationships within the group as new friendships are formed.

For the lesson I talked about the benefits of authority (provision, protection, training, correction), the importance of a submissive attitude to authority and the why you should work on building a relationship with your parents.

The girls were challenged to ask the Lord to help them gain a submissive attitude and seek opportunities to build their relationship with their parents.

After the lesson, the girls were divided into groups & each group was given a theme that they had to incorporate into a skit that presented the suggested memory verse, 1 Peter 3:4.

Sylvia...

"Skit Rehearsal..." ;)
Here are some photographs of the various group's performances..

The Giants (Abby, Shelby, Sara, Jenna)

The English Tea Party (Cecily, Kalei, Melissa, Amber)

The Broadway Musical (Brooke, Grechin, Martha, Katelyn)

The Sunday School (Arianna, Myra, Haleigh, Taylor)

The Mystery (Taylor, McKenzie, Jessica, Rachel, Sophie)

The Western (Elsah, Katie, Sylvia, Karen)

After that the girls wrote notes of gratefulness to their parents. I encouraged them to prayerfully consider including the commitment from this week's lesson in their letter.

McKenzie & Brooke

We ended with tea & delicious dessert!

This picture of Elsah was just too adorable to pass up...

Elsah, Melissa, Amber, Allison & Abby
We'll see you all again in two weeks!

9/14/10 Being Strong For the Lord in Your Youth

2010-09-15T18:19:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful time we had last night at our very first Bright Lights meeting! I really enjoyed meeting each of the young ladies (all 23 of them!) God has brought into this group. It was exciting to see God's hand at work last night as He brought us together to encourage each other towards Being Radiant In Godliness, Holiness & Testimony!

Here are some photos from our evening.

Doing a "get to know you" activity. Half the group sat in a circle of chairs facing out & the other half paired up with the "sitters." The partners had a minute or two to discuss their answer to a get to know you question, after the time was up the "standers" rotated to the left & discussed a different question with their new partner.

Sylvia & Amber getting acquainted...

Chatting away....Amber & Kalei...
The lesson for this meeting was "Being Strong for the Lord in Your Youth." We discussed the importance of committing to use your years as a young person to serve the Lord, not to waste them.

I asked the girls to give me some words they thought of when I mentioned a "typical American teenager." It was interesting to see what they came up with, not one of the words were positive! The list included, rebellious, lazy, disrespectful, moody, ipod/cell phone, anti-social, boyfriends, vain & many more.

Taylor & Kalei in the "balcony seating"

Eager volunteers...I had Arianna & Kalei help me mix up a disgusting concotion to illustrate the lesson...
After the concoctions was mixed up I explained that it represented the world - full of temptations & sins that may seem harmless by themselves but when you mix it all together it doesn't look or smell very good.
Would you like to smell? Taste maybe?

Then I explained how the rose represented our youth & all the potential God has placed inside of us to grown in & serve Him. He has made us beautiful & by maintaining that beauty through serving Him we are being a witness to those around us.Then we dunked the perfect, beautiful rose in the nasty gunk. This symbolized what happens when the a young lady takes the beauty & potential the Lord has given her for her youth & wastes them by getting involved with the world & allowing herself to be trapped by the enemy.
In the end I challenged the girls to make a commitment in their hearts as to whether they wanted to be like the 1st rose that ruined the years of its youth by allowing itself to be polluted by the world. Or, if they wanted to be like the rose who chose to set itself apart from the world & maintain a pure, holy testimony.
We ended our meeting with tea & fellowship! Special thanks to the girls who brought our delicious snacks!

I look forward to seeing each one of you again on September 28th, same time, same place. :) I'd encourage you to read through your lesson booklet from this week & make a written commitment to be strong for the Lord during your youth!

Our First Meeting!

2010-09-06T10:23:00.000-07:00

Our first Bright Lights meeting will be on September 14th from 6:15-8:15pm at my family's home (please email me if you're unsure of our address). I'm looking forward to getting our group started & beginning to get to know each young lady.

I look forward to seeing you soon!

Bright Lights Open House

2010-07-25T18:32:00.001-07:00

You & your daughter are invited to join us on August 31, 2010 from 6:30-7:30pm for a Bright Lights open house! This will be a time for you to meet the leader, learn more about Bright Lights, sign up for the school year & fellowship with other mothers & daughters. Refreshments will be provided, we just ask you to join us!

For location information please email the group leader, Allison at: allisonawhisler@gmail.com.

Welcome!

2010-07-25T18:29:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the official blog for the O'Fallon Bright Lights Group! We will use this blog to communicate announcements, share pictures & record testimonies of what God does in & through our group. Please check back frequently to keep up with us!